Golfer

Hi guys, I'm a senior at a top-3 ranked U.S. university who's interested in a career in academia, and I would love to hear some of your recommendations. Background: Black female, US citizen Test Scores (GRE): 314 (157Q 157V 5W) (taken w/ no prep as a sophomore - practice tests are now ~162 on Q and V) GPA: 3.15/4.0 in Psychology (Psychology GPA - 3.4) Minors: Neuro, Cog Sci Research Experience: Published as second author in top medical journal (a study on memory), published independent project in undergraduate journal (a study on social perceptions), junior research project (critical review of amputation research), and currently conducting an honors thesis that will be submitted for publishing (more on memory) Work Experience: 3 months as a Program Manager at a school in Thailand, 3 years of Calculus and R tutoring through UG university, 2 years at private tutoring companies, 1 year I/O Psychology research assistant at Rice University (helping a student with a dissertation and a Prof with a publication), 3 years of memory research at MDACC Awards/Honors: Presented at 3 conferences, received several top merit and athletic scholarships before entering UG and disability scholarships/research grants in UG Concentration Applying to: OB (micro) Number of programs planned to apply to: 15 Questions or concerns you have about your profile? Low UG GPA - I was a pre-med student suffering from an undiagnosed autoimmune condition. After switching out of pre-med and being put on proper disability, I earned a 3.8 GPA as a junior. I have heard your last 2 years of UG matter most - is this true? Will having a recommender explain my situation help? I don't think PhD programs will really care why my GPA is low, it will still hurt me heavily, but I'd appreciate honest opinions. My university is also known for deflating grades. I will likely be able to raise my Psych GPA to ~3.5 and my UG GPA to a 3.3 if my senior year goes well. Do you think I have a shot of getting into a top pre-doctoral program? There's a few research associate positions and more tailored programs (Stanford Research Fellows, NYU pre-doctoral, etc.). Some programs offer free GRE prep. I would like to get into one of these programs or work as an RA while taking a few graduate courses to boost my chances of matriculating at a top program. Any thoughts on this plan? I'm trying to avoid an MBA because of the cost, but is this a better option? Would a 324 GRE be a competitive enough score considering my GPA? Lastly, should I focus more on taking graduate courses or gaining OB research experience? Many thanks in advance!