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donnay

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Posts posted by donnay

    Should I ask this professor for recommendation?

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    I would think that is okay, since they know you and your work better. I had a post doc in my field whom I knew very well from class write my letter of recommendation.

    What consider a well written recommendation?

    so far I have one from my math professor whom I had class and worked for 3 years.

    A major course professor whom knows me very well.

    And this post doc.

    do they have significant weight on my application?

    Fall 2012 pharmaceutics/molecular bio/pathology good fits?

    in Applications

    Posted

    Hi all, I graduated from a school ranked 41 nationally in the U.S. I graduated from a Medical Laboratory Scientist program.

    I'm an American Society for Clinical Pathology certified Medical Laboratory Scientist.

    GPA: 3.14.

    GRE: first time 680v 700q, second time 640v 790q

    Interned in a local biotech company for 4 months

    One undergrad thesis on HIV research with a 10 minute graduation presentation on the research.

    Currently working on another research project as a volunteer in pharmaceutics department.

    Worked in a clinical lab for a year and a half in hospital from part time to full time in chemistry and hematology division.

    Solid LOR from research faculty and class faculties.

    I'm looking for PhD in Pathobiology, pharmaceutics, molecular biology... any school or programs you think I should consider?

    Should I retake my GRE with this kind of score? Is it competitive enough with that GRE and 3.1 GPA？

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    "Competitiveness" for life science is weighed more on experience and recommendation than GPA and GRE. Therefore, if the exp/rec is good then you don't really have to worry about GPA/GRE unless it's really, really horrible and does not make the cutoff (<3GPA <60%GRE Q or V. They don't care about AWA), and your score definitely made the cutoff.

    About GRE: Your verbal is very good. However, in life science, adcom told me that they weigh Quant heavier than Verbal. Therefore, it'll be better if you have >80% Q GRE (740ish) to mitigate your low GPA. My GPA is exactly the same as yours and I had 800Q, and the adcom told me that the Q score did mitigate the low GPA in their decision since my Q GRE is the best 5 out of the 250ish applicant and my GPA is in the low-mid of the applicants.

    If you have good research experience and recommendation, and if you don't have time/money to retake, then I'd say no. If you have money/time to retake, I'd say it might be worth it. But if you don't have good exp/rec, then I'd say retake until you have >80%.

    My stats:

    Life sciences major

    2.9 GPA, 3.1 major GPA, upward trend (2.7 average in first and 2nd years, 3.2 in 3rd, and 4 in fourth year).

    800Q/530V/4.5AWA.

    2-3 years research exp with 2 papers (pending)

    LoR from 2 research profs and 1 class prof (1 is very very influental prof)

    Got in top 15-20.

    Hope this helped.

    Thank you very much! Your Stats help a lot! I will definitely retake the GRE again and try to get at least 760 in Q. But I also worry that I will have a lower V score on the second test.

    Is your school ranked 15-20 higher or lower than cornell weill in that respect? I really want to get into that school!

    Thank you!

    Should I retake my GRE with this kind of score? Is it competitive enough with that GRE and 3.1 GPA？

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    It's impossible to say how competitive you are without knowing the rest of your app. How much research do you have? What kind of letters? What kind of coursework does your 3.1 GPA represent?

    As for the GRE score, personally I think it's fine. If your GPA was closer to 3.5, I'd say not even to bother retaking it. Since your GPA is a bit low, retaking it may be marginally helpful, but only if you can score significantly higher (30+ points in each section). Even then, I think it would only be a very small boost to your app.

    I got into multiple top 30 programs in the biosciences with a lower GRE than that, including a substantially lower quant: 630Q, 700V. You'd probably be better off spending your time tweaking your SOP, convincing schools that your research interests match their strong suits.

    Congratulations! I hope that I can get into top 30 too! What program did you applied and get accepted??

    Should I retake my GRE with this kind of score? Is it competitive enough with that GRE and 3.1 GPA？

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    I'm in a different field as well (global affairs), but here are my stats just so you can compare...

    undergrad GPA:3.35 in International Studies

    GRE scores: V570 Q550 W 4.5

    Experience: Peace Corps volunteer: 2 years, study abroad: 1 semester, 1 short term over the summer

    Accepted to one school, waitlisted at my first choice (top tier for IR), and rejected from another...

    So my numbers aren't stellar...but I have great experience that pertains directly to my field and my BA couldn't be anymore suited to what I'll be pursuing in grad school. How important is the GRE in my field? It counts for something for sure, but really the Quant score isn't nearly as weighty in International Relations as it would be in the sciences or mathematics. I don't know about retaking it, I really don't know that much about applying for science grad programs, but when I look at your scores I think they're really good. Although I'd say that the writing score could use a bit of a boost, but again, not sure how much if at all that will play into your applications. But based on what I've learned in these forums and what the previous poster said, perhaps taking a subject test will be the best course of action. Or if you don't want to go that route, maybe take another class that directly relates to the subject matter of your program of choice, doing well in an extra class always gives your application a fresh boost and if you can get a letter of recommendation from that professor, all the better. But you do need to do the research first, what schools and programs are you most interested in? Look at their requirements and stats, maybe your stats will fit right in or start asking admissions about what they might recommend. Why take the GRE all over again when a subject test would serve you better? Start thinking along those lines.

    Congrats for being accepted into the schools you applied! Thank you for posting your stats, they are helpful. I'm most interested in Weill Cornell, hopefully I can get in after getting a better Q score.

