Randall Lin

So I know the best: Columbia, UCSD, UCL, Harvard, MIT, UCSF, Princeton, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA. However, I'm not sure about my chances: Caltech full-ride merit physics major/computer science minor/premed 3.0/4.0 Three summers of research with Christof Koch and Gabriel Kreiman (both LORs) Single neuron information theoretic measures topology derived from STDP rules visual selectivity and responsiveness in micro arrays (high resolution EcoGs) Published high school research in computational evolutionary biology with Christoph Adami GRE 163/163/4.0 GRE physics unknown yet (left quite a few blank though) So I need to start looking at second tier programs, but since the field is pretty small, it's hard to tell. Anybody have any recommendations?

Are the only ways to eventually get LORs as follows?: Research (then most likely post-doc, grad student written) Industry (PhD manager?) Professor from multiple classes (hard to do) The first one I can actively try for. I don't really want to go into industry so there's no point for number 2. Are there other methods and suggestions? Thanks!