[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

11 hours ago, Anne09 said:

You're totally right. Went through them and now am only applying to 5 schools that have faculty that align with my research interests. 

 

Thanks for the feedback!

Also make sure those 5 aren't top tier schools. To have the best odds at admission, you should have a few top, more mid, and a few lower tier schools (I don't think "low tier/safety" really exists in grad school).

If you can't find any lower to mid tiers you'd be interested in attending, and you would be okay with not getting in this year and applying again next year, that's fine. But you should try to look into people doing stuff you're interested in at non Ivy/Ivy-level schools. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

13 hours ago, parsnip06 said:

Undergrad Institution: State flagship school, R1 research
Major(s): Biology, cell/molecular
Minor(s): Chemistry, music
GPA in Major: 3.99
Overall GPA: 3.993
Position in Class: Top 5% Magna Cum Laude
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores:
Q: 161
V: 164
W: 4.5
B: Not taking

Research Experience: 2 years in current cell biology lab, including 1 gap year full time as lab manager. 1 summer NIH internship program in immunology lab, 1 previous semester in undergraduate intro-to-research program in a biochem lab. 1 3rd author publication in submission process. Upcoming poster at ASCB meeting.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 8 semesters on the Dean's list, 4 yrs full ride scholarship from university, Biology department scholarship, private undergraduate research fellowship

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 4 semesters cell biology TA, 1 semester biological diversity TA, organized undergrad journal club course for evolutionary health interest group

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Lots of extracurricular music activities, but not very relevant

Special Bonus Points: female from extremely religious/conservative area; not much exposure to science before college

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Was premed until third bout of cancer this year and I realized all I want to do is bench science. Debating if/how this needs to show up in my personal statement. 

Applying to Where:
UW MCB and biology

UCSF Tetrad

Oregon IMB (maybe)

Michigan MCDB

Berkeley MCB

University of Rochester MCDB

Dartmouth MCB

Brown MCB

Yale BBS

 

What do you think? Probably need more safety schools and fewer top tier schools, I know. Looking for mid-tier schools with strong research in RNA and/or membrane trafficking. Suggestions?

I think you have a very solid application. There's nothing that jumps out as could hold you back. As long as you have great letters of rec and a strong SOP, your list looks fine. As I say to everyone, though, make sure you're actually interested in at least 3 faculty at each school.

As far as school suggestions, I think Brandeis has great people doing membrane trafficking stuff.

I think your special bonus points and any other info comments could both be looked at as very interesting by admissions committees. If cancer is relevant to why you want to go into research, you should mention that in your SOP.

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

11 hours ago, mcfc2018 said:

Am I required to include the other schools that I am applying to? Does it hurt my application if I have a lot/a little?

It shouldn't matter. They just want an idea of if they choose to accept you will you have way better options or is there a good chance you'd accept the offer.

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

2 hours ago, leecy77 said:

I would add in a few more safety schools as I know there are very few spots for international students at many universities, so it might be better if your finances permit to apply to a more broad range of schools.

Seconded. It's really hard to just put all your eggs in the prestigious basket when it's so ambiguous what your odds are as an international student. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

3 hours ago, rorykinss said:

Undergrad Institution: International school.
Major(s): Biotechnology
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: N/A 
Overall GPA: 86% 
Position in Class: 3rd of my class

Graduate Institution: Top 10 public US university
Major(s):  M.Sc. Animal Science (Doing mostly genetics & computational biology work) (Will finish In spring 2019)
GPA in Major: 
Overall GPA: 3.9 
Position in Class: I am not sure, but I am at the top surely. 
Type of Student: International female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158
V: 162
W: don’t remember.

TOEFL
Total: 117

 

Research Experience: 
-1 year of research in cell models for in vitro fertilization for bachelor’s thesis
-Internship in viral vaccine production company producing and developing vaccines.
-1 year of working in a goverment food microbiology lab 
-5 months of research in stem cell transcriptomics at the bioinformatics lab of a recognized institute
-2 years of research in transcriptomics/epigenomics using computational biology for master’s thesis
-1 publication as 2nd author, 2 publications under review as 2nd author, 2 submitted publications (one as middle author and one as 1st author).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)
-Received department scholarship
-Was invited to speak at huge international conference

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)
-Undergrad TA for biochemistry lab
-TA for a programming course
-Reviewer for journal of undergraduate research for my school

Applying to Where:

I’m not sure of my chances  at any of these places or how competitive I might be for a PhD program, if any of you could indicate me that would be great!
If you all have any other suggestions of some places to apply that would be great as well.

