Master vs. Phd

[halfstrengthKarnovsky]

Hi,

I'm preparing to apply for grad school next year. My undergrad GPA seems too low to get into any good PhD programs... I'm hesitating if I should do a master program first to get better GPA and then apply for PhD programs.

uGPA: 3.1 BS Molecular biology from a large public university

GRE(V/Q/W): 160/170/4.5

Research experience: 2 years as undergrad researcher & 2 years as full time technician at a well known institute.

Co-authored 3 papers(second and third author). Impact Factor ~25 / +10 / +15.

Interested field: immunology, biochem, molecular bio, cancer bio

Interested school: Stanford, Yale, UC Berkeley, UCSF, UCSD, Columbia, NYU, Emory, WUSTL

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

[Mikey1994]

I think for the programs that you are interested in your GPA may be a little low. If you want to get your PhD from a top-tier program I would suggest to do a masters first. 

[samman1994]

For a top-tier school, I think your GPA is a bit low. However, since your GRE scores are high, if you can explain why your GPA is so low (in your SOP), you may have a chance for a PhD at those institutions.