tuckbro
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Posts posted by tuckbro
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I found the results page very helpful as you begin to see the pattern of GPA and GRE scores. Aside from scores your experience and goals need to be a fit in their lab this season. If their Tissue Engineering lab is full then they won't take anyone with that expertise and
goals etc...so it's kind of a toss up.
Shp9n0108, I did get into JHU and Rice and am in your field. I was rejected from Michigan receiving a letter inferring loss of funding in tissue eng field. So I think your chances are excellent.
Falcon, I think your GPA is lower than most I have seen acceoted by top schools but your research and publications may pueh you over. Good luck!!!
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I have heard this too, particularly in the early stages. Once you have an interview it becomes more about fit, but you need minimum scores to make it to that point.
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Undergrad Institution: Liberal Arts school, fairly well known in the region but mostly for its Business and Communications schools. Not very well known for sciences.
Major(s): Biochemistry and Physics
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 3.70 and 3.63
Overall GPA: 3.70
Position in Class: Honestly, I'm not sure. Probably in the top 25%?
Type of Student: Domestic female
GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 162/83%
V:164/93%
W:3.5/38%
Research Experience: Two years at university, in Biochemistry and Inorganic/Educational Chemistry. American Chemical Society IREU Scholar for 2014, conducted Biochem/Organic research in Scotland for 10 weeks. Publication forthcoming (hopefully).
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Excellence in General and Inorganic Chemistry from undergrad institution, ACS IREU 2014 Scholar (see above), Deans List all semesters (so far)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Physics tutor for University Tutorial Program, freelance Physics, Chemistry, Math, and SAT tutor.
Special Bonus Points: Female, come from very unusual pre-college educational background.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
Hoping to Apply:
Harvard - Division of Medical Sciences - Virology
Harvard - Biological Sciences in Public Health - Immunology and Infectious Disease
Yale - Biological and Biomedical Sciences - Pharmacology, Immunobiology, or Pathology
MIT - Chemistry
MIT - Microbiology
MIT - Biology
Stanford - Biosciences - Biochemistry, Immunology, and Genetics programs
UC Berkeley - Infectious Disease and Immunity
University of Pennsylvania - Chemistry
Columbia University - Biomedical - Pharmacology and Molecular Signaling
Johns Hopkins - School of Medicine - Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Johns Hopkins - School of Medicine - Immunology
Johns Hopkins - Bloomberg School of Public Health - Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins - Bloomberg School of Public Health - Global Disease Epidemiology and Control
Johns Hopkins - School of Medicine - Pathobiology
Just as a word of caution, check the results page to make sure you are in line with who has gotten admitted into these programs in the past. At least in my area (BME), these schools pretty much require 95% plus quant and 3.9 + GPA. I would recommend considering applications to some schools who have a lower threshold for GREs and GPA.
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Just a suggestion that may help you decide if a retake is needed - I recommend using the results search tab on this site and looking at who gets interviewed at the schools you in which you are interested and who gets accepted. You will see a pretty clear pattern. For instance, at my schools, the pattern was over 95th percentile in Quant scores and 3.9 GPA.
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Undergrad Institution: University of Southern Maine
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s): Biology
GPA in Major: 3.4 in Biology and Chemistry, 3.7 in overall sciences (Physics helps me there a lot)
Overall GPA: 3.6
Position in Class: Not sure
Type of Student: domestic, white female
GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156 (64%)
V: 156 (71%)
W: 4.5 (80%)
Biochem: Taking 9/27, hoping to redeem myself with this. General GRE wasn't too hot.
