Gecko5

Where did you up going? Are you happy there?

I think the easiest way to improve your quant score is the use the online resource offered when you buy the Kaplan GRE prep book. You should absolutely go through the 5-lb book to remind yourself how to do everything. But once you know how to do the problems, go to the online resource. Kaplan has I think 10 different quant GRE section you can take for free. I thought they were all pretty close to the actual test and just taking those over and over again really helped me. I took the GRE twice, once after only studying from the actual books and the second time after taking all of the available timed online tests. I got a 7 point increase the second time around.

Once you know the type of program you want, what do you look for in schools and how do you look for it? For example, I like to look at program websites and read up on what types of projects the faculty are working on or what types of theses students in the program have written. I also look into the town/city to try to get a sense of the neighborhood I might be living in. How about you guys? Is it usually OK to reach out to alumni you find through the program website and ask them about their experiences?

For anyone else who is still preparing for their interview, here's what happened: the professor asked me to tell him about myself, asked why I wanted to get a Masters in biostatistics, and asked what I wanted to do in the future. Then I asked him all my questions. Then he told me a bit about living in Baltimore. And lastly he mentioned that they send out results between mid-February and early March. The whole interview was fairly informal and took about 15 minutes. My advice for anyone else is to have prepared answered for the questions I mentioned and to write down a list of questions you have about the program.

I just got an email from Johns Hopkins asking when I am available for a phone interview. Has anyone done this interview yet? What kinds of questions do they ask? What should I do to prepare? Interview's make me nervous so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for the reply! That is very comforting.

Undergrad Institution: Liberal Arts University (ranked in the top 10 in the US) Major(s): Biology and Psychology Institution since undergrad: Local public university (I have been taking classes there because I was missing a few pre-requisites) GPA (undergrad): 3.355/4.0 GPA (*since undergrad*): 4.0/4.0 Type of Student: Domestic Female GRE General Test: Q: 166 V: 168 W: 4.0 Programs Applying: MS Biostatistics Research Experience: Volunteered/worked part time for 2.5 out of 4 years in undergrad. Worked in 3 different labs, all biology-related. 1 poster presentation at a national conference. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Since graduating have been working at a major research institution as research coordinator. 1 poster presentation and currently working on a manuscript that involved some use of statistics and SAS (might not be submitted to review by the time applications are in). Letters of Recommendation: Immediate supervisor (strong), collaborator on the manuscript (strong), professor for a biology class (decent) Relevant Coursework: Taken at undergrad institution. Calculus 1: B- Calculus 2: B- Intro to Quantitative Modeling in Biology: A- Statistical Methods and Applications: B+ Psychological Research Methods: B Taken since graduating: Calculus 3: A Intro to Linear Algebra: A Intro to Probability Theory: Still taking it, likely A Applying to Biostatistics Masters Programs (Subject to adding and subtracting *advice welcome*): Berkely Columbia University of Washington University of Michigan UCLA Harvard Boston University Rutgers University of Minnesota University of Pittsburgh Brown University Johns Hopkins