bsharpe269

My scores are slightly lower than yours, 168Q, 162V and all of my professors have told me that these are great scores that will look great on my applications. GRE scores seemed to be used as a weed out and arent really looked at beyond that. As long as you are above 155ish for V and in the mid to high 160s for Q then you will be fine. Your research experience, letters of recommendations, and passion/knowedge of your subfield demonstrated through your SOP will get you into programs, not GRE scores. Also, why only top 10 programs? I am sure there are schools in the 20-30 range with great professors in your subfield. Rememeber that a school's reputation for your SPECIFIC research area and advisor name matter a lot more than than prestige of the school/department as a whole. If you go to a top 5 school that doesn't have many strong professors in your subfield then you will probably struggle for a job a lot more than someone who went to a top 30 school and worked with a top researcher.

I know that both NC State and UNCC have MSW programs that are pretty highly regarded. I am sure there are many more in the state that I am unaware of. Since the defintion of a low GPA really varies between people, giving us your major and overall GPA would be helpful in recommendations. Are you looking to move to a specific part of NC? I am in a different field but am pretty familiar with NC and know people who studied social work at various NC schools so I'm happy to answer any questions!

This would make me uncomfortable too. I wouldnt be surprised if people look for these things in applications even. If an application includes an SOP/cover letter along with the LOR then I think it would be pretty obvious that the writing style and word choices are identical.

I agree with everyone who mentioned undergrad research. It would help if we knew what research experience you have. Masters and PhD programs and nearly the same except for one big component: a PhD is similar to a MS + a huge multi year reserach project at the end. How do you know which you should do? Well, do you love reserach and want the huge project? Since you are so unsure now, why not take a year or two off? This would give you an opportunity to to research full time in a lab and test the waters. It would also expose to you to the field a bit more so you can figure out which positions you would be interested in and what degree those positions require. Another option would be to do the MS and then use that as an opportunity to try research. The only downside to this option is that you will probably have to pay for the masters. I decided to go this route since I wanted to make up for poor/average undergrad grades. If you need to do the same then this would be a good option. I am living with family and attending the state school near them so even though I am taking out loans for the masters, I will only be taking out around 15k which is not too bad compared to other people. If you don't need to make up for poor undergrad grades then working for a year or two would make a lot more sense since you will get paid instead of having to pay.

I was in a very similar situation about 15 months ago actually! I had an amzaing opportunity in front of me that I had been waiting for a long time. I met the absolute most amazing man in the world who was perfect for me. I gave up the opportunity...which in the past would have been totally opposite of my norm. I could not stand to let this man go though. Anyway, we got engaged in December and are currently planning a wedding. I guess I have mixed advice for you... 1) I hate to say it... but even though this man seems absolute perfect for you at the moment, you have no idea if he will once you get past the honeymoon phase. The first 9ish months of my relationship were SO freakin perfect that I seriously thought that no one else in the world could possibly have experienced a love this amazing. Although I still love my fiance with all of my heart, I was hit with some tough reality when the honeymoon phase lifted and my sweet, amazing man turned into your average guy. We went through some really tough months recently since we had to figure out how to be in a relationship and love eachother without it being that abolutely perfect, lovey dovey feeling 24/7. 2) Even though I just gave a little speach about how things may very likely change, I still would not take back decision. I am working on a MS now and will be applying to phd programs this fall so it isnt like I gave up success, I just had to reorganize things and give up an opportunity. I was able to find another good opportunity to take its place. It is likely that if you give up an opportunity for your SO that you can find something else awesome to take its place that you can love as well. Even though things aren't perfect with my fiance now like they used to be, I do still care for him deeply and look forward to spending my life with him. A couple things that you could consider while making this decision: Can you attend graduate school near him? Then you dont have to give up your plan at all, just switch schools. You don't necesarily have to be the only one to make sacrifices. Can he relocate? If you decide to give up grad school for now, you can always go later and get more work experience for now. This isnt a one time only thing. Don't make a decision that you might regret. If you would regret not giving this relationship a chance then you know what you need to do... if you would regret giving up grad school if you guys ended up breaking up then you should probably not give that up. Good luck with your decision and congrats on finding such a perfect man!

