aina521

No I have a undergraduate degree (accredited) and 2 years of medical school. There are lots of 6 years medical programs with 2 years of undergrad even here in the states. The program was rigorous, that's why it was pass/fail. In India, the tests are harder, and you're really just trying to pass. A high D or low C usually means honors, and I got that. I'm just not sure how those grades will translate to American grades. It is a completely different system.

I've got a slightly complicated story. Most of my life, I've wanted to pursue a career in research/academia, preferably in molecular biology or microbiology. My parents, on the other hand, would settle for nothing less than a medical degree, so once I graduated from high school, they shipped me off to India for medical school. It was a satellite campus for a Caribbean medical school and the program was 2 years of undergrad and 2 years of pre-clinical medical school, followed by 2 years of clinical medical school back in the States. After the first two years of medical school, I decided I really wasn't cut out to be a medical doctor, and I needed a break from all the stress it had caused me. I've taken a year off and stayed as far away from anything school-related during this time, but it's now time for me to go back to school and pursue my original dream. Here's the problem. I know almost nothing about grad school. I don't know whether to pursue a Master's degree or a Ph.D. I went to a pass/fail type of school, so my GPA is well beneath a 3.0 most likely. I have no research experience, and I don't even know how to go about getting research experience. Many places I've applied to have said that they require someone with a few years of research experience, but how can I get that without someone giving me the opportunity to gain that experience in the first place? I would like to apply for grad school for Fall 2012, but I fear I will not get in. I've learned that a Master's degree is not necessary, but I think for my special circumstances, it would give me 2 years of research experience to make me a slightly more competitive candidate for a Ph.D. program. But now that I'm actually researching Master's programs, I'm starting to get the idea that I'm not even going to get accepted into any of those with the complete lack of research experience and not-so-stellar grades that I have. Does anyone have any advice for me? Should I go ahead and apply anyway? Would it be a waste of money and time to do that, when I should be focusing on getting some more research experience? How can I get a research position with no prior experience? What do you guys think?