eyne

I recently picked up some flasks from a biology lab that was moving out and giving away old glassware. I was thinking of using them to decorate my apartment, but how safe do you think they are to handle without gloves? They've all been autoclaved, and I assume they've been used to make buffers.

HM with VG/F E/VG VG/VG Anyone know how we check our percentile ranges?

FYI: There are currently 68 users reading (i.e., obsessively checking) this topic.

If a professor at one program I'm considering did her PhD at another program I'm considering, is it a big faux pas to ask her to compare the two programs? If not, do you think most professors would answer honestly, or try to promote their own program?

It's a pretty new program, but there are so many excellent PIs there that as 000 said, people in your field will regard it highly. Keep in mind though that since you're not doing rotations, it could be risky because you don't know if the PI's mentoring style will work for you. Talk to as many people as you can who are in the labs you're interested in...if you make an informed choice about which lab to apply to, the program could work for you.

Should we mention the school we ended up choosing instead? What if we still don't know, but have narrowed our choices down to a few? I feel like I should give waitlisted people a chance at the schools I'm definitely not attending.

I second biosci3c; while prep books might be a good investment for other subject tests, they're not worth it for the Biochem GRE. As far as I know, there are only 2 official practice exams available from ETS: the 2005 version that they send you after you register (you can download this directly from the ETS website) and the 1994 version that's floating around on the internet somewhere. Use them wisely! I spent a few weeks reviewing the topics on this site using a combination of textbooks and notes from my undergrad classes, and then took one practice exam. I went back through my exam and made a list of topics I needed to study more based on my wrong answers. I repeated this for the second practice exam. If I had more time, I would've covered anything that the practice tests had missed. In the end, though, this strategy got me a 90th+ percentile score.

Thanks neurosciguy - I appreciate your thoughtful response, even after I totally copied your topic title! Sorry I can't help you with your decision, but good luck!

Any thoughts? (I'm from Chicago, but I'm open to change )

One program I'm strongly considering has a few professors I'd love to work with, but are so popular that I'm afraid they won't be available for lab rotations. Is it ok to email them and simply ask if they're taking rotation students (even if I don't have any amazing questions about their work to ask them right now - I'm using up all my brainpower on decision-making)? Also, if I want to ask their current students some questions about their advisor/lab, is it better to email or call? I understand some people might be hesitant about giving me their opinion in writing - would I get more candid answers if I called them?

That's a relief! Thanks!

There are no subject tests for engineering. You only have to submit your general GRE score.

If I'm applying for the NSF GRF as an undergrad, am I expected to include preliminary data in my research proposal?

From the GRE Bulletin (http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/gre_0910_online_bulletin.pdf): B22 - Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology B24 - Biology C27 - Chemistry C29 - Computer Science L64 - Literature in English M68 - Mathematics P77 - Physics P81 - Psychology