bsharpe269

I'd go to UIUC too. You can definitely get into get phd programs with a masters from this school.

Practice tons of problems! I really recommend magoosh. It's $100 but they give you 500 each of math/verbal practice questions along with video explanations of how to answer each question. You can also watch videos that review concepts you may be struggling with.

Both MA and phd students at my school say Dr. ... Or Professor ...

What area of biophysics are you interested in?

I think it is fine to ask professors to resubmit next year. I mean they already wrote the letter so it wont be hard to submit that same letter again. I would just contact them after you make a decision and let them know that you didnt get any funded offers but are looking forward to improving your applicaiton and reapplying.

you mean for a masters? Research is very important but whether you have an assistanceship or not is probably not. I would make sure you get a position with a group either way, even by just volunteering if necesary.

I would also consider going into more on what your actual interests are and why you love engineering. Many of the sentances are pretty standard stuff that would be true of every student applying. I would think about what makes you really different than the average student applying and expand more on that.

I keep hearing current students mention that they wish they would have applied for external funding at the same time as applying for their phd programs. aside from the obvious NSF GRFP, what others should those of us applying to grad school next season apply for? I am in STEM but feel free to mention things outside of that as well for anyone else on my timeline! thanks for any advice!

I agree. Ask for the extension til April 15th. If you havent heard back from school B by that point then I would accept school A.

I have ADD and take medication and the meds make a HUGE difference. I would look more into it.

I think that a masters is a good route to go to improve your gpa, get some more research experience, and get some great LORs. Mediocre ones will stop you from getting into a great program. Do you have a local university near you that you can sign up for a class or two to get recommendation letters if you really cant come up with a couple more? That could be an option. With your stats, I think that if you can find the other recommendation letters then even if they are mediocre, you can get into a masters program at your closest state school and then apply to phd programs from there. Good luck!

My first semester of school I found a job where I basically kept an eye on a teenage girl who had gotten into a bit of trouble (nothing major, drinking when unsupervised sort of stuff). We did homework together for like 4 hours a couple days a week since her parents didnt trust her to be alone. I also regularly nanny. I try to get jobs in the evenings so that I watch the kids for an hour or two then basically just get paid to do homework.

Ivy vs non Ivy makes little or zero difference. Are the rankings fairly comperable or are they very different?

Were you accepted to masters or phd programs?

I will be doing the same thing next year with my fiance (will be my husband then) for phd programs. We will be compromising on locations by me only applying to programs that are good areas for his field as well. I am working on my masters now and he is working on his MBA (while working full time) so I can speak a bit about relationships in grad school. I take 3 classes a semester plus do around 30 hours of research a week since I am a research assistant. It is really hard for us to find time together because often times we seem to be super busy with exams and projects at opposite times. It seems that one of us always has something huge to work on. We try to schedule one evening a week where neither of us picks up a book and we just spend time together. This goes a long way in keeping us connected. Another helpful thing is that we have a study set up with huge chairs for reading and desks for more hardcore studying. When we study, we usuaully study together in there so even though we arent talking, we are still sort of spending time together. Relationships in grad school take a bit of extra work since it is hard to find time to spend together but they are dfinitely doable if you work at them!

What I have been doing for my masters is taking out tuition only in loans and have been working for living expenses. My first semester I had to volunteer for a few months in the lab I wanted before I started getting paid so this meant classes, research as a volunteer, and work. It sucked. This semester I am getting paid for the research to I just do research and school. Going this route, I will take out around $5k a semester in loans which isn't too horrible for a masters. Also, there are tons of small fellowships that can be applied for that you will learn about once you start a program. A couple thousand dollars here or there can help a lot.

I agree with smpalesh

It sounds like you did the right thing! I dont think that the way you handled it at the beginning, with compromising on the project location, was that wrong even. I think that most students in your shoes would have done the same. Good luck with your new project and advisor!

The reason rank can matter is because sometimes there are more opportunities at top schools. I am at a pretty unknown school for my MS but am working with an awesome professor in my subfield who is giving me tons of opportunities and really helping me learn material that will be helpful in phd interviews and research. I actually dont think that I would get this much help or encouragement at a top school so for me, its actually turning out to be better that I chose the school that I did. I think you should compare opportunitites, not rankings. Money also should definitely factor in.

I disagree with some of the above comments. I am the sort of student who does best by listening to lectures instead of taking notes but I am sit there, in the front row, following along in my book, answering questions. I think that this sort of behavoir is very different than the students she describes. There are students on my program who act like she describes and I dont get it at all. I was actually talking to the TA of one of my classes today and he mentioned that plenty of students in the class didnt submit some of the assignments. I dont study with these sorts of students either. I have a group of friends who all make straight As and work very hard and they are the ones I meet with to check over assignments or ask study. I think the OP is justified for her reaction to their behavoir.

It seems to me like youre doing what you should by contacting your POIs. If you already have 1 masters then honestly I dont think it would be worth it to get another. Do you have plenty of research experience? That is the only reason I think think of that you would be offered MS admission instead.

Advice given to me as a masters student who plans to apply to PhDs, is that publications with a lab are as helpful as a thesis and then you'll get done on time. I took this advice, found a position with a group, and do around 30 hours a week of research in addition to 3 classes per semester. It is busy but I am REALLY enjoying it. I will definitely have publications before applying to PhDs.

Thanks! Since the field is such a mix of topics, i'd say they are probably equally related or biochem is only slightly more related. I do feel that I can do better on that one with less studying (meaning I can put that time into more research).

Would the GRE subject test in mathematics or biochem be more helpful for my application for biophysics phd programs? Since the field is interdisciplinary, many schools request a subject test but say that it can be in bio, biochem, physics, chem, or math. My undergrad degree is in math and masters is in bioinformatics. I have all of the courses needed for both tests but the math may be a bit more difficult for me since I haven’t looked at the material for a few years while the biochem has been taken recently. My masters record, which is heavy in the biochem material, is fantastic, 4.0 gpa and I will get a LOR from my biochem teacher (who is in the same subfield as me for biophysics research). I have the top grade in the class and the teacher has come to me for advice in the class so this should be a very strong letter. My undergrad record on the other hand is average, my gpa was 3.3. and math gpa is around 3.0. Because this is the weaker spot in my application, I think the math subject test could correct a bit. What do you guys think? Is it worth taking the extra time to take the math subject test instead of biochem? My undergrad grades should be the only weak part of my application since I will tons of research experience directly related to what I want to do for phd.

interesting... thanks for the comments! My problem is the other way around. My advisor has pretty high hopes for my admission and I am majorly doubting them.