Nefelibata
-
Posts
182 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Everything posted by Nefelibata
-
@katiespencer it's pretty common for applicants to be in that situation! Most schools will tell you to send your official transcripts without the grades, as they will still show that you are taking the class. Then once you get your grades, you can send them an unofficial copy that has the grades reported (it's nice of them to save us from paying twice).
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
@GC12018 I'm applying out of state to increase my chances, and I will do what it takes to be a GC! I've been to other countries for weeks/months at a time so going somewhere new doesn't really phase me, I actually really enjoy exploring new places. I do also have a slight crutch in the fact that my significant other and two dogs will be moving with me, so I know that I won't be completely alone. My S/O has lived in multiple states growing up, so he also isn't super phased by going somewhere new. He said I should apply to "warm places that don't have winter" as he states it, lol. And even if I end up not being totally in love with the city I move to, I will just remind myself that it is only 2 years of my life!
-
Some schools are firm on the types of classes they require to make sure you have the background they want. I personally didn't know you could take biochem without taking at least ochem 1 first, but every school is different. I would just contact the program and ask them. That's what I've been doing to make sure my AP stats course is okay to use for the statistics pre req. You could offer a copy of your course syllabus if you still have it, and maybe they will look it over and say it's okay to not have the ochem class?
-
Friday or Monday were the days I was given to choose from. I do know of some other schools that do Saturday interviews. Most schools will give you multiple dates to choose from too, so if you have a test on a particular Friday or something you should be able to schedule your interview around it.
-
I would recommend watching the recording of Baylor's webinar. They talk about scholarships/grants and financial aid in it. @electric_umbrella Some applications I've seen specifically ask if you're using a dossier. For the ones that don't, you could contact the program and ask if it's okay.
-
I'm not sure Cincinnati's video essay is actually required. There was discussion on the grad cafe board last year about it. I'll have to go back and look but I thought someone said it wasn't actually required!
-
I was originally planning on applying to Michigan but then found out that they don't accept AP credit for any of their pre-reqs (stats, in my case) Which is a bummer because I liked the look of their program and I have family in Ann Arbor!
-
Right, but they could start applications in fall 2018 for admission fall 2019. They way I understood the initial comment was they weren't planning to start applications until fall 2019 for admission fall 2020.
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
@saidawg It sounds like you have a lot of things you plan on doing, and they all seem to be on the right track. One thing I would maybe change is instead of getting letters of rec from two professors, get one from a professor and one from your crisis hotline. Advocacy is one of the most important things on the application and a letter of rec from your advocacy experience will carry more weight than two professor letters in my opinion. Also, letters of rec are typically submitted electronically directly from the person recommending you. I'm not sure if there is an actual rule, but I personally have never heard of an applicant submitting their own letters of rec that were given to them ahead of time. @Brit0312 I'm currently taking the Cincinnati clinical embryology course and I know a few others have taken it as well. It's a nice set up, you get a year to complete it at your own pace. As for shadowing, the NSGC website has recorded videos of genetic counseling sessions online that you can watch, which many programs will recommend for those who don't have shadowing opportunities in their area. The main thing they want to see is that you know what the career entails. Also, with you major being genetics, I would think your courses align pretty well with the pre-req's that the graduate programs require. If you have any questions about them specifically, I would just reach out to a program you are interested in and ask them. One last thing -- you can apply to programs while still finishing up your degree. You say you will finish at the end of 2018, so if you wanted you would be able to start applications September 2018, because the school year doesn't begin until the following year in September 2019. There are many applicants in the US who don't graduate until May of 2018 who have already started applications with the intent to begin the master's program in September 2018.
-
From what I have learned/been told, it depends on how old you are. If you will be a new college grad/recent college grad, typically you should include any job/experience you have had since starting college. If you are 3-5 years out, you should typically include what you have done since college, and only relevant things that were done when in college. Once you start reaching 6+ years out of college, what you did in college is not really relevant anymore. As you get older from there, it is common to only include what you have done the last 5ish years, and only relevant experience further back from those 5 years. Of course, there are always exceptions to this as well. If you are changing careers you want to give a little more detailed history, or if you have moved up/changed positions within a company over time you want to indicate that as well. Part of what they are looking for on a resume/CV is just job consistency. They want to see that you have work experience and that you didn't quit/get fired from all your jobs within a couple months. I will be two years out of college and while it is not very relevant to genetic counseling, I worked in retail at the same store for 4 years (and moved up in positions) during college so I will still be including that on my resume because it shows that I was committed to my job.
