2014 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Monochrome Spring]

I hope this isn't too early, but I figure that we can help each other before application season begins to get hectic.

 

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in Biology?)
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA:
Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)
Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:
V:
W:
B:


TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

School - Department - Research Interest
School - Department - Research Interest
School - Department - Research Interest

[nns91]

I second this !!!! It's kinda scary that I am now a member of these "Applicant Profiles and Results" threads. I still remember looking at these threads every year as a underclassmen. Now it's my turn ???? AHHHHH!!!! Oh well, however stressful it might be, it will be a great journey !!! Let it begin

[Monochrome Spring]

I second this !!!! It's kinda scary that I am now a member of these "Applicant Profiles and Results" threads. I still remember looking at these threads every year as a underclassmen. Now it's my turn ???? AHHHHH!!!! Oh well, however stressful it might be, it will be a great journey !!! Let it begin

 

I know! It's scary when you realize that it's your turn. But at least the forum is good support. I don't know many others who would support me through this process.

[nns91]

We would get each other's back then !!!!!

[Orims]

I am also applying for programs (biochem and molecular bio) this fall, however, I feel that starting a thread right now is a little too early, we still have like 4-5 months before applications actually open! I'll be back once applications open. 

Best of luck! May y'all have a productive summer!

[Monochrome Spring]

I don't expect a ton of people to post their stats now. I still need to take the GRE before I do. But I think that it's a great place to start and we can post when we're ready.

[biotechie]

I might hang out here a little bit to offer advice since somehow I was successful this year. There are.... a few things I wish I'd known going into things. Maybe I can come back in a few weeks and post them. I look forward to seeing where all of you go!

[ion_exchanger]

I might hang out here a little bit to offer advice since somehow I was successful this year. There are.... a few things I wish I'd known going into things. Maybe I can come back in a few weeks and post them. I look forward to seeing where all of you go!

 

Same for me. I've learned a lot throughout the process, and there are so many little things that you don't think about that really matter during the process. Like Biotechie, I would be happy to help in any way that I can. Especially since a lot of us will see you guys at interviews, only this time we will be student hosts!

Edited May 25, 2013 by ion_exchanger

[acetylcholine]

Undergrad Institution: Public, mid-sized
Major(s):  Biology
GPA in Major: 3.7
Overall GPA: 3.7
Position in Class: Top 15%.  Not quite top 10%, as Phi Beta Kappa hasn't sent me an invitation.
Type of Student: US citizen, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):  Will update these scores as soon as I have results
Q: Haven't taken it yet; scaled score 162 on most recent practice test
V: See above
W: N/A
B: N/A


Research Experience: 2 summers elsewhere (Smithsonian, Woods Hole MBL), 1 semester home institution, 1 publication pending

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental honors curriculum

Applying to Where:

 

This list is going to shrink by at least two.

Harvard BBS

Princeton Molecular Bio

Columbia Neuroscience

UCSD Neuroscience

NYU CNS

Brandeis Neuroscience

Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscience

U of Miami Neuroscience

USC Neuroscience

U of Arizona Neuroscience

U of Oregon Neuroscience

Texas A&M Biology

Chicago Neurobiology

Edited May 25, 2013 by acetylcholine

[acetylcholine]

Ignore this post, I deleted it.

Edited May 25, 2013 by acetylcholine

[glow_gene]

Like biotechie, I'm also here and available for questions if anyone has them. Feel free to PM me and best of luck to you during the application season!

[Gram Neutral]

I'm sure I'll repost my stats later. I just got my last rejection letter a month ago so I'm not too keen on revving up and getting ready for another application period. I need to find a job first to boost my resume. 

[ImmunoXX]

Had some downtime in the lab, so started making lists of PI's, projects, programs etc. This will be my third round! My 3.3 GPA is pulling me down, but at some point my research experience will outweigh it, as I now have 9 years!!!

[mike0982]

Undergrad Institution: Flagship State Research School
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.94
Overall GPA: 3.92
Position in Class: Top 5%
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 730/157
V: 590/159
W: 4.5
B: 860


Research Experience: 3.5 years in same lab (2yrs as undergrad 1.5 as tech) in evo genetics/evodevo related.  3 pubs 1 1st author, 1 2nd author, and 1 mid author. 1 conference talk, 2 conference poster, and several research presentations in school symposia.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several Scholarships.. idk what's important here?

