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madbiochemist

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Everything posted by madbiochemist

  1. I just (as in yesterday) graduated with my B.S. in Biochemistry and am going straight on to get my Ph.D. in BME from Johns Hopkins. If possible, I suggest working in a lab that is similar to your area of interest, getting an internship in BME (like others have mentioned), and taking a couple of classes (focus on math as opposed to engineering). I also recommend applying to both M.S. and Ph.D. programs. There are some schools that will flat out reject anyone who doesn't have an engineering degree for their Ph.D. program (UCSD, I'm talking about you), but other schools like Hopkins that will reject engineers that don't have any biology background. Play the field and contact some admissions representatives from various schools to try and determine whether you would be a good fit for their program before applying. Good luck! It's definitely possible!
  2. Undergrad Institution: Large midwest state school Major(s): Biochemistry B.S. Minor(s): N/A GPA in Major: 3.97 Overall GPA: 3.96 Length of Degree: 4 years Position in Class: Unknown (2nd in major out of 100) Type of Student: Domestic, female, traditional GRE Scores: Q: 159 (74th) V: 167 (97th) W: 5.0 (93rd) Research Experience Research in tissue engineering (3.5 years), stem cell mechanobiology (summer), and nanomaterials+drug delivery (summer) 3.5 years of research experience with one summer REU at UCSD in BME and summer internship at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Bangalore, India 1 publication accepted (2nd of 6 authors) and 2 more in preparation (3rd author of 7) Probably 1 first author pub before I graduate 5+ conference presentations Mentored a high school student and two undergrad Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater Honorable Mention (national scholarship) Numerous KU scholarships for research and academics in biology, chemical engineering, and math KU undergraduate research poster competition winner Pertinent Activities or Jobs: organic chemistry tutor, Biomedical engineering society treasurer, Society of Scientists Publicity Director Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I've studied abroad twice (once in India for a paid research internship and once in London to network with Cambridge faculty) Applying for PhD at: Johns Hopkins- Biomedical Engineering going here UT Austin- Biomedical Engineering accepted but I turned them down UCSD- Biomedical Engineering never heard a word back from them MIT- Biological Engineering Harvard- SEAS Biomedical Engineering Harvard MIT MEMP Program University of Washington in St. Louis- Biomedical Engineering Northwestern- BME rejected me but offered me for consideration for unfunded masters (not going to happen) I also won the GRFP, so it was successful, despite being rejected from almost everyone. Luckily, Austin and Hopkins got back to me before the rejections came in, so I didn't care much. My advice to anyone in biology applying to BME that nobody asked for but I will give anyway: apply to programs who are tight with their medical school as opposed to their engineering school. I think most of the schools didn't even give my application a thorough evaluation once I saw I don't have an engineering degree (I know for a fact this happened at UCSD). Best of luck to all future applications!
  3. You should definitely mention that you're publishing a book! That would show the committee that you're willing to see a project through to completion. Don't send in the book though, just mention it in your personal statement.
  4. Only take an internship that would be relevant to your program! Otherwise, you'll just be taking away from your full load of classes. The summer would be a good time for the internship, because applying to graduate schools is like taking on another class (if you've already mostly narrowed down what you want to to and where you want to apply) or a full time job (if you're further behind).
  5. So, when I applied, I paid no attention to the "reach school" and "safety school" idea that plagued undergraduate admissions. I guess I could say that I applied to Johns Hopkins and seven "safety" schools. I applied to only top 25 (mostly top 10) biomedical engineering schools based on fit and whether I liked their research. I was only accepted to my #1 (JHU) and my #8 UT Austin and schools I was sure I would get accepted to only offered me an unfunded Masters. It's all based on fit really. Apply to places that interest you and don't sell yourself short! That's the worst thing you can do. I almost didn't apply to JHU, because I was worried they'd reject me.
  6. Incredibly strong letters of recommendation from two well known professors in my field, plus a third letter from a well known professor in computer science that showed that I was very skilled in interdisciplinary work. I gave my letter writers sample essays and told them some things I'd like for them to highlight. I also had 5 conference presentations, a paper, an REU, and and international research internship, which showed that I was involved in the process of communicating science nationally and internationally. I applied for the NSF-GRFP, which kept me very up-to-date with the current problems in my field which I definitely hit on in my personal statement (problems that I was interested in addressing) and interviews. Finally, I was very specific about which professors I wanted to work for, what types of projects I would work on, and how my skill set already fit into those niche areas. Be specific in your writing. Go through and eliminate any unnecessary words so that you can talk about the science in the most thorough and insightful way possible (though nobody really cares about your methods, unless you used a niche instrument that will be critical for the project you propose in your personal statement).
  7. You need 3 very strong letters and cannot have two weak ones if you want to have a funded PhD program. Is there any way you'll get a publication before next December? It's not necessary, but you have less research experience (in terms of years) than many of the other applicants I saw who ended up being accepted. Would it be possible to secure some sort of funding to study in the US from your home country? You're also quite right that you need to have a very tight idea of what you want to do in graduate school and how your undergraduate coursework and research have prepared you. I hate to say this, but your GPA is rather low and you should really try to make the rest of your application flawless in order to get into top 10 schools. The US has cut a lot of STEM funding for research and funding for international students is unfortunately quite scarce these days. I think getting more research experience is necessary, unless you decide to set your sights a little lower as far as rankings go.
