BEBgrad

Considering holding off a bit to try to find work as a lab or field tech. I would prefer to have three strong letters of rec., more experience, (maybe a publication), and get rid of some student debt before committing to graduate school. Regardless, I'll be submitting some applications out this December. I'm not really sure how competitive I am, so I've been planning on applying to a spectrum of schools (each with 1-3 potential PI's with closely matching research interests). I appreciate any comments/criticisms/recommendations! Undergrad Institution: (research university, ~top 30 overall universities)Major(s): Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyMinor(s): noneGPA in Major: ~3.56?Overall GPA: 3.64Position in Class: (top third?)Type of Student: (Domestic, male, mixed ethnicity)GRE Scores (revised):Q: 165(96th percentile)V: 158(69th percentile) W: 4.5(82nd percentile)B: NAResearch Experience: 2 years as a undergraduate research assistant (insect evo-devo lab) summer internship with the National Park Service (endangered wildlife management) 3-month field research internship (plant ecology) 1 poster presentation Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?) Institutional research fellowship Institutional research grant Dean's list 7/8 semesters (issue with number of credits one semester) Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...) Teaching assistant for a semester in a relevant class Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: no publications Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...) LGBT (not sure if that's a bonus?) Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 2 strong letters of rec. 1 moderately strong letter of rec. Applying to Where: Cornell - (plant-insect interactions) UT Austin - (plant-insect interactions) UC Riverside - (plant-insect interactions) Vanderbilt - (plant-insect interactions) Also: Cornell - (mainly avian) disease ecology and conservation Princeton - (mainly avian) disease ecology and conservation Northern Arizona University - (mainly avian) disease ecology and conservation University of Wyoming - (mainly avian) disease ecology and conservation U. Southern Florida - (mainly avian) disease ecology and conservation