Crucial BBQ
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Posts posted by Crucial BBQ
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1. The name of the prof/advisor/PI is not important unless he/she has an impressive name or is working on something really cutting edge. Really, what you should consider is how your SoP reads. If dropping the name fits well into your narrative, include it. If dropping the name feels out-of-place or simply unnecessary, leave it out.
2. This won't help you now, but I went to two universities for undergrad; both were definitely not research schools. Not in the slightest. But, both had biology and chemistry profs who were doing research, on campus. As for that semester-long orgo project: I would definitely include it. Did your team design its own project? If so, mention how you lent a hand in the initial research and/or design. Were you a team lead? Or just another "player" in the project. If you took initiative to lead the group in any way (but don't stretch this too far), include that. Did you even like the experience? What did it teach you about doing research?
Personally, aside from including what I mentioned above, I would write that this orgo lab project gave me a glimpse into what doing real research was like, and even though it was tough and tedious at times, I loved it. I loved it so much that I sought out an opportunity to conduct research an hour away from my home school. This shows initiative, drive, and desire.
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Addendum:
Believe it or not, schools can tell when you're a "prestige hound", and they'll consider weeding you out. For example [hypothetically, of course- I have no familiarity with the following field]: if you want to study marine biology, it's going to raise a few eyebrows if you apply to a dozen (mostly landlocked) Ivy League universities and honorary Ivies. Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Emory, MIT, Cal Tech, UCSF, and Cornell are all excellent schools, and some may even have top-notch marine biology research going on, but most marine biologists are going to wonder *why* you're applying to grad school in the first place, if all you care about is the name brand of the school with little regard to research fit. You're in for a world of disappointment if you're getting a PhD mostly for the prestige of it. If you're primarily motivated by a desire to impress people, you're better off going to professional school. And you probably won't make it to quals.
As the "resident" marine biologist here...I mostly agree with what you are saying. However, not all schools/programs ask where else you are applying. I am applying to one "top" program/school, and one Ivy. But neither for the prestige. Both of these schools utilize the same off-campus research institute to house their labs related to my interests of study, have researchers employed by this institute not related to either school who teach courses, and a few others. Essentially, I am applying to this institute, and not the specific programs/schools. I don't even think the Ivy is a top-ranked program. In any case, I made it clear in my SOPs I am interested in the program, not the name of the school.
I have chose not to apply to top schools/programs, outside of the above, simply because I do not want to live where these programs are housed. However, I am looking at one school (that I will visit this Friday, hopefully) that has nothing to do with marine biology...and is rather landlocked...and kind of podunk. Many, well, a few at least, current marine biologists earned degrees in statistics, math, zoology, animal behavior/physiology, botany, general biology, biostats, bioinformatics, biochem, chemistry, biological hydrology, environmental science, public policy, and so on. As such, it could make sense to apply to many "landlocked" schools, if not for the previous examples of study, but also for lumnology.
I agree about research fit. Much of the research for this field falls into the "bucket science" category, and can be rather boring and tedious. I definitely see the attraction with applying to the best programs or the ones with the most research dollars as they tend to have the "coolest" equipment/technology and world-class R/Vs (research vessels) instead of make-shift lobster boats that reek of decaying herring and buckets.
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I am in a similar situation. I scored a terrible 143 Q and 150 V, 4 on my writing sample. :/ I don't have the time or money to take the test again. I am applying for my MSW at UC Berkeley... I have a 3.5 GPA, research experience, field study, volunteer experience and work experience. I've also been in contact with a faculty member and sat-in on one of her classes. Do you think I have a chance of getting accepted?
It is almost impossible to chance graduate school admissions since the process is so different than for undergrad. You have a lot going for you here based on what you wrote, including being in contact with a faculty member. That is a huge plus that many "perfect-numbers" applicants fail to accomplish.
I do not know if you have a chance, but if I were in your shoes, I would go for it.
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I dunno. But your research and internship experience are a huge plus (considering they are relevant to your proposed course of study).
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Hi all, I'd be grateful if someone could give me a quick bit of advice about the GRE - I'm not from the US so it's all a bit of a mystery to me.
