sgaw10

Submitted all of my apps. Let the agony of waiting begin.

GPA from this quarter's grades alone went from 3.18 to 3.26, and still waiting on one more to be posted next week. Not a huge difference, but looks much better. Submitting the rest of my apps tomorrow!

Thank you for the reminder. It certainly is tough when you have no support in your personal background. I find that my opinion changes often, but over the past few months I have found that I enjoy academia, even if I feel like I was "thrown" into my situation. And the funny thing is that I did not think that much of this my first two years or so, but then the differences between my peers and me hit hard. If I get into just one school I love for a PhD, I will be overjoyed. Best of luck to you, too. I think the waiting is worse than working on the apps. I will admit that studying for the GRE and talking to professors about letters of recommendation were not my idea of fun, but it was sort of neat and scary (in a good way) when writing personal statements to start "imagining" myself at different institutions. But after submission? The self-doubt is even worse. It keeps me up at night sometimes, as pathetic as that sounds.

Some of my final grades from this quarter are in, and I'm inching closer to a 3.3! Waiting on one more to send out the rest of my apps due on the 15th, and then will send out updated transcripts in a week with another grade to all of my schools. It might not make a big difference, but every little bit counts.

Worries: My GPA is so ugly that I don't think any place I love will take me. This is the biggest issue. I am applying straight out of undergrad from a prestigious institution, but I don't think that's going to help my case that much. I only have a few poster presentations -- no publications. My GRE scores are fine but not excellent. My parents did not attend college and know nothing about higher education, so it's been tough to navigate how this all works and approach professors during this long process. I'm dumb and didn't apply for NSF. My mom always tells me that everything will work out and I will get in, and the fact that she belittles how competitive these programs are worries me even more. Another big fear of mine, even though it is entirely out of my control at this point, is that my letters of recommendation are mediocre at best. And finally, not getting any interviews at my dream schools while I think about all of the time and money I wasted... Excitements: My undergraduate research was not in my field of interest. But I have taken several classes in the area, so I am thrilled to potentially finally work on a project I adore. I am proud of myself for asking advice from my professors. I had a professor who is famous in my field help me out a lot and offer to write me a letter of recommendation without me asking, and that was one of the happiest moments of my year. I adore my undergraduate institution, but I have lived in the same region of the country nearly my entire life, so the chance to move elsewhere is also exciting. I think I have articulated my research interests in my SOP well. /endrant

Yeah, I will spend some time working before I go home as a way to distract me. But then I will be stuck in my boring hometown with nothing to do for 1.5 weeks... Might just start working on stuff for next quarter to occupy my time. It's weird how misgrooved everything feels when schoolwork isn't there to stress you out!

Just finished autumn quarter. Waiting for some final grades before I send out the rest of my apps due on the 15th. I'm so anxious about everything, and without schoolwork to distract me, it is not fun. My overthinking is going to keep me up at night for the next month. This is definitely worse than undergraduate admissions.

I am a fourth year undergrad applying for biomedical engineering PhD programs. I'm incredibly nervous. I'm also a first generation college student, so it's been a journey to learn how everything works. I'm very grateful for professors at my school who have helped me out, but my imposter syndrome makes me doubt I will get anywhere. Just hoping something works out...

So you're probably already aware of this too, but biodegradable electronics are also something to consider. I think Northwestern does stuff in this area if I'm not mistaken

Exact same situation as you, lacking experience, but I am always happy to chat. I love the field. I have taken a lot of classes on the topic, so I might be able to suggest some alternative things. One route might be using biomaterials for cleaner water.

Some schools will allow you to update your application with updated awards, grades from the most recent term that finished after the deadline, etc. Just email the graduate coordinator for the program. Not all of them allow changes after the deadline though, unfortunately.

As of today, all of my letters of rec have been submitted. Just gotta finish a few statements of purpose, and apps will be done. Positive, but now I am terrified for the waiting

I am actually not applying to UCLA, but most of my schools did not provide a length limit. All of my statements are exactly one page. I think the general consensus is two page limit, but I spoke with someone quite knowledgeable who says that they typically aren't read past the first page anyway. I honestly don't think I could have written more than a page, but I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just quality over quantity.

Thankful for my favorite professor being the first to submit his letters of rec over a week before my first deadline, and on Thanksgiving evening at that! 😊

Presented at ABRCMS and had a really great time!