University of Chicago- Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology
Boston University - Bioinformatics
Tri-Institutional - Computational Biology and Medicine
CMU-Pitt - Computational Biology
Columbia - Systems Biology
Cornell - Genetics, Genomics and development
Sanger Institute 4-year PhD program
EMBL-EBI PhD program

I think your profile is okay for those schools, but it's always hard to judge with international students. If you have the means, you might want to add a few more lower tier schools if you can find some with faculty of interest. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

1 hour ago, Anne09 said:

Thank you for all the feedback. I took my GRE again and my scores are now: 

Quant:158, verbal: 157

Still not the best, I know...

Currently I am applying to MIT, Harvard, Stanford, University of Oxford, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Northwestern University, Princeton, University of Chicago, USCD, University of Pennsylvania, University of California - Berkeley, Cornell University, Duke, Brown, Tufts, UCLA, Dartmouth, EPFL (maybe USCF)

I know these are a lot, but my mentality is just to apply to a bunch and see what happens.

Any other feedback is appreciated. 

That is a very long list of really high tier schools. If you can afford it, go for it. But it also is almost impossible that you have enough faculty of interest at each of those schools. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

19 hours ago, sunshinebloom said:

 

Undergrad Institution: National University of Singapore (World 15^th, Asia 1^st)   
Major(s): Life Sciences
Minor(s): Forensic Science
GPA in Major: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.55
Position in Class: Near the top (Distinction class)
Type of Student: International female
I actually just graduated from Uni two months ago, so most of my experience comes from my undergraduate research, and I haven’t had any experience working in research formally. 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 165 (88%)
V: 151 (52%)
W: 5.0 (92%) 
I’m doing GRE Biology test in October, I hope it can help boost my application and bolster my poor verbal score if I manage to score well… should I consider retaking my GRE General? I don’t know, I for my life cannot score well with memorizing all those tough words for the verbal section… Is my 151 verbal score a rejection factor? 

TOEFL Total: Not applicable, I’m a native English speaker 

Research Experience:

Two years of experience in lab settings (biochem, microbio, immuno facilities): 

-      Spent one year during 3^rdyear undergraduate to do a research project working on mostly bacterial work (Got an A). This was my first research experience, which really led me to think about graduate school after graduation… my mentor and supervisor were so kind to me and gave me a whole ton of advice. I was at first hesitant to give research a try but it was overall an awesome opportunity for me to learn 

-      Spent another year at the same laboratory as part of my final year project (FYP) (Got an A-)

-      Many presentations of data at laboratory meetings

-      Published a paper in FASEB Journal, although 7/11^thwriter, middle authorship

-      Another upcoming paper to include my work in FYP still in preparation, but I’m not 100% sure when publication will happen as I have already left the lab, publication might take awhile with some animal work

-      One poster presentation as part of my FYP work

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize – Certificate of Merit, Honors Programme, bursary for tuition every semester, one travel grant for my summer in Thailand

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I’ve worked as a tutor for close to five years, mostly teaching math and science to children and teens (up to high school), education facilitator in the zoo to guide children and visitors for camps. I’ve worked twice as a graduate student researcher under department of engineering for otitis media with effusion project, and another time for a device for elderlies. I also worked part time in a butterfly facility in the university to help feed and raise and keep butterfly lines for their research. 

 

I’m considering applying for a RA position to gain some formal experience starting in December, but that is a big maybe. I might consider working full time as a relief teacher while waiting for applications too. 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

Many volunteering work befriending elderly beneficiaries and terminally ill patients, Project director for a pretty large-scale volunteering programme in NUS (nominated for School Achievement Awards)
Fluent in Thai and a little bit of Vietnamese (if these even help)

Special Bonus Points: 

-      Both my undergrad supervisor and mentor know me quite well, I will be able to secure some pretty solid LORs from them. Supervisor is world learning researcher in her field, and my mentor has done some pretty solid research for close to 20 years. For my third LOR, I’m probably gonna get another supervisor who can also write a great LOR for me. 