    Should I retake my GRE with this kind of score? Is it competitive enough with that GRE and 3.1 GPA？

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    I don't mean this to be mean, and I'm in a different field (English), but your Quant score is just a tad over mine. . .so I think someone in the sciences should have a higher score, especially when your GPA is pretty low. From what I understand, the objective factors of an application (GPA, GRE score, subject score) are more important in the sciences, so I think if I were you, I'd retake the GRE, especially if you've graduated already and can't improve your GPA. If your field requires a subject test, you really need to rock that test to show that you know your field, even if maybe your GPA isn't very high. Do you have research experience, lab time, references from respected profs in your field? Yes to the previous questions can overcome GPA/GRE scores, but if you have time and think you can boost your quant score, I'd retake it. Good luck!

    Hi! Thank you for your information. I am going into bio-science. I will definitely retake the test, subject test, probably not going to take it. Thanks!

    What are my chance for PhD in Cornell Weill

    in Applications

    Posted

    I graduated from a school ranked 41 nationally in the U.S.

    I graduated June 2010 from a Medical Laboratory Scientist program. I've done terrible for my gpa, but I have solid research experience and hopefully recommendation and I'm looking to get into a top PhD program for Fall 2012 (next years application cycle).

    I'm an American Society for Clinical Pathology certified Medical Laboratory Scientist.

    GPA: 3.14 ( yeah pie, that's definitely not my strength) .

    GRE: 680V, 700Q

    Had a 4 month internship at a local biotechnology company in my 2nd year of college.

    One undergraduate thesis paper on HIV research with a 10 minute presentation in departmental graduation.

    Currently working on another research project as a volunteer in pharmacology research.

    Worked in a clinical lab in a hospital for a year and a half in hospital from part time to full time in chemistry and hematology division.

    Solid LOR from research faculty and class faculties.

    I'm looking for PhD BCMB in Cornell Weill at NY, do I stand a chance?

    I'm also planning to apply to NYU, UMDNJ, University of washington, UC davis... what do you guys think??

    Thank you!

    guys please, i need your advise

    What are my chance for PhD in Cornell Weill

    in Applications

    Posted

    I graduated from a school ranked 41 nationally in the U.S.

    I graduated June 2010 from a Medical Laboratory Scientist program. I've done terrible for my gpa, but I have solid research experience and hopefully recommendation and I'm looking to get into a top PhD program for Fall 2012 (next years application cycle).

    I'm an American Society for Clinical Pathology certified Medical Laboratory Scientist.

    GPA: 3.14 ( yeah pie, that's definitely not my strength) .

    GRE: 680V, 700Q

    Had a 4 month internship at a local biotechnology company in my 2nd year of college.

    One undergraduate thesis paper on HIV research with a 10 minute presentation in departmental graduation.

    Currently working on another research project as a volunteer in pharmacology research.

    Worked in a clinical lab in a hospital for a year and a half in hospital from part time to full time in chemistry and hematology division.

    Solid LOR from research faculty and class faculties.

    I'm looking for PhD BCMB in Cornell Weill at NY, do I stand a chance?

    I'm also planning to apply to NYU, UMDNJ, University of washington, UC davis... what do you guys think??

    Thank you!

    Berkeley vs. NYU

    in Biology

    Posted

    Congrats on getting into those schools! I'm going to apply for the 2012 entering class. I am really interested in NYU and Weill Cornell. Can you give me more information about their admission screening and Interviews?

    Kaplan GRE prep advantages?

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    The classes are designed to provide students with a structured way of learning. If you think you can be motivated to learn on your own, you will do fine just using prep books. You just need strong grasp of the vocabulary words and math fundamentals (Alg I and basic geometry) to do well in GREs.

    Thank you and mike too. Your information are very helpful! I decide not to take it and just study by myself =)

    Kaplan GRE prep advantages?

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    I have taken the prep course before but I didn't do so well on the GRE. (Its kind of my fault, because I was already accepted into a Masters program and I basically stop studying for the GRE and blew it.)

    was the class helpful? did you learn a lot from it? it's expensive so i want to investigate more about it before i invest into it.

    What are my chance? What GRE score must I get?

    in Applications

    Posted

    I think GPA and GRE both matter less than your research experience, as long as they aren't below some minimum.

    I'd say your GPA is on the low end, but it's above 3.0 so shouldn't be a major stumbling block.

    Your research experience is great, and you can use your SoP to sell it.

    Thanks Eigen, I should focus mostly on my research experience on my SOP then.

    What are my chance? What GRE score must I get?

    in Applications

    Posted

    Hi all, I graduated from a school ranked 41 nationally in the U.S.

    I graduated June 2010 from a Medical Laboratory Scientist program. I'm looking for some advice. I've done terrible for my gpa, haven't taken the GRE yet (studying super hard for it now), but I have solid research experience and hopefully recommendation and I'm looking to get into a top PhD program for Fall 2012 (next years application cycle).

    I'm an American Society for Clinical Pathology certified Medical Laboratory Scientist.

    GPA: 3.14 ( yeah pie, that's definitely not my strength) .

    GRE: Don't know yet.

    One undergrad thesis on HIV research with a 10 minute graduation presentation on the research.

    Currently working on another research project as a volunteer, will published as a 2nd author in pharmacology research.

    Worked in a clinical lab for a year and a half in hospital from part time to full time in chemistry and hematology division.

    Solid LOR from research faculty and class faculties.

    I'm looking for PhD in Pathobiology, pharmaceutics, molecular biology, ( I really want to get into NYU, University of Washington, University of California Davis, and Cornell BCMB.) Those are hard with my gpa.

    Do you think my low GPA will keep me out of these top programs? I know it's used as an initial filter, but I think I'm too low to make it past that filter (but not certain).

    What do you guys think that I should do? What will be my better fit grad school that I should apply?

    Thank you!

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