Research Experience: From undergraduate I have a cumulative of 2 years experience in 3 different labs (6mo, 3mo, and 15mo) in mol bio/biochem/biotech labs. From the 15mo research I recently had a paper accepted to Chembiochem (I think its like a 3 on impact scale). I did summer (3mo) research in a biochem lab with a focus on cancer. I just started a year long research job at UC Denver. By the time grad school starts (fingers crossed) - 3.25 years experience, all in academic settings.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Scholarship from my first college (I transferred after 2 years), Dean's list scattered here and there, best undergrad/overall poster at a regional conference, life science award from cardno entrix, chemistry community award from my undergrad institution for my work in clubs spreading chemistry knowledge/love.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Chemistry Club (secretary), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (Student club VP, Regional chapter board member), Tutor in chemistry (general, analytical, biochemistry), TA of organic lab (1 semester), biochem lab (1 semester), general chemistry recitation (2 semesters).
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: One of my recommenders went to grad school at Rockefeller, and did his postdoc at Harvard. Not sure how much this will help, but I am looking to go into the same field as he is in so maybe I'll end up interviewing with someone who knows him
. Regardless, all of my LOR are strong.Special Bonus Points: I've presented 8 posters, one oral, at two national conferences, several other regional. My lab experience covers mol bio/biochem well - I have experience in cloning (in every lab I've worked in), loads of mol bio techniques, EM/DIC/Fluorescence microscopy, etc etc.
Applying to Where:
All Ph.D programs
MIT - Biology
Harvard - MCB
UPenn - Biochemistry & Biophysics
Rockefeller - Chemical Biology
UC Denver - Biomedical Science Program
Berkeley - Chemical Biology
Uni Washington - MCB
I realized I'm shooting high, but I decided to say the hell with safeties.. I don't want to settle. If I don't get in, my plan is to move back to the east coast, get a research job in Boston, and try again next year. Hoping to destroy the biochem gre next weekend
!Hi, I hope that you don't mind a word of caution. It is extremely difficult and rare to obtain a research position in Boston with only an undergraduate degree. Do you have contacts in the area that could help you? My humble opinion is that you should add a few safer schools particularly as your GRE and GPA scores are lower that those who are historically admitted at the schools to which you have applied. But of course, it is absolutely your choice! Best of luck to you!
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Ho boy. I plan on emailing potential PIs this week.
Undergrad Institution: Very large state school; Known for medical researchMajor(s): Biomedical EngineeringMinor(s): Potentially Neuroscience?GPA in Major: 3.93Overall GPA: 3.97Position in Class: At least in the top 1/5th of my BME classType of Student: Domestic femaleGRE Scores (revised):Q: 169 (97%)V: 165 (95%)W: 5.5 (98%)B: N/AResearch Experience:
-Summer research at my school; analysis of miRNA expression in prostate cancer patients; got a poster out of it (presented twice, both just at different symposiums within my school); will hopefully have a paper under review by the time apps go in (co-first/second author)
-(technically ~1-1.5 years) Volunteer in an injury biomechanics research lab within my school; helped instrument cadavers for impact testing, cleaned tools, prepared instruments, etc.
-(ongoing) 5 months of volunteering in a motor neuron disease lab at my school; work with mouse models, PCR, cryostat sectioning, etc.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit-based scholarships?Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Anatomy TA and (one-time) calculus tutorAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: ?Special Bonus Points: I'm a lady. Does that help at all?Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Various campus involvement: leadership roles in students organizations (BMES and AEMB, the BME honorary)Applying to Where:
All programs will be Neuroscience PhD programs. Interests include adult neurogenesis, stem cells, Alzheimer's/Parkinson's, depression, and anxiety
Current list (in order of interest, probably needs to be cut down):
Harvard University
Columbia University
University of Washington
UC San Francisco
Stanford University
University of Wisconsin
UC Irvine
Northwestern University
Rockefeller University
Johns Hopkins University
Wake Forest University
University of Rochester
My big question is: Do I have too many top tier schools? I'm incredibly nervous about applying to too many "reach" schools and getting in to none...
I had similar stats and got into most of my schools so I think you will do well.
Warning. I never heard anything back from Wake Forest nor did others so not sure you want to waste the app fee there. Possibly funding issues there.
Also there is a thread every year under engineering for PhD in a Biomedical Engineering and you can get great info there.
