Astrophysics student with 810 Biology GRE - can I get in?

[InquilineKea]

I'm a highly unusual applicant - most of what I learn is actually self-studied, so that's how I was able to get that score without taking any biology courses at all. I've done a lot of research and may get some extremely strong LORs - however - I'm also highly unusual (no one has ever seen an applicant like myself) and my GPA isn't very hot (although it has been okay for the last 2 years). My main strength is my sheer interdisciplinarity (which some biology programs might value).

I'm also one of the most active users on Quora, and have really built up its science section (especially the biology+neuroscience+astronomy) sections over the last few months.

So are there any ecology/biology grad programs that might be open to someone of my background? I believe that I will only be able to make application deadlines that start in late December.

Edited November 21, 2011 by InquilineKea

[Jimbo2]

I'd take a look at fisheries programs. Depending on the research, it may be more important to have strong quantitative skills than knowledge of biology in the context of fish. Plenty of fisheries grad students have bachelor's degrees in statistics or other heavily quantitative fields.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Jimbo2

[isobel_a]

I think you're in good shape no matter what type of biology you're interested in, as long as you balance out your GPA with research and strong LORs.

At the graduate level, ad coms are looking for applicants with the potential to do good research. What does research entail? A lot of determination and self-discipline. If you're a self-starter- and it looks like you are- you shouldn't have too much trouble sliding into a biology program.