BioLogic19

Hey, everyone! I just finished applying and interviewing this cycle, and I wanted to post my profile for anyone who is worried about GPA or other weaknesses in their applications: Undergrad Institution: Top public universityMajor(s): BiochemistryGPA in Major: 3.64Overall GPA: 3.72Position in Class: Top 15-20%Type of Student: Domestic, FemaleGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 170 (98%)V: 164 (94%)W: 5.5 (98%)B: n/aResearch Experience: Two years in a biochemistry lab at my undergraduate institution (resulted in two mid-author papers and a third manuscript currently in preparation) and ~8 months as a technician in a biophysics lab at another R1 institution after graduation.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for 4 semesters, two summer research fellowships, and a senior research award, all at my undergraduate institutionPertinent Activities or Jobs: Chemistry tutor; taught science to elementary school students through a club on campusAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I've given several poster presentations and talks at my undergraduate institution, as well as at the university in which I am currently working and at a national biophysics conference.Special Bonus Points: I took several graduate classes in undergrad, and two of my recommenders (both of my research advisors) are fairly well-connected.Applied to/Interviewed Where: Stanford Biosciences (interviewed and accepted) Harvard MCO (interviewed and accepted) UCSF Tetrad (interviewed and accepted) UCSD Biomedical Sciences (interviewed and accepted) Yale BBS (interviewed and accepted) MIT Biology (interviewed and accepted) Coming into the application process, I was really worried that my GPA would be too low for top graduate programs, but research experience matters so much more than grades and test scores! I had a 3.4 GPA coming out of my second year of undergrad, with several low grades in science courses, but no one asked me about my grades at all during interviews. My advice to future applicants is to focus on boosting your research experience and on demonstrating why you want to go to grad school in your application. It will pay off!