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 6 TAships in both lecture and lab classes

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Will have strong letters and my boss is exceptionally well connected in several of the places I'm applying


Applying to Where:

 

Broadly I'm interested in evolutionary genetics and evodevo

Berkeley - ESPM & MCB (I think I heard that I can only apply to one Berkeley program though is this true?)
Harvard - OEB & MCO

U. Washington - MCB

Stanford - Biosciences

Duke - Developmental Biology

U. Arizona - EEB

U. Illinois UC - ECB

U. Montana - OBE

 

So I feel pretty good, but my question is I feel like my GRE general scores stick out like a sore thumb on my app and I don't want to get screened out before my app is even looked at. Is it worth it to take the GRE again?

[Gram Neutral]

So I'm starting to gear up and I'm considering retaking the GRE. I got a 160 in V and 158 in Q with a writing of 3.5 which was terrible and I don't know why. Thoughts on retaking it? My GPA is not the best, but above a 3.0

[Monochrome Spring]

So I'm starting to gear up and I'm considering retaking the GRE. I got a 160 in V and 158 in Q with a writing of 3.5 which was terrible and I don't know why. Thoughts on retaking it? My GPA is not the best, but above a 3.0

 

If you have the time and money to retake it, I would. If it would inconvenience you, I wouldn't worry about it. It's not a huge factor in most programs. Just consider cutoffs for any school you're applying to.

[the_grateful_duck]

Undergrad Institution: Big State Research University

 Major(s): Biology and Math
Minor(s):
Overall GPA: 3.67
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 161
V: 162
W: 4.5


Research Experience: So far I have had one summer internship in a physiology lab, two years in a lab that studies signal transduction in oncology.  Right now I am a technician in an academic virology lab for the past year.

Co-author on two papers, and first author on one in submission
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for a couple of semesters, but that's pretty much it

Special Bonus Points: PI at current lab is a NAS member and professor at a school I am applying to

I am interested in developmental biology, probably along the lines of establishment of cell polarity/axis formation or morphogenesis

 

Applying to Where: Definitely needs to be cut down

Harvard- BBS

UChicago- DRSB

UPenn.- CAMB

UCLA.- ACCESS

Michigan- PIBS

WUSTL- DBBS

Wisconsin- CMB

Yale- BBS

 

I am also interested in Weill Cornell or Sloan Kettering because many of the labs I want to join are listed under both programs. How do you decide which program to apply to? Or do you just apply to both?

[biotechstudent]

@the_grateful_duck, I applied to both programs. I will be starting at Weill Cornell's BCMB program this fall and I have options of working in Weill Cornell, Sloan, and Rockefeller labs. I would recommend applying to both programs so you can explore your options later!

Edited July 19, 2013 by biotechstudent

[acetylcholine]

UPDAAAAAAATE.  Consider these relatively solid but I am retaking the GRE.

 

Undergrad Institution: Public, mid-sized
Major(s):  Biology
GPA in Major: 3.72
Overall GPA: 3.72
Position in Class: Top 15%.  Not quite top 10%, as Phi Beta Kappa hasn't sent me an invitation.
Type of Student: US citizen, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):  Will update these scores as soon as I have results
Q: 158
V: 167 (what?!)
W: 4.0 (also what)
B: N/A


Research Experience: 2 summers elsewhere (Smithsonian, Woods Hole MBL), 1 semester home institution, 1 publication pending

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental honors curriculum

Applying to Where:

 

This list is going to shrink by at least two.

Harvard BBS

Princeton Molecular Bio

Columbia Neuroscience

UCSD Neuroscience

Baylor College of Medicine Neuroscience

U of Miami Neuroscience

USC Neuroscience

U of Arizona Neuroscience

U of Oregon Neuroscience

Texas A&M Biology (may hack this off)

 

You know, I'm thinking of reconfiguring some of these.  The only ones I'm definitely applying to are the Ivies, UCSD, BCM, and Arizona.  The other ones I'm not sure.