I took the test yesterday. I scored 170 on the verbal and 142 on the quant - which from what I gather is abysmally low. I haven't taken a maths class since I was 16, and was terrible at it then...
The question is whether this is an issue for English Lit programs. Do they even look at the quant score? Should I be concerned? I'm not sure I really have time to retake in any case but would be nice to get a view from someone who knows a bit more about this than I do. Thanks.
Hmmm...you got a perfect score for verbal and you want study English lit....I'd say your quant score is not relevant for the most part.
I would hazard a guess, and put good money on it, that your quant score is is typical of someone applying to Eng. lit. programs at the graduate level
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Eh, for what it is worth, your GRE scores reflect your GPA; middle-of-the-road. That doesn't mean you are SOL, mind you, just that no one on the admissions committees will be surprised. If you can afford it, apply to all schools ASAP; you never know. I am bit older than the typical user in this forum, it seems, and I have known a good number of people who either have already went through grad school, or are currently in. Three of them were ex's, and they all scored low on the GRE (although two had high GPAs--one a 4.0--and a good amount of research/internship experience that was directly relevant to the course of study in their respective grad programs. One, however, was almost denied into the #1 program for....public health policy...because her quant score was too low. She managed to convince them to give her a chance through a phone interview and ended up going there). You might be surprised at just how many people with middle-of-the-road scores/numbers get into grad school, even top programs.
Keep in mind that grad school and grad school admissions are not like undergrad; numbers and fluffy ECs no body really cares about.
- HansK2012 and gwualum4mpp
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You need to get most of the answers correct the first time you take the "real" quant test (you will either have two quants and three verbals, or two verbals and three quants. Only two of each count and the third is an experimental section that does not count towards or against your final score. The experimental section can be first, second, or last). In order to score high on the GRE, you have to move into the "hard" second test questions.
Basically, the first time in a section (quant or ver.) test contains the easiest questions you will see on the GRE. How well you do this first time through will determine whether your second pass is hard, medium, or another easy section. I am not sure how many you need to get right in order to move into the hard section, but I'm guessing it is something like 18, maybe 17 out of the 20. By simply getting to the hard section you are guaranteed a high score even if you bomb the second, hard, section. In all of my practice tests, I have yet to score less than 160 in quant no matter how bad I do in the second passing.
As for the test being adaptive. As mention above, by myself and another poster, the sections are adaptive, not the questions. Kind of makes sense seeing as how you can skip forward through the questions, no?
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Uh, "chancing" graduate programs is not the same as chancing undergrad as graduate programs tend to be more about research and not straight academics. It's really al over the place. People who appear to have "no chance" on paper get into top programs and people who appear to be shoe-ins are denied. There is really no way of knowing.
However, before you apply anywhere, I would figure out which "subjects" you want to take...and then narrow it down to best fit.
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Hi All,
I am going to apply for the PhD under Computer science department for IITs. I am writing SOP for first time so need someone to comment and review being so generous. Below is the SOP i have written.
