Biology PhD Fall 2009 applicants

[Astaroth]

Please post your profile, where you applied and what responses you've had so far. Feel free to comment on people's profiles/applications or ask anything about the application process if you still haven't applied.

International student

4-year BSc in Genetics (with a year in industry) from University of York, UK (graduating in 2009)

GPA so far - 59%, or 3.3 GPA equivalent.

Predicted degree classification: 2:1

General GRE scores: V: 670 (95th), Q: 740 (81st), AWA: 4.5 (58th)

No TOEFL.

No publications.

Research experience: 1 year in industry (pharma), and currently doing my final year research project

Applied to:

UT Austin (Cell & molecular bio)

Mayo Graduate School (Biomedical sciences)

UMichigan (MCDB)

MIT (Biology)

UCSD (Biology) (Pre-app)

UVA (Biology)

Brandeis (Molecular/cell biology)

UVM (Cell and molecular biology)

Oxford (CRUK molecular oncology studentship)

Bristol (MRC bioimaging studentship)

Accepted:

UVM (after interview)

Rejected:

UCSD (at pre-app stage, didn't make it to applications! how sad)

MIT (e-mail)

Rockefeller (post)

Bristol (e-mail)

Mayo (e-mail + post)

UMichigan (e-mail)

UVA (website + e-mail)

UT (website)

[frankdux]

no offense, but you seem to be aiming quite high with your choices given your 3.3 gpa.

[Astaroth]

no offense, but you seem to be aiming quite high with your choices given your 3.3 gpa.

Yeah, I know. None taken. My GPA is low because I just don't do well at exams. I regularly get praise from the various supervisors I've had for my ability to do science and for being very bright, and my academic supervisor knows that my grades are not representative of my abilities and has emphasized this in his letter of reference. If some of the higher tier places I've applied to have some sort of cutoff that I won't make because of my GPA then so be it, but I feel confident that if they look at my application as a whole, I will have a chance of getting a place somewhere.

I've applied to a range of places to give myself a fairer chance. I know that I have pretty much zero chance of getting into Mayo, but then again I don't really want to go there (I only realized this after I submitted my application, it was a bit of a rushed decision to apply there). As for UCSD, I knew I would be rejected early on because it's one of the highest ranked public schools and they have limited funds for international students. I'm pretty sure they just looked at my GPA and said "nope". As for MIT and Rockefeller, yes they are very prestigious but for example I know that the average GPA for people who get into the MIT program is 3.6, which means 3.3 would presumably be low but still within range. I don't know much about Rockefeller (other than I really want to go there!) but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I was rejected from there. Kind of a similar story with Michigan even though it's not quite in the same class as the others I've mentioned. As for UT, UVA and Brandeis, I think I have a fair shot, and I would be more than happy with any of them, although UVA would really be my last choice.

Even if I get rejections from all of these, by April I'll have 5 more grades to show on my transcript (year away report and 4 exams in january) which I expect to raise my average quite a bit, and I'll have a good chance of getting a decent PhD here in the UK. All the funded 4-year programs are going now so it'll just be a regular non-program PhD, but hopefully I'll find a funded one.

[Minnesotan]

Topic moved to the appropriate forum (Bio).

[limeinthecoconut]

no offense, but you seem to be aiming quite high with your choices given your 3.3 gpa.

Even less offense, but I think the GPA of international students is not exactly comparable with the GPA of US students, as there are just different scales. Just my two cents worth. Don't be discouraged!

[Astaroth]

Even less offense, but I think the GPA of international students is not exactly comparable with the GPA of US students, as there are just different scales. Just my two cents worth. Don't be discouraged!

There is no GPA in the UK. The value I quoted is an equivalent which I calculated using some rough guidelines. My actual average is 59%, which translates to roughly B/B+, which is somewhere around 3.3.

[seunghwane]

Invited to Interview:

-Harvard Neurobiology, UC Berkeley, Princeton, UCSF, MIT Biology, Caltech

Accepted:

Rockefeller, UC Berkeley, Caltech, Princeton, UCSF

Have not heard from: MIT bio

[seunghwane]

There is no GPA in the UK. The value I quoted is an equivalent which I calculated using some rough guidelines. My actual average is 59%, which translates to roughly B/B+, which is somewhere around 3.3.

I know I'm being the Captain Obvious, but I think your research experiences and recommendation letters will determine your chances.

But it's really great to see a post by a fellow biologist!

[Astaroth]

Thanks! That is a very impressive set of credentials you have there :shock: I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all getting into your top choice.

What's annoying me about applications is they come at the worst time, pretty much, because just a couple of months after deadlines I'll have a whole bunch of new grades that will push my average up, I'll have progressed a lot on my final year project and would be able to talk more about it in my SoP, and the way my project is going I could even have a publication in preparation! If I wasn't already 24 years old I'd consider taking the year off and re-applying next year with stronger credentials but that would make me over 30 years old by the time I finish my PhD... that sounds quite terrifying and I don't want to delay it any longer really.

[seunghwane]

Thank you for your kind words.

Holy crap I am so excited bc I got an invitation just now...

I really really hope you get your top choices as well!

[Astaroth]

Harvard! Brilliant! Well done!

[adamm111484]

Hey all, this is my first post here! Just stumbled onto the forum today as I began my rush to prepare for interviews... tips from those who have been through the process before are more than welcome!

Graduated from Penn State with honors in 2007, spent a year as a Fulbright fellow in Panama (ecology research), currently a post-bac at the NIH doing molecular biology/virology work, which is what I've applied for.

