BabyScientist

Follow up after a week or two with those that didn't respond. They may still not respond, and that's your hint to give up, but they may have just forgotten about the email or it got lost among the hundreds of emails they get daily. If you have other faculty of interest you want to speak with, go for it, but don't contact people you aren't interested in.

Don't be freaked out! I had a great experience doing it. Some people responded just saying something like "we can meet during the interviews" (as in IF you get an interview), and some never responded, but those who did were extremely kind and helpful. Don't be disappointed by those who don't respond - remember that they're super busy people, and you might want to follow up (once) about a week later if they haven't responded. But it's also important to know if they people you most want to work with aren't taking students (which some did tell me), then there's no point applying to that school. Good luck!

Definitely not

From my experience, publications were important. They are evidence of valuable contribution to research. As in an indication that you did more than just "bitch work" for the lab. But I may have also had that impression because I did have publications. You'd have to make up for it somehow - strong LORs will definitely help if the PI highlights your scientific contributions. Poster presentations could help too if you have that opportunity. Really just make sure to write an SOP that adequately illustrates that you have a solid understanding of what it is to do research. Let me know if you have more questions or want help narrowing down your list!

Generally they don't request study abroad transcripts, especially if they're already reflected on your undergrad transcripts. I don't know how being an international student will play in, but I think you should add some mid-tier schools. Rockefeller, NYU, and Cornell are good options, but very highly regarded (though not quite Harvard/UCSF level). Consider BostonU, UWisconsin Madison, MD Anderson, etc. All well regarded schools that are high mid-tier.

This is a pretty solid list. The lack of publications makes it tough for me to gage odds, but presentations, a strong SOP, and LORs could make up for that.

Don't bother retaking your GRE just for verbal your scores are good and the GRE is becoming less and less important. I don't know if the names listed next to the schools are your POIs, but generally good advice is don't apply anywhere where you only have 1 or 2 POIs. Your list is top heavy, so try adding a few more mid tier schools.

The lack of publications is hard... But I don't think it'll screw you entirely. If I were you I would try to at least get a poster presentation? But the fact that you're working in industry would explain that well. You should write a killer SOP that really explains why you want to go to grad school. Why the move from industry to academia? Contact POIs in advance and talk to them about your research interests and theirs and maybe ask them how bad the lack of publications is? If they want you badly enough they can lobby for you to get in. Maybe also consider USC, UCSB, NYU, UPitt, Boston U, Tufts. I know people who got into some of those MCB programs with similar stats to yours. Boston is a great place to be if you're interested in going back to industry.

GRE scores are not heavily weighted on applications. Someone might look at your Quant score and be like ehhhhh but then see your research experience and be like k whatever. If you could retake the GRE and did even a little better in math, that factor would be removed, but it's still not a big deal. What schools are you looking to apply to?

I'd say you're aiming too high. That isn't to say that you don't have a chance at Harvard, MIT, UCSF tier schools, but literally no one has such good odds that they can put most of their eggs in that basket. GRE scores you should aim for are around 160, but that is weighted low relative to other factors of your application.

Not a dumb question at all! I contacted faculty before applying, if only to establish a connection in case I did get an interview. I chose the top people I was interested in and sent them an email explaining that I was applying and was interested in their work. I described some of my past experiences in the field, then I explained exactly what they did that was of interest to me and how it relates to my interests or past experiences (not in great detail or anything). The only questions I really asked were "Do you know if you'll be taking students next year?" and "Would you be able to speak over the phone sometime to further discuss my interests?" Bonus points if you have actual questions about their research, but they better be well-informed questions. I did have a few phone calls with faculty - I told them about my interests and why that program is exciting to me. They told me about their research, and even gave me some tips about the program that helped me bolster my SOP for that program. This was all for neuroscience PhD programs. Feel free to PM me and I can send you examples of my emails or answer more questions.

GRE scores are not as critical as you might think. Some schools aren't even requiring them anymore. Aim for 155+ in verbal and quant, but really that number just means "above average". If you do super well, it helps, if you do meh, it's almost irrelevant (depending on the school). Top programs get a lot of applicants, so they tend to weed people out based on numbers in their first round of looking at applications. That's where GPA matters most. You should look at schools across all tiers - University of Vermont, UC Davis, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Virginia, and maybe throw in a few of the Harvard Yale MIT Stanford type schools. At this point, the best things you can do to bolster your application are writing a killer SOP, making sure your LOR are strong, and contacting faculty of interest at your schools of interest to make sure the research interests actually match.

Don't worry about the C+, I had 2 of those in science courses and still got in. Those publications will definitely help, as well as the fact that you had a grant proposal awarded. If the publications haven't been submitted yet, you can still put them on your CV as "manuscript in progress". Pretty solid applicant for most of the schools on your list. Focus on writing a strong SOP that really explains why you want to join these programs, and you may even have a shot at the higher tier schools.