[username1824]

Undergrad Institution: Top liberal arts school
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.71
Overall GPA: 3.78
Position in Class: Unless something catastrophic happens, I should be graduating magna cum laude, so fairly high I think
Type of Student: Hispanic male
 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 168
V: 163
W: (Will update once official scores come out)
B: Haven't taken yet (may not at all)

Research Experience:

-Researching at my home institution since my sophomore year. My results have been presented at a national conference (2nd author I think). Will be an author in an upcoming publication.

-Summer research at a major university (one of the schools I'm applying to). No publications. Two presentations at tiny conferences.

-Different summer research at different major university (also one of the schools I'm applying to). Possibly publication. PI is a leader in his field. Frequently publishes in Science and Nature.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

-Received a fellowship to perform summer research from my institution (hence my two summer experiences)

-Received distinction for my undergraduate writing (top 8% in my school)

-Acceptance to a selective program for students interested in science as a freshman

-Dean's List

-Chosen as a finalist for the Goldwater by my home institution (didn't win or get honorable mention though)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

-Student tutor in analytical chemistry and genetics since junior year

 

Special Bonus Points:

-Hispanic

-Disabled? (I have a chronic disease that I am writing about for my statement)

-I've been told that my recommendation letters that faculty have written for me have been fantastic to read, so that's good, right?

 

Applying to Where: I am applying to genetics or molecular biology programs

-Harvard

-Yale

-UChicago

-UCSF

-Rockefeller

-Johns Hopkins

-Stanford

-Princeton

-UPenn

-WUSTL

-University of Washington

-UC Berkeley

-Duke

-UC San Diego/UCLA (one or the other)

-University of Wisconsin

Edited July 27, 2013 by username1824

[bsrush16]

Hey everyone.  I'm looking for some insight on how my profile shapes up.  Any obvious strengths and weaknesses?  What are my chances for the programs I'm applying to?

 

Thanks!

 

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere.  Graduated in 2009
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.4 
Overall GPA: 3.4 (I transferred after freshman year and graduated with a 3.64, since those transfer grades were just pass/fail, same for GPA in major
Position in Class: unknown
Type of Student: Domestic, male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164
V: 159
W: 4
B: Don't plan on taking this


Research Experience: 

-Honors research project in college (but it was an Organic Chemistry project).  

 

-3 years full-time experience as a research assistant at an army infectious disease research institute.  Started out performing BSL-2 level support work for BSL-4 Ebola research.  Performed ELISA's, WB, and a lot of cell culture.  Eventually started doing individual work in BSL-3 with BSL-3 level viruses performing drug studies.  Never got a chance to publish, just a co-author on a couple posters for the BSL-2 support work I did early on.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list most semesters, Beta Beta Beta honors society, College's general honors society.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

 

- Lab assistant for a couple years (Physiology and Organic Chemistry)

- Organic Chemistry TA senior year.

- Last 2 years: Full-time working as a Scientist in cell biology for a Biotech company.  Large-scale virus production, cell culture, infectivity assays


Special Bonus Points: I guess just all the experience I already have working in a lab.  I could easily jump in to any lab with little training. 

Applying to Where:

 

- University of Maryland (Baltimore) - Graduate Program in Life Sciences - Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (Top Choice)

- Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences - Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Program

- University of Maryland College Park - Molecular and Cellular Biology

- WashU - Biomedical Sciences: Microbiology and Immunology

- JHU- Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

- JHU - Graduate Program in Pathobiology
 

[ilikeargyle]

Hey all, I wanted to get an idea of whether my school list is okay. It's pretty top-heavy. I'm looking for a strong program in immunology and cell biology, with an emphasis on translational research. I'm also potentially interested in exploring developmental/stem cell biology.

