StemCells4Lyfe

Hi all, I've been planning to apply this year for some time now, but given all that is going on (aka Corona messing up everything), I'm now super hesitant whether I should wait until the next round. But I thought I'd get some advice first for people who have been through the process before deciding to push applying by another year. I attended a top 40 university and graduated with a 3.55 GPA. I haven't taken the GRE (because I suck at standardized tests and figured it wasn't worth the time or money to take something that wouldn't help bolster my application) so I'm applying to programs that don't require it. I have been working at a top Pharma company for the past two years since graduation from undergrad and was just promoted on my 2 year anniversary, and have two papers that I coauthored with my supervisor at my job. During undergrad, I worked in two labs (the first i was at for a year and the second for 4 months, because I went home for the summer). So I do have quite a few years of research experience under my belt, 2 publications, and an average GPA from an average school. At my second lab experience, I started pursuing my own project, but had to wrap it up since I went home for the summer, so nothing really came of the project. I was really looking forward to starting my own project at work. I had the green light from my supervisor to pursue it and the cell line I was going to use was on it's way when COVID really hit. Now all non-essential projects (aka, my project) are indefinitely on hold until business can resume as normal. I've been told by my old PI's that starting your own project is something that REALLY is recommended to stand out in application pools. Given that one and only project I was able to start was three years ago and it didn't get very far, I'm not sure how relevant/exemplary this is to include in my application. Is showing initiative enough for these applications? If the only project that I came up with AND worked on is too old, would the admissions be understanding if I talked about the project I had planned on running given the circumstances? Or should I hold off on applying until next year in the hopes that business can return to normal soon and I can get started on my project.

Hi all, I've been planning to apply this year for some time now, but given all that is going on (aka Corona messing up everything), I'm now super hesitant whether I should wait until the next round. But I thought I'd get some advice first for people who have been through the process before deciding to push applying by another year. I attended a top 40 university and graduated with a 3.55 GPA. I haven't taken the GRE (because I suck at standardized tests and figured it wasn't worth the time or money to take something that wouldn't help bolster my application) so I'm applying to programs that don't require it. I have been working at a top Pharma company for the past two years since graduation from undergrad and was just promoted on my 2 year anniversary, and have two papers that I coauthored with my supervisor at my job. During undergrad, I worked in two labs (the first i was at for a year and the second for 4 months, because I went home for the summer). So I do have quite a few years of research experience under my belt, 2 publications, and an average GPA from an average school. At my second lab experience, I started pursuing my own project, but had to wrap it up since I went home for the summer, so nothing really came of the project. I was really looking forward to starting my own project at work. I had the green light from my supervisor to pursue it and the cell line I was going to use was on it's way when COVID really hit. Now all non-essential projects (aka, my project) are indefinitely on hold until business can resume as normal. I've been told by my old PI's that starting your own project is something that REALLY is recommended to stand out in application pools. Given that one and only project I was able to start was three years ago and it didn't get very far, I'm not sure how relevant/exemplary this is to include in my application. Is showing initiative enough for these applications? If the only project that I came up with AND worked on is too old, would the admissions be understanding if I talked about the project I had planned on running given the circumstances? Or should I hold off on applying until next year in the hopes that business can return to normal soon and I can get started on my project.

Slightly stupid question here, but how are the SoP and Personal Statement different?

Is there any sites you all used for rating/selectivity stats based on program? I'm trying to generate a list of where I'd like to apply and narrow it down with a good mix of reaches/dream schools, mid-tier and "safety" (even though I guess safety schools isn't really a thing for grad school). I've only seen a couple schools release the data based on program.

Hi All, I'm starting to get prepared to apply this coming year, and just wanted some advice from those who just finished turning in their applications. Do you have any tips or pointers for writing your essays? I know that for some you have to explain your research experiences, but other than that I don't really know where to start. Should it be like a story, how I got from one to position to another which helped lead me to want to apply to their school while also proving that I knew what I was doing? Or is just more to showcase my skills and showing that I had an understanding of the research. Also, what should the POS focus on, if in other essays I further explain my work experiences? Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the response, that's super encouraging to hear. You mentioned to keep in touch with my recommenders. What is a good way to keep up with past PI's and mentors? I haven't worked with some of them in over 4 years and they are several years my senior. I don't really know how to talk to them outside of the lab now.

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Hi! New user here. I was super happy to stumble upon this forum as my undergrad experience didn't prepare me for the application process. My school/degree mainly catered to prospective MD careers. So I apologize in advance for the long post. I am looking to apply to stem cell/regenerative medicine programs, but not until the cycle after next (so for the class of 2021). I graduated from a mid-tier college with a a kinda low GPA (3.55) in biology. I am terrible at standardized tests. I have been looking at requirements for programs and all either don't want or don't require the GRE. I have therefore come to the conclusion not to take it, as it would be a waste of time and money. Luckily, I was hired only 2 months after graduating with my BS as an Associate Scientist at one of the top 3 Pharma companies in their R&D department working on cell transport. So, by the time I apply, I will have been working for there for 2 years (and fingers crossed, with a promotion my boss has been hinting at). In addition to my current job, my school had a co-op system through which I worked at Harvard Medical School for a year as a glorified lab tech. I also did a research project for 4 months in a lab at my university, working with ovarian stem cells. I plan to get my recommendations from these three places. So TL;DR, I'll be banking on writing a good SOP/application in order to get into a program. But, as I remember from applying to undergrad, writing is not my strong suite either. Does any one have any advice for writing a good SOP/application? I don't want to be too concise, but I also don't want to ramble on. How long should the SOP be? Also, is there anything else I can do in the next couple of years to bolster my application? I.e. volunteering? Building a relationship with PI's about their work that I find interesting?