blc073

@Franklinisajerk You're going to be fine. Chill.

@Luptior Your verbal score is low, but it will not preclude you from admissions at top programs. If you have stellar research experience, excellent LORs, and a SOP that ties everything together, then you can get into top programs with a below average GRE and GPA. When I was preparing my applications, I followed Cornell's advice: "Each application is evaluated as a whole rather than on just one aspect of the package. However, North American students with a grade point average below B are rarely admitted. The median undergraduate grade point average for admitted students is about 3.5. Similarly, verbal GRE scores below 153 (or combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores below 308-310) usually preclude admission, unless there is substantial evidence of potential for academic excellence (for example, superb grades or outstanding research productivity)."

I agree with the above comments. Your advisor will be integral to your success for up to the next twenty years. He or she will obviously help you get through your PhD, but after that he or she will be your go-to person for networking and general advice well into your career. For a typical PhD, he or she will help you through graduate school (5-6 years), guide you through your post-doc (3-5 years), and be a form of support while you pursue tenure (6-10 years). That's 14 to 21 years. I would avoid a PI older than 65.

I think you are asking about joining a program to work with a pre-determined PI. My problem with going to grad school to work with a specific person is that so much can go wrong. If you do not get along with the PI, if they have funding issues, if you lose interest in the work, or anything else, then you are stuck in the lab. The rotation model allows you to join labs of interest for six to twelve weeks to learn about the lab environment, the work, and the PI-student relationship you will have. I think this process is integral to a successful graduate career in the life sciences.

The important thing to remember when writing your SOP is that schools do not care about your personal life. The SOP should be about your research experience and why you are ready for grad school. If you have something special to say (you built a school in Iraq (people actually do this kind of stuff), you are a minority, etc.) mention it in your last paragraph. Looking back on my personal statement, I followed a nice formula. My first paragraph was full of strong words, "I am a good fit for [name program] because I am this, this, and this." I then listed all of my research experiences briefly. My next paragraphs were outlines of the research I did, with more attention paid to the projects in which I played a bigger role. Here, it is important not to list the skills you learned, rather what you gained as a scientist. Anyone can pipette or run a PCR. Top grad schools (any grad schools) want to see that you know how to think like a scientist. They want evidence that you can ask important questions and test those questions. After discussing my research, I wrote one, three sentence paragraph specific to that school. I wrote what I like about the program, I mentioned a couple of specific faculty, then I said something like, "I am certain I will succeed in this environment." I topped it of with a nice paragraph with some sort of deep insight. I mentioned that every grad school committee member will look for something specific in an application and that I just hope anyone who reads my SOP will see that I am this, this, and this. I finally sprinkled in some special stuff about my childhood or whatever here. I spent a long time perfecting this SOP for my top choice school. Then, when applying to other schools, I changed the beginning paragraph to say the specific school name, and I changed the one specific paragraph. Everything else stayed the same. If you use this method, you will save a lot of time by not having to write eight individual SOPs. Use that time to read each SOP several times to avoid accidentally saying the wrong school name. Also, this method only works if your first SOP is really good. I made my SOP to the standard of my top choice school, then I assumed it would have to be good enough for everywhere else. Finally, never write more than two pages, and do not ignore specific instructions in the application. I used this method for most of the schools to which I applied, but one school specifically asked for other things in the SOP, so I had to write a completely different one. Good luck! PM me if you want feedback on your SOP.

@jumbo1177 When deciding between two programs at the same university, I would ask the program administration directly what restrictions they have regarding the faculty with whom you will be able to work. With that being said, I would be surprised if the two programs you mentioned have distinct and exclusive faculty. You are right on target with your decision to choose a program based on the research being done. Set a threshold for the number of faculty a program needs to have in your area of interest in order to be a viable option, e.g., a program must have at least five faculty studying cancer cell metabolism in order for it to be an option. I would also be cautious when choosing a program that only caters to a specific field and that restricts its students from pursuing other research. You don't want to join a program that only studies cancer biology to later find out that your true passion is in neuroscience. Good luck!

Around this time last year I began preparing my applications for graduate school. It was an incredibly stressful time, and I know I would have loved the opportunity to ask someone who successfully completed the process the year before all of my neurotic questions. With the process fresh in our minds (read: in our nightmares), Bioenchilada and I are starting this thread to answer any questions any prospective students may have about applying to PhD programs in the biological sciences. I am a G1 in Harvard University's PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. I interviewed with six programs, so I am familiar with the entire process. Bioenchilada is a first-year in the Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Group at the University of Pennsylvania. He interviewed with five programs.