Statement of purpose
My decision to pursue a PhD is a collective push by my
favouritism for originality and the willingness to keep my learning curve rising, A learning curve is the rate at which new ideas and/or skills can be learned. The higher the curve, the longer and/or harder it is to learn those skills. So to write that you have a willingness to keep your learning curve "rising" is to say that you wish to always keep your end goal out of reach. That is different than saying you are a life-long learner or that you push yourself to learn new things; which is what I believe you are getting at. which makes me explore the areas of my technical interests And what interests are those? Also, "makes" is an awkward choice of word, and this entire opening sentence is awkward, too. .A trystA tryst? Try, Exposure withthe embedded systemsYou can skip "the" as it suggests something very specific. Try: As something that is more than a hobby, I was able to gain exposure to programming at the graduate level at the graduate level as a hobby made me realize the extent upto which the world is embedded today I am certain the admissions committee will know what is meant by "embedded", but, I would avoid using such a word. In particular when it is not used properly. As a vacation project I designed and developed a robot that was microcontroller based and programming in assembly language. Uh, why was this a vacation project...and do you usually build and program robots while on vacation? During more than three and half years of my professional career I realised the elegancy, efficiency and complexities involved in real time systems and the software involved This should be your opening. Though my career has been spread across working onvariousdifferent technologies,butmy deep rooted interestand the keennessto conduct/do researchhas always been firm on theat system-level programming, operating systems and involved theory has remained consistent....then give a few examples of why/how.So now I want to have a full fledged focus on those interests I wish to pursue these interests through an education at the graduate level . When I began workingaroundwith operating systems, I wastrulyamazed by the complexity of the kernel and the capabilities ithashad in terms of process , memory and CPU management. This was the realization that Real time systems have OS What is "OS"? Operating system? Once again, do not use jargon, even if it is industry standard. as an integral and indispensible part which ensures the true time bound nature of such systems This entire sentence is completely awkward. What are you trying to say here?. Since childhood I have been interseted in aircrafts and the avionics and a desire to beassociatedAs in with a club? Get rid of the whole "since a child thing". Even though it is 2013, universities in the U.S. still largely remain conservative. Here, Ph.D.s are historically the route into academia, and, it will sort of be assumed that is what you want, too. Unless your childhood dream was to work in academia as an adult, no one on the admissions committee is going to care what your childhood fantasies were. Harsh, yes. But so true. to that in some way. This interest even made me fly a Boeing 737 flight simulator Okay, fun! But what does it have to do with preperation and desire for graduate school? . All this pieces fitting made me decide that in the long run I want to propel my research into the real time systems used in aircrafts for flight control,navigation and safety systems. I follow what you are saying here, but I would suggest a serious revision.I am currently working independently o
n thewith LinuxOSprogramming on user level as well as kernel level, with focus on multithreaded processing Why are you working independently? This could be a drawback for you as it shows your interests to be a hobby. C is the language of choice and power for exploring this domain Choice for who? You?.OnAt the kernel level I am working on timer based modules and device drivers. Perfomance improvements in multithreaded environment, effects and side effects of multithreading practices and optimized signalling at user level applicationsare some aspects I am working onThese two sentences should be combined into one. I havecultivated a keenan interest and understandingtowardswiththeLinuxoperating systemsWhich Linux OS...there are litterally 1000s of them which I want torefine further. further refine. Through my learnings I have realized that there are always the better solutions to the problems which might seem solved already Consider revising. You make a good point here, but the way it is written is a tad arrogant. .I
believe doing my PhD from _______ will expose me to the much coveted facilities and the faculties that can help me tread my career pathHow do you know this? Do not mention, ever, the prestige of the faculty and/or department. It's blatant brown-nosing and, it may seem hard to believe, shows that you are more interested in prestige than actual research/academia. by leveraging my aspirations,skills and commitment Leveraging? Earlier you wrote that you desire to keep your learning curve rising. I have always been a distinctive student for my learning abilities and the commitment to find the answers How so? You need to show, not tell, through examples.This sentence also suggests that you are an individualist, which is evidenced by your earlier mentions of hobby. This is a pitfall, you come across as a potential renegade. You need to be a team player...especially since you will be doing what they tell you to do. . During my professional tenure I have mentored many of my peers and colleagues, conducted trainings and workshops, which have refined my teaching abilities as well This is some solid stuff right here; clear examples of why you are potentially qualified for admittance. It is a mistake to limit this to one sentence, it should be expanded to at least three paragraphs. . Under the Ph.D. program I will get enough scope to translate my thinking and ideas to reality by application to the real problems and challenges , which are of a broader significance This last sentence is arrogant. Instead of saying that you will gain the skills necessary, say that you hope to gain the skills necessary.- diwakar and fuzzylogician
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Graduate school is not like undergraduate, you do not apply to safeties unless you want to end up like those in the numerous "I am miserable in grad school" threads. You should only apply to programs that have professors and labs doing research in areas that fit your goals. Rankings, prestige, safeties, should have nothing to do with it. It should be solely about fit.
