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blc073

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  1. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from Madhusree in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  2. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from zoejiang in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
     
  3. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from PawsitiveCat.titude in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  4. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from TangentTam in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  5. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from TangentTam in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    @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! 
  6. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from mdicksen3 in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  7. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from pumpk in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  8. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from Corijoys in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    @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! 
  9. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from StemCells4Lyfe in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  10. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from might_hopefully_get_in in Stanford biosciences, Berkeley mcb, UCSF tetrad   
    I wasn't trying to call your question stupid, and I apologize if that's how it came across. 
    You asked how confident you can be that flow cytometry will be hot in six years, and I was simply trying to say that there is no way to know. Science, academia and biotech, change as questions change. It's not common for a technique like CRISPR to come along and change the field. And to be honest if you ask a lot of top scientists today, many will say CRISPR might not be hot much longer. 
    Microarray was hot five years ago, now it's becoming worthless. 
    Unfortunately, there are many people who spend six years on a PhD, but that's no way to approach the process. You should plan to finish your PhD in four years. Do this by writing every day from the beginning, preparing early for grants, joining a lab as soon as you can, and making the most out of every rotation. 
    What job sector? You are becoming a scientist. There's like a 50% chance or more that you will completely change your career plans. Go into your PhD with the goal of becoming a great scientist and an expert in your field. Then decide if a biotech post-doc is right for you. 
    Techniques come from necessity. If your research involves hunting for genes that are being affected by a compound, learn NGS. But don't waste time learning something that will not help your lab. Of course, you can join a lab that employs the techniques you like, but don't join a lab solely for the techniques. You will be unhappy for the next six (!) years. 
    You are on here demanding to know which of three top schools is the best. You then demand to know which techniques to learn. It's just a lot. This will be condescending, so prepare yourself: in a year from now you are going to look back on these posts and think, "wow, I was being a jerk." Take this time to appreciate how lucky you are to have the choices you have, and appreciate the fact that your life will largely consist of hanging out in a cool building in a fun city being paid to poke DNA. Relax and enjoy the process. 
  11. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from ucgrit in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
     
  12. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from BuddingEcologist in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
     
