Hey,
right now I'm studying for a Bachelor in Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria and my final grade will probably be 1,5. When I finish I will have published 4-5 scientific articles in this field, language english and german. Right now I'm 20 years old and looking to apply around this time next year for starting a PhD program in Fall '14. Then I will still only be 22 years old.
First issue is that I have no idea if my grades are good enough. The scale says even 2s from Austria are considered as As in America (that can't be true, can it?). Will I have any chance of getting into UCLA or Berkeley (these are THE two institutions that would fit my field of interest perfectly)?
How will I apply while still not having a Bachelor's degree during application time? Do i just send them my grades up to that point and that's it? I mean, how do they know a student will really finish his undergraduate phase in the summer?
Am I too young for a PhD program? Is that a factor for them? I'm really worried about that, but general sense tells me if I show them I really really want to get into research and nothing else (which i do), there would be no problem, right?
...
That would be all for now, lol

I know I'm thinking about it early, but now I still got time to make things better if my chances stand really low right now...
Thanks,
SW