I’ve had a long journey. I made the decision a semester back to completely get out of biology because I felt pressured into going into medical school. I focused on my other passion for the semester - art. I even considered transferring to an art school. But then I realized I only had 2 semesters of biology left. Just two. I could do this. I don’t have to be a physician. I can do research based on biodiversity, paleobiology, animal biology, or evolution, which are all things that fascinate me! That being said, I really have screwed up my GPA. I started out after my freshman year with a 3.76 GPA. Now it’s down to 3.19. That said, if I can really boost my GPA with my remaining credit hours (about 30), do I have a chance at getting into graduate school for either a masters or PHD program? I currently attend the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana. I’d really like to stay here or at least in state. But if I have to go somewhere else to do this, I will. I have not even thought of taking the GRE yet. I will likely take a year off in between undergrad and grad school, maybe take a class or two to boost my GPA.
I have a lot of clinical experience volunteering at hospitals. At least 100 hours during college alone. I also have one year of working for a research lab on campus. I’m thinking of trying to get into another lab this year.
Your GPA is very low for most top tier programs. Is there a compelling reason for this low GPA or did you get distracted by other less studious aspects of undergrad? This can make all the difference. I am someone who got into several top tier biomedical grad programs with a low GPA, but I had lots of research experience and a valid reason for my low GPA.
It is unlikely that you will get into a good Ph.D. program right out of undergrad with a GPA like this. I suggest you do what I did - take a few years off to research. Working as a lab technician will broaden your research skills, give you insight into being in and running a lab, get your name on a few papers, etc. You can also take time after work to study for the GRE which you will have to do very well on with a low GPA. I worked as a lab technician for 3 years and will be headed to a fully funded Ph.D. program this fall at my top choice. School is probably all you have ever known, but don’t be afraid to join the “real world” and get a job. Experience is invaluable.
If your end goal is a Ph.D. don’t waste your time or money on a masters if you can avoid it. Think about what you REALLY want to do with your life. Do you want to be a professor at a university? Then you need a Ph.D. Do you want a 9-5 job at a biotech company? Then a masters would probably suffice. Remember that Ph.D.s take longer but are usually fully funded while fully funded masters programs are even more competitive though shorter.
If you decide on doing a Ph.D., you need to figure out what you want to study as that will dictate which schools you want to apply to. Research fit and experience are huge when admissions committees review applications. If you want to study protein X and its role in disease Y, you want to end up at a school with a professor accepting grad students in his/her lab that studies protein X and its role in disease Y.
It is fantastic that you have so many volunteer hours, but Ph.D. programs will not care much. They want to know your research experience. Many of the interview questions revolve around you talking about your research projects. You said you worked in a research lab for one year - was this washing dishes, making solutuions, etc or were you truly doing research?
I hope this helps. Please feel free to message me with questions or if you need additional advice.