Seeking the best path to a Neuroscience PhD as an international student

[Asimio]

Hello everyone! After going through a million threads and seeing the competition out there (you people are super stars!) I want to work up a comprehensible game plan for myself.

I'm an international student (I'm from Pakistan, we're on the news a lot) who has done his MBBS in 2012 which is a bachelors in Medicine, bachelors in Surgery degree. I've had quite a disillusioned undergraduate experience with a very sub-par GPA of 2.29. I've systematically readdressed all my major subjects over the last two years and have read a lot in order to find some direction; and with the growing feeling of dissatisfaction towards the practice of modern medicine; I have pretty much decided that the basic sciences are for me. I've even discovered my deep interest in the Neurosciences, I'd love to romanticize further but I'll save that for my personal statement.

As for the application process I have some major deficits:

- I probably will not be able to produce any strong LORs.

- I lack any sort of significant research experience. I only have some experience with clinical research with a couple of low tier publication in local journals.

- I simply cannot find a means of making a mid-low tier list of PhD programs that I'd like to apply to, I only find lists of TOP programmes. 

I'm thinking of not applying for the 2016 session (I keep hearing fall and spring, are there two academic sessions? I only see deadlines ranging in December for neuroscience programs) and in the meanwhile giving my USMLE step 1, GRE, TOEFL and getting attached somewhere with a faculty member who's department I'm interested in.

At the same time I've been told be a couple of experienced people that I should apply anyway, with the viewpoint that I may still get into a program.

So main questions:
1) Should I bother applying? ($$$= Yikes)
2) If not so, does faculty accept students such as myself to help them out? Will I have to be prepared to work 60 hours+ per week without pay? (I am willing to do so)
3) Advise on the whole plan?

[basketballfrost]

I was about to give you some advice when I saw this all happened a year ago...

What happened then, did you apply?