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AtomDance

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Everything posted by AtomDance

  1. If anyone is waiting on Hopkins Human Genetics, I just got an interview invite that I declined. Hopefully it goes to someone who is super excited about this program! Also got my first acceptance today and it made all the application stress and ugly-crying on my bf's shoulder worth it
  2. I came across this article on assessing the culture of a potential research group that you might find useful. https://tenureshewrote.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/prospective-students-and-lab-culture/ In particular, I think that asking current members whether they're happy in the group/program/etc. or not can be really revealing. I ended up not applying to one program after I asked this of a recent graduate who had to take a deep breath before replying with an unenthusiastic, "yeah...it's a really great program".
  3. I did get an email from BCM last week from Molecular & Human Genetics (IMBS was my 2nd choice program, incidentally). I wouldn't lose hope on BCM just yet... I had my application in by the priority deadline (December 1st) instead of waiting for the final January 1st deadline, which may be why I heard from the relatively early? And IMBS may have a later review schedule than M&HG anyway. Have you checked the BCM application portal? They tell you if your application is currently active in your 1st or 2nd choice program. If yours still says IMBS as your "active" program, they're probably still working on it!
  4. No worries, it's Epidemiology & Human Genetics!
  5. I received an invite from Duke UPGG and at least one other person in this thread received one before me. I don't know at all whether they sent them all out early or if they're still sending invites out though! The weekends are February 4-6 or February 18-20 for UPGG. I applied to UNC BBSP too and haven't heard anything from them either. I think the general consensus is that they might send out more invites in January? Not really sure. I'm super excited to have gotten as many interview invites as I have, and I'm kind of okay with not having heard back from the more competitive programs I applied to at this point. This time last year I was worried I wouldn't get any interview invites, so I'm feeling pretty optimistic right now! Hope everyone here has a happy and safe holiday (and try not to stress too much )!
  6. Thought I'd share this really great resource for preparing for interviews made by the NIH's Office of Intramural Training and Education. I'm 99.9% sure it is accessible outside the NIH campus and that the link below works, but if not, please let me know! Video (1 hour 44 minutes): http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?Live=9809&bhcp=1 Slides (PDF should auto-download when you click the link): https://www.training.nih.gov/_assets/Slides-12_13_2010
  7. I know someone who received an interview from Hopkins' Human Genetics program super late in the game last year (she had to turn it down due to conflicting interviews!), so probably don't freak out about that one yet!
  8. Congrats! I've heard really great things about the CMM program! I'm hoping to hear from them too, but no luck yet. What dates are their interviews?
  9. Good luck! I know I have been/will continue to update the results page as soon as I hear anything... I understand the desperate need for more data during this process!!!
  10. I just got an interview invite from University of Maryland's Epidemiology & Human Genetics program! At least one other person just posted notification of interview invite for Maryland on the results site as well. It's kind of a huge relief to have some positive response after spending so much time and effort on applications.
  11. I bookmarked this article in fear of this very situation. Luckily, I haven't had to write my own LoR (yet?), but my current advisor recommended that if ever need to, to keep it very factual and to leave a blank (or a suggested adjective) so the real writer only has to pick the adjective they really think, but have the rest of the content available to them. E.G. "Microburritology spent X months in my lab doing [good/solid/creative/etc.] work on Y project..."
  12. Wikipedia has a list of research universities in the U.S. that can help you begin your search. You'll have to do some digging to see if any of them have programs that are right for you, but this should help you look by location more easily.
  13. My understanding is the same as what Microburritology said above... your subject GRE score is considered really good! I know someone who got a 75th% on the biochem subject GRE and (with an admittedly very solid application overall) got into several very competitive programs. Your general + subject GRE scores will only help your application (not to mention that a 4.0 GPA is respectable whether it came from an Ivy or a small college). If you look back on other people's profiles in this thread and the one from last year, you'll find many people applying from small liberal arts colleges (I am one of those people).
  14. Thanks for the responses. After spending the weekend thinking about it, I decided to give the GRE one more shot in the first week of November. I'm going to try to make it my 2nd priority and really focus on my essays, but I think if I can raise my quant score even a small amount, it will be worth it.
  15. Hello all, I'm a long-time lurker and am finally plucking up the courage to post. Mainly because I could use some advice on whether to retake the GRE for a third time or not. Here's my profile for reference: Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts collegeMajor(s): BiologyMinor(s):GPA in Major: 3.28Overall GPA: 3.28Position in Class: -Type of Student: domestic femaleGRE Scores (revised version):Q: attempt 1 (149/37%); attempt 2 (153/52%)V: attempt 1 (162/90%); attempt 2 (168/98%)W: attempt 1 (4.5/80%); attempt 2 (TBA)B: N/AResearch Experience: 1 year thesis research at my undergrad institution (senior year). Currently I'm 1 year into a 2 year research training fellowship which has resulted in 1 first author peer reviewed publication (and another in the works), and a 1st author poster presentation at a big conference this month (October 2015). Awards/Honors/Recognitions: My current research project is at a large national research institution for biomedical research (to be intentionally vague...) that awards postbac research fellowshipsSpecial Bonus Points: Expecting strong to very strong letters of recommendation from my undergrad adviser and from my current lab mentorAny Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I have a chronic illness that I am planning to discuss in my essays to help explain my low GPAApplying to Where: Human Genetics/Molecular Medicine/Umbrella programs at: Johns Hopkins - U Maryland, Baltimore - UNC Chapel Hill - Duke - Vanderbilt - U Colorado, Anschutz - Baylor College of Medicine, WUSTL The weak points in my application are my clearly my quant GRE score and my GPA. My strategy thus far has been to explain the GPA in my essay, and otherwise have a solid GRE with strong letters of rec, strong personal statement, apply only to good fit programs, etc. Unfortunately, despite a great deal of studying (Magoosh, primarily) and a second attempt at the test earlier today, I did not manage to raise my quant GRE score significantly from the lackluster 149 I got the first time. The obvious answer to this problem is to take the GRE again at the end of October, since the official scores should get to the schools before ~Dec 1st deadlines. However, this October is going to be a very busy and hectic month for me even without more studying for the GRE, and I could really, really use the time to work on my essays. I'm not sure taking the GRE again, when it's likely I still won't do better than mid-60%ile with more studying, while potentially weakening the quality of my essays, is a worthwhile strategy. And honestly, I'm just straight out tired of studying for the GRE. I'm open to the idea of taking it again and just dealing with the pressure for another month or so, but before I throw away another $200, I thought I'd post here for any insight/wisdom anyone would be willing to share for my situation.
  16. AtomDance

