<p>I am looking to go get my Masters in Evolutionary Biology or Cancer Biology</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<p>Junior B.S. Biology major and Biotech minor at top 40 LAC (Top 50 overall according to Forbes)
GPA: 3.0 currently (hopefully 3.1 by end of senior year). Had a 2.5 at end of freshman year so there has been slight improvement.
2 years of Breast Cancer Research. Will end in a publication.
Currently training next research student
Biophysics Research Group member
TA for Evolutionary Biology lab
Supplemental Instructor for General Biology
Started a Biology Club (will be President next year), President of Ping Pong Club (was VP last year)
No GRE yet. Plan on also taking Biology GRE to try to offset my low gpa
Race: African American</p>
<p>So what rankings should I be looking at in terms of US News Biological Science Programs (since it is so popular)? Do I have any shot at an okay university?
Also what consists of Tier 1 (is it 1-50?). I never have figured that one out for grad school.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot people!
gradschoo is online now</p>
<p>Why do you want to go to graduate school?</p>
<p>Clubs are irrelevant.</p>
<p>A strong GRE score won’t really offset a low GPA.</p>
<p>Your research experience will be important.</p>
<p>So will your recommendations - do you have three faculty members who will write you strong letters of support?</p>
<p>“Rankings” are basically irrelevant for graduate school.</p>
<p>You need to find the best fit for your research interests.</p>
<p>Talk to your professors and your advisor.</p>
<p>@gradschoo - </p>
<p>Of course you have a shot at a top tier university. Your research experience carries a lot of weight, along with great letters of recommendations, especially from your PI. In fact, I would say you have a “great” shot. Don’t sell yourself short.</p>
<p>If your goal is to do research as a career, I would highly suggest that you ALSO apply to Ph.D programs directly at the top and mid tier schools. Doctorate programs in the life sciences tend to be fully funded.</p>
<p>Some of the better known schools in the life sciences are: UC Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Rockefeller, etc.</p>
<p>If it were me, I would apply to at least one these schools. But that’s me:)</p>
<p>But here’s a tip. All that OTHER stuff besides research carries little to no weight. Obviously, you don’t want your grades to drop drop too low. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention letters of recommendation. I do have really good ones though. 2 from Professors who like me as a student and as a person and 1 from research who is not around enough to know me well (hes retired and travels a lot)</p>
<p>OK, so being quasi-cryptic didn’t work. Let’s try this straight-up.</p>
<p>Nobody can tell you what “rankings” to apply to. The “rankings” aren’t remotely the most important thing here.</p>
<p>You need to find the right advisor for your particular research interests. That means talking to professors, looking at the literature, and doing, well, research into graduate programs.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in researching breast cancer issues, seek out professors who are doing research in that field. Find out if they’re accepting students and look at their programs.</p>
<p>3.0 to 3.1 isn’t terrible. Considering you’re African American, you definitely have a chance at an “okay” university. You should get in at some decent school.</p>