Well it sounds like the stuff you mention can easily fit into a filing cabinet so I think if you organize it properly then it should fit fine in an apt. You can make sure your books can fit onto a bookself and if there are still extras floating around in boxes then you could donate these. You could also come up with a solution for the books that fits under your bed or something of the sort instead of taking up room. If you are worried about space then I dont htink that getting rid of papers would solve the problem. I guess depending on how many you actually ahve though, I could be wrong. When I think of making space, I think or getting rid of some of the larger things that take up space... Tshirts that I never wear, extra toiletries that I hold onto just in case I suddenly want to paint my nails that color again, stuffed animals that I told onto for memories but never actually look at, etc.

Will you be taking more classes in the fall? If you are very engaged in class and approach your professors outside of class this fall then a month or two could be enough to get a letter. I make an effort to take multiple classes with the same professors instead of one with each to build relationships. I sometimes also pick classes based on reserach fit with the professor. Can you take a class under one of the people with similar reserach interests next semester? You can then stay after class to talk about connections between the class material and your research.

I have been debating on whether or not I want to contact faculty for this phd application season or not (I am working on my MS now). That advice isnt horrible though... I actually contacted faculty my junoir year of undergrad since I didnt know enough about the application process to "follow the rules." I ended up changing my plans and taking some time off after undergrad, instead of going straight into a phd. I actually ended up getting a REU at a top 20 school, despite a 3.3 GPA, since one of the faculty members who I had contacted took some interest in my research experience. Contacting now can't hurt but I would try to make your intentions clear. In the email, I would explain that you are only a rising junior but are contacting early to inquire about research experiences next summer but want to eventually apply to the phd program. If they don't ahve any positions then it may still give you an advantage since you can contact them again the following summer to tell them to expect your application and having heard from your twice may make you a bit more memorable.

I had an extra math section too! I am certain that it was my middle math section because I know I did really bad at it and I still ended up with a decent score. I think if anything, it sort of help me since I felt like I had to do amazing at the last section in case the middle one counted.

Interestingly, the score that Magoosh gave me from the practice questions was pretty far off, especially compared to ETS which was very accurate. Magoosh guessed that my scores would be between 159-164Q and 153-158V. My actual scores were 168Q, 162V.

I have ADHD and will applying for PhD programs this fall. I hope that you are on a medicine that is working for you or are in the process of finding one. Also, medicine in itself is not enough for me... I also need workout regularly, eat well, and also take days off of my medicine where I don;t study and just give my brain a rest in order to make great grades. I recommend sitting down and looking over your transcript. Which of the classes that you have taken so far are the most important to your grad school goals? If you do poorly in them then retake them. This includes those classes like organic chem that you probably would hate to retake. You need to be able to write in your SOP that you had a medical issue that has been completely resolved. How do you prove that it has been resolved? You get As in these classes the second time through and then keep an A/B average in all remaining classes. You need to understand now that you probably will not graduate on time if you want to go to grad school. Retaking some of these classes is important even if it adds another year to your undergrad studies. You may also need to do a masters for further proof that you have resolved the medical issue before applying for PhDs. Ill give you a summary or my ADHD story since you may find it inspiring. I finished my first year of college with a 2.6 GPA. I did not realize that ADHD was the problem at the time but I did focus on buckling down and trying harder. I started excercising reularly and eating healthier and these things did help a lot. I retook 1 of the classes that I did the worst in and then tried to do well in my remaining classes. I graduated with a 3.275. I took a year off and addressed my ADHD. I started taking a medicine that works extremely well for me and am currently doing a masters. I have a 4.0 GPA in my MS and am the only MS student in the department who has been offered departmental stipends. I have been winning merit based scholarships and just did very well on the GRE. I have also been doing tons of research. You without a doubt can turn this around but it will take determination and you will probably need to spend some "proving youself" with more classes and research before applying, just like I am doing now. Good luck!

What is your undergrad major? Many schools dont require the subject tests. You can probably find out what test is required, if any, by looking at the websites of the specific programs that you are interested in.

I have been networking mostly through classes. If a professor gives an optional assignment or reading then I always do it. I spent hours on an optional project like this for one of my classes last semester and after bringing my results to the professor, he asked me if he could write one of my PhD LORs (Im working on my MS now). Also, when taking a class with a professor of similar research interests then I go out of my way to go by their office to talk about research. I will ask them to send me extra papers, in addition to the ones we read in class, on the topics that I find most fascinating and then I go to their office to talk about those papers. I am not a super social person. I go to some of the networking things at shcool like pot lucks but I skip out just as often. Part of that is just because I have a long commute to campus. I have found the things I mentioed above extremely helpful in networking though.

