What can I do from now until Fall applications?

[twitch87]

Hi,

I graduated from the University of Chicago last spring (2009) with a BA in Biology. My cumulative GPA is 3.07, with a major GPA of 3.2 and a GPA of 3.3 in my last two years of coursework. I did not (clearly) make a good start to my undergraduate studies and a combination of being away from home for the first time and college freedom(s) led to a poor first two years. I worked in a lab during my last two years (and will have my name on a publication as second or third author). Right now, I'm working in another lab as a technician. I'm wondering what my chances are of getting into graduate programs in biology and what I can do, at the moment, to improve those chances. I've yet to take the GREs, so I'll definitely work on getting good scores in those but I'm wondering if there is something else I can do.

Thanks!

[joro]

I would first research graduate programs that you are interested in. Forget whether you think you can get in or not, just come up with a list. Try to come up with an outline for your SOP. Study for the GRE and subject GRE. I would try to have a few drafts written for your SOP by August and have it finalized by September. You can also send your finalized SOP to your LORs to look over and having it done early gives them time to give you feedback which you can use if you want. It also helps them understand your intention to attend graduate school. Speaking of LORs, make sure you pick 3 reliable ones. Make sure you let them know when you'll be sending the requests for LORs and also include the due dates for these applications. This is all the comes to mind at the moment, I know there's a bit more and I'll probably post again when I remember.

[mattchurgin]

Personally, it took me a long time to find programs I liked, so I recommend starting to do research into which schools you want to apply to. Read about professors' research and read some of their papers. This may take a long time if you do it for an hour or two a day. I also e-mailed some professors I was interested in over the summer and tried to strike up a connection. For the most part, it didn't work, but I think it got my name in their heads. Also, there are some great books on applying to grad school: Donald Asher's "Graduate Admission Essays" and Robert L. Peters' "Getting What You Came For" are both very helpful books that I consulted during this process (I applied this Fall 2009).

You have to get down to the bottom of why you want to go to graduate school and why you want to go to a specific program. If you can pinpoint those facts and relay them to the admissions committee in your SoP, you will be in very good shape. I worked very hard on my SoP, and I think it paid off.

Good luck and don't let the bad days get you down!

-Matt

[lily_]

Most graduate programs want you to have above a 3.0 to be considered. I'm not in the "hard" sciences, however. Focus on improvement. It's a little late now to try to enroll as a non-matriculated student at U of C to take some graduate level coursework, but the fact that your names are on publications is a huge plus.

Here is what you need:

1. High GRE's, probably higher in quantitative for your field than in verbal. There are places on this page where you can find some decent advice about preparation and getting a high score. Study a little bit everyday, starting as soon as possible.

2. Find professors who are either letting you be a second or third author, you are working with in the lab, or have taken coursework with (multiple courses if possible) and solidify strong, personal LORs. It's important to do this early, because a professor is more likely to write a positive LOR for a student that makes effort to see them aside from asking them for favors. If there are bigwigs in your field at U of C seek them out first, and go for junior scholars second. It helps if you have someone singing your praises if they are buddies with the admissions committee you are applying to.

3. To reiterate what the others said, start researching your program. You need to find a happy medium between having a plan that's specialized enough to be interesting, but not overly specialized. This is what goes into your SOP, which you should work extremely hard on. The SOP is the most important part of your application (in my opinion) because you have complete control over its content and what it says, unlike other aspects of your application. It's also not a bad idea to contact people you envision being your future advisor. E-mail to start, and if it's possible arrange a phone call or face-to-face visit. Your adviser is someone who you are going to have to work with probably for the rest of your life in many fields - best to get an idea of what kind of person they are and their intellectual interests before spending time and money on a lengthy degree.

I second Matt's suggestion of reading "Getting What You Came For." I would suggest reading the entire thing, and not just the sections on applications!

Best of luck!