jayghandi

Thanks for your insight. I feared as much but I'm alright with it. Is it possible to deduce from my GRE score that I was capable of doing much better while running my previous degrees. My low GPA was as a result of incessant strike actions by university lecturers in Nigerian public universities and I had a lot of financial issues in school. The strike actions extended my undergraduate education by almost two years. This sounds like a lot of excuses but would you advise I include this in my SOP? I do have a masters degree. That is the degree that I got a 2.8 over 4 GPA. I am most likely wrong with the conversion from the 5 point scale to the 4 point scale. I got a 3.5/5 CGPA after my masters. Are my qualifications too low to get into a funded PhD programme and would a subject test score in the 80th percentile make a significant difference in any application I submit. Sorry for the barrage of questions. I have a lot my mind and I could really use your guidance. Thanks.

Hi Guys, I am looking to apply to BCM for next year for the GSBS program. I would be glad if you can give me your opinion on my eligibility. I have an undergraduate and masters degree in Cell Biology and genetics (UG 3.28/5 and PG 3.5/5) and a GRE general Test score of Quant 159, Verbal 164 Total 323 and AWA 4.5. I do have some research experience but I have been working in Higher Education Marketing for 2 years now as I could not ready financially to start a PhD. I can get great recommendations as my Professors think highly of me and I already have a PhD offer for Cancer research from the University of Birmingham in the UK but with no funding. What do you think of my chances and would you advice I take the GRE subject test? Thanks

Many thanks for your reply. I appreciate your insight and any further information you may have. I got an approximate GPA of 2.62 from my Undergraduate degree and a 2.8 if I convert from a 5 point system to a 4 point system. I am an international student from Nigeria. I have appreciable research experience which I got while in doing my Masters two years ago but none since then. I currently work in Marketing and now I wish to go back into research. I am glad to learn that I do not need publications. Do you think the subject tests are necessary still? Also do you have any tips on the which schools would accept my qualifications?

I am keen on applying for a top Biomedical PhD Program in a top University. I hope to apply to UCSF. My general profile is GRE: Quant 159 / Verbal 164 AWA scores not assessed yet. I have a BSc in Cell Biology and Genetics and an MSc in Genetics. I have appreciable research experience but I have no publications. I can get glowing reference letters I would like to know if anyone would strongly recommend I do the subject test. I know it would help but is it capable of swinging the decision in my favor or if it will be more or less redundant since I do not have more than 2 years research experience and no publications as well. I get the impression that publications are vital to the admission process and this is one area I fall very short. All advice will be deeply apprecaited.

A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college. Learning in its basic nature is dynamic. Different students have different preferred learning mediums, assimilate knowledge at different rates and understand similar concepts through different perspectives. This shows that a standard system is inimical to the students both in the short and long term. A standard curriculum makes the faulty assumption that all students are alike in every single way. That they grew up in similar environments, had similar influences as children and as such developed in the same way. This we all know is not true as the average high school class is an amalgam of different perspectives that can be attributed to the different upbringings of the students. This has a direct or indirect effect on the way the students assimilate knowledge. Some kids might be better with speech based assimilation while others are better with a visual based method. A standard system does not take this into account and as such this would favour certain students more than others. A dynamic curriculum that is designed to fit each student's strengths in terms of subject matter studied and also will help students to develop their latent talents and skills that otherwise would be stifled by a standard curriculum. We all know how important diversity is to the success of any society and as such we need to appreciate the need to promote diversity even in the school curriculum as this would have a domino effect down the timeline on the level of diversity and strength of the society that such a system would produce. Often, we hear of people who discover at a later age what their natural passion in life is. These people have spent years and money chasing a career and life that was not a natural fit for them. Imagine the missed opportunities that have been accumulated as a result. A dynamic curriculum might not end such from happening but it will go a long way in assisting people discover themselves earlier so they can identify their place in society and begin to impact their environment positively as early as they can. One thing that I understand makes a dynamic curriculum difficult to implement before college education is that it will be very expensive to implement, would take more time and also will limit the amount of knowledge the average student would have. Nevertheless, specialization has always been necessary for life to flourish. Not all ants in an ant colony will be workers or queens. Not all will protect the rest or produce the next generation. They all have specialized tasks that they perform for the rest of their lives and humanity should endeavour to replicate a similar appreciation for the latent differences in people. Despite the many pros for a standard curriculum for students before tertiary education, a dynamic curriculum will engender diversity much earlier and as such will produce a stronger and better society in the long term