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If your PI agrees then there usually is no real issue with taking a couple of business classes. You can just get introduced to the area - no need to commit to another degree or anything that drastic.

Yes. As long as you've ordered your scores to be sent to x institutes from ETS as soon as they become available you should be fine (some programs I applied to also had similar statements).

No real benefit. If you meet the minimum acceptance criteria you will reach the next stage of the application process (e.g. interviews) regardless of submission date - as long as you submit by the program's deadlines. When I turned in my applications, I only got 2 submitted about a week early and the remaining on the day they were due - it didn't affect my interviews/acceptances.

You should be fine. Most applications will let you have the self-reported scores submitted for the initial submission with the understanding that the official scores will be sent once they're available.

It will not really matter. Keep a strong GPA, get strong GRE scores, and strong LORs and it won't really matter if you took a little longer to finish.

I would guess that it depends on the quality of the publication. You don't necessarily have to have the publication to be admitted but if your stats are that on the fence it may help. If you are able to get strong LoRs at this point and write a strong SoP - you may already have what it takes to get in right now. But this is all speculation and you won't know if you don't try. The most you can do is finish applying this year and see where the chips land. If you end up getting into Chicago, then the publication in the spring will just be an added bonus that would go on your CV and potentially help you get fellowships later on.

If the year off would help you become a stronger researcher (and thus applicant) - then I say go for it.

Most programs have online recommendation forms at this point. Basically you'll provide your recommenders email address on your application and they will be sent a link to fill out the information. Other than letting your recommenders know the names of the programs you're applying to (and maybe any other bits of info such as a CV and motivations paragraph) it should be a pretty straight forward process.

@Gram Neutral: It doesn't matter how early you turn in your applications as long as it's before the due date. Some institutes have rolling reviews and thus start reviewing as soon as they are turned in but the majority wait til after the new year to begin reviewing.

Answering questions is actually one of the best ways to access your understanding of said area. It also helps you see alternative opinions about your work and helps you become a better researcher and communicator.

@biscy: Taking the subject exam is usually a double edge sword. If your stats are on the weaker side then doing exceedingly well (e.g. >80th percentile) can help offset questions concerning your level of preparation for said program. Now on the other hand if your have a pretty strong application (high GPA, general GRE, etc) and you don't do that well then the subject score could actually be detrimental. If you have a strong application and you do well on the subject GRE then it doesn't actually help you that much since your training would indicate that you should score well. Usually prepping for the subject exam is quite time intensive so unless you can adequately do so, most applicants choose not to do it. And it doesn't really effect your chances of being accepted into the programs (as long as the subject exam was not explicitly stated as a requirement). I didn't end up taking any subject exam before my applications and got into 6/7 programs I applied. Take away message: if you don't have to take the subject exam and your stats are decent there's no point in adding stress to an already stressful application cycle.

Just a quick note - at this point in the year many PI's will be getting a lot of emails about possible openings in their lab so you may not get very quick (if any) feedback. Read papers from the research group and maybe contact graduate students in the group since they usually would get back to you faster.

I would at least finish your first semester before considering leaving - especially since you're not struggling academically.

I ended up taking an extra few months to finish my MS and I honestly think it resulted in a better thesis. I cannot say that those last few weeks will not be really stressful, but you want to do a good job in this grad program so that you can get strong rec letters and overall just feel proud of the work you accomplished. So overall, if the extra semester will help you be less stressed (and thus more productive) and help you get a jump on finding a job - then I say do it. Good luck with your MA.

You should be fine (though cutting it a bit close). Exams usually take about 2-3 wks to be completely graded (e.g. AWA portion) and then they're subsequently sent to the institutes. Most applications will have you enter in your scores but won't consider your application complete until all official scores are in. This most likely won't prevent them from beginning to evaluate your application package. Though since January 1st is the new year most committees won't really start reviewing until the second wk of Jan or so. Good luck with your application cycle.

In a lot of Top Engineering programs a 90th percentile Q score is expected and they actually use the verbal portion as a kind of filter.

@bsharpe: I also had a similar sort of PI for my master's degree and really thrived in that kind of environment. The current lab that I'm rotating in has a similar sense of constancy which is mentally draining IMO. However, I feel like this experience has taught me what kind of mentoring style to look for with my subsequent rotations. While I like the PI a lot, I will most likely not join that lab. So my advice would be to not stress over it too much and understand that even if you like the science the mentoring style will play a significant part on how productive (and driven) you are as a grad student.

I also just wanted to add that AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) has this free online tool called the 'Individual Development Plan' (here) which basically consists of two fairly reasonable surveys that take into account your skills and values and spits out the top 20 career paths that currently meet your goals. It is not an absolute guide but it does provide you with a great starting point - also it lists some references that can give you more info about said path.

It really depends on if you've met a majority or all of the basic pre-reqs of the program. This may include more advanced math courses and some basic engineering principle classes. You can talk to the program coordinator about what you would need to do.

@MKRC - since you are a bit on the lower side, the subject GRE may help (if you can afford it). I would take the BIO over the BIOCHEM (it's the easier of the two). Also the rule of thumb I've heard is that if you can achieve 75th+ percentile then send the score. You'll need to make your decision soon since the subject exams are only offered 3 times a year (April, Sept, October). Also if you don't plan on applying this season, the only thing you can do is gain more research experience (i.e. research tech, masters, entry-level scientist in industry, etc)

Started my first rotation a little over a month ago and was finally getting used to my routine then the monkey wrench of classes was added to my schedule. One class will cover some topics from my BS and MS degrees but not to the same level of detail (which was a pleasant surprise). My other class had an exhaustively long "leveling" exam but I managed to pass with a B+ (though I now have a better idea of the areas I'll need to brush up on). But, I'm liking my cohort and making some friends in the other med school departments so I can't complain too much.

One fish

You can try looking up average stats at a few few programs and make your ultimate decision based on your fining. IMO I think you should be fine. Of course if you have the funds and time, you could try to get a higher score (just a warning but the grad school application process tends to get expensive).

Some programs may list does kinds of stats, but it is program dependent. I don't believe there's some centralized repository for that kind of data.

Echoing aberrant, you would be welcomed in most cancer programs if you have that extensive of a research background - baring no complications and meeting the base requirements for applying to the program (GPA, GRE, SoP, LoRs, etc).