  8. It's definitely not a requirement to visit campus, particularly if you're an international student. Usually if you're selected for an interview, they'll conduct it over Skype for international students. If you are able to come to campus during interviews, that is always preferable so that you get a feel for what the school is like. It's certainly not necessary to visit before applying, but sending a thoughtful email to a professor you're interested in is advised.
  9. I don't know about that "avoid at all costs" idea. My PI always suggests we work with young faculty, because they're usually coming in with brand new ideas and a lot of energy, plus you get to spend more time with them one-on-one. Take a look at their funding situation and also what they accomplished in graduate school and in their post-doc. Then ask them what some of their research areas are. I think it should be fine if you do your research on them.
  10. At this point, you should call. It's so close to the deadline that they will understand that you want all of the information available before you make a decision. The graduate coordinator at JHU is pretty nice, actually.
  11. Could you work as a lab technician? Start grad school early? I don't imagine that you'd be able to get on many publications having only being in a lab for a few months. In my labs at least, it takes at least 6 months to a year of dedicated research to be a coauthor. I did get on one paper during a summer, but I was working 12 hours a day and 7 days a week for three months.
  12. I had mine reviewed by professors and grad students who had won the NSF in the past. My first draft definitely wouldn't have been good enough to win.
  13. Congrats to all of the other winners! I was surprised to be awarded one as a graduating senior this year with three E/E ratings. Applying for this scholarship landed me in therapy because I was so stressed out, but I'm glad it worked out in the end.
  14. It's based on what skills you know coming in and how well your interests intersect with what the lab does. They want to know what you can bring to the table and what exactly you want to take from the experience. Hopkins will be very competitive, but that shouldn't keep you from applying. Talk to some professors and see if they'd be interested in funding you if you were to be accepted.
  15. Hi all! I didn't see a Hopkins thread for next fall, so I figured I'd start one! I'm starting in the BME Ph.D. program in the fall and 1. Wanted to know how excited you guys are to move out to Baltimore 2. Wanted to know if any of you are starting during the summer (I'm considering it) 3. Wanted to know how you're finding housing I'm thinking about popping over there for a few days to check out some options and then looking at buying a house the next year. Congrats to everyone who got in and I'm so excited to meet all of you (or see you again)!
  16. No idea if this is valid or trolling, but someone posted on the results page that they were accepted to BME CBID masters on February 19th. Other than that, no idea.
  17. The bit about them decreasing funding is simply not true. They're not cutting funding, just changing where funding is coming from. They have about 22 teaching fellowships that allow students to rotate between labs for their first year. However, they wanted to increase their class size to about 30-40 this year, so those fellowships wouldn't be enough on their own. They're supplementing these fellowships with grant money won by professors who NEED students. Some students will be directly recruited into these labs and some students will be awarded the competitive fellowships that allow for rotation. My POI is estimating that ~60 students (or 75%) will be accepted into the BME program with 30-40 matriculating. He also said that (cell and tissue engineering at least) will hear back about acceptances and funding this week, barring any crazy complications. Hopefully that provides some insight.
  18. On the note of itineraries. I'm interviewing at a school tomorrow and I still don't know who I'm interviewing with. The schedules aren't done, I guess. I totally understand getting behind, but how am I supposed to give a good interview when I don't know who I'll be speaking to? My game plan: download papers, abstracts, and general information about each of the possible faculty members, read like crazy on the plane, and hope for the best! Good luck to all other interviewees!
  19. No, that was unfortunately my experience as well. I asked her if she could get me a late flight out on Wednesday and an early flight on Saturday. She was really confused and after a while I just let her book me a 7:45 am flight Wednesday and 7 pm flight on Saturday... I mean, visiting is great, but it's supposed to be a 2 day interview and it turned into a 4 day engagement. Getting reimbursed after the fact is also pretty odd.
  20. I would err towards business or business casual. Maybe bring a nicer outfit or more casual outfit that you can change into if you grossly over or underestimated. I wouldn't imagine anyone would think business or business casual was weird. You could always email the coordinator if you're really concerned.
  21. Also off topic, does anyone have a rough idea of how many students the JHU BME Ph.D. program accepts post-interview? I have a visit this week and am excited, but pretty nervous as well. Since they accept ~70 students, I would imagine they wouldn't fly out many more than that, but they're also loaded... Any insight would ease my nerves.
  22. I posted this on the 2015 thread as well, but in case you didn't see: I worked at UCSD in the BE department several years ago and am still in contact with my PI there. UCSD sent out some invites and rejections, but more are coming. Their graduate admissions coordinator broke her arm, so she's been sending out notifications more slowly than usual. All the best luck to everyone! Don't worry about this one quite yet.
  23. Hey guys! I worked at UCSD in the BE department several years ago and am still friends with my PI there. He said that SOME of the interview invites and rejections were sent out already, but the graduate admissions coordinator broke her arm recently and is slowly getting to the rest of them. So don't worry yet on that front! They should come in soon.
  24. If you're feeling stressed about hearing back from schools, my best advice is to stop checking Grad Cafe completely. Get off of here. Stay away. Do not come back unless you haven't heard anything come mid-February. I stopped checking and all of the sudden I started hearing back. It's not correlated at all, but instead of anxiously awaiting and biting my nails constantly, I got to be pleasantly surprised. Just live in blissful ignorance for a few more weeks. It seems like the results are coming back much later than they have in the past, so don't stress too much.
  25. Hi all! I was just accepted to UT Austin and couldn't find a city guide here! Could anyone share some information with me about Austin? How is transportation? Any ideas on neighborhoods or areas to live in? Any other tips? How did you like living there, generally?
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