  13. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from kyrDNa in Path to Longevity Research? Also: Necessity of a PhD?   
    This thread seems to be all over the place. You are unsure about research as a career, mentioning that you might do a master's or medical school. However, you are set on a specific type of research. You also allude to potential problems by asking which field is "easier." 
    Start by determining career type. Do you want to diagnose and treat patients? If so, go to medical school. You can do research as an MD, but you might have to do a post-doc after residency. Do you want to do the highest form of research without direct patient care? More specifically, do you want to show up to lab every day, read articles, conduct experiments, balance two or more projects at a time, present your work at conferences, publish articles, mentor students, and live a life of contemplation? If so, do a PhD. Do you want to do solid research with a deep clinical focus? That is, do you want to see patients once or twice a week while running a research group? Do you want to see patients with serious disorders while working to develop new treatments for those disorders? Do you want to be in training until you are 35 to 38? If so, do an MD/PhD. Those are really your three options if you want to be a career scientist. A master's should be used as a stepping stone because you didn't have enough research experience or as a way to get a job as a staff scientist (not a PI). 
    Once you know which degree program to pursue, you can start looking at specific programs. Never apply to a program to work with a single professor. Unless you are applying directly to work with that person, you will likely end up in a different lab. Apply to programs with three to five professors doing research you like. If you are applying to medical schools, apply broadly and go where ever you get admitted. 
    The field you choose is based on your experiences. If you have done human genetics research and you know that is what you want to do and you cannot fathom doing anything else, apply to programs specific to genetics. That applies to any type of research. However, if there is any chance that you will want to do something else (sounds like a real possibility based on your post), apply to larger programs or programs without a specific aim. For example, my program, BBS, is an umbrella program. We can work in any field. I rotated in a basic cell biology lab, a cancer cell metabolism lab, and a human genetics and neuroscience lab. I came in with six years of cancer research experience, but I ended up joining the human genetics and neuroscience lab. 
    Overall, you are approaching this issue at the wrong end. You are looking at research areas before you are set on doing research. Take some time to reflect on your experiences. Decide what degree to pursue, then go from there. 
    P.S. If you start a PhD then realize you want to do something else, most PhD programs will let you leave after two years with a master's. 
  14. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from Beanstian in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    I had a total of four research experiences when I applied, but the majority of my SOP focused on just one of the experiences. I only briefly mentioned the other three. Regarding your SOP, you should really get into the details of your research. Discuss what you did, the role you played in designing the hypothesis and the experiments. Discuss any struggles you had and how you overcame them. Talk about how you grew as a scientist and how the experience prepared you for graduate school. Finally, explain your results and what they mean for you, your project, and for the field. That can easily be two pages without sounding repetitive. Committees want to see that you know how to do science and that you will still love research even when your work is failing. The best way to test that last part is to do a long term project. One meaningful project is better than ten short projects. 
    You might be in trouble if two of your recommendations are from professors who do not know about your research. Have you given presentations at your school or discussed ideas with another PI? Honestly, a PI with whom you discussed ideas and experiments is a better recommendation than a class professor. 
    I don't know about international students, but I would apply similarly to any other student. Pick a couple of big state schools (University of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington, etc.) and a few top schools (Penn, Yale, Duke, etc.). You are probably right about funding, so limit yourself to private schools with too much money and large public research schools. 
  15. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from Beanstian in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  16. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from Beanstian in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    @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! 
  17. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from pinkcrystalthumb in NSF GRFP 2017-18   
    This seems likely. In 2016, the results came out the Tuesday after Easter. 
  18. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from carlsaganism in NSF GRFP 2017-18   
    This seems likely. In 2016, the results came out the Tuesday after Easter. 
  19. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from anac1 in NSF GRFP 2017-18   
    This seems likely. In 2016, the results came out the Tuesday after Easter. 
  20. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from anac1 in NSF GRFP 2017-18   
    I agree. It's getting a bit ridiculous.
  21. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from BiomedicalPHD123 in 2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results   
    Let me start by saying that you are dealing with the best dilemma in the world: should I go to amazing school A or amazing school B? 
    Definitely take a moment to be proud of yourself for being in this position! 
    I can give you general advice, then I'll make a push for BBS, because of course I will. 
    Both programs are absolutely outstanding. GSK is GSK and they have one of the best programs in the world for cancer biology. If you are dead set on cancer biology, GSK is a great choice. With the being said, at Harvard you will find not only Dana Farber, but also the cancer center at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Koch Institute at MIT. In addition, as a BBS student, you will be able to take Harvard's cancer courses and MIT's cancer courses (Bob Weinberg, the guy who literally wrote the book on cancer, teaches the MIT cancer course). So in terms of research and coursework, GSK might be a bit better, but I'm not convinced they are leading the field. 
    As far as program size, I have never felt unsupported by the program. The BBS program administrators are amazing and I get replies to emails within an hour, usually sooner. I don't know about the GSK experience, but I can say that BBS is a phenomenal program that makes every student feel supported. 
    I think it's safe to say that most academic aspects are similar, so a big part of your decision will have to come down to location. Do you want to live in New York or Boston for five to six years? That's a super personal question. Personally, I can't see myself living in Manhattan that long. It's such a crazy town. Boston and Cambridge are super chill. You can get a cocktail for less than $17 and rent isn't ridiculous. My fiancee and I have a two-bedroom house to ourselves in Cambridge (ten minutes from Harvard Square), and we still save quite a bit of money, go on vacations to Europe once a year, and are paying for our own wedding. That's all from our grad school stipends (neither of us come from money). 
    My unbiased advice is to consider seriously where you want to live. Both programs will get you into industry or a top post-doc, and you will make your grad school experience what you want it to be. The question is whether you want to do it all in NYC or in Boston. 
    For my unabashed push for BBS, I'll start by saying that I ******* love BBS. I'm not being paid by them to say anything, and honestly I don't really care who is in the new BBS class in the fall, but I can seriously say that the program has been absolutely phenomenal. Susan Dymecki (program head) is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She is genuinely helpful and supportive. The whole BBS office is supportive, and I've never felt like I am in a class of 75. I have my friends in the program, then there are people in the program who I haven't really met. That's how it works with large programs. I could just as easily be in a program of ten. I actually think the larger program increases your chances of finding people with whom you click. 
    I don't really believe in coursework as a legitimate pedagogical pursuit, so I can't say much about coursework. I mean, I enjoyed my courses, but whatever. You can take courses at HMS, Harvard College, MIT, and a few other places. Don't let GSK's weird year-long course persuade you to do anything. You can build an equally effective course plan at Harvard. I should state that doing rotations while taking courses is a really important part of the first year. If you want to spend the first year only taking courses, go to medical school or do a masters. You need to be in the lab to instantiate the compendium of scientific knowledge you'll be learning. I'm pretty shocked and disappointed that there are programs that separate coursework and rotations. GSK needs to chill. 
    Here's a big factor to think about: if you have any reason to believe that cancer biology might not be the only thing you like, you have to go to Harvard, right? I mean, yeah, you can be a great cancer biologist at GSK, but you can also be a great cancer biologist at Harvard. However, you can't be a great neuroscientist or geneticist or microbiologist or computational biologist at GSK. Harvard lets you explore other fields. I did six years of cancer research before starting grad school. I interviewed at cancer only places and my research statements were all about cancer cell metabolism. Then I came to BBS and now I am in a neurogenomics lab using single cell RNA-seq to study neuron-glia interactions. It's a crazy world, so you don't want to put yourself in a box before even starting your PhD. Harvard also has something like 800 faculty with whom you can work. It's almost overwhelming how many choices you have. 
    Finally, Boston is just a wonderful place to live. My fiancee and I are from the midwest, but we've actually been really happy here. There are tons of breweries and great restaurants. The harbor is super fun. We live in a nice quiet neighborhood in Cambridge, and everything is chill. Harvard is always having events, so it's easy to find your niche. 
    Overall. I'm sorry your weekend at Harvard wasn't everything it's supposed to be, but I can honestly say being in BBS is pretty great. I don't think you'll regret choosing BBS over GSK. I've said a lot here, but I'd be happy to talk with you more in private message or elsewhere. I can also put you in contact with a first year BBS student who decided to join BBS over GSK. 
    Good luck with the decision making! 
  22. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from ProfONE in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  23. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from ProfONE in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
  24. Like
    blc073 got a reaction from eevee in 2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results   
    Hey everyone, best of luck with interviews and the whole admissions process. I know this is a very stressful time, but remember that you have worked hard to be where you are now and that hard work will pay off. 
    If you don't get an interview at your dream school, don't worry about it. I know plenty of people who ended up at a school other than their top choice and a year or so in they are loving it. Everything will work out, and at the end of the day, it's all about how hard you work. If you're going to be a good scientist, then you're going to be a good scientist, regardless of where you do your PhD. I know people who get Nature papers at lower tier schools and people who never publish at Harvard. It's up to you to make the most out of your experience wherever you end up, so go nail your interviews regardless of the program and be the great scientist you know you can be. 
    Good luck everyone! 
  25. Upvote
    blc073 got a reaction from Some violinist in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    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. 
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