Biology applications- 2012

[ryanmor]

Hello all,

Thought it would be a good idea to get a common thread going where we can chat about the application process as it unfolds over the next few months.

I am a current senior at a big name state university. I am applying to 6-7 PhD programs in Botany and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. GREs, narrowing down the school list, and finding letter writers are all done. Now its getting this SOP worked out.

Who else is with me?

[balletgirl395]

I'm with you rpm225. I'm currently applying to 10-15 schools for Biomedical research to get a PHD. Good luck

[virion]

Applying to what I consider to be quite a lot (10-12) schools this Fall. Will post more specifics school-wise once I have it worked out. My SoP is also in the works. Still pretty rough, but the general outline is coming together. The "school specific" bit is just a scribble of notes for different schools so far. LoR have been discussed with all previous advisors and there should hopefully be "glowing" and sent without delay come time for those.

GREs are done with. Not amazing scores but not worth repeating it (especially with this new test...). I decided to take the Bio subject test for the heck of it and got 86th percentile overall, 96th in cell and molecular (area of interest). The overall "low" score is due to a 66th percentile in ecology/evolution (something I'm not particularly interested in and departments I'm applying to probably wouldn't place importance in). Subscores are reported, so that's a good thing, but I can't decide whether or not to send this optional subject test score. If it were 96th overall, I would of course. I'm thinking that if a school "recommends" a subject test I will send it. If they're a somewhat lower ranked school, I'll send it. But if high tier programs are full of applicants with very high scores, perhaps sending it to them would be more harm than good?

It seems like generally these threads start out pretty slow, then explode in early December. Good luck to everyone!

[OldGrad2012]

hi all,

I am also applying to about 8 schools in biomedical sciences too. I have not taken the subject biology test yet but will take it in October. I am a nontraditional applicant, and has been out of school for a while. Good luck to me.

[bobbydinero]

My GPA is pretty avg., as well as GRE. Already have 2 LOR writers, going to contact a 3rd soon. Finished my general SOP today, I feel it's very passionate and all I need is to let people proofread it. Applying to about 20 PhD programs, a lot are umbrella programs but will eventually try to get in the immunology track. 20 schools is a lot, I know, but I really don't want to enter the job market in this economy. Good luck, everyone.

[InquilineKea]

How important are GRE scores for Ecology/Evolutionary Biology programs? I'm just wondering.

Edited September 29, 2011 by InquilineKea

[ryanmor]

They are required? Some of my schools also "recommend" the biology subject GRE. From talking with POIs, it sounds like as long as you meet the cutoff for the department (to weed out the under qualified) then they aren't really looked at too much.

[Jimbo2]

How important are GRE scores for Ecology/Evolutionary Biology programs? I'm just wondering.

LOR/Research experience > GPA > GRE

[virion]

They are required? Some of my schools also "recommend" the biology subject GRE. From talking with POIs, it sounds like as long as you meet the cutoff for the department (to weed out the under qualified) then they aren't really looked at too much.

I assume InquilineKea was referring to the general test.

[InquilineKea]

Actually I was talking about the Biology subject GRE

[OldGrad2012]

Hi all,

I am applying to 15 PhD programs in biomedical sciences or biological sciences. Am I overdoing it. Is this too many schools. Of course my GPA is low 2.9 undergrad and 3.4 master GPA. So I think 15 schools will give me a better chance. What do you think?

[armyofbieber]

Hey timt99, what school did you do your Master's at? I, too, have a little low GPA and I'm hoping to get into a MA program before applying for PhD.

[whirlpool4]

I just graduated with my BS in molecular and microbiology at a large state university. I'm applying to 7 PhD programs for fall 2012 in microbio / immuno / pathology departments with an ideal focus in toxins and pathogenesis. I have very scattered, irrelevant research experience, but I tried to put them in the best light in my SOP.

I've submitted 2 apps so far... I know I'm slow on the road considering deadlines are coming up next month Good luck to all

[virion]

wow bazinga12, you really are cross posting all over multiple forums about Princeton . As someone else suggested, chill out for a second. It seems like you're freaking out because not many people are mentioning it. Most of us are freaking out when they hear that the nth competitive applicant on here is applying to the exact same program as us.

Let's stick with the version of this thread that was not aborted (not this one), no need to have two of them, especially when you posted the exact same [question?]. Or maybe, if this board supports it, the threads can be merged or some such thing.