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Essentially, I want to know if I'm suffering from imposter syndrome, or if I really am unlikely to be accepted to a top 10 PhD program in bioengineering.

I go to a relatively average public university in the US, majoring in Chemical Engineering (there is no major offered in biomed/bioE) with a 4.0 GPA. I've spent 3 years on the rowing club, and 2 as the president of the club. I'd like to think this shows I'm very dedicated and a hard worker. I will also have my name on two publications (3rd and 4th author) in average journals as well as a presentation at a national conference, all of which are strongly related to bioengineering.

I know I will have one very strong letter of rec from my current research advisor who I have worked with during the academic year and as part of an REU program this summer. I'll also have two other decent letters of rec from a past research advisor last summer and a professor I have gotten to know while taking her classes and doing very well in them.

Assuming I put a great amount of effort into my application, especially my statement of purpose, what are my realistic chances of getting into a top program?

Matt
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  • I think there is a question somewhere around here addressing this in the general form. It sounds like you are qualified, just keep in mind that fit is incredibly important. You need to spend time finding programs and PIs that will value your unique background, skills, and interests. Even then, remember that acceptance rates are below 10% for most individual programs and apply accordingly. – Tim Jun 15 '15 at 16:15
  • you can attract more views and increase the odds of getting a useful answer by making this question more general. – henning Jun 15 '15 at 17:58
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    It's a possibility - that's really all anyone can say for certain. If you had applied in 2014 I can say the stats for a top 10 program like at University of Washington were this: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/statistics/admissions/admissions14.pdf Which, depending on the program you chose, had anywhere from a 0% chance (no one got an acceptance who applied to that specialty) or as high as a ~50% chance (half of people who applied got offered a spot, with or without funding). – BrianH Jun 15 '15 at 19:43

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