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kimmibeans

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Posts posted by kimmibeans

  1. On 7/26/2016 at 2:33 PM, Janiejoneswoah said:

    Hey guys! I Would really appreciate tips on where to apply or even just how to figure out where to apply. I have some vague interests in a couple of schools but I'm not really sure how to move forward at this juncture. I am interested in Neuroscience programs - my current lab focuses on learning and adaptation in the cerebellum following brain injury, however I am interested in a wide variety of topics - recovery of motor function following injury like my current research, addiction (particularly alcohol addiction!), and emerging applications of CRISPR/Cas9 (my thesis topic!) to name a few.

    Undergrad Institution: top 100 US public research university
    Major(s): Biology (Neurobiology specialty) and Liberal Arts Honors
    Minor(s): N/A
    GPA in Major: 3.9+
    Overall GPA: 3.9+
    Position in Class: Top 4% 
    Type of Student: Domestic male

    GRE Scores (revised):
    Q: 170 
    V: 170 
    W: 5.0
    B: Not yet taken 

    Research Experience: 

    2 years in current lab, publication (2nd author) upcoming

    3 additional summers researching in a handful of different labs at BCM and MD Anderson, one additional publication possibly upcoming (contributing author)


    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

    Various college scholarships, college research fellowship, Deans lists, Phi Beta Kappa (as a junior)
    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

    Research peer leader (like a faculty-directed independent study group)

    Undergraduate journal clubs, interest groups and stuff like that
    Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

     Editor of school paper
    Special Bonus Points: I do terrible stand up
    Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 

    A couple of presentations I gave at the end of my summers, but just to the center and not at a conference - unsure whether to include those or not. A poster at an undergraduate research forum.
    Applying to Where: 

    Baylor college of medicine (BCM)

    UCSD

    UCSF

    Columbia

    Stanford

    Those are the reach schools which are obviously easier to come up with. I'd love some tips for more realistic schools that might have programs that would be good for my interests specifically. Thank you for the help!

     

     

    Unless you are a total asshole in person, you should have your pick of schools. Your profile makes me incredibly jealous!

  2. 8 hours ago, vnatch said:

    I also had some questions about fellowships, assistantships, grants, etc. Many schools say on their websites that there are a good number of these available for people to apply to. Are these for the purpose of personal and living costs, or are they meant as money to fund my research? Additionally, when I become part of a lab at my university, why would I need to apply for funding money if the lab itself gets funded by various sources?

    So, fellowships and grants normally go toward your research. However, sometimes they can go toward a stipend increase or new supplies such as a computer it depends on the limitations of the fellowship/grant. Even if you don't, applying for and receiving grants looks great for your lab and for you. In terms of your lab, it increases funding coming into the lab and thus helps provide for your research and other research in the lab, as your lab is funded by the grants it receives. Additionally, the more grants and fellowships you receive the more competitive you become for jobs when you graduate. 

    Assistantships are different. Assistantships are essentially extra jobs you can take on for money and experience, such as teaching.

  3. I agree with Plan B. Most schools will help you find affordable housing options (I know that quite a few in New York City subsidize rent) and you can always take up a TA or tutoring position for extra cash. Fit is the most important thing when looking at a PhD program. Apply to programs which seem like a good fit for you and your research interests. When you are accepted, that is when you can get more information about cost of living. These are also excellent questions to ask other students during your interviews.

  4. On 7/17/2016 at 7:11 PM, MusMusculus said:

    There are some programs in molecular biology that have rolling admission. The only one I remember for sure is Albert Einstein's Biomedical Sciences program.

    We're not rolling admissions... I take that back. Sorry, I was up until 2am doing a Western :(

  5. On July 4, 2016 at 11:30 PM, kimmibeans said:

    There's as bunch of drama happening on the staff Facebook for an organization I volunteer with and it's driving me nuts. Essentially there is one person playing victim about something that happened and is making a big stink. There were faults on both sides, but she is overwhelming the conversation and anybody who disagrees or points out facts is "bullying" her. Now people are taking sides without hearing the whole story and shit is hitting the fan. Part of me wants to go in and just tell her and everyone else to get over themselves, but I know it is better politically to stay neutral and ride it out since I am not involved in this at all. Therefore, I'm sitting on the sidelines with popcorn watching the world burn and waiting for the dust to settle.

