Need help narrowing down my list of schools

Graduate School
1

<p>So I've got a list of graduate schools I'll be applying to for Cell Biology programs. I ultimately want a PhD to study regenerative biology, but since my stats aren't the greatest I feel like going for a Masters first would be a better idea. My GRE stats are Verbal: 157 and Quantitative: 150. I'll be retaking it in a month or two as I didn't really prepare for it the first time, however I'd like a rough idea of where I can get in in case I don't improve too much. Overall GPA was 3.45 with a science GPA hovering just barely above 3, I think. My recommendations aren't the greatest (two are from TA's (one of which is now a professor) and one from my advisor since I never talked to any professors). As far as research experience goes... I have none, but I've been working in a genetics production lab for around five months now. My list is as follows: </p>

<p>University of California - Irvine
PHD program in Cell Biology department of Development & Cell Biology</p>

<p>Dartmouth College
PHD program in Molecular & Cellular Biology</p>

<p>University of California—​Santa Barbara
MA/PHD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology</p>

<p>Brandeis University
MS/PHD in Molecular & Cell Biology</p>

<p>Stony Brook University—​SUNY
MS in Biochemistry & Cell Biology
PHD in Molecular & Cell Biology</p>

<p>University of California—​Santa Cruz
Masters/PHD in Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology</p>

<p>University of Southern California
MS of Science in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine</p>

<p>University of California—​Riverside
MS/PHD in Cell, Molecular & Devolpmental Biology</p>

<p>Syracuse University
MS/PHD in Cell/Molecular Biology</p>

<p>University of Wisconsin—​Milwaukee
MS/PHD in Biological Sciences - botany, microbiology, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, physiology and morphology of plants and animals, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, behavioral biology, conservation biology, and evolution.</p>

<p>University of Massachusetts—​Boston
MS in Biology - “Faculty have expertise in the following areas: cell biology, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, physiology, plant sciences, population biology, and evolutionary biology.”
PHD in Molecular, Cellular and Organismal Biology</p>

<p>Fordham University
MS/PHD in Cell & Molecular Biology</p>

<p>University of Michigan—​Ann Arbor
MS/PHD in Molecular/Cellular/Developmental Biology</p>

<p>University of Minnesota
MS in Stem Cell Biology</p>

<p>University of Pennsylvania
PHD in Developmental, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology</p>

<p>University of Wisconsin
PHD in Developmental and Regenerative Biology</p>

<p>McMaster University
MS in Biology - Check the link for “Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute”</p>

<p>Rutgers University - Cell and Developmental Biology M.S.</p>

<p>University of Connecticut
Cell and Development Biology - M.S., Ph.D. (see molecular and cell biology)</p>

<p>University of Miami - Miller School of Medicine - Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology</p>

<p>I feel like I'll have to eliminate all of the PhD programs and any school in the top 30 for reasonable chances at getting in. What do you think?</p>

2

<p>Also I graduated from UConn if that matters.</p>

3

<p>Don’t get recommendations from TAs without PhDs, unless you have absolutely no choice. The second TA is more ok since s/he finished, but if that first TA is still in a doctoral program s/he is not a great choice for a recommendation. If your advisor doesn’t have a PhD, they are not really a great choice either. At worst, you should try to get recommendations from professors in whose class you received As - even if you didn’t know the professor all that well. This is especially true for the PhD programs on your list - you want your recommenders to all have PhDs, because only they can speak to whether you are well-suited to complete a PhD.</p>

<p>If you have no research experience you aren’t competitive for a PhD program. Working in a genetics production lab may count depending on the tasks you are doing, but 5 months won’t make you very competitive. I’m not saying you shouldn’t apply to PhD programs; you should. But the first place you might want to start narrowing is thinking about those PhD programs. Maybe you should apply to your 3-4 very top PhD choices, like “dream” programs where you would be surprised but thrilled to be admitted. This may seem counterintuitive since they are the programs to which you are least likely to get admitted, but there’s a method to that. You don’t want to “settle” for a university that won’t help you get to your goals, especially if a master’s will help prepare you to succeed and get into a much better PhD program. If you want to do academia or research as a career, it’s far better to do 2 years at an MS and have the shot at an excellent PhD program than it is to go to a low-ranked PhD program that won’t help you get jobs you want.</p>

<p>Then focus most of your attention on MS programs. I wouldn’t completely forgo the top 30 programs; apply to a range - maybe 1-3 in the top 20 or so, then 2-3 in the 20-40 range, and maybe 2-3 in a lower-ranked range.</p>