Strangefox

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

i didn't have an entire day, weekend or not, holiday or not, where i didn't do at least a few hours of work until my final paper of the semester was turned in. i pulled at least one all-nighter a week and didn't sleep for more than 6 hours a night except on weekends. i had 4 graduate seminars, so i was reading four books a week, and the average length was around 300 pages each. 1200 pages, 20 pages/hr (if i read it carefully, which i tried to), that's an average of 60 hours a week of work. add to that research papers, presentations, and working on my masters research. i'd say that 70 hours a week is a safe estimate. i totally crashed by the end of the semester and spent the past two weeks doing a lot of sleeping and no work. some of my colleagues were cracking at the end of the year the way i had been since the end of september.

i'm not saying this as a contest to see who did the most work. even the people with fewer classes had to TA when i didn't, so everyone in my program was busy. i'm just saying that it's really common for graduate students to put in well over 50 hours of work a week. i had this sickening feeling about once a week where i knew that if i did absolutely nothing but read or study from that moment until my class the next day (no eating, no sleeping, not leaving my apartment) i still didn't have enough time to finish my work. according to my fellow students, that's par for the course.

i had no time for myself either. it sucked. i spent the last two weeks de-stressing instead of working and i'm probably behind schedule already. this is just kind of how it works until the summer. then you get to have fun for four months before you start all over again. YAY!!!


here's my real advice, though: don't do all of the work. do just enough of it that you understand the point of the work assigned. you know the argument in the book, or you know how to do a certain proof, or whatever the work is. but don't obsess with knowing it all cover to cover because you won't need most of that knowledge and it takes up a lot of your time. just figure out what you're supposed to get from the work and then move on.

in the last week of classes, i finally discovered that most of the people in my seminar only ever read half of the book, or the intro and conclusion, or the reviews. there i was struggling to drag my eyes over every line on every page, and no one else was putting themselves through that. you can't do everything in a week, you will always feel behind, so you have to manage how you study.

I totally agree. I would like to have "dislike" button back, too.

I totally agree. I would like to have "dislike" button back, too.

OK. The blog is back. And I've reverted to the previous +/- system, contradicting what I said earlier. We'll continue to roll with this.

Please, read this post:

There is no ideal application. There are only good applications at the right time and in the right place.

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

In case you didn't notice, I was poking gentle fun at your typo. I'm a bit of a natural editor and the pun was too good to pass up.

"heir" = offspring who inherit your estate (PY is a dad which is why I said he had a couple of heirs.)

"air" = arrogant attitude (among other things)

I lived many years in the "real world" before coming back to academia, and so I'm a bit surprised by your accusation that I only live here on GradCafe. If I'm on here a lot, it's because of my duty as a moderator.

Back to the business card thing: I think the real problem a lot of people have is that they've been accustomed to modern society associating cards-with-names exclusively with business. Back in the 19th century, you always left a card when you paid a social call on someone. Even if they weren't home, you left a card, sometimes with a note on the back. I guess it was the 19th century equivalent of a message on an answering machine.

Personally, I don't mind someone giving me a business card, even if they are a social acquaintance only. Otherwise, I would scribble their name and number on a random piece of paper (like the back of a receipt) which might get thrown out before I have a chance to enter the info into my address book. I'm a lot less likely to throw out a card. I've gone to a couple of (non-technical) conferences where every early registrant got cards with name, address, and phone # as part of their registration packets so they could pass these out to newly made friends. I thought this was a fantastic idea, and passed out (and received) several of these cards.