-      Upward trend in GPA, tried to pull my grades up in my 3^rdand 4^thyears 

-      Completed a good number of my 4^thyear courses (4000 Level) with As (Advanced Immunology, Drug Discovery and Clinical trials, Adv Cell Biology)
 

Applying to Where: Mostly microbiology/ immunology labs. Are there any other good schools out there besides the ones I have listed below that I should consider? Please let me know!

 

UCSD Biomedical Sciences

UCSB (Molecular Cellular & Developmental Bio) 

Penn State BMMB

Boston Uni (Graduate Medical Sciences)

USC (PIBBS) Medical Biology

Uni of Rochester (Sch of Med & Den)

Cincinnati Children’s (Immunology Grad Prog)

UT Austin (Inst for Cell Mol Bio)

Uni of New Hampshire

Uni of Michigan (PIBS)

Uni of Pittsburgh (PMI)

Baylor College of Medicine

Uni at Buffalo SUNY

 

Could anybody let me know my odds? I know I'm not a particular strong applicant with my grades. Is my list of colleges too ambitious? Please let me know! 

I think your list is okay, but with the added factor of being an international student it's hard to judge.

It sounds like you could really benefit from taking at least a year to work in a lab to bolster your application. It's not necessarily your GPA I'd be worried about, but working in a lab full time in a formal setting and not for a grade is VERY different from undergrad lab experiences. Your experience sounds pretty good, but especially if you yourself are saying that you don't think you're a strong enough candidate, you might want to take more time. Those insecurities can come through on applications and in interviews, and it would improve your odds.

What's the rush? 

[Lab Rotation Expectations]

Put time into what you're doing. It's not like you're expected to get a ton done, but the more you get done the more impressed they'll be. But it's not just get it done, get it done well. Quality over quantity. You probably also have to balance your classes, so function with that limitation in mind.

Generally the PI is evaluating your motivation above all else, as well as your fit in the lab (socially, as well as with your interests). Grad students function fairly independently. A PI wants to know that he/she has students who are self motivated who he doesn't have to push to come to lab to finish that next experiment.

I suggest expressing excitement about getting results. If you have the option to analyze the data tonight or tomorrow, doing it tonight because you just can't wait to see the results will look a lot better than waiting. Also expressing excitement about the research in general (duh).

Also remember that PIs largely function as mentors. You can have a discussion about your interests and what you love about research in general. You should also be evaluating them and if you want them to be your mentor for half a decade. 

[159V 164V 5.5AW for Biological Science Graduate Programs]

I don't think you need to worry too much about your GRE scores, especially verbal. GPA will be the first thing they look at for cutoffs. 

[CV Honors & Awards]

Couldn't hurt to put an "other awards" section on it or something. You probably won't be penalized for having a nonstandard CV category? 

[Sending GRE Scores]

Is your GPA low enough that your GRE scores might help? Otherwise I don't think you need to spend the money on it. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

41 minutes ago, bozwell15 said:

Hi all,

Just wondering what my chances are based off of my current stats.

Undergrad Institution 1: SUNY Broome
Major(s): Engineering Science
Overall GPA: 2.7
Position in Class: Unknown
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

Undergrad Institution 2: University at Buffalo, SUNY
Major(s): Biological Sciences
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA in Major: 3.2
Overall GPA: 3.25
Position in Class: Unknown

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
- Taking in a few weeks so I'll update this then.


