prospectivegrad1

Hmm interesting. Thanks for your advice--I'll chat it up with my current supervisors.

Hey @TakeruK, thanks for your advice. My response to your suggestion on getting someone who I worked closely with to assist in the letter writing is that the grad student that I worked closely has graduated. In addition, the hands-off nature of my previous PI was more extreme than your example. I only met with the PI twice the entire time I spent in that lab (I spent a summer there). The reason I believe the professor would be the better option is mostly because of the rigor of the course I took with him. In this course, I was given the opportunity to develop a PhD research, propose experiments that will address the hypothesis and present it to the class. I also had to write a grant proposal on this project. Overall, I think the professor and I are both aware of the skills obtained from this course and how these skills are critical in graduate studies. What do you think?

Hey all, So my current situation is this: I have 2 strong LORs (one from my current PI, another from a close collaborator) but for my third LOR, I have to decide between my previous PI and a professor that I worked closely with in two of my courses. Because I believe that my professor knows me very well and my way of thinking, I decided to ask the professor for a LOR as opposed to my previous PI. But since I will be talking (briefly) about my research experience with my previous PI in my SOP, do you think the absence of LOR will be a red flag? I know my previous PI could write me a LOR if I asked for one, but I truly think that the LOR from my professor will be stronger. This is because my previous PI was not very hands-on (ie. she didn't see me often) and it has been >2 years since I worked for her. What do you guys think? Will this be a red flag? Thanks!

Hey @DogsArePeopleToo, I agree with what you are saying about weighing verbal vs. quant. Is it true that some biology programs care more about verbal and others care more about quant? Hmm, I've never seen any schools post average GRE scaled score. Also, I just noticed you're a Canadian student attending an American university. I'm looking to be in the same boat as you!

Hey all, I have a quick question regarding the average GRE scores for schools. Let's say the average GRE score for a school is 70th percentile, and you score 60th on one section (calls this verbal, for the sake of it) and 80th on another section (continuing with our example, this will be quantitative). Would the quantitative section make up for the verbal? Or should one fret over the verbal score? I'm not sure if schools treat both of them equally and take the "average" between both (so then average between 60 and 80 would be 70!) Yes, I am speaking from experience.

I just took a look at University of Utah--great suggestion, thanks!! Do you have any other suggestions for schools that, say, have a strong focus on RNA?

I'm interested in the regulation of gene expression (ex. epigenetics, post-transcriptional regulation, transcriptional regulation). My letter writers are: my PI (strong reference), another PI who I worked closely with via collaboration (an okay reference; I worked with him but he hasn't really seen my critical thinking process) and a professor from one of my undergrad courses (I think this one will be pretty strong; he knows about me quite well so he'll probably have some things to say).

Undergrad Institution: Top ranked school in CanadaMajor(s): Molecular BiologyMinor(s):GPA in Major: A bit above 3.93Overall GPA: 3.93Position in Class: Near topType of Student: International, maleGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 162V: 153W: N/A (waiting)B: (verbal score is a bit worring!) TOEFL Total: N/AResearch Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...) A total of around 1.5 years of research at my undergraduate institution. Hoping to get a manuscript submitted before application deadline but no guarantee... Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?) - Dean's list throughout undergrad career -Awarded for top student in laboratory class, worth $100 -Obtained two grade-based scholarships from university, valued at $1000 each -3 poster presentations at undergraduate research symposiums -2 poster presentations at two separate conferences -> Poster finalist at both of these conferences Pertinent Activities or Jobs: -Wrote science articles online at one point but not sure if this holds any value nowAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: - PI is well-recognized at some of the institutions I'm interested in. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:Applying to Where:UMass Med School - GSBS Case Western Reserve University - BSTP Stanford - Biosciences UC Denver Ohio State University Yale - BBS (I'm still thinking of more but these are my top picks as of right now) Is my application strong for these schools? I'm particular interested in UMass and Case. Any other recommendations for schools?