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You do not know me, me situation, etc. So, this response of yours is a bit of a stretch. First off, I am not some young buck who is disappointed because my puppy love did not work out. Second, I didn't break up with her the second her stress reared its head. I was understanding, supportive, and did everything I could think to do. At first I thought it was solely related to school, but as time went on, months, I wasn't sure anymore. Seriously, it was bad, went on month after month after month, and I couldn't tell what was up or down anymore. Third, she broke up with me, which was a drawn out process in itself. I let her go in the end because I felt it was for the best, that by not being in a relationship she could focus on the remainder of her coursework. Then, when she was finished with school, we could get back together. She has since took a job out-of-state, and I have even considered moving there to be with her. Anyways, this is not Love Line, so you don't need to know too many details, but keep in mind that I did what-ever I could to be accomadating and it was her who was not willing to compramise in the end. We were mature about it, had many, many, long discussions, and are still great friends, though.Bitter much? Just because you had one instance of a relationship not working out even though you moved to her state doesn't mean all other relationships will follow this paradigm.
Maybe you didn't know how to cope with her in a stressful state and weren't mature enough to understand what it's like to be with someone in grad school. It's not a simple state of "accept or get lost". If one has a more mature relationship, two people can work things out or compromise or do anything other than break up.
But hey, it is fairly well known that graduate school is a relationship killer.
As for the "accept or get lost", here is what I mean: people get rewarded, a pat on the head and a job well done, perhaps, when they do things that they should be doing in the first place. Often times this is simply out of gratitude and the one who is in graduate school has every right to expect the other to be understanding of his/her situation. Now, the other person is in a different role. This person, who is not going to grad school, ultimately has the choice to either stay with other through the situation, or to bail if they feel it will place too much disruption into his/her "normal" life. If this person choses to stay, this person simply has to accept the situation. They may not like it, and they do not have to, but it is now a part of the reality of the relationship.
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Interesting topic that I have not considered. I figured I would just acquire what I needed when the need arose.
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I was in a similar situation not too long ago. My ex GF was accepted into two graduate programs out-of-state and denied by all local programs. At first, I was going to stay behind and we would see each other as often as possible. Then at the last minute, and some circumstances that made it easier, I moved to where she was. In retrospect, that was a mistake. I hate this state (still here until May or so) and we have since broken up.My boyfriend is in MInnesota and I am in New York. I spent a long time getting over my U of Minnesota rejection, but its hit me, I am so much better off academically where I am then I ever would have been at the U. The program I am is a perfect fit, but it doesn't make it easier to be away from him. Ever since he wept away my tears when I realized I was going to New York he has been amazing. Last night he found out, that right after hes done his undergrad (this spring) he can transfer to New York, where he is a lot more likely to be able to find better work in his field. I couldn't be happier! This year is going to be long but then its over, he'll be here every day! I know, like any relationship it could still but I really believe it won't.
Having said that I have a question for you all! does anyone have any advice about living with a signficant other who isn't in grad school? I just mean hes going to work full time, but as we all know I probably will work more then that....He'll probably still be understanding, but I can just see it being different working all the time, when hes not here to hang out with ....when hes right here....I hope that makes sense....
Anyways, she was putting in long days, sometimes from 6am to 2am. Yes, there were many times when we were there but not there to hang out. That wasn't the problem. We still went out and did things, watched movies, and generally spent a good deal of time together. The problem was her stress. She was constantly stressed out. And that ended the relationship.
As for the topic of the other "understanding". The SO has no choice. They simply have to accept it. If they can't, then they need to get lost.
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To be honest, I do not understand many of these responses. If you are so willing to give up grad school for your SO, why in the heck did you apply in the first place? Let alone accept an offer? Did you not do your research into graduate school? Did you not know how demanding graduate school would be?
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Sorry if I seem daft, but what exactly is Calc 3? My school only had two, the second being multivariable.
Yeah, calc III was multivariable.Calc 3 is usually multivariable. Your school probably lumps calc 1 and parts of calc 2 together. And throws a little bit of calc 2 into your multivar course.
