<p>I've posted a few times before, but hey, why not again, eh?</p>
<p>Long story short - JHU molecular/cellular biology student, freshman year sucked, I've been pulling myself out of the hole ever since, went from a B- average student to a 3.2 cumulative GPA (3.64 last semester). Biggest factor in how low my GPA is happens to be Calc II, which I took in freshman year when I was dealing with a constantly drunk and rowdy roommate + suitemates, and being generally depressive. Really, really want to go to a good grad school - kinda something I've wanted for most of my life (yeah, we've all heard that one before). I do think I'll have two reasonably good recommendation letters, one from the PI, one from a professor whom I've had four classes with and has seen me mature as a student.</p>
<p>I have independent research experience on campus (over a year, gonna be two when I apply), but I don't think I'll manage to publish anything. I applied to some summer internships/REUs, but there's no word from any of them yet, so I'm probably looking at staying here this summer, sadly enough. As such, I'm thinking about wiping that 2.0 in Calculus II off my record if I do stay, which would boost my GPA from 3.2 (or whatever it becomes after this semester) to 3.3+. Is it worth it? Any other advice on how to improve my graduate school chances would be appreciated, too (or just chances in general). I'm really hoping for UNC's BBSP program, but it seems like my grades just aren't competitive enough.</p>
<p>Also (and this is a random question), I've noticed that both Duke and UNC BBSP don't seem to have many Asians. Is there any reason for this? I'm Asian, and it seems a bit weird when the undergrad biology class here is around one third Asian.</p>