Research Experience: 1 year of molecular biology research with a presentation at the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference in 2017. Almost 2 years of research experience at the University at Buffalo in a molecular genetics lab coupled with an Undergrad TA position for 1 year.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: SUNY Undergrad Research Conference, Ralph D. Hochstetter Scholarship (2017-2018)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs - Professional:

•  SUNY Broome Mathematics Tutor
• UB Work Study Student

Pertinent Activities or Jobs - Non-Professional:

• Supervisor at Price Chopper (2014-2015)
• Sales Specialist at Victoria's Secret (2015-2017)
• Cashier at Wegmans (2018-current)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Both LGBT and economically disadvantaged independent student -> Not sure how much this matters but my PI told me I should find a way to bring it up.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Diagnosed with Tourette's Disorder and ADHD which somewhat explains my lower GPA but also kind of doesn't considering the tics aren't bad enough to effect my ability to do schoolwork or research. 

Applying to Where:
University at Buffalo - Biological Sciences PhD - Neuroscience

University at Buffalo  - PPBS - Neuroscience

SUNY Binghamton - Cell and molecular Biology - Genetics

UCLA - Cell and Molecular Biology - Genetics/Neuro

University of Washington - Neuroscience - Neuroepigentics

UMich - Behavioral Neuroscience 

I think you could really strengthen your application by taking a year or two to work in a research setting full time and get things like publications and presentations on your application.

That being said, your application isn't bad. I think a strong SOP and strong LORs would bolster everything for you, though UCLA/UW/UMich are reach schools.

You could mention your Tourette's and ADHD in your application if you think it's relevant, as well as your economic disadvantage. Some/most applications give you an opportunity to submit "additional documents" and I know people who used that space to explain special circumstances.

[Neuroscience/Molecular Biology Admission Stats]

If you want to improve your odds of admission, you might consider taking a year or 2 after you finish your degree to get more research experience, publications, presentations, etc.

Really you should post in/browse the "2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results" thread in the biology list. It also gives you a guide for what information we might need to help answer your question.

[Updating my CV]

I agree with StemCellFan's detailed response. 

Mine goes education, research experience, publications, abstracts, skills summary, and other experience.

Research experience was essentially each lab. I put in a sentence describing the labs overall goal, and then bullets describing techniques used.

Skills summary was a quick bulleted list of my general skills (ie histology, microscopy, data analysis with certain software, etc) 

Other experience was anything I did that I thought had any relevance. That included volunteering at a homeless shelter and working a customer service job (being able to handle people is always important). 

 

[App asks for POI and research background - do I include it in my SOP?]

Yes. Your research experience and who you're interested in working with should be relevant to your purpose in applying. 

[Importance of Publications (Molecular/Cellular Biology PhD)]

Generally publications can only help, not hurt you. If your application is otherwise good (which I think it is) you have as good odds as anyone at a top program. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

2 hours ago, lmb123 said:

I've never heard of any schools that strictly reject based on numbers alone (like the automated kind I've heard about for med schools). I think you might as well apply!

I've been told by advisors who have been on admissions committees that schools like Harvard (including someone who was specifically in an adcom at Harvard) that can afford to be super picky have an administrative person do a first run through to remove anyone with lower GPAs and nothing else that stands out (ie a LOR from someone super notable, extreme circumstances explaining the GPA, a first author publication in Science, etc). Was also told by the program director herself that BU Neuro does this (probably less picky than Harvard). I suppose it's also program-dependent.

Can't confirm, just what I've been told.

[170V/164Q, applying to cognitive psych programs, should I retake?]

As someone who got into a top neuroscience program with lower numbers, your scores are great, your GPA is good. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

9 hours ago, leecy77 said:

Undergrad Institution: Big state school
Major(s): Clinical Neuroscience 
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 3.05 ish
Overall GPA: 3.3
Position in Class: I graduated this spring in 3 years, but I think probably average-definitely not top
Type of Student: Domestic, female, Puerto Rican & African American

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156/61%
V:  159/83%
W: 4.5/82%


Research Experience: 

• 1 year as a volunteer in an addiction research lab at the medical school/research institute (freshman)
• semester marketing research class-wrote a paper on consumer bias but didn't publish
• 1.5 year in a glial biology lab with a pending publication- at medical school/research institute-professor associated with my university  (middle author, end of sophomore-junior/final year).
• Summer molecular biology fellowship at Notre Dame
• summer neuroscience fellowship to continue research in the glial biology lab 
• Attended 4 conferences, presented at 2. Won poster award at ND summer REU, and a poster award at ABRCMS for neuroscience
• Worked as a biochemistry lab technician for a year during undergrad
• receptionist for student conduct for a semester
• project assistant for transportation research at my university for a year

