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BabyScientist

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Everything posted by BabyScientist

  1. Pretty sure they meant CV but also they really are unlikely to notice the difference. They just care about the information conveyed in the CV/resume - the layout is irrelevant. I'd go with CV because it's an academic institution and they care more about your academic/research related achievements than work experience. Again, they just want the information from it - think about what info they'll care more about. Remember that it's a committee of faculty members/human beings, and the difference between a CV and resume really just comes down to layout/order/detail; they won't notice/care the difference as long as they get the info they want.
  2. Publications only unless they ask for abstracts/presentations. Cite presentations on your CV.
  3. Your application looks like it's pretty solid - just depends on LORs and SOP. Make sure you write a strong SOP that really says why you want to pursue this degree, why that school/program in particular, and which faculty there you'd want to work with (name ~3-5). That looks like a solid range of schools to me. I'd guess the "reach" schools for you would probably just be UPenn, Cornell, and maybe UWashington (would be reach for neuroscience, but idk about MCB). If you aren't super excited about some of the" lower tier" schools, I'd even recommend adding one or two more "reach" schools (UCSD/UCLA/UCSF? Not sure where there are good cancer bio programs).
  4. It definitely looks like you'll have better odds now than when you applied in undergrad. Unfortunately, your GPA could still be a drawback, and I think you have too many reach schools on your list. It isn't too early to contact people, especially if you're going to SfN. When I applied I emailed people beforehand and mentioned I'd be going to SfN so we could meet if they were too. If they weren't, we could do a phone call. If your 2 people suck or talk to, or aren't taking students, you want to know that before you apply. I'm in one of the programs on your list and would be happy to answer any questions if you want to PM me!
  5. BabyScientist

