biotechie

I would be happy to look at it after December 2. I have my last exam on that day. I will warn you, though... I'm a little harsh.

I think it will more depend on the rest of your application profile. I had 6-ish years of research experience (all with a transcriptional regulation target with an immunology link) going into my application season with a GPA of around 3.7 and was nearly finished with my masters. The immunology programs I applied to rejected me. The reasoning that I got was that my research interests were not in line with the interests at the school and that they were looking for students with more applicable research experience, which led me to believe that the professors I was interested in weren't taking students and that my previous experience wasn't quite at the expected level. However, if you're applying to programs that are strong in neuroimmunology, I don't see why you would have to worry as long as you can demonstrate knowledge within that research area. My problem was probably that I was showing interest in autoimmune disorders and though I've researched them on my own, I have not worked with them directly. My previous comment was intended more to caution you guys about using buzz-words for the field as others have had them come back to haunt them in interviews when they had no idea how the mechanism they talked about in their research statement functioned.

My professors got fed up with me calling them Dr. ________ within the first few days of me working for them as an undergrad and wouldn't let me call them anything but their first names. At my new PhD school, I'm finding that some professors like to be called Dr. and others prefer their first names. I'm playing the "wait and see what they tell me their preference is" game right now.

It would be really helpful if you guys post which department(s) you're applying to for each of these schools. For example, BCM has more than 5 that could be applied for my someone interested in molecular biology, not including the other genetics and immunology interests while University of Florida students tend to all lump into the IDP program. So then we wonder, "Okay, so are they applying to BCM's MCB, IMBS, MPBP, etc?" Some of us that are currently attending may be able to help you out more if you specify since different departments have different criteria. molecularneuro, there should be a contact person that you can e-mail to check those things. Have your references confirmed with you that they submitted?

I utilized that space to better explain one of the scholarships I had received and the leadership role it required me to play on my campus as well as a little about where I come from. I also used it to explain some of the travel experiences I had as an undergrad and how I felt those cultural experiences would positively impact how I collaborate and understand others. The final thing I talked about was my reasoning for completing a microbiology degree and then immediately completing a degree in mammalian physiology (found out where my real love was a little late). The interdisciplinary nature of my two degrees and the 6 years of research experience I gained I thought could help me in the interdisciplinary programs I applied to (and it is helping so far). So I would either do something similar or something like what sunpenguin suggested. If you feel like your application is stellar, you can leave it blank. I thought mine was great, but I wasn't sure how well what I mentioned above came across in my essays.

Geo is right. I survived just fine on my stipend. However, you can probably find a part-time job in and around Carbondale if you want to. We have a small (sometimes dying) mall and a ton of restaurants and cafes. People are always looking for someone to proofread their stuff if you're just wanting odd jobs, or you could work just about anywhere. Some programs might not want you to work outside of the stipend, so make sure you find out. It is very rural, but there are some beautiful places to hike and explore. I love it there, and I can't wait to go back to SoIL.

I think your list is fine. UofI in general is very picky, so I'm not surprised. I didn't want to apply there, but if I had, I would have had the same thing happen to me. If you're set on finding another school, have a look at University of Florida's Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences. It is a big program, but there are nice facilities and lots of labs to choose from.

Hi Tuba, I'm going to tell you what I tell everyone else. You need to apply to schools that you feel YOU can be genuinely happy attending. Where do you feel that you can be a successful and productive graduate student? Where are the places with multiple professors that you can see yourself working under? If all you focus on is just "getting in" and then only end up getting into the "safety school," are you going to be happy? You don't want to get to the interview and then think, ooh, I wish I'd applied at _____________, instead. That's why I only applied 6 places. All of them were places I thought could allow me to have the best graduate experience. Three were super highly ranked, and 3 were mid-range. I interviewed or was offered interviews at 4 of them. I'm not saying that you should only apply to the best of the best, but make sure that you as a student can be happy if you go there. Which programs are you applying to at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice?