I have a hard time understanding the mindset that academia should pay as much money as a standard job. It is not a standard job... you are in training and are being paid to take classes and do research or teach. You usually only work for the university for 20-30 hours a week and then otherwise, are focussed on your own research or classes. Grad school basically pays 20k a year + tuition (10k+) a year and only requires around 30 hours a week of work. This is a great deal. People from low income families have tons of opportunities in the USA. I come from a low income, 1 parent house. My parents had me at age 20 and didnt go to college. My sister is 21 and already is married with a child, no college. My mom worked as a server and we lived in government housing, food stamps, all of it. None of this has prohibitted me from going to college, doing research, getting REUs, etc. I was an IB kid in high school, made good grades, and took lots of college credit classes in high school which allowed me to graduate college early and take out less loans. The government offers some grants to people from low income families to help with tuition. They really go out of their way to make sure people have opportunites. Scholarships for college are everywhere and I worked my butt off to get some of these. I worked all throughout college and still managed to do plenty of research. REUs pay well and give you great research experience. If your grades/experience aren't good enough to be offered one then this is your own fault, not a fault of the academic system. I am sure that it was a bit harder for me than someone who is getting money from their parents but that is ok. I got through college on my own, without help and still ended up with decent grades and tons of reserach. If you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it, then academia is accessible to everyone. This country gives so many opportunities to lower income kids who want to go to college. I understand the mindset of wanting to take care of your family but please realize that you are making the choice to do that and it is not the responsility of grad schools to pay enough that you can support your parents, siblings, or whoever. Would that be great? Of course! In reality though, it is not the responsiblity of the government, school, or tax payers to make sure that anyone who wants a phd can afford it. It is a business, like anything else, and it would not be sustainable if it were to pay way more so that anyone can go. There exist food stamps, government housing, medicaid, ets so that kids do not have the burden of supporting their families.

You can train yourself to do well on the GRE. I used magoosh and majorly increased my scores. Memorize vocab, practice the math and you will be just fine. You said that you know how to work hard and let this result in great results... well then do that here. Take some practice tests to see where you stand instead of freaking out. Look at where you stand currently and what scores you want and then create a study plan. If you do poorly the first time on the test then you can just retake it.

You should retake it. I am in the sciences and retook due to my 161Q and ended up raising it to 168. Honestly, >160 could almost be seen as a minimum in the sceinces and most applicants will probably apply with >165. You can definitely get this score... its just high school math that you need to refresh on. If will take some study time though.

Have you looked into doing your dissertation long distance? Some schools allow this. If you could stay for another year and finish courses then maybe you and your wife could both get what you want!

Oh man, I cant believe its already time for this! Undergrad Institution: Undergrad: Big state school, good reputation Masters: Unknown state school but strong department for my field and well known advisor Major(s): Undergrad: BS in Applied Mathematics Masters: MS in bioinformatics Minor(s): spanish GPA in Major: Undergrad: 3.1ish... not good at all! Masters: 4.0 Overall GPA: Undergrad: 3.3 Masters: 4.0 Position in Class: average for undergrad, I am the top student for my MS Type of Student: domestic female GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 168 V: 162 W: 4 Research Experience: Masters: -- 1.5 years in biophysical modeling lab (by the time I apply... only 1 year at the moment) at my MS institution. From this research, I have 2 middle author papers and 1 first author paper (We are writing the papers at the moment so they will hopefully be published by the time I apply) and a few small posters. This research is very similar to what I want to do for my PhD. Undergrad: -- 1.5 years in a biomathematics lab - mathematical modeling research, physiology related. From this, I have 1 conference paper and 1 poster at a school symposium. -- REU at top 20 school for applied math. The research was also in mathematical modeling, applied to biology. -- 1 year in a bioengineering lab. This was freshman year of undergrad so just typical lab slave stuff. -- 5 years (undergrad + high school) part time job in an aminal facility. I helped care for the animals, order chemicals, etc Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Masters: merit based tuition scholarship Not sure if it helps but I was the only MS student in the department who was offered a departmental research assistantship Undergrad: Excellence in research award - only 5 people at my huge state school are awarded this each year Study abroad scholarship Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergrad: I was a TA for 3 semseters for math classes Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: I have already read a couple of my LORs and they are fabulous, they basically say that I am one of the top few students they have ever taught. I am a female in a male dominated area but I doubt that helps much. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am a strong programmer which is a major asset for the subfield I am interested in. I also have direct experience with the exact software that many of the professors who I want to work with use. Applying to Where: Rice: Systems, Synthetic, And Physical Biology Stony Brook: Laufer Center PhD in Physical & Quantitative Biology Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburg: Joint PhD Program in Computational Biology University of Washington: Biological Physics, Structure, and Design University of Maryland: Biophysics Program Johns Hopkins: Program in Molecular Biophysics UNC: BBSP Stanford: Biophysics Program University of Chicago: Ph.D. in Biophysical Sciences UCSF: Biophysics Graduate Program (BP) Washington University in St. Louis: Computational and Molecular Biophysics

