GC2GC

I am getting ready to reapply for 2020, though I still need to retake my GRE. I think I’ll only do 2-3 schools this time around. I am also thinking of reapplying instead (or in addition) for fall 2021 or 2022, whichever year the University of Washington program starts.

Did you consider counseling with Crisis Text Line? Its great because you can do it from anywhere after your online training. I am behind in this forum so someone else may have already suggested it.

Thank you for reaching out to the director and sharing this helpful information. I may reach out like you suggested since I will be in Arizona in March...

Hi there! Congratulations on your Rutgers and Sarah Lawrence interviews. I am also curious about Mount Sinai as I have applied there as well.

I have just learned about this dual program ~ what an awesome opportunity! Congrats on your PhD interview, hope you get an interview for the GC program.

Ha ha, isn't that the truth?! Congratulations on all of your interviews. Good luck!

Hello Aspiring GC's! Its been several days so it took me almost an hour to catch up on all the recent posts! Congratulations to all of you who have been getting interview invitations! I will be happy if I get one or two more interview invitations this cycle ~ thrilled if I get up to four, but for now I am focusing on preparing for the one that I do have. I have my first mock interview scheduled. So far, interviewing has not been my strong suit, but I'll be doing what I can to change that. Suggestions from you great interviewers out there would be most welcome! Something that relaxes me while at the same time enriching my understanding of human genetics is reading. Thanks again to those of you who offered the great book suggestions, I am currently enjoying The Story Within: Personal Essays on Genetics and Identity by Amy Boesky. Cheers!

Thank you! My date was just confirmed for 2/22. Looks like yours in the next week ~ good luck to us!

This is great insight, sunT, thank you for offering your perspective. One question I remember being asked repeatedly last year was essentially, "Why do you want to be a genetic counselor?" In my case, it was more specifically, "Why do you want to leave your established career [in genomic research] to be a genetic counselor?", so I have been thinking of the best way to convey the answer to that question. I will have quite a bit more shadowing and advocacy experience to speak from after this last year, and I look forward to being able to draw from that as well this time around. It would be good for me to really think about what distinguishes me, aside from my magnetic personality, ha ha, because obviously that didn't quite do the trick last year!

Thank you, this is helpful!

Woohoo! I got one too!

Thank you!

Congratulations to dragongc10, Brideir, and all of you who have received interview invitations! It seems most of my schools are sending out invitations a little later, so I'll be on pins and needles for awhile until I get (hope hope) that first invitation...

Thank you, these sound like books I would enjoy! I enjoyed the book about specific genetic counselors and one of their patient's stories called Code Talkers.

I can definitely empathize with your situation, since I was working full time last Spring during interview season. One of my interviews was in the middle of the week and I took Friday off to make it seem more like a mini vacation, and the other was on Monday, in a beautiful place where I also had family, so again, I took extra time off and was able to make a mini vacation of it. It was during an intensely busy time in my lab so I put in weekend time to meet my deadline before I left, and had made an outline showing how I would continue the work when I got back... I was lucky that my supervisor respected my plan and my privacy. But in general I would advise to try to have faith that it will all work out ~ people at may be less suspicious than you might think, and if you do get multiple interviews, all the more chance that you will be moving on!

Thank you. Getting at least one interview offer will definitely be more motivating, but I feel like I need extra time to prepare for interviews so that I can be focused and concise. Good luck to all of us that are still hoping for that first interview offer!

I echo the sentiment many of you have expressed, that doubling the number of applications has not increased my peace of mind ~ in fact, with so much more of my life invested in this endeavor, I feel about five times the anxiety as I did last year. As I worked through my applications, I was encouraged by the facts that even with my lower GPA/GRE scores, I had two interviews last year, and since then I have increased my GPA with classes in statistics and psychology, and most significantly, I followed the grad school’s feedback and was able to get some fantastic shadowing experience, as well as tripling my advocacy experience. I believe my LORs are stronger this year as well. But now I am experiencing the fear that all of that may not be enough to offset my lower scores. What calms me down is to think about why I want to become a genetic counselor. I have a vision of serving my world by empowering families with knowledge about their genetics. I feel strongly that with my rich experience in genomic research, I bring with me a unique strength to the field. We’ll see! I know that while I wait to see whether or not I am offered that opportunity, there is much I can do to prepare for potential interviews. I would like to be better prepared for the interview question, “Do you have any questions for me about our program?” I thought one way to start might be to make a spreadsheet to compare the programs, and compose questions to fill in the blanks… Any ideas or tips? I would love to hear from you regarding how you are preparing for your interviews.

Hi Everyone, I will be a second time applicant. I applied to four programs last year and interviewed at two, but did not receive an offer. I am hopeful that with another year of improving on my application weaknesses, applying to more schools, and help of this forum, which I didn't find last year :(, I'll be more successful for the 2018 cycle. My background: I have a bachelor's degree in biology (GPA 2.96) and master's degree in biology (GPA 3.16). GRE: V: 166, Q: 147, AW: 3.5 (took GRE twice last year, not excited about taking again this year) I am transitioning to genetic counseling after several years as a research lab tech doing all types of sequencing. I enjoy my current work, but I am most intrigued by human genetics research and have a desire to interact with patients directly and participate in clinical research. -Shadowing: I have 3 days of shadowing so far and one more scheduled for next month. I have really enjoyed my shadowing days and they have helped to confirm my suspicion that becoming a GC will be a great career for me. -Advocacy: Probably my weakest area, but hoping to change that during the next 6 months. Past advocacy has been with a women's crisis shelter and working with children of various abilities at Morgan's Wonderland, "the world's first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone's enjoyment." I also have signed up for CTL. My application is complete, just waiting to hear back about approval and training. I received feedback from one of the programs that I applied to last cycle that work experience as a GCA would be a good way to also boost my application, so I am currently applying for GCA positions. I completed a probability and statistics course during the spring and I'm planning on taking at least one more course, but haven't decided which to take yet. I'm leaning toward the Embryology course, but I could also see a second course in psychology helping my application. I am also encouraged by the addition of KGI, U of Arizona, MGH, and Columbia, that's possibly 30 more spots available in 2018. As @jbv510 said, "the next 11 months are going to be crazy!", but with each other's support we'll all make it through.