<p>Hi everyone, </p>
<p>I'm at crossroads. I am a senior biochemistry major with a 3.31 GPA. I am deciding between working or applying to grad school for next year. My GRE is at 1210, with a 680 Math and 530 Verbal. I worked for a year in a microbiology lab as an assistant. I'm currently in a great lab with a great PI. I'm much more involved in this lab and may possibly get a publication out of it. What schools should I apply to? I'd love to go to a UC in California or maybe even U of Washington. Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>this is an impossible question to answer as its a completely personal decision. consider what research you want to do and look up the research conducted by different graduate programs, then email PI’s of interest to see if they’re accepting graduate students. Also, talk to your current PI as they know far more about your situation. Since grad school is about 6 years long, consider only applying to places you’re really willing to live near. </p>
<p>As for California schools, remember the UC’s are facing drastic budget cuts. While this may be unlikely to affect graduate stipends, it will effect other areas of campus and thus trickle down to the graduate students. This is coming from a graduating senior at UCLA in biochemistry. I got accepted to UCLA for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and decided to go with Stanford (biophysics) instead because I believe they offered far more options and opportunities, plus I liked the research better and needed to get out of LA (lived here all my life, love it but need a change).</p>