[quote=squat250]i don’t know if it’s a good idea to reach too far. As he told me when we were discussing the pros and cons of me applying for higher positions, he said, “Pa, the tallest blade of grass always gets cut first.”[/quote]
Did you also look into UCI and UCSD? The GPA might be too low for those two schools, but it never hurt to try. Those are also top notch engineering school with UCSD being in the top 15 in the nation and #1 or #2 in Bio-Engineering (depending on which ranking). Those two schools are also very close to home for you. Maybe make that kind of commute to work.
