LL2011

Has anyone heard back from UMass Medical for BBS? If so, when are the interviews? Thanks

I think I'll do just that. I really am excited about Amherst now. thanks a bunch for the feedback!

Hi there, thanks for the feedback. This is all making sense ..I guess I just needed to hear other opinions. I'm not sure if the procedure is the same for the Master's program, but as for the PhD the MCB program retreat/interviews are held during the weekend of Feb 25 ... hope this helps, best of luck

summary: I decided to apply to grad school (very) late in the game last year (late oct 2010)- totally my fault. I have been accepted to 3 average schools and rejected from 2 top tier schools for FALL '11. One of the programs I got in (UMass Amherst) would be a great fit but not ideal. Option A: Stick with Umass Option B: Enroll at Umass, try to transfer after 1 semester or 1 year to a higher ranked school (is that even possible?) Opition C: Don't go anywhere and re-apply for Fall 2012 (theoretically with a stronger application) Background: I only took the GRE once with a week's worth of studying (650 Q, 550 V, 4.5 W). graduated 2 yrs ago w/ 3.2 GPA, I have a little over 3 years of work experience (senior RA in pharma). The only redeeming qualities I had as an applicant was my senior research proposal (won school award) and 4 strong letters of recommendation. I knew going in that all of this -by no stretch of the immagination- ranked me as a top candidate but I figured I didn't have anything to lose by applying to a few top schools (ie. MIT, Harvard, Berkeley). So far I've received 3 acceptance letters (NEU, UConn, Umass Amherst) and 2 rejections (Berkley and MIT... not in the least bit surprised). I'm still waiting to hear back from Harvard (99.9% sure I won't get in) and 3 more mid tier schools. With that said; I find the program at Umass Amherst to be a great fit (of all the mid tier schools I've applied to); I have been in contact with a professor and a department head since Nov. and they both think that I/my project would be a great complement to their lab/department. This is all fine and dandy but I find MIT's program to be an even better fit for me (100% on the dot to be exact). But I did not get in.. Here's what I know: If I spend a month or so studying I would get a much better score on the GRE. Likewise, I am confident I can get a strong GPA in my first year at UMass (to clarify, my undergrad biology major GPA was a 3.5, the only reason my overall GPA was low is due to the classes I took for a business minor that drove my grades down ..and other random classes I had to repeat). I don't know what I should do and any advice will help. Thanks in advance PS: I applied to Cell and Molec. Bio - & - Biomedical Sci. PhD programs