[Rejected- What to do next ?]

Hi!

So I applied to PhDs in Neuroscience straight out of undergrad and despite a few interviews I ended up not getting in anywhere so I was looking into my next options and was wondering if anybody could give me some advice! I'll be graduating with a 3.3GPA in Neurobiology, 167V,164Q,5.5W GRE, 2.5 years research experience, no publications but I'll be finishing up a thesis project by the end of the year.

 

I really wanted to move towards more stem cell/ regenerative sciences so looking around some options I'm deciding between before reapplying.

1) 2 year, thesis based Masters in Biochemistry at USC, and then applying.

2)1 year, no research Masters in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC, and then following up with 2 years as a Research Assistant.

3) Just working as a Research Assistant for 2 years, and then applying.

 

Right now I'm leaning towards option 2 mostly because it'll help boost my GPA and it'll be a lot cheaper. However I was wondering if a thesis based masters is that much better than a non-thesis based masters and worth paying for an extra year of school. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!