    SfN 2018

    I'll be there as well! And at the grad school fair for at least part of it.
  6. Agreed with above. They can't make assumptions when you don't submit scores. For all they know, you couldn't afford to take it or send them. Or you thought 80th percentiles were low and didn't send them. Only submit if you think your scores can help you.
  7. The GRE really isn't that critical. They'll look at it, sure, but it won't discount your 4.0 or your experience. They say GRE scores can only help, not hurt you. That being said, if you can take it again, no reason why not. A month is plenty to study and take it again. If you're going to retake it, make sure you take a bunch of timed, online practice tests, and practice your vocab. Just remember that it isn't the most important thing on your application.
  8. I'm a little biased because I worked at Cedars for years, but I'd say your stats definitely qualify you there. But also don't limit yourself just because of your GPA. My GPA was a 3.4 and I'm at an Ivy... I did have a lot of experience and publications to balance that, though. Other UCs (Davis, Irvine, SB) would be good, hospital PhD programs (like the ones I mentioned, plus I think Mayo Clinic and City of Hope). It's really a matter of knowing there are at least 3 faculty members you want to work with. Look for faculty, not just schools. I recommend looking up grants you're interested in on the NIH project reporter website and looking for similar grants and seeing what schools they're at.
  9. I think your list has too many reach schools (half..). If you're interested specifically in translational bio, have you considered grad programs at hospitals? Mt Sinai in NYC, Cleveland Clinic, Cedars Sinai in LA (highly recommend this one I'd you want to keep doing tissue engineering - big Regenerative Medicine dept). They all have PhD programs with a heavy emphasis in translational bio.
  10. Your application looks pretty solid. I wouldn't worry about non research LORs. The research ones, if strong, will speak to your research abilities and the others will speak to you as a person. I had more than one C in college and didn't bring it up; I just had a sentence in my SOP that said something about my grades improving as I got more excited about my research/the content of my classes. Your list isn't unrealistic - it depends on the strength of your LORs and SOP. If your research LOR emphasizes your contribution to the research, it will definitely help you. There are people in my class with less research experience than that. You seem to be looking at Chicago area schools. Have you considered Northwestern and UWisconsin Madison?
  11. Agreed with above. I had quite a few phone and Skype calls when I was applying. They all went about the same. They asked what they could do for me, I told them I was interested in applying and their work in particular appealed to me. I gave a quick rundown of my primary research interests unless they asked for more background, then they proceeded to monologue about their work, with me inserting comments or questions wherever I could. Then I asked generic questions about the program or their lab. They're really not going to quiz you on anything. Bonus points if you have something valuable to say about their papers, but they really don't expect that and you'd actually probably lose points if you said or asked something about a publication just for the sake of doing so and clearly seemed like you didn't get it.
  12. You might also want to look into the University of Virginia if you're interested in neuron-glia interactions. They have a center called the BIG center (brain immunity and glia, I think) and some of the biggest names in neuroimmunology. I almost went there for that myself. You should go to the grad school fair at SfN and try to ask at some of the tables how they handle interviews for people who are abroad. I'll probably be at one of those booths!
  13. Your application looks good, nothing to worry about with your GRE, it's a great score and many schools aren't even requiring it anymore. As far as being abroad... I met someone during an interview who was living in Italy at the time. Not sure how it affects your application, but she obviously got invited to interviews. I don't think they'd really look at that, as whether or not someone is in the country during interviews isn't something that makes them a good candidate or not. Lastly, you have 5 schools on your list that would all be a reach for anyone. Nothing wrong with just applying to those, but you'd have to be okay with the chance that you won't get in. Make sure there are at least 3 people at each school who you really want to work with, and try broadening your list to include more realistic schools, if there are people at those who you're interested in working with.
  14. My suggestion is the NIH project reporter tool. Look up people's NIH funded grants. You can also look for similar grants to one's you're interested in in to give you an idea of where/which people are doing what you're interested in doing.
  15. GRE really isn't a big part of the application. It can't really hurt you. I wouldn't spend the time/money on it
  16. 1. Your application seems strong on the experience/CV side. Make sure to complement that with strong LORs and SOP. 2. Your experience/interests sound super cool... Jealous 3. Have you considered UC Davis?
  17. I would wait another week. For the actual follow up: You should reply to the original email you sent so it's right there for them to see if they missed it the first time. I'd say something like "I just wanted to follow up on my previous email. I'm very interested in your research and hope we can discuss our mutual interests sometime. I'm sure you're very busy, but I appreciate any opportunity to learn more about your work." Remember that they get hundreds of emails every day (probably more this time of year) and your email could have just gotten lost in the mix. Also consider your subject line. A boring/generic/too much work subject line is unlikely to draw them in. Go for something general and short that still describes your email but might make them wonder what it's about.
  18. Agreed on this generally, except that I know some people are just really set on starting next year. If you just really want/need to get into grad school, nothing wrong with applying to some schools you might not have otherwise considered. I ended up loving my initial least favorite schools and hating my initial tops. You get a different view after interviews. One of my "safeties" ended up being the main contender to the program I ended up choosing because at interviews I learned that they had some of the biggest names in a specialized subfield I was interested in, even though they didn't generally have as good a reputation as some other schools I got into. Moral of the story: focus on schools with faculty doing stuff you're interested in, not well known schools. Don't Google schools and check their faculty lists, Google people and check where they are. Ultimately the research you do is most important (not that institutions reputations don't matter, but if you can be successful in a lab matters more).
  19. GRE scores are being weighted way less nowadays. Don't worry about them. Depending on your LORs and SOPs, your list looks fine
  20. I recommend posting this in the biology forum where there are specific posts for this already.
  21. That's not the standard in the US, but it's not unusual to at least contact faculty to express interest.
  22. 10 is pretty standard, but only apply to schools with faculty you really want to work with. You have a good application (depending on SOP and LORs), but you probably have 2 too many top tier programs. Make sure there are actually at least 3 faculty members at each school you'd be really excited to work with.
  23. I know that UVA has a strong emphasis in neuroimmunology - that probably includes some autoimmune disorders.
  24. Safe doesn't really exist. Just depends on your stats....
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