KR Marksmen

Accepted to WashU's DBBS Molecular Genetics and Genomics program!!

I started writing and researching schools mid july. I got serious about it in August though and wrote most of my generic essays (why PhD/PS/research Statement). These essays and an updated CV were proofread by several people, my mentor pi and advisors, and finished by mid September. I used October to tailor each essay to each school(different schools want specific things addressed in essays or have additional diversity essays). 
I took my GRE in November exactly two weeks before December 1st(lol dont do that, shoot for mid october at the latest) or else I would have submitted all my apps mid November. Every app was submitted before December 1st.

Happy to say I just accepted an offer of admission from one of my top choices and a top 20 school in my field.  For all of those with low-GPAs, there is hope! Find a masters that will accept you... do extremely well and the door will open for Ph.D programs! 
EDIT:  Also, thank you to this community for the great advice and support along the way! 

I just got accepted for the Biology MS program at Umass Boston with full funding after interviewing there a week ago. I really didn't know what to expect given that I was applying without any research experience but in the end my high GPA and GRE scores and strong letters of recommendation overcame it. Plus, my interview went extremely well. Still haven't heard back from URI or UConn, but Umass was my first choice anyways so I'll likely be accepting regardless.

Headed to WashU this Fall. Anyone else going hit me up if you are looking for a potential roommate in the CWE!

Headed to WashU this Fall. Anyone else going hit me up if you are looking for a potential roommate in the CWE!

Headed to WashU this Fall. Anyone else going hit me up if you are looking for a potential roommate in the CWE!

Headed to WashU this Fall. Anyone else going hit me up if you are looking for a potential roommate in the CWE!

Headed to WashU this Fall. Anyone else going hit me up if you are looking for a potential roommate in the CWE!

I got accepted to Stanford for Genetics!! I thought for sure after the interview that I didn't stand a chance. Best day ever!

Does it bother anyone else that schools like to start out the career path options presentations without mentioning going for a career in academia?
Why the heck would you go to grad school for your PhD if that is not your goal. I'm sick and tired of that shit, you don't need a PhD for consulting, you don't need a PhD to become a science writer, you don't need a PhD for an industry job..
Schools are letting in too many people, at every interview I've been to, I've met tons of smart people, alternatively, I've also met people that make me think "Why are you here?". I hear stuff like: "I'll be picking a mentor and doing rotations with people whose personalities mesh with mine" are you kidding me? -- I'll be doing rotations with people who are going to challenge me and push me to the edge - I'll be going with my gut feelings on who I choose to work with and it will purely be based off of their science. 
There are TOO many PhD's awarded, have you seen the statistics on PhDs on welfare (not just Biology PhDs to be fair but all in the USA) something like 30 percent on welfare. 50 years ago there were about 600,000 Bio researchers, now there are 6-7 million, it's not sustainable.
Schools need to clean up their acts, Masters degrees need to be funded not paid for by students - that can solve two problems: replicability as MS degrees can be focused on reproducing data and not novel data generation; it can also give an avenue for all the people who want to do what I would call "soft" stuff with their degrees. PhDs should only be given and encouraged for those who have raw talent and can become peers with professors not every person who applies.
If science does not keep you awake a night and doesn't wake you up in the morning... good luck.
When I'm a PI one day, I will not even let a student who does not want to become a SCIENTIST anywhere near my lab, not even for a rotation. Some of the people on this website and IRL just make me cringe, somebody needs to scientifically slap them with the truth.
What are your thoughts? Are you getting your PhD without the intent of at least trying to become a PI or Lecturer? Why? 

There's still hope! I got into 3 different schools this cycle all ranked between top 5 to top 15 in the country. I graduated with a 3.27. My last year gpa was actually around 2.9. I took two years off did full time research and applied to programs broadly. Although there will definitely be programs that look over you because gpa if you can try to do these things it will help you a lot.
1. Explain any hardship you had that caused your gpa to be low. So important!!!!
2. Rockout your gre and use it to balance out your gpa and include that although your gpa is low your gre shows you are capable of learning. (Despite the fact that correlations between gre and graduate school success are minuscule at best)
3. Do full time research/post bac if you don't want to go the masters route. All my projects haven't worked but im able to go in depth about every topic related to my projects and this impressed every adcom I interviewed with. Additionally, working in a lab full time just makes you think differently and actively so that when adcom members talk about their research you can naturally follow up. Showing that you can think like a scientist will impress on the interview trail. 
4. Apply broadly and don't limit yourself by your gpa. There's also alot of ways to get free applications.  If there is a graduate school fair attend it and tell programs how interested you are and ask for a few waiver. Out of 10 schools i paid for 2. The broader you apply the more likely you are for a program to take a chance. 
5. Same as 1 but so important im saying it twice. Don't hide from your gpa. Address it in all your applications and talk about why it happened and what changes you have made since then. If you don't explain why it's low schools won't care and your applications will get dropped. Don't make it sound like your being whiny or it wasn't your fault. No matter the hardship own up to it and tell how you've grown and why those issues are no longer an issue for you. 
Good luck on your grad school journey!
 

Got my official Harvard BBS GSAS letter and package today, it details how to formally accept the offer

Accepted to UPenn CAMB! 

Just committed to Berkeley yesterday! Very excited and I can't wait to move out there!

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

First acceptance!!!
Duke Biochemistry! 

Waiting to hear back post interview is driving me nuts!!!   The fact that everyone in my lab keeps asking me if I've gotten accepted doesn't help either.
In other news, my step-mom apparently told all her friends and family I'm going to be a medical doctor.......
Just rambling in hopes of keeping my fingers from pressing refresh on my email......

Waiting to hear back post interview is driving me nuts!!!   The fact that everyone in my lab keeps asking me if I've gotten accepted doesn't help either.
In other news, my step-mom apparently told all her friends and family I'm going to be a medical doctor.......
Just rambling in hopes of keeping my fingers from pressing refresh on my email......