    Turns out staying neutral was a good call. This insanity is getting worse. Why can't we all just get along?

  6. There's as bunch of drama happening on the staff Facebook for an organization I volunteer with and it's driving me nuts. Essentially there is one person playing victim about something that happened and is making a big stink. There were faults on both sides, but she is overwhelming the conversation and anybody who disagrees or points out facts is "bullying" her. Now people are taking sides without hearing the whole story and shit is hitting the fan. Part of me wants to go in and just tell her and everyone else to get over themselves, but I know it is better politically to stay neutral and ride it out since I am not involved in this at all. Therefore, I'm sitting on the sidelines with popcorn watching the world burn and waiting for the dust to settle.

  7. 9 hours ago, juilletmercredi said:

     for example, I'd think it weird if a student who'd applied to do research into HIV and drug abuse research suddenly decided she was interested in obesity or cancer or Parkinson's disease

    Hehe, funny you should say that because that's almost exactly what ended up happening to me. I went from HIV and infectious disease to mitochondrial disorders and heart disease. It wasn't on purpose, it kind of just happened and I absolutely love the research I'm doing. I do want to go back to infectious disease for my post-doc though, and my research is rooted in cell biology so I can carry the skills I learned over.

    Point being, it's okay to change your mind.

  8. I nearly got into a major accident today (took a turn too fast onto an exit ramp and spun out, ending up in the middle of the divider). I'm okay and somehow managed to gain enough control of the car to not hit anything while I was spinning, so the car is okay too. It was just terrifying and I'm a bit shaken up and kind of dizzy, which is odd considering this happened about 3 hours ago. On the bright side, I may have what it takes to be a professional stunt driver if this whole PhD thing doesn't work out.

  9. I'm on vacation and my phone died. Note, it's not out of charge, iit's bricked. It's super frustrating because I have an upgrade in two weeks so I don't want to buy a new phone, but my warranty is up and my insurance won't cover it because it is a manufacturing defect. Ugh, I Verizon so much right now! Thank God I came on trip with boyfriend so I have his phone for emergencies and to keep track of our plans. 

  10. My boyfriend's cousin and her friend are in town, and this morning he asked me if I'd like to go out for dinner and drinks with them, to which I said yes. It's now getting late and I haven't heard from him. I've been trying to get a hold of him for 2 hours and he is totally unresponsive. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have other things to do and I don't want to start something I can't finish, like laundry. It doesn't help that I'm starving but because I don't know what's going on I don't want to grab anything to eat. It wouldn't bother me so much if this wasn't a consistent problem. Usually it's not that he's purposely ignoring me or anything, 90% of the time he's asleep or doesn't have his phone with him, but it's really annoying. He's gotten better over the years about it, but it is still super frustrating.

  11. Admittedly I'm not teaching, but I find that it's all about time management. I do about 10 hours a week volunteering, plus 3-7 hours of school-related extracurriculars, depending on the week. I try to plan my lab work so that if I have to some time off one day I can make it up later that week (staying late or coming in weekends if I have to) It's a lot of work sometimes, but it's important to me so I don't mind.

  12. I would talk to your PI about this, because it is a problem. Don't go in shouting "He stole my research!" But do explain that your mentor is not doing his job. It sounds like your mentor is not doing any actual mentoring, so it is best to talk to your PI and explain the situation, especially that he is doing the aims of your research project without you and expects you to come up with a new project because he did half of yours. The PI will probably then either talk to him or give you a different mentor if possible. To make a long story short, this is a serious problem and you NEED to tell your PI before it is too late for you to fix anything.

  13. I have a similar question. I am debating between a Samsung Galaxy Edge and a Droid Turbo 2. I'm leaning toward the Turbo 2 because I've had Droids for about 4 years and I've loved them (except for the Droid 3, which was terrible and was sent to me by my insurance to replace my R2D2 Droid 2 which was amazing), but I've heard awesome things about the Galaxy Edge. Any advice?

