Hi, I go to a top 5 uni and just completed my first year with less than a 3 (but that’s fine cuz i’ll work harder and get it up). There are a ton of summer research programs in bio but the majority of them require transcripts, though I know some at least don’t because I ran into one a wile back. Do you guys know of any programs that only ask for like a CV, letters of rec, personal statement? Preferably at a top uni. I’m in two competitive scholarship programs at my school and i represent my school’s undergrad at the student health services and have worked the full year in an advanced research lab (for post docs and grad students in medical physics, i’m the only undergrad) and have gotten my name in some papers, so if there are any summer programs at HYP, MIT, Stanford, Hopkins, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan, Mayo clinic, etc. so that don’t ask for gpa I think I’d have a really good shot. But with the transcript requirement i have no shot.
So you are saying that you did not work hard your freshman year but plan to “turn things around” next year? A sub 3.0 from a “top 5” university is very bad as I’m sure you know.
Are you looking for something for this summer? If so, it almost certainly is too late to arrange for anything other than continuing on in the lab where you have been working at your own university.
If it is for next summer, start with your current PI. If your PI can’t keep you for that summer, chances are he/she has a pal somewhere who might be able to fit you into their group. That way you can avoid the GPA question entirely.