mrmolecularbiology
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Posts posted by mrmolecularbiology
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All this talk of people comitting... Is there any benefit to making the decision before the deadline?
Normally If you decide and commit, you also go ahead and officially decline other offers. It helps those on the wait list. Plus it makes setting up rotations and talking to PIs easier (they get more enthusiastic and share more.) If they know you are really coming. But mostly it is just a weight off your shoulders. (although many programs allow summer rotations, so If you are interested in starting early you should definitely commit as soon as you are positive about your decision). If you are truly undecided take your time and properly weigh your options. But if you already know, why wait?
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I applied to 8. One I knew I had no chance at (Stanford) two I thought I had a shot at, and hey 1/2 isn't bad (UCSF and UC Berkeley) three that I knew were "within my reach" (UTSW and Johns Hopkins UW-Madison) and two "Safety Schools" (Cornell and Duke). In hindsight I shouldn't have applied to duke it was not a good research fit at all and I wish I would have applied to more schools but it worked out well. I thought I would hate UTSW and it was hands down my favorite.
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Do psych grads generally do a postdoc after grad school like other sciences? If so what you study in grad school does not matter to much as long as you excell at it. Being productive is easier if your happy, which it sounds like you would be at school AOk, so this is the hardest decison of my life because to me there is no "obvious" option and any advice will be very helpful! I have narrowed down my acceptences to 2 schools. Both high in rankings, mentor pubs, etc. School A is the location I have always wanted to live, I love the feel of the school and its students, the stipend is better (26,000) and I have the opportunity to house sit and not pay rent; awesome right? Only problem is that the area of research I would be doing has never been an interest of mine, I know I would enjoy running the studies but would find it hard to be interested in the implications of the work. I also have no background in that area. School B is in a location that I dislike, climate is horrible, the feel of the school and students just doesnt fit me, its a very expensive area to live (plus no free housing there!) and the stpend is lower (20,000) however, I would be very interested in the implications of the research there, but it may be more monotunous to run the studies than school A. Thus, the perfect, unrelaistic scenario would be to take the lab and professor from school B and move it to school A, then everything would be great. Insights anyone??? Could really use opinions here. I should also mention that my goal is to be a Psychology professor. -
Unless you have a really good reason do to so generally: free is much better than debt.As a Molecular Biologist I would expect you to give a reason. Also as a molecular biologist I can't take what you say seriously since this field is no where close to yours. We're not kids over here. Support what you're saying by stating reasons or else keep to yourself. -
Congrats, ion_exchanger!
I'm planning on committing to a program this weekend. I'm ready for this process to be finished, though it was a lot of fun.
When you do your big reveal, You should list your top three (please). I'm just interested in which schools actually have a shot.
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@ion_exchanger: So where are you going? You promised a big reveal today!
- biotechie and chemaholic
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if that extra $20,000 a year is worth it.
No it is not.
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Hello all,
I hope that everybody has heard back from their desired schools and that everyone got into their dream school!
I am having a dilemma choosing between Univ of Washington, UC Berkeley, and Harvard for MS in Biostatistics.
In the latest rankings, Harvard and UW are tied for number 1 and Berkeley is a bit behind at number 6. How important should these rankings be in my decision? Do they really make a difference if I am planning on working outside academia post-graduate school?
Also, a big factor for me is funding. Berkeley has offered a position as a TA to cover all my tuition as well as a $1,500 stipend. On top of that, I have received a scholarship contributing $10,000 more for the first academic year. Harvard and UW offer no guaranteed funding for the first year and both schools would cost about $60,000 a year. Is it a no-brainer to choose Berkeley for the funding?
I have heard mixed opinions from people. Some say "how can you not choose Harvard?" and some say "how can you turn down free graduate school education?" I am not sure what to think in this situation.
I personally love all three cities and would prefer to get out of the Bay Area (I grew up near Berkeley), but that is just a soft factor.
As a side note, I also got accepted into BU, Columbia, and Michigan, but I will most likely not choose any of those programs.