My original list was around 20 schools/programs. If I had the money and the time I would apply to them all. But honestly, after doing research into each program, I probably would be miserable at ten of those schools.Quick question: Quite a few of you are applying to a lot of schools. Is bio a super-competitive field (with respect to admissions) like med school or psych programs? In chem, for instance, we don't usually apply to 15+ schools b/c most places (harvard et al. included) accept btwn 20-30%.
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Okay, I'll play.
Undergrad Institution: Small (roughly 4K) private LAC. Awesome rep in-state. Virtually unknown out-of-state.
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 3.7 (I know, most usually have it the other way around, but I am really good with writing, not so much so with rote memorization, so my core courses, humanities and the like, were a heck-of-lot easier for me to earn As in) For some reason, I cannot turn of the bold. Sorry.
Position in Class: I have no idea. I will say this: first, I am a transfer student. Second, roughly 70% of the bio students at my school are pre-med, maybe 10% are pre-vet, and maybe 10% are pre-dental. So there is an extreme amount of competition, which I really don't care for (in particular since most of them take the easier courses. I have yet to meet one pre-med who took Calc II or higher).
Type of Student: Domestic, male. non-Hispanic white.
GRE Scores (revised/old version): Would rather not say I'll just say Q and V are middle-of-the-road, not too competitive, and AW is above the 90th percentile. I'm tired of the naysayers and will reveal my scores when all decisions come in.
Q:
V:
W:
B:
TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)
Research Experience: One year in chemistry at my previous university. Worked alone, for the most part. Two semesters in biology at the university I transferred into. So, two years total. No name on papers, though. I also have semesters worth of experience working on/from a research vessel. I mostly helped deploy and retrieve equipment, did a little bit of lab work, but nothing pertaining to actual research in a meaningful manner. It was more of an internship-like experience, except it wasn't an internship.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: My first college held yearly "student recognitions" for some reason (probably to help retain students, would be my guess. Or perhaps it was just a feel-good thing?) for students who were not seniors or were not yet in their final year. Anyways, I was nominated Student of the Year (didn't win) and a handful of Recognition of...certs for various contributions to campus.
I participated in a poster-presentation, got 3rd place. There are others, but nothing academic or "prestigious"
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab assistant (you know, maintained and set-up labs), lab safety inspector, volunteer as a water-quality monitor for one of the Water Alliance members, invasive (marine, invertebrate) species monitoring.
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Help what? My acceptance by you people
Seriously though, sure. Despite my mediocre GRE scores, I am an over-all strong applicant. For example: Calc I and statistics were the only math courses required by both biology departments at both schools (remember, I am a transfer). Yet, I went on to Calc II, Calc III, and Differential Equations as electives, which should trump my Quant score (seriously, it was low. I just do not do well on standardized tests. Never have). I would have done Linear Algebra, but couldn't fit it into my schedule. Special Bonus Points: Uh, no.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I can probably write better than 90% of all biology students. I know, arrogant. My SOP, AW score, and (hopefully) LORs reflect that.
Applying to Where:
MIT
BROWN
University of Rhode Island
U.C. Davis
University of Maine
University of Alaska
University of New England
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First off, I will say that only you and her know what really happened, and perhaps, the two of you have two separate perceptions of what happened. I am not accusing you, or her, of any false reports and there is no way for any of us to know for sure, anyways. With that, this is a politically charged topic that some may want to distance themselves from. Since this was a reported event, and you were approached by police, there will be a record of this on file somewhere that can come up during the screening process with future employment. Be prepared to defend your side as professionally as possible. In this case, it can follow you around forever, and the dilemma is over should you divulge this information before the future employer finds out, or should you take your chance and hope they never do?Thank you for your input so far, but my aim wasn't to turn this into a politcal thread. Feminism and rape culture are somewhat relevant to consider here (especially since many in my department work with victims of sexual assault and lead fairly politically charged careers, making this whole thing even harder to handle), but for the most part, I am just hoping to get advice about what to do next as a professional. Is my career gonna be damaged? Is the anxiety I am experiencing warranted? As a first year PhD I do not understand the culture of academia enough to make accurate predictions. This is where your input would be most helfpul.
