3.33 GPA for Tier 1 Bioengineering Programs

[`jah]

Hi Grad Cafe,

I've read through a bunch of posts on this forum and other sites already but am still unsure of which schools to apply to.

I am graduating this May 2012 with a B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley. I will have a cumulative GPA of 3.33 and an upper div technical GPA of 3.63. I would like to note that I had a 3.00 my first two years, but have been getting 3.8 my last 2.5 semesters. Also, I have not taken the GRE yet but am expecting something like a 780Q, 600V, 4.5W (convert this to new scale) just to be conservative.

I have relevant research experience in one lab (2 years duration; submitting a paper of which I am the first author for publication; presenting my work at an annual bioengineering conference). I have had relevant and very strong industry experiences for two summers. I am seeking patent application for a medical device that I worked on stemming from a class project. I will have 2 very strong LORs and 1 good LOR.

In the one year that I am taking off before grad school, I am doing research at UCSF with a very recognized PI (who is an MD, PhD surgeon) and hoping to submit/publish another paper from this.

I am applying this coming fall 2012 to PhD programs and want to know if I should even be hopeful of getting into top bioengineering programs (Ie. Duke, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, UCSD, etc.). The main concern is GPA since all of the top schools post 3.8-3.9 averages and everyone says that a 3.5 cumulative is a bare minimum.

Thanks!

[ystar2012]

Hi jah,

You cumulative GPA is a bit low but the 3.8 in the later years is a pretty solid performance and make sure that you point it our either in your CV or SOP by explaining how you were able to learn from the first two years and made such a significant improvement.

In terms of applying for top-tier school, I'd say study super hard for GRE and aiming for 800Q and 700+V to get the attention for the admission committee.

Your experience and LORs sound pretty solid to me and make sure that you address your experience and patent application very well i yout SOP!

If you want to boost your chance, I'd suggest check out a new startup founded by Stanford grads that provides online platform that connects current top-tier school students with applicants to help them get into their dream schools (which sounds like your case a lot). I've been their alpha tester and think it was very helpful. They are launching their beta test in early May so definitely take advantage of that!

[ystar2012]

oops...and I forgot to mention the name of the website in the previous post... it's www.freshmentors.com

Good luck in your application!

[ghanada]

jah,

Besides your cumulative gpa, you have some great stats. You also sound very well rounded and have some great research experience that will help. However, with that said, there really is no way to tell with top tier schools. I have heard of people with 4.0 GPAs, research experience, publications, patents, good letter of recs, etc getting rejected from middle tier schools. Everyone always says this but it is so true that it depends on who else is applying, your adviser fit, etc. There are wayyyy too many variables to say what the "chances are" of getting to school X, Y, and Z. This year seemed like a particularly rough year with record number of applicants.

So apply to all those schools and some others not in the top tier as well. Consider University of Michigan as well because that is where I will be going this fall and I was thoroughly impressed with the program.

[renoona]

My two cents:

As 2010 ChemE graduate someone similar stats and research experience, great letters of rec from big names in BioE, and industry experience, I have some advice for you:

I applied this year for mostly top tier west coast schools, and while I was a good candidate (and waitlisted with a few schools), I ultimately didn't get in to any of them because of the all the variables mentioned above. While your stats might be good enough for one school, that same school might not have an open slot with the profs you want. Likewise, there might be an open slot with a prof you want in another school, but you might end up edged out by another person with a slightly better GPA. Those are just 2 of the MANY possibilities of getting rejected.

So my main advice to you is: apply to a MIX of top tier schools as well as other good programs that aren't as prestigious. You'll increase your chances of getting into more than one program, you'll get your PhD, and you'll get to do research you actually like.

Edited May 29, 2012 by renoona

[ghanada]

My two cents:

As 2010 ChemE graduate someone similar stats and research experience, great letters of rec from big names in BioE, and industry experience, I have some advice for you:

I applied this year for mostly top tier west coast schools, and while I was a good candidate (and waitlisted with a few schools), I ultimately didn't get in to any of them because of the all the variables mentioned above. While your stats might be good enough for one school, that same school might not have an open slot with the profs you want. Likewise, there might be an open slot with a prof you want in another school, but you might end up edged out by another person with a slightly better GPA. Those are just 2 of the MANY possibilities of getting rejected.

So my main advice to you is: apply to a MIX of top tier schools as well as other good programs that aren't as prestigious. You'll increase your chances of getting into more than one program, you'll get your PhD, and you'll get to do research you actually like.

@renoona - Are you going to reapply next year? The west coast was ESPECIALLY tough this year. I applied to a whole bunch of those schools - UCLA, USC, UCB/UCSF, UCSD, Stanford, UW and I got rejected from all of them as well. I heard from someone that got into USC that they only accepted like 7 people this year because they overaccepted last year. I also knew some people that got into MIT but not Stanford. I think the budget problems have really made those schools overly selective. I got into 3 top 15 BME schools but still got rejected from UCLA and USC which aren't even in the top 25! It is frustrating too since 2 of my 3 LORs came from UCLA professors and I really wanted to go somewhere on the west coast.

Anyways, as renoona said, definitely apply to a mix of schools. I applied to 18 schools, got 3 acceptances. So don't be afraid to apply to lots of places and pick some that are not top tier. However, don't just pick random schools as "safety" schools because that doesn't really work for PhDs. You need to make sure you can find people that are doing the work you want to do.

[renoona]

@renoona - Are you going to reapply next year? The west coast was ESPECIALLY tough this year. I applied to a whole bunch of those schools - UCLA, USC, UCB/UCSF, UCSD, Stanford, UW and I got rejected from all of them as well. I heard from someone that got into USC that they only accepted like 7 people this year because they overaccepted last year. I also knew some people that got into MIT but not Stanford. I think the budget problems have really made those schools overly selective. I got into 3 top 15 BME schools but still got rejected from UCLA and USC which aren't even in the top 25! It is frustrating too since 2 of my 3 LORs came from UCLA professors and I really wanted to go somewhere on the west coast.

ghanada, I've been thinking about reapplying next year, and I probably will. I went on a school-calling spree today, and was told that I was a "great candidate" and "favored" by the committees at my top three schools: UCSD, UCLA, and USC, but the thing that consistently edged me out was my 3.6 GPA. All schools advised applying again, and to establish a connection with the professors beforehand.

Many of the notes on my application said that the committees recommended me for the MS program for the meantime, and that I could get the classes out of the way that way, start researching with the PIs I would want, and petition to apply to the PhD program and the end of the school year. UCSD (because I love San Diego) said they would've done this for me had I mentioned I was willing to do a masters instead of a PhD (I wish someone told me that before I called today! I would've totally taken that opportunity), but it's too late now because they've accepted 30 MS students, when they normally accept 15-20. USC has given me this choice for the upcoming school year, however, I'm not sold on paying private-university, out-of-state tuition to go to USC in East LA, haha.

Also not sure if I could transfer the first year grad classes from USC to UCSD. If I can, I would consider doing this just so I don't kill another year of my 20's waiting to go to grad school...

Edited May 29, 2012 by renoona

[renoona]

There must have been some serious A+ students applying to the west coast BME programs this year...ROUGH competition.