Thank you very much for the help!!
UC Berkeley hands down. It has name recognition outside of academia and it is still a top ten in your discipline. To me it is a no brainer.
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What initially seemed to be a straight-forward question now has me stumped. I'm struggling to find information on how to formally or properly accept an offer of admission. Is it acceptable to send an e-mail (professionally written of course) to the Graduate Coordinator or should I fax/mail a typed letter instead? I have an idea of what the content of the letter should be like, but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
The program I accepted an offer from sent me a form to sign as an official acceptance. I called a few faculty members a few days before I accepted (to chat more about their research and whether they were taking students etc.) and let them know I planned on accepting soon. Followed up by signing and scanning the from they sent me and emailing it to the graduate coordinator.
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1) talk to PIs you work with/advisors etc. They should be able to help guide you to the top people/places (keep in mind they will probably be biased to their alma mater)
2) I'm not a big fan of rankings but it is a decent place to start http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/immunology ( I Recommend only using the NRC and Research productivity scores)
3) Once you Know the "Top" places begin looking at the labs at theses places and try to find institutions that have many faculty in your specific research area.
4) Try not to limit yourself geographically: remember graduate school is not forever, so go to the best place for you, location should be secondary. ( The offer I accept was in a state I never intended to live in but I fell in love with the program and the faculty that are a part of it).
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Research experience, LORs and SOP are the most important parts of a grad school app. Schools simply use GPAs and GREs as screening tools to narrow down the applicant pool it is the other components that will get you in. You need at least three PIs willing to write you STRONG letters. All of mine came from PIs I had done some serious research for OR people who had witnessed said research. Most recommenders will not right a recommendation for someone who has not already proven themselves in a research setting. (If they wrote letters willy nilly it would discredit any recommendations they make.)
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I would truly appreciate any input on these schools!
My general research interest is in the application of engineering/physics concepts in biological/biomedical sciences to understand and analyze processes associated with pathogenesis (whether neurological disorders or cancer progression). I applied to interdisciplinary programs because of my desire to rotate at various labs to determine the best fit.
I got offered the following:
UCLA - Biomedical Physics PhD:
Great program; very interdisciplinary; CAMPEP Accredited
Fits my research interests perfectly
$26k/yr for the 1st year and then it's the lab's responsibility; high cost of living
UC Irvine - Mathematical, Computational, and Systems Biology PhD:
Great program; very interdisciplinary
Also fits my research interests perfectly
$29.5k/yr the 1st year and then it's the lab's responsibility; high-medium cost of living
Baylor College of Medicine - Structural & Computational Biology & Molecular Biophysics PhD:
Great program; very interdisciplinary and inter-institutional
Also fits my research interests perfectly
$29k/yr for all 5 yrs; low cost of livingI truly loved those schools and the faculty/staff/students were very genuine and helpful. Let me know if you have any thoughts whatsoever on this.Thanks!If they are all great fits and you do not see one rising above the others you get too look at others factors that should normally be ignored.
1) "Ranking" ( i hate rankings but if all other things are equal I believe you should at least look at it.)
2) School Environment: Which place did you feel you got along with students and or faculty the best?
3) Location of School
4) Cost of living. Not having enough money to eat when your hungry would be terrible.
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I don't understand why you think graduate schools are against students taking leaves of absences. I know plenty of students who have done so, and also some faculty members too and sure it might be a little extra work to get back in the swing of things, but it's better to allow a productive person to take the time they need off, do whatever they have to do, and return motivated and ready to work.
Most people on LOA do not get paid, so it's not a huge drain on school resources. My old grad school allowed PhD students to take a year's worth of LOA for each child and the maternity/parental leave benefit was allowed to be used twice per degree.
I guess it depends on the field and the security of the lab. For instance the lab I work in now funding is so tight that a drop in productivity could be a death sentence for funding. I do not see my boss willingly giving someone a LOA.
If you are going to take a LOA, work with a professor who is already tenured. New faculty really depend on their students to be productive. The more papers a lab has published the easier obtaining grants becomes.