Don't live right in town... go out just a little ways, 10-15 minutes from campus. You can get a decent 1-bedroom for about $400 a month farther out. G&R Rentals is a little expensive in town, but some of their properties farther out are cheaper and they are very good about upkeep. If you're required to pay fees to the school, that's gonna hurt, so you may want to be applying for scholarships and grants.

I was definitely just able to load it via Safari and Google Chrome. My guess is that you're having a browser issue or something needs to be updated. Maybe restart and update your computer or try a different browser.

Most programs these days require an online submission, and the programs will not allow more than three letters to be submitted, so keep that in mind. Some programs also ask for four letters right at the beginning; I had one program do so.

I think you realize the point of the "desperately seeking perfection" photo, but are skirting around the true meaning... Don't desperately seek someone; it is incredibly likely you'll be eternally disappointed. I swear guys can smell desperation, and then they run. After my last boyfriend dumped me, I spent about a year trying to fill what I felt was a void. Then I realized I could have lots of fun with just my regular friends doing other things, and I stopped trying to find someone to date so I could focus on my career. Then it was like my boyfriend and a couple of other prospects just appeared. Earlier Joeyboy said exactly what I was trying to get you to wrap your mind around with my previous post. Grad school really is about working just yourself. Once you can do that, I think you'll look back at this and think it was silly. You're trying to rush into precisely the things in life that require the maximum patience and time that you can give. You can't rush how someone feels for you and you can't rush your life or you'll end up absolutely miserable. I've been with my boyfriend for three years, and we're not talking marriage, yet. He wants to give me the time to work on becoming the best I can be in graduate school, and get to a point where maybe I can pause for a breath to settle down; he is waiting for me. Is there a chance we'll not work out? Yes, a slim one, but it is a big deal right there that he didn't rush me into marriage. He understands that I need to do this, and that graduate school, though sometimes a little selfish, is about me. Yes, some students in my program are married or engaged, and they're struggling to find time for their spouse (sometimes kids). Those of us that are doing well aren't tied down. I really think you need to go into your grad program with the expectation of spending two years to work on everything about you. I would probably even suspend the online dating profile. Graduate with a degree in a field that you love, and then maybe move to a new town. Don't force dating, but hang out a local watering holes after work or go fun outdoorsy places. You'll meet someone.

Don't let where you are from determine when you think you should have a family... that's just silly. If I did that, I'd be having a baby in the next 6 months or so. You should note that egg quality doesn't really start to diminish until mid-30's, and you don't really have to worry until you're 40. Lots of women have children at around 40, and most turn out fine. I'm not sure where you've gotten your information. I've been told that graduate school is supposed to be the most selfish time in your life... a time where you focus on you. You work on yourself as a person, yourself as how you apply your talents to your field, and where you really want to end up when you graduate. Yes, there is networking, and there will be group outings to the local bars, but I don't think graduate school is about finding a significant other in any way, shape, or form. I had a boyfriend when I went into my masters studies (molecular biology), and I just did not have time for him the way I wanted to contribute to a relationship. Somehow he stuck with me, even now that I've moved 13 hours away from him for my PhD studies. If I were existing on your timeline, I should have married him over a year ago and I'd be scrambling into marrying him as soon as I go home for Christmas, and then having babies throughout my PhD. Instead, IF we marry, it will be late in my studies or after I graduate at age 29 or 30. Babies aren't a priority for us, but if we wanted them, we'd have lots of time. I can't imagine having a baby during graduate school or even being pregnant during my studies. I guess what I want to say is that I don't think you should make a major focus of your graduate school experience on finding a guy to date. I realize you won't have 60-hour lab weeks + classes like me, but remember that you're going to graduate school to make something of yourself and to give yourself a chance at a future in a field that you love. If you meet someone, great... but if not, you're doing a masters, not a PhD, so you're not going to be in school too much longer. Then you'll have tons of time after the work day to scout for guys. Don't try to squeeze everything into this "perfect" timeline you've generated in your head. Life never ever works that way, and you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. Saying, "I'd like to be married and have a family one day," is great... You can even make a pinterest board full of things you think are amazing. However, saying, "I want to be married with 2.5 kids and a shiny car before I'm 30," is not at all realistic. You're very lucky! We live in a society where this longer period of self-growth is becoming more normal, and now you have the chance to make sure your head is screwed on more straight before jumping into anything. Does that make sense?