I have a PC, and it has been great so far. It is an Acer i7 Quad Processor with a dedicated graphics card and 8GB of RAM. It was about $700 on Amazon. I run R, Python, and MATLAB on it, none of which have had any problems. I took a MATLAB class dealing with huge data sets and my PC handled everything just fine. I was able to run MATLAB with large data sets, R with special packages, Python just for fun, and Google Chrome all at once without any issues.

There are plenty of residency programs in different specialties that allow for more than a year of primarily research. If you had done a residency with a faculty position in mind, you would be in a really nice position, especially with Ivy networking. At this point, you are effectively making your MD useless. Nobody cares how well you understand the human body and pathophysiology if you cannot practice medicine. I'm agreeing with you. You need to get a PhD if you want to have a future in serious research. However, I am noting that you have wasted a good medical degree and a spot in medical school that could have gone to someone who actually wanted to practice medicine.

@AGradStudentHasNoName So no residency? Are you just completely uninterested in clinical work? @Data-Analysis Without a residency, I think he needs a PhD to have any chance at a faculty position. MD+Post-Doc ~= PhD+Post-Doc & MD+Residency == PhD+Post-Doc

I would not take the subject test for any reason. A subject test is not going to make up for a low GPA. Research experience and great LORs are the only things that matter for grad school. Someone with a 3.2 GPA and a low GRE with four years of solid research experience and great LORs will get into a top school over someone with a 4.0 GPA and a perfect GRE with only a summer or even a year of research experience and mediocre LORs. If you have clear interests with experience and LORs that support your interests, you will be fine. To get an interview at a top school: have several years of experience in a specific area, write your SOP about your research in that area, then get three LORs that support your experience in that area.

This will pass and you will find something else about which to be stressed. Such is life. Enjoy every moment, for one day you will wish it were today.

I took the GRE and wrote my SOP during the summer before my senior year. That made the application process much easier. Your LORs probably won't be submitted until closer to the deadlines, so submitting your application early will not make a difference. Anyway, admissions committees meet when all applications are submitted. Pro tip: tell the people writing your LORs that the letters are due a week before the actual due date. Also, give your letter writers at most three weeks to write.

Which programs interest you? Show that you have researched schools that you think will be a good fit.

I agree. Top 10 schools are generally relaxed and excited to help students succeed. Instead, it is specific labs that provide an intense environment. Every school, from Harvard and UPenn to North South Eastern Tech A&M, will have some professors who are enthusiastic to support graduate students and some professors who only care about publishing. My advice is to go to the best school you can get into with the most professors doing work that interests you. To support, the day I got into Harvard my PI at my undergraduate spent twenty minutes trying to convince me to go to a non-Ivy school. He had heard the horror stories about Harvard, that they do not care about graduate students, that they will kick you out to save money, etc. Fortunately, I did an REU at Harvard the summer before and I had been in contact with many great Harvard professors, so I knew his argument was unfounded. In short, if you are interested in a program, do not let hearsay or the behavior of a single professor dissuade you from applying. @dragonfrog

Oh my.

Incorrect.

Wow. I looked through the requirements and found that an applicant needs fourteen semester courses to apply. I was just asking to see if you were aware of the requirements. When I see fourteen semester courses, I immediately assume a degree. Regardless, based on your response, you seem like a completely likable person, so I'm sure you will be fine. Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely take a look at the Nexus 5X.

I currently have an iPhone 6, but I am due for an upgrade. I am between the iPhone 6s Plus, the Samsung Galaxy S7, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I don't know a lot about phones and technology, so I am just looking for testimonials. Which is the best phone?

What schools did you apply to last year? PIs typically do not have a say in interview invitations. My guess is that one "lukewarm" recommendation tanked your entire application. Experience and LORs are the most important components in an application.

@rageofanath Did somebody tell you that it is possible to get into a biology PhD program without a BS in biology or a related field?

@Heather1011 Which building will you be in? I am in Peabody Terrace.

Not everyone is going to have four years of research and two summer REUs. One year of experience is the minimum, but it looks like he will have more than that when he applies. @Gavin Hong As long as you do well on the GRE and keep your GPA up, you should not have trouble getting into the schools you have listed. LORs from people who have seen your research more important that LORs from professors with whom you have had courses or helped teach courses. Start writing your SOP now, maybe send some cold emails to professors at those universities who are doing work that interests you, and relax. Apply widely, and plan to go on several interviews.

Wow, you are actually insane. My god.