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Yes, it does. Any good PhD program will come fully funded plus a stipend for living expenses. </p>
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…no. The importance of GPA is blown way out of proportion, and in a lot of fields it’s the least important factor after GRE scores if you meet a certain threshold (3.0+ overall, ~3.3+ major). Most important by far are research experience and academic preparation, followed by recommendations.</p>
<p>The piece of good advice in that post is that it’s prudent to choose an inexpensive option, which is something I agree with. If you’re a California resident, I would lean toward one of the UCs (Berkeley IB is a fantastic option) or, if it gives enough financial aid, UVA. </p>
<p>CU Boulder has a great ecology program, and Boulder is more scenic than Fort Collins. I’d personally prefer it, but you couldn’t go wrong with either.</p>