Once you get to the point where you feel like you're constantly changing little things, you need to just stop and give it to someone to critique. I had three people critique my SOP and research statements, and I think if I had not done so, I would have re-formatted and modified it forever. The version I submitted was successful, and I think it genuinely reflected me as a person as well as my own writing style.

For me, I have a genuine interest in solving a problem, and I have to remind myself that even negative results do eventually make an impact. What helps me to stay motivated is that when I do get into a slump like this, I get all of my data and group it together. I take a look at what I have to try and see if it is showing anything obvious. I try to look at it different ways. I brush up on the new literature to see if there are any leads that can help me out (and pray that I'm not scooped). If I feel lost and that it is going nowhere, I see if my PI has time to talk with me. It really may be as simple as taking a day or two to go back to your primary hypotheses and figure out again how your project links back to helping people. If you're still feeling this way after going all through what you've got and talking to your PI, you need to evaluate your project to see if it can yield viable results and what type of impact they will have. This latter part needs to be talked over with your PI as well. Maybe you will find that the part of the project you're working on is one that you just don't like and that you have to get through it to the part you're passionate about. There was one part of my masters project that was neuro in nature, and I hated it... I didn't even want to go to the lab, but I had to get through that part to get back to my tissue culture and mouse work, which I loved and were more obvious to me in perspective to why I felt my research was important. I also encourage you to go talk to someone about how you're feeling. Your PI might be able to help you, but it may help you to talk to someone outside of the lab. Your ombudsman can point you to the right kind of person to talk to, and usually they're really awesome people. It is important for you to go talk to someone before you decide to do anything drastic like drop your program.

That isn't a bad thing at all. Many schools will actually look at it as a positive thing as you will have a little knowledge outside of the field. As long as you emphasize that you're interested in Immunology/Pharmacology in your essay, I imagine you'll be fine. Immunology folks are a little finicky, sometimes about people without a ton of experience in the field, but usually they're happy with an undergrad immunology course. Beaker Beaker said everything I would have said.

It is generally acceptable to have your writing single spaced. Do not change font sizes and stick with standard Times New Roman at 12 font. For your benefit, don't try to cram a million things into your essay. You don't want the admissions committees to get bored and not finish and/or not remember your essay. You want to be as concise as humanly possible while still making them remember your essay and what sets you apart from the other hundred applications they're reading. Make sure that you're actually following your prompts for those essays as well. If a school asks you for a personal statement and a research statement, your personal statement shouldn't focus on your research. Your goal is to show them who you honestly are and why you're amazing enough and talented enough to pursue graduate studies at their institution. It isn't to say, "Here are the 50 things I did during undergrad. Tada!" They want students who are passionate about science, but they also want to know we're human. I found it very helpful to write three, 1.5 page essays before I looked at the prompts for my school: A personal statement about my evolution as a person and scientist, a research statement, and a statement of diversity detailing challenges I dealt with as a student that I feel have made me into a strong scientist (not an essay about race or gender, FYI). Then I could take from these three essays to generate whatever type of essay that each program wanted. It worked incredibly well. I've had this talk with a few of you, now. This is especially important these days when just getting a PhD isn't enough to get into your job of choice. I'm very good at critiquing and judging essays, so I am happy to answer questions. I will probably be most helpful to biomedical applicants, but maybe I can help others, too. Just please don't ask me to proof any essays until AFTER December 2, which is when my term exams complete for my graduate program. I hope your applications are shaping up well, everyone!

Althonse, it varies by program. One program called me (for molecular bio) in December for a January interview, and then another school called me at the beginning of a week in January to schedule an interview for that very weekend. Most programs complete interviews by the second week in March.

Are you sure that the final grade designation for that class wasn't pass/fail? I had a class like that where we got letter grades in class, but the course was graded pass/fail and my transcript reads as a "p." Just ask your advisor and the office where your transcripts are kept.