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I let my interviewers know in the interviews what schools I was choosing between. I let them all know where I was going when I declined their admission offers, but I like full disclosure. Most fields are small they are going to find out anyways at conferences why not tell them in advance?
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This past week, I was accepted to Wake Forest's English MA program with full funding and Columbia's History and Literature program in Paris with a 25% fellowship, and I'm having a difficult time choosing between the two.
I am strongly leaning on the side of Wake Forest because it's a two-year program rather than a one year program, it has a wonderful reputation, and financial concerns are a huge factor for me.
I have also heard really good things about Columbia's H&L program in Paris--for example, I heard that all of their students got accepted to every one of the Ph.D. programs to which they applied. Additionally, studying in Paris at some point is absolutely critical to my research. However, I will almost certainly have to take out a SUBSTANTIAL loan since the program is an estimated $72k and my fellowship only covers 25% of tuition ($42k).
I've had professors and English graduate students saying contradictory things--some say Columbia/Paris is indispensable, while others say Wake Forest would be the better option. Anybody else want to weigh in? Does anyone know WFU's placement rate for grad students into Ph.D. programs, and to which schools their students are accepted? Is this an appropriate question for me to ask the department, considering they've already accepted me?
25% of 72K is 18K......
That said ask Wake forest about post graduation placement they are not going to rescind an offer.
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So, today I got a call that I will be accepted off the waitlist at NYU Steinhardt. I've also been accepted to Fordham's PhD program. Yippee!
So the "problem", if you can even call it that, is that they were essentially tied for my "top" choice this whole application process. There are significant differences in the programs, and serious pros and cons for each. But as of right now, I'm having trouble coming up with a front runner. So, if any of you have the time or inclination to form any opinions on the matter, I would be forever grateful!
Here is my current "Pros and Cons" list for Fordham's PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology program:
Pros:
- Exactly perfect research match
- Has Masters-only option
- Well-established program
- Has practicum - I want to go into practice, not research, eventually
- Awesome advisor, I get along with her swimmingly, and she's a young mom (see below)
- Prestigious fellowship offered; no teaching duties for the 1st year and more money for the next 4 years
- Will be a “big fish” in this smaller pond, I think
Cons:
- 2 hours away (4 hours total commute time), everyday for at least 2 years
- TA intensive after 1st year fellowship
- VERY quant-heavy (I'm not very stats-savvy)
- Traditional dissertation option only
And here is my list for a PhD in Psychology and Social Intervention at NYU's Steinhardt School of Human Development:
Pros:
- 25 minutes away
- More prestigious faculty and a really cool, flexible program
- Has practicum as well
- Offered me a 4-year fellowship (no teaching responsibilities unless I want extra money)
- Semi-awesome advisor(s)
- Better dissertation options (3 publishable papers in lieu of one huge dissertation)
- Less quant-heavy, more options for qualitative or mixed-methods
- Great neighborhood, and did I mention 25 minutes away?!
Cons:
- No Master’s option
- Not technically Developmental Psychology, which is the field I'd like to go into
- Less money per year
Okay! So my biggest concerns are that my husband and I are planning to start a family WHILE I'm in grad school. I know....we're insane. But we've been trying to get pregnant for almost 3 years, and we are sooo sick of waiting. I don't think that I will have any problem multi-tasking and getting my shit done; I've always been a person who needs to be doing a hundred things at once. We are financially very stable. He is in investment banking, and kicking ass, and we currently have a 2 bedroom apartment in a brownstone in an amazing, child-friendly neighborhood in Brooklyn. So everything is our life is ready for a munchkin (or two).
I do worry about timing for grad school though...I don't want to lose out on my Fellowships if I do have to take a year LOA (which I would want to do). I guess I just need to flat-out ASK these schools what will happen if my husband and I do decide to start a family during my time there. But I'm nervous! Will they withdraw my acceptance? Will they think I'm insane, or irresponsible?
