Hi all,
I should probably apologize in advance, as I'm sure this topic has been addressed before... but I'm new around here and figured I might as well ask for some advice.
I am a senior Biology student (with a minor in Chemistry) and have just started working on my applications for cellular and molecular biology programs at several schools- UC Berkeley, Davis, LA, UW, USC, University of British Columbia and a few others. I would love to attend any of these universities- however, I'm not sure if my profile will be strong enough to apply directly to PhD or even Masters programs at any of these schools.
Stats:
My GRE scores leave something to be desired (156 quant, 164verbal, 3.5 analytical writing) but I plan on retaking the test come November.
I have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.46 and have been awarded Dean's List honors for several terms at my school. My coursework has consisted of a wide range of Biology and Chemistry classes, including several graduate level classes in both departments. However, I did get a C+ in Molecular Bio II, a grad level Bio class I took last year, which might hurt my application.
I also have research experience in two labs on campus, though I am currently unpublished and probably won't achieve authorship before graduation. LORs should be positive- two will come from PIs on campus, and one will come from an internship at a healthcare company I had the summer before last.
What do you think? Is admission to a PhD program at any of these schools realistic? Should I consider a Master's first? I know that most of the schools listed above have molecular biology programs that are ranked in the top 20/30 programs nationally, and with time running out to apply to graduate school in Fall 2014, I don't want to spend what little time I have left applying to schools I have no chance of getting into.
Thanks in advance for reading/commenting!