Wow, you're taking your GRE a little late. I did the same thing... bad choice on my part. Just so you know, it is possible that some of your schools may not get your GRE scores in time for the early deadline. If that is the case, you need to call/ email them to let them know your test-day scores. I would e-mail them now to double-check that they'll still take your application. I had one school tell me that if they didn't have the official scores from ETS before the deadline, they wouldn't process my application at all. You can only send 4 scores (or maybe it is 5?) on test day and the rest can't be sent until your scores are posted. So if it takes two weeks to post your scores and then another two weeks for the scores to get to the destination (not counting handling within the school taking up to a week), it may get there past the December 1 deadline. Usually the scores get there fast enough, but this is the busiest time of the year for ETS, so I wouldn't depend on it. I had all of my applications in 2 weeks early. Some of them won't let you submit letters of rec until you've submitted and turned in the fees. Professors are notoriously difficult to get to submit letters, so the earlier they are able to do so, the better.

I can't give advice on how to transfer, but I can tell you trying to "cover up" that you were in a PhD program by saying you were a research assistant (or anything else) will make you look really bad as an applicant. You should not try to hide things from the committees. It is dishonest and will make them question whether or not you can be successful and honest in your work. Knowing what field you're in would probably help the others to give you advice.

Don't send more than they ask you for. Honestly, most of them have it set up so that you can only submit 3 letters and they require that you submit via their online portal. Some schools do allow 4 letters if you have two PIs for your undergrad studies and some allow 4 letters in general, but you'll have to look at the applications.

I think that you will find the majority of graduate programs are fairly diverse these days; there were a variety of different students at each interview I attended from all backgrounds and many nationalities. One thing I've noticed, though, is that in graduate school, everyone is at the same level. Yes, there are more opportunities for minorities to apply for grants (which sucks for a Caucasian female and even more for a male), but as far as courses and rotations go, everyone is treated the same. When I look across the classes I take, I don't see a sea of one color. There doesn't feel like there is a need for a minority-specific support system because as a group we are supportive of each other. I had lunch with people from China, Korea, England, and Kenya last week, and all of us are in the same grad school. We study together and go out together (when there is time). The same expectations are held for each student, no matter who they are or where they come from. I feel like this is a wonderful thing; after all, once we get out into the real world, major grant applications are going to be mostly indifferent to your minority status. Instead, they're going to care about the strength and impact of your proposed research, which is the most important part, anyway. I think that no matter where you choose to go, you're going to find people who are going to be supportive of you as long as you're putting in the effort and living up to expectations. Don't limit your choices simply because you're looking for very specific support programs for minorities; grad school is filled with all kinds of inspiring and hard-working individuals, and you will be surrounded by them. Instead, I would focus more on the things you're going to head to grad school for, (I'm assuming) research, potential PIs, and the type of coursework.

My masters is in molecular physiology, and I think many students who do this degree are going for a PhD or Med School. It is highly unlikely that you'll be able to find a non-thesis program (that I know of). I think you could take a couple of physiology classes somewhere, but a degree in physiology is generally research based and would be a full-time undertaking.

I think that when interviews start being awarded and announced, you need to let those schools know of your situation. The school I ultimately ended up attending had several students unable to attend either interview weekend, and they allowed them to visit the campus on another day. Another option utilized by many schools will be an interview via Skype. There may be some picky schools that refuse to interview you unless you're present, but I really haven't heard of any of those. I would say wait for interview invites, and when they come in, see which ones you can attend and which ones you can't. Tell them about your situation. They'll probably suggest Skype or an alternate date, but make sure you let them know you're genuinely interested in their program. Most programs understand that we students are on a budget. If not, maybe that helps narrow your selection. If you feel the need to narrow schools once you're selected for interviews, you can also cull down by number of PIs you're interested in working under and program requirements. Something I noticed last season is that some schools will give you notice 3-4 weeks before your interview, and others as little as a week. I was literally at one interview that had been planned for over a month when I was getting notified about a second interview that they wanted me there less than a week from the notification date. You might not have adequate time to design travel plans to attend multiple interviews. I think Skype is going to become your best friend. If they don't suggest it, make sure you do!