Namely, at conferences do you hear about stories like this? Does something like this follow a person around forever?
As far as dealing with it in my department, I have no way of knowing who already knows, so bringing it up publicly just yet seems way too risky. On one hand I am comfortable opening up to people about the story because I know I am 100% innocent, but at the same time, doubt will be cast on my story and the stigma will certainly follow.
As for rumors following you around, it depends on too many factors.
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It depends on the graduate program, some biology programs at the graduate level want to see a solid background in biology, while others only require a solid background in any science.
But, to my knowledge biomechanics (aka as bioengineering) programs will also take engineering undergrads.
Whatever the case, it is not unheard study A in undergrad and then D in grad school.
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I would wait until after you know that all schools received their LORs, you do not want to influence them or seem like you are trying to.No, I'm not sending them now.
I was going to wait until the recs were submitted (my last deadline isn't until February 1), but I do like the idea of sending thank yous after I hear from the schools so I can share any good news.
As for waiting, if you are thanking them while sharing in the "good news", be sure to thank them for all the schools they wrote LORs for, even if you were not accepted by the rest. If you say Hey, I got in! Thanks for the great LOR! They might only think you are appreciative of their effort only because you were accepted. You need to thank them for writing the LORs in the first place. Whether you were accepted into a program or not is not the point, but you know that.
Besides, unless you didn't waive your rights to view the LORs, you never know what they really wrote about you.
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Them: "So you're graduating this year? What are you going to do after you graduate?"
Me: "Well, if all goes according to plan, graduate school."
Them: "Oh, what do you want to study?"
Me: "I want to get my PhD in computer science with a focus on artificial intelligence and robotics."
Them: 0_0
Them: "...So like Terminator and stuff?"
Me: Sigh...
Hahahaha, such a great line
You can't blame the public. -
I have also found it annoying, but interesting, that some responses are based solely on images and stereotypes of the [usually undergraduate] college/university.
Wait, why are you applying to Brown? That is Ivy League, you grew up working-class. They look down on people like you. Why don't you go to a state university, you know, something more blue-color.
Or,
That school has major athletics programs, and you know, is a jock school. You don't want a future employer to see that you went there, you want them to see that you went somewhere that was academically challenging [for non-jocks].
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For the most part, the admissions committees in graduate school are composed of academics, professors, and the like. These are people who are busy with their own research, own teaching (sometimes, usually), and own interests unlike undergrad where admissions are handled by people whose primary purpose is to do....admissions.
Even though it is a part of their job, these are people who do not want to spend all day reading SOPs, but rather spend that time discussing the strengths and weaknesses of applicants. it is because of that that SOPs are often asked to be on the shorter side. Then again, there are students out there who feel that writing 500 words is torture. I got lucky, I suppose, in that the schools I am applying to have no required, or suggested, length except for one, which was capped at 500 words "or less". I too felt that was not enough, so I supplemented my SOP for that program with an addendum.
While it is okay to go over the word count by a handful of words, one of the biggest mistakes applicants make in their SOPs is not following directions. I would tread lightly with any deviation from their instructions. A page can be reduced to a paragraph then further reduced to a sentence; all while saying the same thing.
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If it was me; I would be inclined towards RIT, but wanting to live in DC. I know that doesn't help.
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People keep telling me, "You'll get in somewhere."
For some reason that just makes me more frustrated and doesn't comfort me at all.
So since I have no time to make a video about this. Plus there like a million videos about what "people say" on YouTube. Care to share what people have been saying to you? Just for humor folks
I hear You'll get in somewhere from time to time.
My mom, who lives on the other side of the country from me, has no idea how the application process works. She periodically tells me to go to the local UC, which is an excellent school/program, as if all I have to do is just show up and start attending classes.
Diversity Statement?
in Statement of Purpose, Personal History, Diversity
Posted
What exactly is the prompt? One of my apps asked for a diversity statement, too, but under the context of why I want to attended a large, diverse, university and what I have to bring to the table. I am white, male, no disabilities, etc., etc. But I still found tons of examples.
Diversity does not mean adversity.