I have tried a variety of jobs and I only feel fulfilled, as in in love with my life and a fully satisfied person, when I am working in research. During My first week of undergrad I had to go to one of those orientations where they talk about how important your GPA is blah blah. A lady got up and talked about undergrad research and how we should consider it. At that point I didn't even know what I would major in or if I wanted to go to grad school but I swear I had one of those love at first site moments. I know that sounds goofy but I just knew I had to do it! I emailed the lady who spoke repeatedly (like 3 times) asking how to join a lab. She finally connected me with a professor in bioengineering and I for the rest of my undergrad career, I did at least 20 hours a week of research. I'm working on my MS now and will be applying to phd programs this fall. As part of my MS, I have been involved with research since 2 weeks into my first semester. I have a field I love but honestly, I would probably be happy doing research in any hard science field. I wish I could pin point what I love about it but I have no freakin idea. I just know I want my career to be in academic research!

Well I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for but either a white board that can be hung on the wall or one of those ones on wheels are amazing. They can be expensive but sooo worth it! Otherwise, really any periodic table that you see online would look cool on the wall. Im sure he/she would like any sciencey posters or decorations. That's a cute gift idea that my SO would probably never think of lol! Oh and also coffee mugs are great for keeping at school. I have one with the fisher chemical label for caffeine that looks really cute on my desk.

I would ask the Professor. It is common to interact with grad students or post docs more than your PI when you are in undergrad. You should still ask the PI for the letter. He can consult with the post doc if he wasnts more info. Honestly, not speaking to him is a good thing. It means you can work independently and without hand holding. If his letter says that then it will mean a lot.

I am in computational bio so not engeering, but techy and science heavy still. My program is full of gay, bi, all sorts of people AND I am in the bible belt. Academia seems to be one of the few places where different is ok and people are judged for being abnormal. I agree with the others that the best way to handle it would be to not make a big deal of it. A friend "came out" to me the other day and it just consisted of her talking about 2 different people she was interested in at the time, one girl and one guy. She was weighing the pros and cons of who she should date. She didnt make it a big deal and so it wasnt.

I am in the US and this is not normally how it works here... usually I would just go to a professor the class before (unless it was an exam or something) and give them a heads up that Ill miss next class for blah blah reason and they say no problem. If there was an exam scheduled that day then I would give more notice so that we could work out an alternate time for me to take it. I agree that you should just email the professors and let them know that you are planning to go to the conference and want to confirm that missing class will not be an issue.

I hope that if things like this are put in place then field and even subfield are considered. For example, I am in the hard sciences and am interested in computational/theoretical reserach. 4.5 years is usually more than enough time to finish the degree for those in my subfield. Experimentalists in the same department though usually take an extra .5-1 year.

Thanks for the responses! There are certainly 1-2 famous professors at each school who I do already know the research well enough that I do not need to read anything before discussing it in my SOP but there are also plenty of people whose work is different enough that I havent come across it during my own research but still similar enough that I would be interested in it. There are at least a few people like this at each school. These are the people who I am trying to learn about currently. My current PI has also been full of advice! He went through my list of names and told me about the personalities of the people he had met at conferences and who the more well known professors at each school are. Since there are so many people who are doing research in my subfield at the departments I am aplying to, maybe I should just focuss on talking about a couple people in detail in the SOP and then make a note like "I am also very interested in the work of (insert other few names), who are doing similar work in blah blah". It might be better to know a couple people really well at each school than to read papers by every person. I am applying to the departments saturated with people in my subfield so it really would be a ton of papers. Maybe I should just focus on my favorite couple and then expand out if I am offered an interview. These applications are complicated!