 

Undergraduate Institution: small liberal arts + state university (transferred for financial reasons)
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): 
GPA in Major: 3.39 (steep upward trend) 
Overall GPA: 3.64
Position in Class: unknown
Type of Student: US female, first-generation college student

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158 (72%)
V: 159 (78%)
W: 5.5 (97%)

Research Experience: 

-honors organic chemistry lab, did an independent project one semester

-10 weeks @ ivy league full-time (immunology)

-1 year @ medical school half full-time/half part-time (molecular, some structural)

-2 years by matriculation @ NIH full-time (immunology and cell biology, some developmental)

-2 third author publications, 1 second author in preparation, maybe 1 first author preparation by my fellowship's end

-1 first author poster

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

-dean's list 4 semesters, outstanding poster award, all research funded through application/scholarships/fellowships
 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

-tutor for underserved kids, leadership in school activities, high school mentor (to recruit into STEM/medicine)

 

Special Bonus Points: I like wine? I'm super organized in lab (seriously)

Applying to Where:

Help on cutting down this list would be appreciated (i.e. who has cutoff scores/GPA).

I'm looking to stay on either west/east coast (origin/significant other).

Harvard BBS

Stanford Biosciences

University of Pennsylvania BGS

Washington University in St. Louis DBBS

Yale University BBS

Columbia University IPCMB

University of Michigan PIBS

University of Washington MCB

UCLA ACCESS

Cornell University (Weill) WCGS

University of Pittsburgh IBGP

Baylor College of Medicine TBMM or IMBS

Mount Sinai GSBS

Northwestern University Driskill Graduate Program

NYU GBS

UNC Chapel Hill BBS

UT Southwestern

CWRU BSTP

OHSU PMCB

Ohio State University BSGP

Indiana University IBMG

UT Houston GSBS

University of Connecticut Biomedical Science

Edited August 1, 2013 by ilikeargyle

[jean21]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts school

Major(s): Biology

Minor(s):

GPA in Major:

Overall GPA: 3.44

Position in Class:

Type of Student: domestic, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 159/750/77%

V: 157/560/73%

W: 4.0

B: not taking

Research Experience:

2 years undergrad research in biochem, summer internship at pharm. company (immunology), 1.5 years working in genomics lab at Ivy League

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), received grant to further my research in undergrad, academic honors, dean’s list, science division award at undergrad

Pertinent Activites or Jobs:

Genetics tutor in undergrad, currently work in sequencing core - specialist in running NextGen sequencing instruments

Special Bonus Points:

Applying to Where:

-University of Pennsylvania

-University of Washington

-Mount Sinai

-NYU

-Boston University

Probably 1 or 2 more…

[biotechie]

ilikeargyle, WashU is going to be a tough one, and so are the Ivy Leagues. Those are incredibly competitive (yes, most programs are, but those are cut-throat). Your grade profile/GREs look very similar to what mine were. I applied to WashU (who said they had close to 1000 applicants) and didn't make the cut. I also applied to UW for Immunology. They had hundreds of applications for 2 spots, as did the MCB program, so be careful, there; I know UW does do a cutoff before they look at applications. I think you'd stand a good chance at some of the others, including UT Houston and Baylor.

 

Probably the best thing for all of you to do right now is take some time to NOT think about the name of the school. It is debatable how important rank really is, but make sure you're not picking a school just for that. Before you do applications, go through the professor profiles for each school. Look up their recent publications because odds are what is on the school website isn't updated. Make sure there are multiple professors you could see yourself working under. This is important... don't go somewhere where you find out nobody is doing what you want to do.

 

Also check out where their students end up and how long it takes them to graduate. How do classes and qualifying exams work, and how do you feel about that? For example, Baylor's IMBS program has 10 months of classes and rotations, then qualifying exams, and you're in candidacy by your second year while UF's Interdisciplinary program spaces classes out over two years and then you do qualifying exams... I know that for myself, after completing a Master's, I felt like I wanted to limit the time I spent in classes.

 

The last part you might only be able to determine at interviews, but feel out the environment of the students. Are they constantly competing with each other for everything and are looking over their shoulders? Or do they have a friendly competition with a camaraderie that allows them to have fun and help each other out?

[ImmunoXX]

I wasn't planning on re-taking the GRE, but now my top choice (that I was almost waitlisted for last year) now has a cutoff for GRE scores and my math is one percentage point lower than the cutoff. I'm so depressed over this. This is my third cycle and I'm just not excited about it this time around. Self-preservation?