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

• university travel award & ABRCMS travel award
• 2 poster awards
• minority foundation scholarship
• deans list 3 times (infrequently, so nothing special)
• recognized at graduation for completing undergraduate research excellence program
• recognized in university & local newspapers for research 
• Recognized at fall undergrad excellence ceremony for college of science


Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

• notetaker for disabled students in cell & molecular neuroscience
• ambassador for office of undergrad research
• student conduct committee member
• team leader for study abroad in Spain
• office of undergrad research-founding member of undergrad research blog & science editorial board writer

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

Special Bonus Points: female/minority, pretty solid LOR-1 well known in field
 

Completing NIH postbacc Mayo Clinic for the next year-option to stay another year should this application cycle not go well

Applying to Where: Neuroscience focused PhD

• Mayo Clinic Neurobiology
• Yale BBS
• Northwestern
• Brown
• USUHS
• Princeton
• Cornell
• Dartmouth
• Columbia
• NYU
• Boston U
• UVA
• NIH-Brown Neuroscience PhD

I am aware this list looks crazy-I figure the worst they can say is no, in which case I take the feedback and spend a second year in the postbacc

I think you have a few more Ivies than are worth applying for on there... If you have the money then there's definitely no reason why you shouldn't go for it, though.

I applied for 5 of those programs and am attending one of them, in case you want to know any specifics. 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

12 hours ago, StemCellFan said:

I didn't, and another user made a topic and posted this link here.  The individual who did is Dr. Joshua Hall at UNC (Who directs admissions to the BBSP program there).  His contact information is at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

Gotcha! That's a cool resource. I was just wondering because making a spreadsheet with info like that is the crazy kind of thing I would do lol

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

1 hour ago, StemCellFan said:

Hi, I'm late to the party, but I wanted to mention that there are a number of PhD programs in biomedical sciences/biology that are waiving GRE requirements. 

This link will give you more information on that:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MYcxZMhf97H5Uxr2Y7XndHn6eEC5oO8XWQi2PU5jLxQ/edit#gid=0

I know Brown isn't on the list, but I think it's worth it to apply.  See if you can make a connection with someone there since you will be an alumnus, as BabyScientist suggested.

I'm not familiar with your field, but other schools in the area I know of are Harvard, Tufts, Boston U, UMass Medical School (Worcester), and Northeastern U that all have PhD programs.  Whether there are faculty doing research you are interested in, I'm unsure about that.

Good luck!

Out of curiosity, did you put that list together? 

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

18 hours ago, squigglyface_emoji said:

Thanks for taking the time to evaluate my profile! I'm trying to have the perspective of finding the best fit to train vs. just trying to get a phD. Additionally, with encouragement from the people writing my LORs, I threw out the notion of high-tier/ mid-tier/ safety somewhere along the way lol. However, I completely understand what you mean. The worry lingers in the back of my mind and I'm still looking at more schools to add to my list.

So far, my criteria for choosing schools includes positive stance towards industry collaborations, opportunities for students to take classes outside of their formal field, ties to medical facilities, location (fairly diverse populations), and of course, potential PIs and their lab cultures. Unsurprisingly, this fits most of the Californian schools haha. If you have any suggestions on mid-tier/safe schools I should consider, I'm definitely taking them!

 

I had a lot of mentors tell me I could reach higher than I could. Grad schools have become a lot more competitive since they applied (even my young new PI).

If you're looking at California, you should add UCSB and UC Davis to your list as more mid tiers.

[Lack of autonomy]

6 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Every graduate program is different. A department is a collection of black boxes. Some of which are inside of other black boxes. Thus far, you've been an outsider looking in. From such a vantage point, talking about the way things should be is easier because one doesn't have to focus on the way things are. Among other things, you've not experienced first hand, as a graduate student, the subtly with which professors can communicate, the pressure which makes decoding comments from professors difficult, or the sweep of emotions that graduate students can experience.

