bluemonday

I have just been accepted to MEME, the Mundus Erasmus Master's Program in Evolutionary Biology (http://www.evobio.eu/), but since I've already accepted an offer from a US program, I wanted to hear if anyone has had research experience in Europe and could give some information about how it is similar to/different from the US. I am still really interested in MEME, but I don't want to make any hasty decisions, so I'd appreciate any responses!

@FishNerd I'm planning on making a pros and con list too, and talking about it with my current PI and the other grad students in my lab. The factors I'm thinking about are stipend, location, the other PIs in the department (since I am very interested in doing rotations), and how well I thought I fit into the general atmosphere of the department and lab. Another factor that's important for me is the name/brand of each school...I'm an international student and I probably will not end up in the US in the long run, so I do have to think about how much people outside of the US are going to know about the school and the program. I'm also not sure that I want to go into academia, so the brand plays a role in looking for jobs outside of academia as well. I'm just not sure how much emphasis I should put on each of the different factors. Obviously the fit is very important, but idk how to weigh the other ones...

@Vaudevillain I got the email last Monday (2/26). I haven't heard of anyone who's gotten outright rejected though...hopefully you hear back from them soon!

I've gotten offers from Cornell, IU, and University of Arizona, so it's going to be a hard decision process! There are a lot of factors to think about and it's lowkey giving me a lot of anxiety. I'm still waiting on one more (which should be coming next week I think), but other than that I'm done. @fossilsrcool good luck on your visits! @potentiallylovely, hope you hear back from UW and UMN soon!

Hi all! The main thread doesn't seem to have many EEB people, so I thought that I'd post here and see how others are doing Undergrad Institution: Top 15 in the US, good reputation for biologyMajor(s): Biological SciencesMinor(s): Scientific ComputingGPA in Major: currently 3.72Overall GPA: 3.69Position in Class: I fall slightly short of the cum laude requirements for my school as of this semester, but beyond that I'm not sureType of Student: International female (from India, studied in various countries though) GRE Scores: I took the GRE twice (to bump up my Q score), so they're listed first try/second tryQ: 157/160 (76% for the second try)V: 168/169 (99%)W: 5.5/5.0 (93%) Research Experience: I've been working in a genetics & evolution lab (although primarily genetics focused) lab at my school for a year and a half and plan on continuing it next semester. I started the summer after sophomore year, and I've worked on a couple different projects, although none have led to any publication worthy results yet (I did manage to link part of a project to a final semester project for one of my scientific computing classes though). I also worked in a biochemistry lab in a top university in India during the summer after freshman year, but that was only to learn basic lab techniques and such. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for 4 semesters so far - first semester freshman year, both semesters junior year, and this fall semester. I'm hoping to maintain that for my last semester as well. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Currently working as a writing consultant on campusAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I just presented my work to other bio undergrads + professors, so not a terribly big deal but better than nothing. Special Bonus Points: Some of our higher level classes are mixed, with both graduates and undergrads. I have no idea if this is common practice or not, but I've taken a few of them. As for scientific computing, I used Java and C++ in my CS classes for the minor, and I've used R for biostats and I just finished working with Python for another course this semester. Applying to Where: Areas of interest: molecular evolution, population genetics Applied to: Cornell - initially to EEB, but after chatting with a professor I'm interested in working with, it's been switched to NBB. I just got the interview invite today as well. IU Bloomington - EEB, got the interview invite today Princeton - EEB Stanford - Biology, Ecology & Evolution track University of Arizona - EEB, got the interview invite yesterday U Chicago - Committee on Evolutionary Biology UNC Chapel Hill - EEOB University of Minnesota - EEB University of Rochester: Evolution, Ecology, Genetics and Genomics WUSTL - DBBS Yale - EEB So I have heard back from 3/11 so far, and I'm anxiously waiting for the rest (good, bad, whatever). Good luck to everyone else too!

Hi everyone! I'd love some advice on my schools and whether I'm reaching too high - I'm pretty anxious about this process and how I stack up against other applicants. I am planning on applying for evolutionary biology programs, although I'm not planning on going into academia or teaching afterwards. Undergrad Institution: Top 15 in the US, good reputation for biologyMajor(s): Biological SciencesMinor(s): Scientific ComputingGPA in Major: currently 3.7, hoping to bump it up a little by the end of this semesterOverall GPA: 3.66, again, hoping to bump it up a littlePosition in Class: I fall slightly short of the cum laude requirements for my school (I believe last year it was 3.7-ish), so near top?Type of Student: International female (from India, studied in various countries though)GRE Scores (revised/old version): I took the GRE twice (to bump up my Q scores), so they're listed first try/second tryQ: 157/160 (76th percentile for the second try)V: 168/169W: 5.5/5.0B: didn't takeResearch Experience: I've been working in a genetics & evolution lab (although primarily genetics focused) lab at my school for a year and a half and plan on continuing it next semester. I started the summer after sophomore year, and I've worked on a couple different projects, although none have led to any publication worthy results yet (I did manage to link part of a project to a final semester project for one of my scientific computing classes though). I also worked in a biochemistry lab in a top university in India during the summer after freshman year, but that was only to learn basic lab techniques and such.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for 3 semesters so far - first semester freshman year, both semesters junior year. Hoping to get that for both semesters senior year as well.Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Currently working as a writing consultant/tutor on campus, and serving on the exec board for a club that works closely with the office of undergrad admissions & with international students. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I was a speaker for a showcase celebrating international students last semesterSpecial Bonus Points: Some of our higher level classes are mixed, with both graduates and undergrads. I have no idea if this is common practice or not, but I've taken a few of them. Scientific computing might also help? I used Java and C++ in my CS classes for the minor, and I've used R for biostats and I'm learning Python in another CS class right now.Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I got a C+ the first time I took organic chemistry 2. It shows up on my transcript, although I retook the class and got an A in it the next semester. I'm unsure whether to address this in my SOP or not (the rest of the classes that semester were fine - 1 B and 4 As).Applying to Where: So far, I have a few: Cornell - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Indiana University, Bloomington - Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior University of Rochester - Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, and Genomics University of Washington - Department of Biology, Evolutionary Biology University of Chicago - Committee on Evolutionary Biology I'm also looking at a program in Germany through the academic exchange service they have, but the deadlines for those are later so I'm not too worried about that atm I don't have good safety/reach schools yet, so I'd love to have some input on that - I'm planning on applying to 8-10 programs so I still have plenty of room. Basically, I'm super concerned that I'll apply to a bunch of high ranking colleges and then end up getting in nowhere, so any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance