Bio PhD, low gpa - suggestions for schools?

[blackbox1]

Quick stats:

Major: Molecular Genetics

GPA: 2.85 (end of junior yr; extenuating fam situations); aim to bring it up to ~3.2 during senior fall (this is possible b/c I'm repeating 2 courses I failed & that should make a big difference).

science GPA by end of junior yr: 3.49

GRE: 750Q/640V waiting for analytical score

3 strong LORs from established PIs

2 yr long projects at my school, 3 summer programs at top notch places, working on senior thesis... will be co-authored on ~3papers idk when! Several posters & abstracts so far.

Can someone suggest a list of schools they think I may have a shot at?

Should I just apply to schools with deadlines after my senior fall grades are in? (this excludes most big programs due Dec 1st though)

ANY suggestions/anecdotes would help!

Thanks a ton!!

[CallieTrichid]

I know of someone in UW-Madison's anthropology department that had a 2.9 CGPA (but rocking GRE scores in like the 96th percentile for both sections) and got accepted. So long as you explain the situation in your SoP, I think you've potentially got a decent shot if the admission standards are similar.

http://www.mcw.edu/microbiology/graduateProgramAdmissions.htm The Medical College of Wisconsin has a Molecular Genetics graduate program that might be of interest to you. Otherwise, I know UW-Madison has a really, really strong Genetics department.

Don't worry about the schools you've got a shot at so much as "Is this person doing something that I would really want to be working on a few years out from now?" Go look up articles by people whose work you find interesting and start contacting them to see if they'll be taking students. It's more important to have a good advisor and work on something YOU want as opposed to just going where you think you can get in.