Hello,
I can't contribute any real evaluation to your plan but I really like it. I'm sort of the in the same situation with your type of academic profile. I'll be graduating in a year or so ie ~spring 2015, so I don't really have much time to raise my gpa or get in long term or substantial research time. I have a rough plan that is somewhat similar to yours but for me its pretty much: for a year, hold down a job while taking some undergrad classes to raise my gpa in order to get into any master's program. Not sure if debt is an issue for you, but it is for me it is and I'd guess I'd like to reduce it.
Really from just what I've seen, research amount is important. I know a guy who got into a really great doctorate program and he participated in research for four years during his undergrad. Hence its that guy's profile that's giving me interest to just try to get into any grad school master's program. It's just so I can lengthen or really just establish the amount of research years under my name.
And also I guess letters of recs can't really come into existence over short periods of time, so I'm really hoping for those who I'm involved with in master's program to take some time to get to know me over a projected two years to write me a nice rec.
Really, I just feel a master's program, any master's program is really the environment needed to get into a desired program for people like me and I guess you (but of course I can't speak for you because I don't know you xP).
Anyway, two years for your plan seems realistic but tough (again take with a grain of salt as this comment is coming from a guy who has not tried such a route himself).
tl;dr
I'm in a similar position as you.
I think your plan will be tough but might work.
Maybe needs more time spent in with a lab.
If it helps:
my plan =
after graduation
Year 1: Job + undergrad gpa boosting
Year 2: Any Master's (thinking of this program as extended undergrad), research lab
Year 3: Master's, research lab
Year 4: Doctorate program first year
I wish you the best and its nice to know being alone in this situation is not the only choice.