Needless to say, I consider cards-with-names to be eminently practical. I should make up a bunch with just my name and email address--people tend to have trouble spelling my last name, so my email address (based on my last name) is also frequently misspelled. Maybe I will print them up with pretty pink roses like Laura Ingalls' cards:

~~~~@ Grad S. Unlikely @~~~~
~~@ unlikelygrad@myu.edu @~~

I'd go with a Chase College Checking Account, where I you. https://www.chase.com/online/Checking/chase-checking-account.htm

I have the Chase Total Checking, personally, and I don't find the minimum balances/deposits a problem... $500 a month direct deposit isn't really an issue on almost any stipend. I have found Chase very reliable, secure, and easy to deal with. I haven't hit any hidden fees, and they tend to be pretty above board about most dealings.

The other benefit I've found is that they have ATMs nearly everywhere, which is a real benefit when you consider you usually have to pay fees if you use an ATM that isn't your banks.

There is no ideal application. There are only good applications at the right time and in the right place.

Yeah, I don't get the point of this, either. Eigen took this seriously and posted a profile which would be attractive, so I'm going to reply snarkily.

GPA: 4.33 - A+'s in every course, won Most Outstanding Student in the Sciences four years in a row, so impressing the faculty that they changed the name of that award to the Mr. Joe Outstanding Student Award

Quadruple Major in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Computer Science, Minors in all the rest of 'em

University decided to give him his own research centre and astronomical observatory, the Mr. Joe Institute for Advanced Research (MJIAR).

Was awarded the Fields Medal in his sophomore year

Journal of Mr Joe Studies (JMJS) begins publishing in his junior year, dedicated to papers on Mr. Joe's groundbreaking theories of quantum loop gravity and his solution of the P versus NP problem.

As Director of the MJIAR, gets recommendations from himself.

GRE: ETS decided that testing Mr. Joe with the GRE would be an insult.

And of course, has a rich father who donates millions to Princeton.

neither combination is impressive if you don't do well. doing multiple majors just to make your application more "impressive" is probably excessive, and the effort might be better spent on research or other extracurriculars. good luck

This story is hilarious: http://www.championshipsubdivision.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=15340

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

You create a credit history by using credit of any kind: borrowing, repaying, etc. The simplest way to build a credit history is to open a credit card (though I know that credit cards are not always "simple" to get for non-citizens!), but loans go on there too. Even accounts you have set up with utility providers also help to build your credit (as long as they are under your own name, not a landlord's), as it's proof of you regularly paying a bill each month.

Whenever you open a credit card, take out a loan, etc., this activity gets reported a credit bureau, which keeps track of your credit history. So yes, it does sort of "sum up" everything you do that involves credit.



If you're looking for more information, these links might also be helpful:
http://financialplan.about.com/od/creditdebtmanagement/a/nocredit.htm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre03.shtm

I have a BEng in Biotechnology (similar to a BIochemical engineering) with a GPA of 3.9 from an India (graduate in top 10% of my class). Now I am beginning a 1 yr MSc in Medical Imaging at University College London (Sept 2011 to Sept 2012). I have a good GRE score (Q=800, V=800, A=4.0) although I know anything above 1450 is considered almost equal. I have almost 1 yr research ex in undergrad with no publication. Also I worked for 2 months in a national lab on Southern Hybridization. And I'll get another 6 month of research ex at UCL where my project will begin in March 2012 and hence, it wont be of much use if I apply in Nov 2011.
 
 
I know the competition for International candidates is fierce. So, I cannot dare apply in univs like UCSD or Yale or even in WashU or Rice. I am thinking of applying to UC Davis, Arizona State University, USC, U Minnesota. I am interested in working in a Medical imaging lab however my undergrad courses make me a stronger candidate for Cellular and molecular imaging as I had courses in Mol BIo, Cell Bio, Biochem, Bioanalytical Techniques, Concepts in Biotechnology etc.
UC Davis seems to a good option as they have labs in only three areas : Biomedical imaging, cellular and molecular systems and bioinformatics and I had one semester each of modelling and simulation of biomolecular processes and bioinfo in udergrad and my MSc will be focused on med imaging.
 
What other universities should I apply to? Am I right in thinking that I'll have a better chance if I apply to courses which have more labs in medical imaging than in other sub-fields of bioengineering. Which other universities focus on medical imaging (and are not top ranking universities)? I have shortlisted around 30 univs and now I'll be sending mails to the PIs there. Hope to get a response from somewhere.

Ok, not little

All too often people post here asking what their chances are at this and that school. I completetly understand their desire to know the answer. However, I also understand why some other people get somewhat annoyed by this question. Indeed, it is very hard to tell what somebody's chances are at certain schools, even if you know their stats and other details like a number of publications they have. That is why I decided to write this post. I will explain how, in my opinion, one can estimate one's chances and choose programs correctly. I hope that other people experienced in application process will correct me if I am wrong and add their advice. And may be, if moderators consider this post useful, they will be able to make it always stay on top of this board - if it is possible on this forum.

First of all, if you want to know whether your stats (GRE, GPA, TOEFL score) are good enough for you to be accepted to certain schools - there is one easy way to find the answer. Most schools post stats of students they have accepted, like on this page here. So try to find this info on websites of schools you are planning to apply to and if you can't find it, ask graduate secretaries/coordanators if such a page exists and if not, where you can find those stats. Remember that if your stats are low but not abysmal, that does not mean that your chances are low. It does not (always) go like - lower the grades, lower the chances (unless they are above some bare minimum) and vice versa. Because...