  14. I don't think you need that much research experience for a Master's program, so I think you will be okay for getting into a Master's program, but I don't know about UMass Boston specifically (mostly because I know nothing about this school). Diversify your application and apply to a few more schools, and I think you may stand a chance. Also, when looking at stats it is more important to look at what type of applicants the accept rather than how many. They should have the class profile or FAQ with relevant information up on their website, so I recommend taking a look at that seeing what the average GPA is and how many of their accepted applicants have sustained research experience. That will give you a much better estimation of your chances than acceptance rates alone.

    Edited To Add:

    So I looked at the UMass Biology MS requirements, and it sounds like they don't expect you to have any research experience, just a really strong academic background. You can also contact the department and ask for the information I mentioned.

  15. We've done this a few times. Keep the conversation flowing and have fun. This is an opportunity for the lab to see how they get along with the candidate, so discuss science but remember to try to have an interesting convesation. The seminar is before hand, so during seminar take down notes on interesting points you can ask about over lunch. Ask them about themselves, not just about their PhD and their work but also general questions like "Is it your first time in [city]? How do you like it?". Remember, you are assessing whether they are a good fit both in research interest AND personality.

  16. 3 hours ago, Quantum Buckyball said:

    Our program does not allow graduate students to have any additional side/part time jobs or you would get terminated from the program, they pretty much expect you to work for them 60 hrs/week on a 20 hrs/week salary, sketchy much? 

    Damn. Officially, any extra work we do must be to improve on our education and skills. So, you can tutor or teach, but you can't get a job as a CVS cashier.

  17. I found a really awesome part time job doing museum tours a few times a week which I would LOVE. However, it requires flexible hours which I *technically* have, but I would need to ask my boss for permission if I should get it. I would really love this job too, because it would be great career prep for me (I plan on going into science outreach and education).

  18. Your GPA is definitely low for a PhD program. Not insurmountable, but really low, which means you have to really work hard to overcome it. An honors thesis definitely helps, but I don't think that alone will be enough, even with a high GRE. There are a few ways you can overcome this:

    1) Do the Master's program and to prove you have an advanced understanding of biology

    2) Work a few years as a tech doing research and taking classes

    3) Do a post-bacc program designed to prepare you for research, such as PREP (Einstein, Columbia, and I think NYU and Mt. Sinai have programs like this). PREP is great because you get a stipend, work full time in a lab, take grad courses, and get free GRE prep and more personalized help for the application process. 

    If you can show that you are able to think like a scientist, you will be fine. But it will be hard work.

    As for the Columbia program, I honestly don't know. Is the $65k just tuition, or is that including room and board and fees?

  19. 19 hours ago, pitchfork said:

    Undergrad Institution: Top 30 ranked liberal arts college in US
    Major(s): Biochemistry and molecular biology
    Minor(s):
    GPA in Major: 3.98
    Overall GPA: 3.96
    Position in Class: Top 5%, most likely get summa cum laude when I graduate
    Type of Student: International Asian female
    GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised
    Q: 165
    V: 165
    W:4.5
    B: not taking


    Research Experience: 

    By the time I apply,

    1 summer after freshman year in a virology/immuno lab in an Ivy. Got good data that ended up in a paper but my contribution to the project was not enough to get me a co-authorship in that paper. 2 posters.

    3 semesters and 1 summer in a microbio/biochem lab at home institution. PI is trying to see whether we got enough data for a manuscript. If she decides to write up something, I will be one of the authors. 1 poster presented at 2 regional conferences.

    1 semester and 1 summer in a virology/immuno lab in an Ivy (currently working in this lab and will be doing my thesis here). Just started working here officially. PI is very optimistic of my project. I will be 1st author on a manuscript if my project works out.


    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Fellowships for summer research, nominated for a scholarship but didn't get it (won't mention this in my application). My school is very against any public discussions about students' academic performance before they graduate, so I won't have much in this category until I graduate.


    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Dean's office peer tutor for 1.5 years. Lab TA for Biochemistry and Microbiology.

    Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Co-head of a student-run association that focuses on providing more resources for STEM majors (we are a liberal arts college after all and most of our resources are for humanity majors). Major rep for Biochem.