Having the option to "get out" after 2 years with a Masters at Fordham is a huge plus for me. But being 25 minutes away (especially if I have a little one) is a huge plus for NYU. The other elements seem to be a wash.
Help me think this through people! Thank you in advance :-)
I do not see any graduate program being ok with a LOA. If it is only a single semester maybe anymore and you are a drain on their resources. Why would they want someone who is going to have a break in their productivity over someone who is completely committed to grad school?
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Hey guys,
I've narrowed down my decision to UCSD Biomedical Sciences and UCLA ACCESS. I was wondering what anyone had to say about either of these programs if they had any advice. I'm leaning towards UCSD because I feel that the research opportunities are stronger and I like the overall scientific environment more there, but I did meet a researcher I connected well with at UCLA. I'm not sure whether to go with more research opportunities in general in my field or a specific researcher. I was wondering what you had to say!
Thanks,
Super
I agree with bassish101 Having multiple labs to choose from is important.
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Got into Weill Cornell...ha stressed for nothing.
That's Awesome! Congratulations.
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Wrap up time.
Undergrad Institution: Large State School
Major(s): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.81
Overall GPA: 3.88
Type of Student: American male
GRE Scores (New/Old version):
Q: 157/730 (71%)
V: 156/550 (69%)
W: 4.5 (73%)
Research Experience: 3 years: 1 second author pub in press, another second author pub to be submitted soon, two first author pubs in progressLORs: I had three extremely good letters of recommendation that back up my to be published claims on my CV and in my SOP.
Applied Where:
Stanford - Biosciences: rejected by mail 1/26/13Cornell- Biophysics: Invited to interview by email on 12/14/12; Notified of acceptance week following interview by email
UCSF - iPQB: Invited to interview on 1/15/12 by email; Notified of acceptance the following week by phone call from POI
UC Berkeley - Biophysics: As of 3-11-13 I have still not heard a peep from UCB.
UW-Madison- Biophysics: Invited to interview on 1/11/13; Declined Interview due to conflict.
UT Southwestern- Molecular Biophysics: Invited to interview 1/17/13 by email; Notified the Following monday of acceptance by phone. ATTENDING FALL 2013
Duke- Structural Biology and Biophysics: Invited to interview by phone 1/28/12; Notified of acceptance by automated email service two weeks after interview.
Johns Hopkins- Program in Molecular Biophysics: Invited to interveiw by email 1/11/12;
One thing I will say is that before the interview process I intended to go to UCSF (pending acceptance of course) and had absolutely no intention of going to a school in texas (no offense texans I was just trying to escape the bible belt). But the research fit and the environment were exactly what I was looking for. I know I made the right choice for me.
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I'll be going to UNC-Chapel Hill BBSP! So glad for this whole process to be over
Congratulations!
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Hey team,
I'm looking for advice on picking a computational biology program (between Yale, Cornell Tri-I, and UC Berkeley). I'm pretty sure I know where I'm leaning, but your thoughts would be helpful.
I'm coming from a molecular bio background, and my primary educational goals are to improve my applied math and CS skills. I'm mostly interested in doing structural bio/molecular dynamics/systems bio research. Location is important... I'd prefer to be somewhere reasonably cosmopolitan mostly for my personal life (dating, whatnot). Campus vibe and reputation are also important. I want to be with the smartest peers and faculty I can, in a place with good teaching/mentoring, that's recognized as one of the top universities (by employers in science/other industry), and preferably where students enjoy their lives and like their school.
So... which would you pick?
Thanks!
-Cogidubnus
I would go with UCB, then again I would never want to live in new york city so i'm kind of biased.
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After a deep conversation with my current mentor my gut feeling wins. I plan to commit to UTSW by the end of this week!
- mop and ion_exchanger
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Glad to be done with interviews. Know to figure out where the hell I'm going.
- mop and ion_exchanger
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Prospective Neuroscience PhD Student needing advice
in Biology
Posted · Edited by mrmolecularbiology
Psych based pharmacology labs and neuropharmacology are very different. If that is really what you want to move into, are there any non-psychology labs you can look into?