Second of all, even with the best stats, numerous publications, brilliant letters of reference, etc. you may not be accepted to a school if you have not chosen a program wisely. Because the most important thing in this game is fit. If a program thinks they are a bad fit for you, they will not admit you, however wonderful your application is. So you should apply only to schools that fit well your research interests and experience. How can you find schools with a good fit? First, of course, you schould know what your research interests are. If you know that, visit as many websites of programs in your field as you can find - and read about them, very carefully. Where can you find a list of programs? Well, browse the internet. When I was applying last year, I came across a biiiiiig list of programs in my field (it was not a ranking, just a list) and I spent a lot of time just going through all these program's websites. If you don't find such a list, just find some rankings. Not in order to find out what programs are the best in your field (many people don't believe in rankings anyway) but just to see what programs are out there. So, you read about the programs on their websites. From the way these programs are described you should get an idea if you would be interested in studying there or not. When I was choosing programs to apply to, I first used the list that I had found to make a shorter list of programs with a very general fit. Then, as I knew that I would not be able to attent a program without funding, I looked through this new shorter list looking for programs that were offering funding. As you can imagine, the list became even shorter after that Then I started to read about faculty in the programs from the last list, looking for professors who could potentially become my advisors. Then I contacted these professors, telling them about my research project, asking about their opinion. When some replied and I saw that they liked my ideas, I asked them if they would be taking graduate students next year. In the end I had only 5 programs left and I applied to all of them.

About contacting professors. As far as I understand, you can do that in all fields, except - for some mysterious reason! - English. (Here I ask other experienced forumers to correct me if I am wrong.)
BUT: If a professor is interested or even very very interested, that in no way guarantees that you will be accepted to this program because there are many other factors at play during the application process (most important of them being funding and faculty politics). But of course having a professor in a program who has expressed interest in working with you is a very good sign. It is definetely better than having no such professor. If you find a profesoor who is willing to take you as a graduate student but you are unsure about your stats, you can ask them about that. But of course don't ask it in the first letter to them!!! Only when you see that they are interested (and friendly).

Finally, I want to say, that all I have told above is based on my experience and it helped me - I was accepted to a school with a great fit (which is supported by the fact that they decided to give me a nice fellowship). May be there are other ways to choose programs and estimate your chances with them. May be in other fields (I am in social sciences) rules are different. I hope that others will correct me or pitch in some ideas based on their own experience with application process.

Good luck!

So well said!

So well said!

Before I came to this forum site, I thought I was a shoe-in for graduate school. Then I started seeing posts from people with concerns that they would not get into graduate school with a 3.9 GPA and a 1310 on their GRE. I mean, are those people doing it to fish for some compliments? Do they just need further validation that they are beyond brilliant? If you ask me, they're hateful. In any case, those posts brought me a lot of unease, so i'm turning to you guys for help. WHAT ARE MY CHANCES FOR GETTING INTO A PHD PROGRAM? I graduated from the University of Miami (Rank: 45) with a 3.68 GPA. I did research for nearly two years in a Chemistry lab and am currently doing a post-bac research education program for a year at the University of Kansas in molecular biosciences. I should be getting excellent recommendation letters from both my research PI's and one from a faculty member who is very well known in the sciences. I taught chemistry labs at my school for one year and held several leadership positions in school clubs. I also worked during college and volunteered at a local children's hospital. I have not yet taken the GRE but will be in August. Pending the results of that exam, which I hope will be up to par, what are my chances of getting into a GOOD program in Cellular & Molecular Biology? The schools I WAS looking at are: Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago ,Vanderbilt, University of Alabama, University of Maryland, University of Connecticut, University of Kansas, and NYU. I know the schools are somewhat ambitious, but again, I thought I was a shoe-in for graduate school. HELP!!!!

OH, AND I'M A MINORITY (IF THAT HELPS, LOL)

Let me answer with a hypothetical. I am the world's smartest woman and I can determine with 100% accuracy from the information that you provided that the chance of getting into the program of your choice is 68%. Now, armed with that information how is your behavior going to change? If you are a rational person this information should not change your behavior. You would still try the hardest you could to write the essays, pay the fees, and do all of the work it takes to get into any graduate program. Now, let's flip the problem. Let's say that I tell you your chance of getting into the program of your choice is 32%. Would that change your behavior? Would you give up or would you try harder? You still have a 32% chance of getting in and if you are truly dedicated then you should be willing to take those chances. Now, this is a choice you could make if you had the information, but you don't. I'm not the world's smartest woman (2nd smartest, lol ) and I can't tell you. No one on this forum can tell you what your chances are, and nobody told us, either. You have to decide whether you want it bad enough, and if you do you can summon the strength and courage that it takes. You have the answer, not anybody on this forum. I hope this helps.

+1 to Strangefox's original post.

I would urge the mods NOT to let 'Officially Grads' turn into 'What Are My Chances?' forum. It'll only drive the forum's current inhabitants away. It's the only place for us to discuss current grad students' issues, and there are plenty of other places for applicants to post their questions. Most of us surf the Applications forum and reply to threads when we have something useful to contribute. A lot of the time we don't, either because we don't know the field the OP is asking about, or the schools that are asked about, or there are not enough details in the post for us to give an informed opinion, etc. No need to 'bring those threads to our attention', which I assume would be the reason to post them in the Grads forum. We see them in their natural place too, and they annoy us (me, at least) much less when they are kept there.

You do realize that I'm a gradaute student and not an applicant, right? I'm saying that posts asking about your chances of admission in the "officially grads" forum tick me off, and make me less likely to give advice tha the post properly placed in the sub forum in which it actually belongs.

Fuzzylogician is quite right, too many of these posts in the one small corner of this huge site devoted to current grad students will slowly drive them away.

Asking for advice or asking what graduate life is like in the "officially grads" forum is completely different than the darned "what are my chances" threads.

I should also point out that since stats vary so wildly from year to year in what is considered average that you will probably so better talking to those applying with you than those of us that are several seasons away from the application process. What got me in when I applied 4 years ago will probably not be what gets you in this year.