<p>hello all,</p>
<p>I need everyone's honest opinion. what are my chances of getting into a ph.d program for biology? what about for chemistry?
i've only recently decided that grad school is the right choice for me, and I need a better grasp on what my chances are of getting accepted into a solid program if i apply this cycle. if my chances are slim, i'd much rather save money & wait another year to apply.</p>
<p>Heres my info: i am a senior at the U. of Washington, majored in bio & chem (ACS), cum gpa in bio is 3.3, cum gpa in chem is 3.4. did rotational research in various chem labs for 6 months, but did not participate in a project. spent the summer doing an intensive, independent research project in neurobio. will be presenting at said conference. a professor at said university is now working on my project (he will publish within a year. i am 1st author). work in 2 labs now: a cell & molec lab (got selected for said scholar program & am getting funding for a year to conduct my own project w/ 2 other students), and a neuro lab (will start project w/ grad students.. not my own, however). </p>
<p>i guess my concerns come from the fact that my GPA is not stellar, and i have not taken the GRE's, so i cannot gauge how "competitive" i am based on numbers, alone. i am registered to take the GRE oct 31. will take subject tests in bio & chem, and submit scores to schools that will accept (if they are even released in time). in addition, it seems as though successful ph.d applicants have completed several years of research (and i don't even have a years worth, yet). i feel that the only thing I have under my belt that even puts me into consideration for a program is my one publication (which will not even be out by the time applications close). also, i feel my experiences are not cohesive. its not that i dont know what i want to pursue, but because i actually love both biology and chemistry (but not biochemistry... no offense to those who are biochemists. </p>
<p>the grad programs i've been looking at combine the two fields:
UC santa cruz's biomedical science & engineering,
UC davis molec, cell & integrative biology
UCSF chemistry & chemical biology</p>
<p>i am also considering neuroscience programs, considering that is what my undergrad project was on, and since i work in a neuro lab now.</p>
<p>am i being overly ambitious? i know UC davis and UCSF are extremely competitive....</p>