    Fargo, ND

    Hi all, I'm a Fargo native. Feel free to PM me with additional questions. Yes, it gets very cold, especially January-February. As others have said, I would strongly recommend you come with a car, as you do NOT want to be outside waiting for the (often late, I think) city buses in -30 F weather. You do not want to be outside at all in -30 F weather! Most of us deal with the cold by not really going outside for more than a few minutes to scamper to/from the car. Something to think about if you have dog(s) that love long walks outside! You'll also want to add ~15 minutes to your travel time to let your car warm up before you head out during these extremely cold months. A normal thicker coat could be okay... it will at least be a good start for early winter months (late October-early December), but you might find yourself wanting different gear for the extreme months. Learning how to layer helps a lot too! You'll learn to bear the cold, but I don't think anyone there ever really adjusts to it. It's a terrible experience each and every year for me, and its a big reason why I left the area for college! Don't let it affect your decisions though- as unpleasant as it is, you do learn to cope (not sure if that's actually inspiring or not!). In terms of places to live, south Fargo is a perfectly fine area. There's a TON of new development going on in both south Fargo and southern West Fargo (West Fargo is its own city... not the western part of Fargo!), but there's also been a lot of redevelopment in downtown Fargo to make it a more desirable place to live. I'm not sure if the prices downtown are significantly higher than anywhere else... and I would guess that area is less pet friendly though (just a guess). The only place considered "rough" that I know about is the apartments behind the local Kmart on University Drive, and that may not even be true anymore. Moorhead is a fine place to live too but I don't know of anyone who lives there to work/study in Fargo. Also, traffic coming into Fargo on I94 might be a bit worse than average before and after work (I have no idea about that, really). Bottom line is anywhere you choose will probably not be terrible, and compared to some other cities will probably be very nice for what you're paying. Downtown/north Fargo are the older parts of the city, and most of the southern part is quite new.
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