Undergrad Institution: Top 3 Big Ivy Major(s): Biochemistry Minor(s): GPA in Major: 3.6 Overall GPA: 3.55 Position in Class: Around average in my major Type of Student: Domestic Asian male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 170 V: 168 W: 5 B: not taken yet Research Experience: 1 year in high school (started early, was Intel STS semifinalist)
1 summer at immunology center in Japan
3 semesters and 2 summers at Harvard Medical School in 2 different labs Awards/Honors/Recognitions: not stellar in college due to competition at my home institution, a couple of summer research fellowships
1st author poster presentation at national undergraduate research conference
Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
Tutor/course assistant for general chemistry (1 semester) Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
Took challenging computational and quantitative classes in college
Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)
Letter of recommendation co-signed by famous PI in immunology, but I mostly worked with a post-doc in the lab during my time there so I had limited interactions with my PI. Got a poster presentation from my project here.
Working on a senior thesis for honors degree in my current lab, I work directly with my PI and hope to do well for a strong recommendation.
Another recommendation from my academic advisor who was also my Cell Biology prof, I took his advanced undergraduate class as a freshman but got a B in it. We meet and discuss interesting papers and topics in biology literature several times each semester, so I think he can comment on my ability to understand graduate level material.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
I am a violinist in the school symphony orchestra and am actively involved in chamber music on campus...It's not related to my potential to conduct research well but perhaps I am bringing some diversity?
Applying to Where: Harvard Immunology
MIT Biology
UCSF BMS
Yale BBS
Stanford
Berkeley MCB
Sloan-Kettering
UPenn
NIH OxCam
Not sure if I'm shooting too high, given my lack of publications. It's also hard for me to know where I stand because most of my classmates in my major are going to medical school. I am pretty certain on what I want to study in graduate school: immunology, specifically cancer immunology.
EDIT: formatting