<p>Hi, I have a somewhat untraditional background, so it has been hard to compare profiles. I appreciate any advice you can give.</p>
<p>I want to get a PhD in Bio/Chem Engineering to do research in synthetic biology, but I'm worried that my research experience won't stack up at the schools where I am most interested in the profs/research/location (Berkeley/UCSF, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, etc.).</p>
<p>I was planning on applying to ~10 top schools, but I know that even with perfect quals it's competitive. Do I have a shot with a great SOP, or would it be better to hedge and pay for a bit longer to prove myself in a good master's? Waste of time? In programs with both MS and PhD admissions, how common is it for a PhD reject to be considered for an MS slot? I have no idea what would qualify as a "safety" school for me, but it is hard to get excited about that proposition.</p>
<p>School: Mid-ranked public engineering
GPA: 3.84 undergrad (top 5-6%), 3.71 postbac at Ivy (bio, programming)
GRE: 164Q/168V/5.0AW (91/98/87%)
Research: 4 months and counting in neurobiology, 1 year as research engineer in Fortune 200 company (unrelated industry)
Letters: 1 good engineering, not expecting stellar from research advisor, considering 1 wild-card (philosophy? bad idea?)</p>
<p>Other experience:
<1 year in environmental engineering consulting on $28 mil US government bioreactor project
2 years teaching chemistry workshop
researched and designed water filter for Caribbean government</p>
<p>Leadership: led team to 2nd at regional engineering competition, associate chair for engineering conference</p>