laserlobotomy

Has anybody heard from USC?

I just submitted my applications and I'm curious to see what you all think of my chances. Undergrad Uni: University of Illinois at Chicago Major: Neuroscience GPA 3.53 GPA in Major: 3.45 GRE Percentiles: Verbal - 72% Quant. - 56% Analytical - 59% Research Experience: I have worked in two different labs, one for organic and biochemistry and another in neurobiology. I will work in the neurobiology lab at least until I graduate giving me a total of 15 months of research experience. In both I was an undergraduate research assistant. Neurobiology- My project was to characterize a mutation in a gene which caused abnormal left-right development of neurons in C. elegans. This required me to elucidate the dominant or recessive nature of the mutation and the location of the gene in the worm’s genome. Organic/Biochemistry- While working in this lab, I gained experience with both organic synthesis and chemical biology. My responsibilities included synthesizing various molecules so graduate students in the lab could use them for their own research, and training new undergraduates. Awards and Affiliations- 4 appearances on the deans list and member of the Nu Rho Psi National Honors Society Statement of Purpose- I had a post-doc look it over and she said I did a great job. Special Feature- I was a student-athlete all four years competing in cross country and track and field. I was named captain on both teams my junior and senior year. I also managed to win NCAA D1 National Cross Country athlete of the week. My selling point for this is that I am able to do well in class, manage graduate level courses, and do research with less time on my hands than my peers (about 24 hours a week). I also have volunteer work. I have 4 letters of rec- 2 from professors I have done research for. Both should write great letters, as one of them offered me a summer job after volunteering for a semester. Another form a prominent professor at UIC and my coach also wrote me a letter, which will undoubtedly be good. Schools Applied To: All are for the Neuroscience graduate program USC- Been in contact with a grad student for a professor I want to work with UCSD UCSF UCLA University of Oregon University of Illinois at Chicago- I currently work for the PI doing recruiting for the program