Is there any reason why you're only applying in NY? Maybe branch out a bit?

Based on how many chemistry classes you've taken? You're definitely over thinking it.

At some schools, a sub par GPA can be outweighed by strong research experience. Schools like Harvard, Yale, UCSF, MIT, etc are more likely to filter you out in their first round based on GPA alone (more competitive schools can afford to do that), but I think you'd have good odds at places like Boston University, UPittsburg, UWisconsin Madison, Northwestern, NYU, USC. Really, you should be deciding where to apply based on faculty with your research interests, so just think of schools that might be in your range and see if they have faculty working on something you're interested in. As for your sob story - it's not your sob story, it's your reality. Your statement of purpose should be focused on why you would make a good researcher and why you want to do it. I would advise focusing on that in your SOP, with maybe a little reference to having a tough family situation in your intro, and writing something up separately that you can upload as supplemental information explaining your situation. I knew someone with a 2.9 undergrad GPA with an honestly less terrible sob story who got into both USC and NYU for cell/molec bio. Focus on writing a strong statement of purpose that really shows you have what it takes, getting strong letters of recc, and applying only to schools that really match your research interests. I'd be happy to help with all this - feel free to message me.

I would talk to her about it. If you had a good relationship beforehand, you should be able to openly discuss it with her. You may have to talk about why you had to leave and explain that it was better for you and you appreciated her advice back then anyway. But if she seems grudgey about it, don't use her letter. A bad letter from someone with clout is worse than a good letter from a scientific "nobody". You could also ask a postdoc you worked with for a letter if need be. Strong letters, no matter who they're from, will out shadow not having a letter from a substantial experience.

I agree with the other posts. If you're interested in immunology, and your experience is immunology, the subfield is irrelevant. Any experience is good experience, so long as you have good reason why you're interested in the program your applying to itself. Being in the same lab for at least a year shows commitment to a project - that's important. If you like the lab you're in and the work you're doing, stick to it. Starting in a new lab right before applications are due will not benefit you. PhD programs are long (5+ years), and require a commitment to one project the entire time. You want to show perseverance - prove to them that tough times when your experiments don't work won't make you want to drop out of grad school.

I would be very careful about having a LOR you're not sure about. I know someone personally who requested her 3rd letter of recc from a professor she hadn't seen in 5 years but had a great relationship with when she was in his class - he told her he would write it but warned that his memory is going bad, she figured it was fine. It wasn't. Turned an easily amazing applicant into someone who barely got 2/15 interviews.

I think that, with a strong SOP and strong LORs, you're likely to get interviews at most of those schools. It doesn't matter if the publications haven't been submitted or accepted at a journal yet - you can include them in your CV (as long as there's some sort of title) and just stick "manuscript in preparation" at the end of the citation. If you're presenting at a conference after the application deadlines, you can mention it in your SOP. If you're interested in neuroimmunology, I would consider adding the University of Virginia BIMS program to your list - they have a center (the BIG center) dedicated to neuroimmunology research and a huge faculty for it.

Hey! I'm in the process of trying to figure out the most cost efficient way to ship/move all my things across the country, and I figured there are probably a bunch of you out there in the same boat. Why not try to share the cost burden? I only have a few furniture pieces and some boxes. Anyone want to share moving truck space and cost? Details: Moving from California bay area to Washington, DC/Bethesda, MD area Have to be in DC second week of July We have a queen mattress, TV, small desk, and some boxes (fit in a standard pick up truck bed last time we moved). We're looking at a 16' moving truck costing about $2.2k (still looking for a better deal). We don't have nearly enough to fill a 16' truck. I'm thinking if we get a bunch of people with just some stuff they want to ship from and to similar areas, we can all save some money. We can drive the truck itself so it's like you just shipped your things. Anyone interested? Or know of some sort of website that does something like this?

I agree with @eevee. It's something you could mention briefly were you to get to the interview phase (interviewers are also gauging how likely you'd be to attend the school were you to be admitted), but definitely not on the application. Emphasize the academic reasons why you want to and are qualified to go there.

I suggest looking in neighborhoods like Sawtelle for UCLA housing. You can bike/bus from there, or have a short commute. Anything much further would be hell as far as traffic goes.

First, research should be the most important thing. If you can see yourself happy at Scripps, it's probably the way to go. Another thing to consider is networking opportunities. Scripps is right by UCSD, and in close proximity to UCLA, USC, and other renowned institutions. The networking/collaboration opportunities between these institutions are limitless.

They could be on vacation or something. I would send a follow up email. If you committed in their portal, I'm sure you're fine.