cleff

How much time do you theoretically have to study and take the bio GRE? You can take it (if you have time/money) and then not send the score if it's bad. Your GPA already speaks for you anyway. I think the NSF REU will definitely help, but since they give 3 years of funding over a 5-year period, my hunch is that they will favor the PhD or MS/PhD applicants over the MS-only... but it's worth a try in any event!

Your professors/advisors would have a much idea about where you stand. Some great work experience there I agree with kahlan_amnell about extracurriculars. Best of luck!

I somehow managed to get one... VG/E VG/E VG/G They seemed to have liked my variety of experience, though I've always thought of it as "Jack of all trades and master of none"... Very divergent opinions on my Broader Impacts too... And I think a secret numerical score is likely, because I saw my "estimated percentile rank" when I went to my rating sheets, which wouldn't make sense just based on the 3-level ratings.

Sounds like you've had a lot of good experience to write about! I mentioned one of my class projects in my research proposal essay, because it was an extensive design project that was relevant to what I was proposing - in other words, it made my proposal more convincing because I have prior experience from the project.

I'll be exploring various parts of the campus on my own, so I can figure out where my favorite studying, eating, and chill-out place(s) are and the most efficient ways to get to them... also catch up on some writing I've been meaning to do, just to procrastinate studying for the badass quals.

Undergrad Institution: A hacker engineering school in New England with many movie references Major(s): Electrical Engineering Minor(s): Biomedical Engineering GPA in Major: 3.3 Overall GPA: 3.4 Length of Degree: 5 years, BS + Masters Position in Class: No freaking idea Type of Student: Female, naturalized citizen GRE Scores: Q: 800 V: 710 W: 5.0 Research Experience: REU program as undergrad, 2 summers + a term R&D internship Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA (1 summer) Applied for PhD at: Berkeley - EE - Rejected CMU - EE - Rejected Harvard - EE - Rejected MIT - EE - Rejected HST MEMP - Rejected Yale - EE - Rejected Princeton - EE - Waitlisted Columbia - EE - Accepted (with fellowship?) Cornell - EE - Accepted with fellowship JHU - EE - Accepted with fellowship Stanford - EE - Accepted with fellowship

Sounds like a good idea :-)

According to my own + friends' experiences + advice from these websites http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/fellowship-tips.htm and http://transientneha.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-apply-for-nsf-graduate-research.html, your proposal should have basis in your previous research experience but not simply a direct extension of it. They like to see something more adventurous but realistic and practical at the same time.

Assuming they don't change their timeline, deadlines will be in the ballpark as the 2008 dates - November 03, 2008 Interdisciplinary Fields of Study November 05, 2008 Mathematical Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering November 06, 2008 Social Sciences; Psychology; Geosciences November 07, 2008 Life Sciences November 10, 2008 Chemistry; Physics and Astronomy November 12, 2008 Engineering

A secret numerical score is likely, because I saw my "estimated percentile rank" when I went to my rating sheets, which wouldn't make sense just based on the 3-level ratings.

I somehow managed to get one... VG/E VG/E VG/G They seemed to have liked my variety of experience, though I've always thought of it as "Jack of all trades and master of none"... Very divergent opinions on my Broader Impacts too, huh.