cephalexin

Overall, I think your application is okay, and it really is only lacking in research experience. It seems to me that you only have ~1 semester’s worth of research experience, which is far less than most applicants in science.

Yes. Funding is provided. See https://compneuro.cmu.edu/application-process/

A friend of mine is at Mayo Clinic for neuroscience.

While it never hurts to apply to more programs, the application looks top notch and I would expect interviews at atleast half of these programs (assume he has good LoRs and SOP)

My friend who applied there did so because of her interest in neuro. Take that as you will because I have no other knowledge of the school/program.

Your best bet is honesty. While techniques are important to know, what separates the grad student from a technician is the ability to think about your project and develop hypotheses/new ideas. Your PI most likely care much more about that than if you can successfully PCR without training. Be honest and ask for help. Maybe another student in the lab can show you how it’s done? Edit- I just wanted to add that if this makes a PI not want you in his/her lab, you don’t want that kind of PI anyway.

How low is really low? You may want to apply for Masters programs as a start. It would give you an opportunity to boost your GPA. Do you have a job? A letter of rec from a boss that shows you are a good worker may help.

Good luck to all applying this year.

Congratulations!

I agree with what atm said, and would only add that the MCAT subreddit and Student doctor network forums are better places to ask about mcat strategies. Most people here are grad school focused and not med school focused.

Taking a glance at your profile, it seems like you have a strong profile, especially for programs where the GRE is not looked at. also, I’m not an expert in cancer bio programs, but your program list looks good. I would look at Wisconsin as I remember seeing cancer bio as an option when I applied for molecular bio.

I agree with Baby. This is not something I have heard of. You could, and I don’t see an issue with it, but I’m unsure if they would even look at it.

I’m going to echo what BabyScientist said above. I am PharmD to PhD, and I have never been happier than in my program. Best aspect: doing what you love all day. When I was in pharmacy school, I spent my free time in a research lab, but I always had to worry about exams, rotations, etc. worst aspect: money. See Baby’s post. Also not being eligible to apply for some grad student fellowships because of your degree. please let me know if you have any questions about the application process if you decide to apply or if you’d like any other advice, I’m happy to chat/help. With a professional degree, your application will be unique compared to other applicants. I found the whole application-interview process exciting and encouraging, and I am happy to talk about it.

The fact that you’re in a lab and you’ve only talked to the PI a couple of times is wild to me. Can you reach out and see if you can meet with him? Talk about your project, time in the lab, etc. Have there been other undergrads in this lab? What did they do? If you don’t know your grad students might. as for your other letters, you should be okay if you can get one from your current PI. Obviously check every programs requirements, but I only had one real undergrad PI. I had two other professors write my other two letters. Finally, depending on the rest of your application, you may want to pursue a masters first for A ) more research experience and B ) a strong letter.

Okay so you have a lot going on here, but here are my thoughts/opinions as someone who applied to micro phD programs all across the US last year. A) Your GPA may be an issue, but you'll have to look at specific program minimums. Pitt's Program in Microbiology and Immunology has a minimum of 3.2 for example. For programs like this, I would call the admissions office and ask how strict this minimum is considering your more recent semester GPAs were clearly much higher and your biology GPA is likely higher as well. Other programs either do not have a minimum GPA requirement (such as Michigan's umbrella program Program in Biomedical Sciences ) or do not publish GPA minimums on their website. Your best bet is to discuss your growth and improvement in your statement of purpose. B ) Your experiences sound pretty good. A small undergraduate project shows you can develop your own project, and your work experience has granted you many lab skills important to a scientist. I wouldn't worry about "flashy" molecular or genetic experience. This is not the norm for applicants as far as what I saw on interviews. In terms of techniques, my undergrad project was mostly Western blot, with a little cell culture and some plaque assays sprinkled in. Nothing too "flashy" here. Your TA experiences in undergrad will also look good imo. C) If you score well on the GRE, this could offset your lower GPA. However, I would look at the programs you plan to apply to first. All but 2 of the programs I applied to either removed the GRE requirement or did not accept GRE scores at all. D) You talk briefly about loans/debt in your post. All of the phD programs I applied to are fully funded, so for a micro phD you shouldn't gain more debt. However, the stipends are roughly half of what you make currently (w/o bonus), and varying depending on the cost of living in the program area. E) All of the programs I applied to have lab rotations, and thus, I didn't email any potential labs in advanced. I only emailed if the PI I was interested in was not available during my interview weekend. I am genuinely not sure what the norm is here. F) As for a masters, I do not know your situations well enough to really give advice. However, I can give my general thoughts on the topic. I have been told that talked a masters is best for students who lack research experience or are not sure they want to pursue a phD. You seem to be neither of these, but that call is only one you can make. Let me know if you have any questions about my experiences applying to micro phD programs.