It is your prerogative to privilege your experiences and opinions to the point where you feel comfortable giving a graduate student potentially career-altering advice with, based upon the time stamps of your posts, very little reflection. However, IMO, your practice, no matter how well intended it may be, is ill considered.

The OP is having difficulty completing assigned tasks. The OP argues that the cause of the problem is external; the inability to complete the assigned tasks is due to the professor's instructional methods. The OP argues that the solution is to be given the freedom to perform more complex tasks. The supporting evidence that is being offered is from outside the program and in different fields of knowledge.

That is, a graduate student who is admittedly under performing should be given more latitude because the student knows a business owner who was a bad manager. Is it a realistic to expect the argument the following argument to convince an advisor? "Although I've not done what I've been tasked to do, I would do better work if I were allowed to do want, and if you don't accommodate this request, you're taking away my autonomy."  Is this OP's situation really about autonomy or is it about accountability?

IMO, the greatest obstacle in @GingerNeuro's way is GingerNeuro's anxieties. While it is certainly reasonable to expect an advisor to support a graduate student's efforts to navigate obstacles, IMO, it is not reasonable to expect an established professional to give a student the keys to the car. Going to talk to other faculty members without having heart to heart discussions (that is, more than one) with the advisor is, MOO, irresponsible guidance. YMMV.

I have dealt with good PIs and bad. I have navigated uncomfortable professional situations in labs. I have worked in the same environment as a grad student without having that title. That doesn't make my knowledge of the way the laboratory research environment any less valid.

It is not ill founded career advice, as it has worked for me and others in various situations. The poster doesn't post to get sage advice he/she will follow without question. The poster posts for opinions - opinions that will then be evaluated before their path is chosen. I can give my opinion based on my experience for how that poster should respond. That poster can evaluate the validity of my opinion. You can post your opinions. The poster can evaluate those as well.

My role on this forum is to supply others with my opinion, because I can do nothing more than that. It's not up to me to judge or undermine other people's opinions, as you are mine, and therefore detract from the original question.

[CV: What can I write on my CV if my research is at an early stage?]

Generally what I do on my CV for my research experience is write a short blurb about what the lab does in general, and then use bullet points for what I do/have done there.

Example:
Smith lab: Exploring the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's with the goal of developing therapeutics.

• Cell culture (iPSC-derived astrocytes)
• Western blots
• Immunostaining
• Data analysis (GraphPad Prism, R)

[2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

2 hours ago, bkhmo said:

Undergrad Institution: University of Melbourne 
Major(s): Agri-food biotechnology 
Minor(s): Japanese 
GPA in Major: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.3
Position in Class: Not stated
Type of Student: International, Asian male

Graduate Institution: Kyoto University
Major(s): Industrial Microbiology
GPA in Major:4
Overall GPA:3.85
Position in Class: Not stated

GRE Scores:
Q:163(83rd)
V:163(93rd)
W:4.5(84th)
B: No subject

Research Experience: 
-Half year undergrad research project on plant gene expression with oral presentation
-2 and half years graduate school research on campus. (6 lab oral presentations, 1 master’s thesis poster presentation, 1 master’s thesis defense)
-1 presentation at a national conference 
-1 poster presentation at a national conference 
-No publications because the lab is focused on industrial research (Might hurt my application?)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: -Full scholarship from industry for Masters, only 4 awarded that year

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 
-Tutor to one Doctoral and two Master’s students 
-TA (4 months/year for 3 years) to the undergraduate course (Applied Microbiological experimental methodology and techniques)
-Coordinator for multiple lab events 
-Weekly seminar chair

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
Special Bonus Points: Asian minority, but apparently being a minority doesn't help if you're Asian

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
-Upward trend in undergraduate GPA

Applying to Where:
(Subject to change, would appreciate recommendations on microbiology labs focusing on microbiome research)
MIT
Harvard
UCSD
UCSF
Yale
NYU
University of Chicago
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Emory 
University at Buffalo
Northeastern 

5 top tiers is a lot to apply to. If you have the money for the application fees, go for it, but I would replace 1 or 2 of those with mid tiers