Orims

I saw the subject line and my heart started beating like crazy!! I hate these types of e-mails.

Ready for some potential news tomorrow!

Lots of UW-Madison CMB rejections from international students on the results page. Haven't received one so maybe there is still hope!

You guys/gals think we will get any news next week? Asking because new year's is in the middle of the week.

For those waiting to hear back from JHU-BCMB, I had trouble with my transcripts and last names (2 last names generates so much trouble!) but I was able to call them today and I promptly received this message: Hi -, You are correct. It completed out after I left for today’s review meeting and I have already sent your file on to the director. It will more than likely be reviewed next week at which time I will be back in touch with you. So it seems there might be another wave of interviews next week.

UW - Wisconsin Madison almost gave me a heart attack. They congratulated me on having my application being finished and submitted 2 weeks later!

All of my schools have been quiet! This is killing me! I know MIT, Stanford and Rockefeller won't say anything until January, but the rest of my schools are supposed to start saying things this week or the next (according to previous years). Ugh!

I am not a graduate student yet but I could give you some advice based on the classes that my biochemistry major requires and offers (I go to a mid sized state school that is know for research). From my experience I would say that the biochemistry major at my school is about 50% biology, 30% chemistry and 20% other sciences (math, physics, stats, etc..). I know many graduate schools that offer programs in biochemistry require or recommend taking courses such as Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, some sort of Stats course, up to 1 year of calculus, up to 1 year of physics, etc. They also require biology courses such as general bio, genetics, cell bio, metabolism, etc.... Also, based on what I've gathered from talking to professors and graduate students, research experience seems to be the most important factor. Many people I know applied to biochemistry PhD programs while lacking 1 or 2 of the recommended courses but had lots of research experience (2-3 years). Something else that can help, given that you are a junior, is doing an REU or summer research program outside of your college so that you may be immersed in biochemistry research. Not only will this look good on your CV and research experience, it will also grant you another letter of recommendation if you do a good job at your summer lab. Best of luck!

I did two summers of research at what would be considered a top 5 tier research university and from speaking with professors I was told that publications are rarely seen as a must for admissions. One professors, who is part of the admissions committee, even told me that less than 10% of the accepted students have some sort of publication.

Most graduate programs in biology do not care about extra curricular activities unless they are related to research, even TAing is not even taken into account that much (or so I've heard). In my opinion, and based on what I've gathered talking with PhD students and faculty, extracurricular activities are rarely considered for admissions, much less for interviews. However, during interviews they might ask you about what you do outside of research of academics.

For those of you that have been called for interviews: at what time did you receive your calls?

I did not get an e-mail, did you e-mail then asking?

The application deadline is Tuesday, so try again tomorrow, no need to freakout .

I see, I submitted mine yesterday, so hopefully I'll get some news soon (fingers crossed!)?

You could try checking on last year's 2013 thread and see GSK dates to get an idea for this cycle's dates, they rare tend to change the dates. Also, mind me asking when you submitted your JHU BCMB application? I submitted mine earlier this week and I haven't heard anything/ Best of luck!

Does anybody know when programs start sending interview invites?

Undergrad Institution: State school Major(s):Biochemistry Minor(s) :Molecular Biology GPA in Major: 3.87 Overall GPA:3.92 Position in Class: Top 3% Type of Student:International studying in USA, Male GRE Scores (revised version): Q:158 V:156 W: 4.5 Research Experience: 3.5 years of research experience in home institution and 2 summers at a major research institution. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for all my semesters, a couple scholarships and a funded summer fellowship to do research last summer. Presented research at a national conference and at a local research symposium, will be 2nd or 3rd author in a paper currently being written. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have helped with department orientation for freshmen students as well as orientation for international students. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Helped as an international student orientation leader for 1 year. Applying to Where: MIT Biology Stanford Biology JHU BCMB UW-Madison CMB BCM IMBS UTSW Berkeley MCB Harvard MCO Rockefeller University Princeton Molecular Bio. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MCB Updated with program departments!

Undergrad Institution: State school in the west. Major(s):Biochemistry Minor(s) :Molecular Biology GPA in Major: 3.87 Overall GPA:3.92 Position in Class: Top 3% Type of Student:International studying in USA, Male GRE Scores (revised version): Q:158 V:156 W: 4.5 Research Experience: 3.5 years of research experience in home institution and 2 summers at a major elite research institution. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for all my semesters, a couple scholarships and a funded summer fellowship to do research last summer. Presented research at a national conference and at a local research symposium, will be 2nd or 3rd author in a paper currently being written. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have helped with department orientation for freshmen students. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Helped as an international student orientation leader for 1 year. Applying to Where: MIT Biology Stanford Biology JHU UW-Madison BCM UTSW Berkeley MCB Harvard MCO Rockefeller University Princeton Molecular Bio. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I know my GRE scores might be a little low for the places I am applying to, however I have always been a bad standardized test taker and I feel my research experience + my letters of recommendation, which I have been told are great, will truncate the GRE. Also, I was already approved to apply as an international to University of Illinois -UC so that makes me feel a little good.

From first hand experience I know that REU programs at the top 20, or even the top 10, are extremely competitive when looking at % admissions (some are even lower than grad school admissions!). For example, UCSF AMGEN only accepted less than 5% of applicants this past cycle. Best of luck!

I'd recommend trying to do research at a different school from the one you are currently at. Many REU summer programs tend to facilitate meeting with professors, getting a fee waiver from the host institution and giving (sometimes) giving you a little "leg up" when applying to their program. Additionally, getting a potential extra letter of recommendation from someone OUTSIDE of your school might be seen as something highly positive from the admissions committee (or so I've been told). Granted, many REUs are extremely competitive (admissions less than 5% for many), but if you get in and do good it gives you an extreme "leg up". If you are a minority and have good grades (it sounds like you have good research experience) you should definitely apply to some of the top 10 school REUs that are out there. Best of luck!

I am also applying for programs (biochem and molecular bio) this fall, however, I feel that starting a thread right now is a little too early, we still have like 4-5 months before applications actually open! I'll be back once applications open. Best of luck! May y'all have a productive summer!

For those that have questions regarding CSU or Fort Collins, I can help. I am currently doing my undergrad here and I have many graduate student friends, so I am somewhat familiar with the graduate community here. Also, I am an international student if any other international students have any questions.

I saw this topic last year and thought it was interesting and entertaining to know what people were doing and how they fell when they found out they got accepted.

Thank you for your replies. I am an international student currently studying in the US and I somehow managed to get into a summer research program (very few accept or even consider international students), I hope this helps me overcome my international status when applying to grad school this year. Best of luck!

It is late, my topic got posted twice and I can't figure out how to delete one of them. If a mod is around please remove this post or let me know how to do so.