<p>Hey all,
I’ve got some pretty big hopes for grad school (Ph.D. in molecular biology & biochemistry). I will have 5 years of college under my belt (starting my fifth when I apply, actually). I went to one small, private liberal arts college for two years, earning a 3.7. It had a good rep. I then went to another small, private liberal arts college with an even better reputation. It’s number one in its region and it is known for its science program. 98th percentile GRE, and a 3.9 cumulative at this other college. Extracurriculars (swim, some political and social clubs), one leadership position, volunteer work, five years of research with a professor (two at one college and three at the other), and one publication. Strong letters of rec from professors at both schools., and a job I’ve held for three years (working 27-30 hours on top of school and research and ECs). Do I have a shot at any of the following schools, or are there any that I should give up on? I am a caucasian female, 24 years old.
Brown
Cornell
Columbia
University of Chicago
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Hopkins
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of California-Davis
NYU
Boston
UNC-Chapel Hill
UVM
Baylor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</p>
<p>I know it’s a lot, trying to trim that number down. Thanks!</p>
<p>PS-Would I have a better shot if I applied to masters programs at these schools than a Ph.D. program, or does it not matter?</p>
<p>If you want a Ph.D., apply for a Ph.D. Some programs reserve their financial aid for Ph.D. students and you don’t want to be self-funding your graduate studies. You are certainly competitive for these programs but they are highly selective and have lots and lots of applicants. It is quite possible that your application may not be looked at thoroughly in some of these schools for relatively arbitrary reasons. They have to triage somehow…</p>
<p>In order to maximize your chances, speak to your faculty mentors and get their opinions. Do they have contacts in some of these schools where you could get a personal recommendation? Do they have suggestions about which professors to contact and how to do it to improve your chances? can they give you the names of some good schools where you would be a top applicant?</p>
<p>Thanks, xraymancs! I know that you’re supposed to communicate with a mentor you’d like to work with, so hopefully that will help!</p>
<p>Just make sure that you don’t send a generic inquiry. Read some of the papers and be very specific about the professor’s research. If you can engage the individual in a conversation about the research and your experience it will be very much better.</p>