[How to talk about research in your SOP?]

I've been struggling in my SOP with figuring out what to focus on when talking about the research I have done. I'm trying to find a balance between talking about the techniques I know, what the research is actually about, and what I learned that helped me think like a scientist. I'm leaning towards not really talking about the techniques at all since I have a section about that in my CV. But I'm struggling with how in depth to discuss the details of the research. Right now I'm talking about the conclusions we found in the project (including molecule names and all that) and I focus more specifically on the work I did and the conclusions it helped us reach. Does anyone have suggestions about how much we should get into the nitty gritty details about our research in our SOP?

I have also been reading around that we should try to show the adcomms in our SOP that we have certain qualities instead of telling them. I've found this difficult because I have wanted to include sentences like "this experience helped me develop my ability to think critically about problems," or something along those lines. If anyone has suggestions about how to successfully show that you have certain qualities without explicitly stating it I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for any feedback!

[2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

On 10/25/2017 at 4:00 PM, bioquant said:

Looks like you have a solid application - good work!  It's recommended to have the GRE scores in the 160's, but not having that won't keep you from being considered.

As for schools, I'd suggest checking out UT Austin to see if there are labs there that might interest you.  While I ended up choosing a computational biology program, I interviewed at UT's BCMB and it was one of my favorites. Plus, there's plenty of CA transplants out in Austin to commiserate with!

Thank you for your reply! I was able to find a few labs that fit my interest very well at UT Austin so I've added the school to my list as well

[2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

Hello! I would love some feedback on my current list of schools. It feels pretty top heavy right now since I'm not too confident about my GRE scores and I'm not sure if my PI will be able to get the papers with my name on them out in time. I am interested in cellular and molecular biology so if anyone has suggestions for programs that will make my list more well rounded that would be awesome. Thanks!

Undergrad Institution: UC San Diego
Major(s): General Biology
GPA in Major: 3.87
Overall GPA: 3.87
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores:
Q: 161
V: 156
W: 4.5

Research Experience: 

2 years as undergraduate researcher in stem cell biology/signal transduction pathways (2 publications will hopefully be under review if all goes well, one first or second author and one middle author)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
College honors program for 8/9 quarters

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

TA for lower division biology lab for 4 quarters

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

1 great LOR from PI 

1 LOR from professor I have TA'ed for and taken classes with multiple times 

1 LOR from  biology lab professor

Applying to Where:

UCSF - TETRAD

Johns Hopkins - BCMB

Duke 

U Washington

U Penn - CAMB

BU - PiBS

OHSU - BCMB

NYU Sackler

Tufts Sackler - CMDB