GPA: 3.88

Degrees: BS in Biology, BS in International Studies, BA in Spanish

GRE: V650/Q770/A5.0 (forget my percentiles off the top of my head... weird after having to fill it in so many times on apps!)

No publications

Research experience: 5+ years at varying intensities (full-time for 1.5 years)

Applied to:

UPenn-VMD/PhD

UPenn-PhD in Cell and Molecular Bio (Microbiology/Virology/Parasitology group)

UCBerkeley-PhD in Microbio

MIT-PhD in Biology

Duke-PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

UChicago-PhD in Biomedical Sciences

UWashington-PhD in Microbiology

Johns Hopkins-PhD in Cell&Molec Medicine

Accepted:

UPenn-PhD

Invited to interview:

Both UPenn programs, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Berkeley, MIT

Rejected:

UWashington

[Astaroth]

I just submitted another application, for Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Vermont. I hadn't really considered the place at all, it doesn't feature highly at all in rankings which I suppose is the reason why. My supervisor did some visiting research there during his post-doc and has a couple of friends in the faculty so he said that I should consider it. It actually looks like a very good program, sure it doesn't have "prestige" and you'll be hard pressed to find any Nature/Science/Cell publications by the faculty, but the research they do there is quite close to my interests and the place itself (Burlington) sounds wonderful.

After applying here I've actually realised that I don't really care about prestige very much, and I know that the USNews rankings say very little about what the quality of my education/research will be at a particular university. In hindsight perhaps I should have applied to less reach universities and more places that sound like I would like doing a PhD there. It was definitely a mistake applying to Mayo Grad School, at this point I don't think I would go there even if they offered me a place.

[adamm111484]

I've had a few friends go to UVermont for undergrad and they all really loved it! It really is all about where you'll enjoy (or maybe I should say "enjoy" because really... I don't think it's going to be the most fun process in the world!) doing your PhD so hopefully everything works out for the best.

[Astaroth]

I just received an e-mail from UMichigan saying that my application is being considered and that international students will be notified about whether they will be interviewed after March 8th. I think this is encouraging, it probably means I have made it through some sort of first cut. I hope so, anyway.

[gadhelyn]

Graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Dec 2006

GPA: let's just say it's low, I switched majors a couple times then rushed through requirements just to finish BA

Degrees: BA in Biology

GRE: V600/Q750/A4.0

7 publications as coauthor: 2 Posters, 1 presentation at Amer. Heart Assoc. Scientific Sessions, 4 papers (including a J. of Clinical Investigation! woo!)

Research experience: 5+ years, full time for 2 years, all within the same lab. I'm currently running 3 different projects.

Applied to:

WUSTL PHD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics 

Univ. of Kansas PhD in Bioinformatics

North Carolina St. Univ. PhD in Bioinformatics

George Mason Univ. PhD in Bioinformatics

Accepted:

None

Invited to interview:

None yet

Rejected:

None yet

[solefolia]

Astaroth requested I post here quite awhile back through a comment on my blog entry.

Graduating this May with a BS in Biology (emphasis in Cellular/Molecular) from a small, unknown, satellite state school

GPA: Currently around a 3.3 and not likely to change much by graduation.

GRE: 610 V, 710 Q, 4.5 W

1 publication submitted (3rd author) and a conference abstract for the same research project, one additional publication in progress

My interests are in astrobiology, so my research experience is really varied (2 years in geology, a semester internship at NASA doing a physics-based research project with implications in chemistry/biology, and one semester (ongoing) working in microbiology)

One semester as a TA for a lower level biology lab

I applied to three PhD programs and again, due to the nature of astrobiology, I've only technically applied to one biology program, but I do feel most at home here amongst the rest of you bio folks. (My other programs are in planetary science and geology). No word yet from anyone.

Good luck!

[gradcafegirl]

BS biochem from low ranked state university

overall gpa 3.3, major 3.8

Average GRE scores (both in the 600s), high writing score.

1 first author abstract at national conference

1 year research experience

programs are all bio

applied: umich pibs, uva, upenn, ucsc, ucsf, northwestern, az, einstein, city of hope, washu

[Astaroth]

Oh when did you hear from UVA, and when is the interview? I've applied there too!

[deipnosophistry]

Are there any other EvoBio applicants in these fora? Don't get me wrong, I love you MCB and Genetics folks, but we never apply to the same programs.

[seunghwane]

I just heard my first rejection from Columbia.

After I emailed the admission office about the interview dates, they told me that I was not one of the people who received emails about the invitation, implying that I was rejected.

First one sure hurts.

[IvyHope]

I just heard my first rejection from Columbia.

After I emailed the admission office about the interview dates, they told me that I was not one of the people who received emails about the invitation, implying that I was rejected.

First one sure hurts.

Ouch, shake it off. Rumor has it that Columbia students are among the most unhappy anyway. ;-)

At least you have interviews to some great schools. Focus on that!

[Astaroth]

Haha seriously.. having interviews from Harvard, Princeton and Berkeley, you should be over the moon! Columbia are just embarassing themselves by not inviting you.

[adamm111484]

Does anyone know how long after the interview weekend offers are made or rejections are sent? Obviously it varies school to school, especially for those with multiple interview weekends, but I was just curious for a ballpark idea of what might be considered "standard" - thanks!

[Astaroth]

Not sure what's usual for the US but here in the UK offers are usually made within a week from interviews. I can't really imagine why they would want to think about it for longer than that.