Best of luck!!!!
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I have finalized my schools.
Good mix and good number. Best of luck!
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Once again I must caution that it was my experience that GPA and GRE are in fact used to make first cuts so I believe it is good advice to add some schools with lower expectations in that area. If you get into higher ones, great, but it is very risky to apply to all top tier schools even if you have top scores.
- Biohacker, No Coffee Plz and ss2player
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And that's if they decide to interview you. Guess what they usually use to decide whether to interview people or even read their SOP at the programs that receive many applications?
Agree. At the schools I applied to there was most definitely a selet group of scores that led to interview invitations.
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I think it is important to understand that top schools DO have cutoffs - GRE, GPA, years of research. If your scores are not competitive it is unlikely your SOP will be read. Sorry but that is what I have seen. To determine if you are competitive score-wise I would take a close look at the Results page. You will quickly see a pattern of those accepted/rejected.
You can certianly apply if you really want to go there, however, if your scores are not in line with who they interviewed and accepted last year, it would be wise to include some safer schools, numbers-wise.
Yes, in the final round, post interview, it does come down to fit, but I would not recommend discounting a first round numbers cut.
Just my observation.
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I think GREs can eliminate you but cannot get you in alone. In my field if you want to go to a top program you need a quant of 95% or better. Just look at the results page and you'll see the pattern for your schools.
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What were your stats?
3.96 92% verbal 98% math. Recs are not a deal breaker, no one component is. It's a wholistic thing.
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I applied to mostly top 10 programs as an international who studied in an unknown state school and was able to get into half of the schools I applied to. Also, during my interviews I met many people who were from state schools, unknown liberal arts schools and who had no publications whatsoever, very rarely would I meet someone who had published. Publications aren't a requirement to get into top 10, 20 or whatever schools IMO.
Good luck!
Quite a few of the students in my incoming BE PHD program at MIT are coming from state schools.
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Yes, but what were their other stats?
Also of note may be the fact that I spent my first two years at a community college, which something tells me Yalevard Institute of Stanfordogy doesn't like even if you have competitive stats.
Agreed, if you have great stats, recs, research etc. you do not need to be published. I was not at time of application and got into top schools.
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Hello, everyone!
Did anyone else receive the email from Cornell Graduate School ? I already emailed admissions, but didn't get any notofications. Please, give me some addvices what to do. Thank you!
By Cornell Graduate School, do you mean Cornell Biomedical Engineering PhD program? If so, it looks like the admits went out in Feb and rejections around April 1st for the most part. You can search by Cornell Biomedical in the results search tab.
If that is the program you are asking about, then I am afraid your only recourse is to call or email Cornell to find out what happened to your application.
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Has anyone heard back from the Virginia Tech/Wake Forest BME program? IT was one of my safety schools, so I don't really care, but it is kind of unprofessional not to respond at all to someone who has applied, paid the fee etc... Just wondering if it's just me or if they did not respond to anyone.
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After agonizing for a really long time, officially chose MIT Biological Engineering!
However, was also awarded the Whitaker so I may or may not be deferring a year depending on if I can make the technical stuff/logistics work!
Yeah! Congrats on making your decision!
- frances089 and AxyC
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With decision day approaching, where is everyone going ?
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Committed to MIT BE yesterday! Very happy!
- AxyC and frances089
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Congrats for everyone, it is exciting to see the happiness of people getting admitted. I am still waiting for Positions that might get empty, as soon people who got multiple offers settle on one place. Take your time in the decision but Don't wait till 15 of april......have mercy on the poor souls .
Still waiting on some results, hope to decide this week!
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Good luck with your decisions everyone!
For those who did not receive offers, it will work out! Happened to a good friend last year, so she worked for a year at a Medical Center doing research and re applied, getting into several excellent schools. Keep the faith!
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Alternate at JHU, but likely to admit - I think that means towards the top of the waitlist....
CV/Resume submissions for grad school
in Biology
Posted
This was my apprach as well.