-
I'll second @AspiringGC that the GRE isn't critical as long as you are over the 50th percentile in each category. I was 60% in two and 80% in one and the schools I applied to last year told me in my feedback that my GRE scores were acceptable to the admissions committees.
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
@WFUGC , I wouldn't worry about being a non-science major as long as you have all the pre-reqs in. It looks like you've researched the schools pretty well, but something else to consider (if you haven't already) are the schools who have high interest in bilingual people. I know Sarah Lawrence and UC Irvine are both especially interested in bilinguals - I also have a Spanish background and it was suggested to me by the director of the program nearest to me that I should apply to those schools. I'm not sure if it was through the school or what, but I do know that someone who graduated from Sarah Lawrence did get some special certification that lets them do their genetic counseling in two different languages without an interpreter present.
-
I didn't hear anything about it at the symposium, sorry! If their genetic counseling page has a phone number to contact, I would try calling them if they aren't answering emails.
-
@freckledgenes, @jbv510 how are you two planning on dressing for the conference? Formal business, business casual?
-
I'm flying so I'm staying at the Country Inn & Suites by the airport.
-
I would be able to do dinner Friday night or lunch on Saturday!
-
@freckledgenes I am going! I arrive around 11am on Friday
-
My understanding is that yes, you could rank only the scholarship option and not rank at all the non-scholarship option. Also as as a reminder to everyone, we only end up ranking the schools we receive interviews at! We do not rank until March after interviews are over.
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
So for UAB, students have the option to go to another site for a month, semester, or year during their second year. So if you want to or are okay with being placed on one of those tracks, you rank them in the order of your preference. If you don't want to do your second year at any place other than the main campus, you just don't rank the additional tracks and only rank the 12110 track, which is the main UAB one. For one example, I am applying to Augustana. Students at Augustana have the option to spend their second year in either Sioux Falls or San Diego, they split the class half and half. If I am okay with either, I would rank them according to my preference (2nd year Sioux Falls first, 2nd year San Diego second). If I don't want to be considered for admission if my only option is San Diego the second year (Say the first 4 students they select all preferred Sioux Falls the second year, and I am student 5), then I just wouldn't rank the San Diego track at all. Does that make sense?
-
So when it comes to letters of rec... I volunteer with CTL but they only do letters of rec for people who have been volunteering for a minimum of a year (which I will not have reached by the time apps are due)... What am I supposed to do for the apps that really push having a LOR from your advocacy place??
-
MGH does not plan to take applications until next fall. Columbia was unsure last time I communicated with them.
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
@hurricanehayley It sounds like you have a solid application on the GPA/GRE/research side of your application. As for advocacy, I don't think you have a real weakness there. You have been with CTL for several months, and you also have to remember that schools won't be reading your application until December at the earliest, so you will have 4-5 more months on top of what you already have! I've only been with CTL for a month, but by the time they read my application I will have ~6 months of it under my belt, and I think that is a decent chunk of time. What they really want to see is that you went through training that taught you how to counsel. Like TAGC said, the shadowing is a HUGE part of the application. More so than even research/GRE/grades I would say. In my undergrad I helped start the pre-genetic counseling club, which had a different genetic counselor come talk to us every month among other things we did. But even with that, a common criticism of my application last year was that I didn't have enough actual shadowing experience (only one day). I've seen on more than one application that asks you to check yes or no if you've shadowed anyone, and one application even asked to list names of the GC's shadowed. The fact that you've been through the genetic counseling process, however, could definitely make up for lack of shadowing. If you do decide to apply this year, I would really talk up that experience.
-
@GCtobee September 1st seems to be when most applications open. Most programs list a date on their website or post the link on their site when they're open.
- 2,095 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- genetics
- genetic counseling
- (and 1 more)
-
@lilmaz You could send them both transcripts anyway and maybe send an email to give them a heads up. I attended two colleges and during applications last year only ran across one application that didn't let me list more than one college. I emailed the program and they said to just send both transcripts and they would make a note on the file that there was more than one transcript to review. And on another note, if you feel like your Master's is relevant and makes you a stronger candidate, write about that in your personal statement
-
@freckledgenes I didn't get a confirmation either when I signed up and felt weird too so I emailed the contact. She emailed me back and said the survey platform they used doesn't auto send out confirmation emails but that I was in fact registered. They sent out a mass email to all registered around the 2 months to go mark, I'm sure they'll send one out around the 1 month to go mark too. If you don't get one around that time, then maybe email them.