    Special Bonus Points: Maintained very good relationship with the all the PIs I worked with. Have some connections in the Ivy because of lab collaboration and classes I took there.

    Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Um... I'm really good at math and programing besides biology and that might be helpful? I am not planning on going into biostat or anything though... 

    Applying to Where:

    The first four programs I have looked in depth and absolutely love. I'm still looking at people from the other six programs and am not sure whether I'll actually apply... But here's the list.

    Yale BBS immunology

    UChicago Immunology

    UPenn CAMB

    Scripps

    Harvard BBS ??

    Stanford Biosciences Immunology ??

    Weill Cornell IMP/BCMB ??

    Albert Einstein College of Medicine ??

    Princeton ??

    Tufts ??

     

    Am I aiming too high here? I'm worried since I'm international and may not have any publication by the time I apply. I am tempted to not apply to safety schools since gap year is an option but I also don't want to take a gap year... 

    Thanks a lot guys!

    You have a good mix of schools that you are applying to, and your stats and experience are great. You don't need a publication to competitive, so don't worry about it. You are very competitive applicant. With that being said, it's always good to apply to safety, just make sure it's a place where you can still do good research and be happy. Good luck!

  20. 11 hours ago, rageofanath said:

    I'm not sure if my application will be ready by the end of this year, or next, but here's where I'm at.
    I'm kind of a... unconventional case.

    Undergrad Institution: Art school
    Major(s): BFA Illustration / Fine Arts
    Minor(s): Art History
    Overall GPA: 3.88
    Position in Class: Top 10%
    Type of Student: Domestic white female

    GRE Scores (revised/old version):
    Q: 160
    V: 166
    W: 4.5
    B: currently studying for it, I'm going to need it.

    Research Experience: Working on my first "real" year of biology research now at Harvard (where I work), in the lab I want to apply to. I'm learning relevant software and techniques and working with current students and postdocs to revise some phylogenic trees. There should be some nice posters and papers once the data is collected. My application date will probably be based in part on this...

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Aside from the usual high-gpa 'dean's list' stuff, my awards/honors are all in arts. I have done residencies on tall ships, been accepted to juried shows, etc. My artwork is all biological/science/anatomy based. I can do more technical scientific illustrations, its not all floofy conceptual "pretty" stuff. 


    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 6 years in a natural history museum as an aide in collections. Job duties include research-relevant things such as IDing specimens, learning taxonomy. I've done a little fieldwork (not much yet) both organized day trips and locally on my own time.

    I've taught summer classes at another university for 4 years, though in art.

    Special Bonus Points: I've taken 3 biology classes at Harvard so far, 2 a few years ago where I applied for Special Student status and received it, and one this year due to my employment status. 4.0 so far, waiting on this semester's class but unless I completely bombed my final I'm expecting an A. Planning to take another class in the fall; these classes are technically through GSAS for grad credit. Aside from a recommendation from the curator (who I also had as a professor), I consider this the most important part of my application. I'm trying to figure out who else to ask for recommendations from, but I'm waiting to take subject GRE before I worry too much.

    Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've done some unconventional stuff in the time after undergrad, aside from random art stuff I've done things like manage a game store and teach myself taxidermy + specimen prep for all kinds of specimens (tanning, bone cleaning, insect mounting, wet preservation, etc). I have a lot of 'hands on' skills like woodworking, moldmaking, some degree of fabrication. I know most digital art programs which has been helpful as I learn to image specimens. 

    Applying to Where:
    Harvard-OEB. If it doesn't work, I'll try again until it does. Or find someone else to work under who is studying my taxonomic group, it's not particularly common so there are only a few out there. Or apply for a MFA instead, but I have been looking around at MFA programs and haven't been particularly excited.

    My assumption currently is that as an unconventional student, I have a very low chance especially for Harvard, so I'm working hard to get a good subject score, take classes whenever possible, and get research done to improve those chances.

    Your stats are good, but the fact that you don't have much  of a biology background will be an issue. I wouldn't try to apply this semester if I were you. I would take a year or two more of doing full time lab work and courses to compensate for your background. However, I am confident that with more experience you'll get in to some great programs.

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