CoomassieFingers
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Posts posted by CoomassieFingers
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A story for those without invites who are starting to worry:
[Apologies in advance for length]
I graduated with a BS in biochemistry in 2012. I was lucky enough to be able to conduct research in three different labs as an undergrad, each in slightly different fields, so by the time grad school application season rolled around I (thought) had a pretty good sense of what my research interests were. I didn’t get any publications from my undergrad work, but I figured I was still a competitive candidate regardless. I ended up applying to a handful of programs. None Ivy League, but top ones for what I was interested in.
I didn’t get a single interview. Didn’t get a chance to meet with anyone. Didn’t get any phone calls. No Skype. What I did end up getting were a couple of emails around March telling me what by then I already knew – I had been rejected from every single program I applied to. They didn’t even want to talk to me. I was crushed.
Meanwhile I had been wasting away here on the Gradcafe, seeing people with stats much better than mine (and much worse than mine!) receive invites and acceptances to the very same programs I had applied to. This made my personal defeat that much harder to deal with. Was I really so much worse than all these other people? Sure, some seemed to have rockstar profiles that I knew I couldn’t compete with, but most didn’t. Most just seemed like normal, smart, qualified applicants. Like I assumed I was. Did this mean I was a failure? An idiot?
It probably sounds trite, but getting rejected from every program I applied to ended up being the best thing that has ever happened to me (professionally, at least).
Even before March rolled around I was freaking out. My life trajectory seemed ruined. I had no backup plan – I hadn’t even given a moment’s thought to one, to be honest. But when things starting looking inescapably dire I began pestering professors I knew, telling them point-blank that I was going to need one or two years of fulltime research employment starting, well, immediately. The majority said little more than, “Good luck with that.” But as luck would have it, some did know of open positions, either in their own labs or just down the hall.
I got hired by the same university I graduated from after less than a month of job searching. I ended up turning down two other positions. I found myself with a salary higher than the grad students in the lab, and it quickly fell on me to train them. And the new post docs. I probably learned more in my first year of fulltime lab work than I did in my entire undergrad education.
After a year at that position I was picked up by a well-known global biotech company that had connections to my university. My new position came with a 50% raise and a chance to work on topics much closer to my core research interest.
It has now been about two years since my blazing defeat. I am reapplying to many of the same grad programs that rejected me in 2012. Only this time I am a much stronger candidate. I know the field, and I know how to articulate my knowledge. I know how labs really work, both in industry and academia. And I have a throng of senior scientists and professors who offered to write me letters. I had to turn most of them down.
This time around I was invited to a private interview for a program I hadn’t even applied to yet. I was offered a position by a POI on the spot. “I have a spot for you if you want it,” he said, “but you should wait, apply to other schools, and hear all your offers before you accept it.”
The take away:
I. Rejection is not the end of the world. It does not necessarily mean that you’re a failure, or an idiot. It most likely means you just weren’t ready, which is fine. Stay focused.
II. If you’re worried about not getting in, start your job hunt right now. Get creative about how you seek out and apply to jobs. Accept only meaningful work. It will propel you.
tl;dr – Got rejected two years ago. Been working in research labs ever since. Everything turned out better than expected J
Thanks for taking the time to write this. It's easy to get tunnel vision regarding a career path, but there are indeed many roads to success in science and as long as the journey rewards you with skills or experience that will serve you well, every part of it is worthwhile.
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Interview invite from Scripps (email) just a few minutes ago!
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Yeah, I'm disappointed- but at the same time, other than my experience, my stats aren't that great, and I know that their admission rate is quite low.
A 1st author Science paper?! If that's the bar I don't feel so bad at all. Haha. Regardless, best of luck to you!
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Rejected from UWash MCB. On one hand I am glad they told me instead of staying silent. On the other hand...arghh.
Also rejected. I second both those emotions!
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Current MIT student. None of my letters were from either teaching professors or PIs at my undergraduate institution. I only had letters from outside PIs that I worked with, but I'm pretty sure a postdoc letter will work as well.
Thank you so much!
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I would recommend emailing/calling the department and clarifying the issue since you are unsure. While I can hazard a guess that a post-doc who is working at an academic research institution should count as an academic reference, only the admissions department can ascertain that guess for you.
Yup, I already emailed them 2x and have not received a reply! Yikes.
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Hi all,
MIT Biology requires that 2 of 3 letters of recomendation be "academic" recommendations.
My question is - is a letter from a research supervisor (i.e. a postdoc I worked under) considered an academic recommendation? I worked under them at an academic research institution, but not my undergraduate institution.
I have two former professors that would write letters for me, but I feel my research supervisor would write a letter that much better describes my potential for success in research.
