PhD microbiology/infectious disease program...NEED ADVICE PLEASE

juillet
Thu, 20 Aug 2015 03:44:12 +0000

Consider doing an MS before getting a PhD. It’s far better to get an MS from a middling school and your PhD from a top school than it is to go straight to a middling school for the PhD.

You are a kind of borderline candidate; your GPA is lowish and so are your GRE scores. If your letters of recommendation are lukewarm or don’t show much familiarity with you, that could be the nail in the coffin. An MS can strengthen that record, and you’d be more competitive for MS programs so you might win some funding. You’d get more wet lab experience, stronger recommendations, and the opportunity to earn a high GPA and prove your mettle. Plus you’d give some time for that publication go through an R/R round and get published, potentially.

Also, just because you graduated doesn’t necessarily mean your advisor will be unwilling to help you.