eeee1923

Not worth it. Your scores are strong enough for most programs. Focus on making the other portions of your application package (SoP, LoRs, TOEFL) as strong as possible.

I applied to 7 PhD programs. I originally was going to apply to 10 but location of the institute and environment led me to not finishing up my applications. There was one other program I felt I should have applied to but my wallet was crying at the end of the cycle. Usually 5-10 schools tends to be a good number. Applying to too many schools (subjective of course, but lets say 15-25 as an example) tends to make it appear as though your research goals are a bit too unfocused - plus it becomes ridiculously expensive.

Thing Two

You're a grad student. Start reading - no one will expect you to learn everything overnight but you gotta start somewhere. If you don't know the answer, learn it for the next time. Consult with a prof in the new field that you know won't mind answering some questions for you, but remember it will be your responsibility to play "catch-up". Good luck.

The Thing

@ biochemgirl67 - your GRE score is fine. There is no need to retake the general GRE or take the subject test (unless of course you got the money to burn or want the challenge). I would say focus on your SoP and save that money for the applications.

I should have been more specific, my bad. All I meant by my earlier comment was that the student should pay attention to what the postdoc or older grad students in the lab and of course ask questions if they are confused. I do agree that not asking a question could be more detrimental than taking a few minutes to get a question addressed.

75th percentile or higher is usually worth sending in to the adcomm, any lower and unless it is required - it's is more detrimental than helpful. The biochem tends to be the tougher exam of the 2 "bio" subject exams. You don't really have to worry about absolute score but percentile instead.

A master's is fine. It exposes you to graduate level research at a slower pace than a PhD so that when you transition to the PhD, you have an easier time getting into your research. Also if an extra 2 years of doing research would make you a stronger researcher - is it really worth it to not take the opportunity? I personally did a MS and found it to be helpful in focusing my research and career goals (and I had a similarly strong profile going into the MS).

Most postdocs will be willing to answer your questions - even if they seem like "dumb/niave" questions. The rule of thumb is to not ask the same question over and over.

You are quite competitive at this point. Don't retake the GRE - you should be fine. Make sure you write a strong SoP and get strong LoRs.

foggy morning

A PhD in experimental theraputics is usually viewed well since a lot of industries want someone who can carry out translational work (i.e. going from basic bench science to the drug applications). If you are a competent scientist in industry you will usually be given increasing responsibilities with every successful promotion cycle. Then you would most likely be moved into technical management. Either way you usually will continually progress and get paid more.

No, not on your CV. You would usually just include the title of the work you presented at the conference. If the application has the option for additional documents then you could include the conference abstracts. Keep your CV at no more than 3 pages (at this point in your career that is sufficient).

If the prof can attest to your research acuity and experience and how that will help you succeed at this next level, then it should be fine. If not, I wouldn't say that it would have negative impacts on your application - more like it won't really add much to it.

Your GPA is 3.1 not 0.0 - aka you meet the base requirement for applying. I would include all your transcripts. Like rising_star said it would be a hassle to completely hide this part of your training (plus all the legal stuff).

Look at the PI's at both institutes and see which are conducting research you find more interesting.

It's fine to use just Magoosh. Just remember to practice for the other parts of the verbal section (i.e. reading comprehension and critical reasoning).

Note: I am not an earth science major, nor did I apply from a position of disadvantage (weird position but not a disadvantageous one). That being said the best course of action if you are aiming for a PhD is to get a research-based MS in which you could potentially publish your work. Look for a funded/partially-funded program and also remember your MS doesn't have to come from a top 10 institute - quality of research matters more. Present your work at conferences (home institute or from at professional society meetings) and more than anything keep a high GPA (i.e. 3.7+)! This will prove to the PhD adcomms that you can handle graduate work at a sufficient level and will not struggle during your PhD coursework.

Look into some of the programs offering biomedical science umbrella PhD programs.

Those were a few of the programs I looked at myself in the midwest. IUPUI (program is run out of the med school) is pretty cool since they just completed a new cancer center and neuroscience center, plus they got a ton of research dollars. Specifically, the program I stated allows you to rotate through a lot of the PI's in diff departments within the med school including bio. OSU is similar in that sense. For your SoP I would spend no more than 1-2 sentences on your poor sophomore year. And state that your experiences taught you how to be a better student (i.e. you didn't do so well in course x-1, but by the time you took course x-2, you learned better time management, study skills, etc. and you got a better grade). Also I would advice that you continue to take tough science courses during your senior year in order to show the adcomm that you are taking the initiative in improving your scholastic abilities.

There are many sub-areas within Biochemistry, so it would be hard to give you too specific of advice but the NYC metro area has some pretty strong schools. For example: Weill Cornell, Sloan-Kettering, Rockefeller, CUNY, Columbia, NYU, etc. I would google the bio/biochem phd granting institutes in the area to develop the initial list. Then go through faculty profiles and read some journal articles from those PI's and see if you could see yourself doing that sort of research. If you aren't too keen on where you'd like to end up, searching whatever biochem sub-area in pubmed and reading about the authors could lead you to other institutes doing cool research outside of the NYC area. The rule of thumb is to find 3-5 PI's at each institute or I'd highly advice against applying since you never know what could happen to a particular PI in the future (moves institutes, doesn't get tenure, retires, etc.).

You should be fine. It usually takes anywhere from 1-3 wks to process GRE scores.

Quality of training will almost always get you further than name brand alone.