Any help from people who have already applied or are applying this season would be so greatly appreciated!
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No problem! Wasn't trying to be a hardass, just making sure you know you're taking some chances. Sounds like you're ok delaying a year to get into your top choices, which is certainly a valid strategy. For people whom want to maximize their chances THIS year, they'd have to be more realistic and apply to a more varied selection of schools.
Yup, I am. In my mind I would totally regret not trying to exceed my own expectations of where I could be admitted. Thanks again, and congrats on your own admittance!
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I had a bad 1st year, but I'm not mentioning it because a ) if not put in the correct way, it does sound like I'm making excuses and b ) I have a major upward trend starting my 2nd year (went from ~2.89 to 3.52 for cum. GPA) and the adcom can see that in my transcript. That's my two cents.
I feel the same way; I suppose if they do a GPA cutoff they probably won't read the SoP in the first place!
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I wouldn't mention it; professors know how to read transcripts and will see that trend for themselves. It might seem like you're making excuses otherwise, no matter how you word it.
And of course you can apply to whatever schools you want, but do you have a back up plan in case you don't get into these top programs? Ideas to improve your app next time around? Competition is seriously fierce at those institutions, I can't emphasize that enough.
That's how I feel as well, thanks for your input.
As far as a backup plan - I have an unofficial spot at one institution already (verbal offer from a PI with a lot of pull); I think I would be pretty happy at that program so hopefully I will not need to apply a 2nd time. If for whatever reason that didn't work out, I would probably ask admissions what I could do to improve my chances - I imagine different programs would recommend slightly different ways of doing this. I suppose I could take some postbac courses, ace a GRE subject test...but beyond that I'm not sure!
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Oh boy, you have some super elite schools there! Your research experience is freaking fantastic, but unfortunately GPA may be an issue, combined with average GRE scores (I had a 160V/156Q/4.5AW, for reference). Keep in mind most people applying there will have 3.7+, so it will be an uphill battle. Some reaches are fine, but I'd drop some and have some lower tier schools on there to boost your chances.
Thanks for your reply! I realize I have mostly reaches. I'm defininitely going to trim it down, mostly depending on my new GRE scores. I have an in at one highly ranked program, so for that reason I figured I might as well go nuts and see what happens.
I do have an explanation for my grade trend (1 bad year and an upward trend ending in nearly all As in my most advanced courses). I'm wondering whether or not it would be wise to mention briefly it in any way (without sounding like I'm making an excuse). Any thoughts?
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Long time lurker - got tired of freaking myself out comparing my stats to everyone else's, so please have at mine! I am really not sure what my chances are, so any comment or advice would be so greatly appreciated.
Undergrad Institution: Large public university, top 5 public for biology
Major(s): Biology; Biochemistry/Cell Biology emphasis
Minor(s): Music, Cognitive Science
GPA in Major: 3.44 (not great, 1 not-so-great year followed by 2 really good ones. Should I even bother explaining?)
Overall GPA: 3.32
Position in Class: top 25%? I have no idea.
Type of Student: domestic female
GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156
V: 162
W: 3.0 (I have no idea what happened - I'm retaking in a week)
B: just took this a couple days ago, practice test was ~85th percentile if i recall correctly
Research Experience: Extensive. 3 year internship at a top 10 academic research institute under a big shot PI, 2 years as a tech at the same institution, and 2 years as an RA at a newly founded research institute. 8 publications. 2 2nd author, 2 3rd, 2 4th, 1 7th, 1 9th. 1 of those is a Cell paper, 1 is a Nature paper. Very long and varied list of research skills. Currently in control of 2 independent projects.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: student-elected best TA for a neurobiology course.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 years experience as a tech in an academic research lab, 2 years of experience in early stage biomedical research.
Special Bonus Points: haha, female status. Does that even help these days? My PI, who is also the president of the institute I currently work at, is a big name and well connected at a number of schools I am applying to. I am also a co-author of a filed patent.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My LoRs will be glowing, and 1 of them will come from my PI (might hold considerable weight). I also believe my SoP is particularly well written.
Applying to Where: This list is WAY too long; can anyone help me toss a couple out?!
UC Berkeley - MCBThe Scripps Research InstituteUCSF- TETRADMIT - BiologyStanford - BiologyUCSD - Biology; CMG trackCaltech - BiologyColumbia - BiologyYale - BBSHarvard - BBSUCLA - MCDBUSC - MCBUniversity of Washington Seattle - MCBUniversity of Arizona - MCBThanks in advance and congrats to all who are already living the dream!
2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results
in Biology
Posted
I got an invite on 12/23.