2014 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[nns91]

Congrats stizz!!! I am waiting for Pittsburg IBGP as well. I submitted my application on Nov 21. In the mean time, got my invitation to UMass Medical School BBS program.

[stizz]

Congrats stizz!!! I am waiting for Pittsburg IBGP as well. I submitted my application on Nov 21. In the mean time, got my invitation to UMass Medical School BBS program.

Congrats! I already have to reschedule the interview due to a conference. I hope they don't mind too much.

[mop]

When invite emails get closer, I'm going to have to stop coming here so I don't freak myself out every time someone else gets an interview invite. 

Don't stress about it too much, after the apps are all in there is nothing you can do about it anymore. last year I wrote out all the past times invites were sent out for the programs I applied to and they did not match up very well with when I got interview invites.

 

ps. if anyone has questions about UNC BBSP feel free to shoot me a pm or post

[tuba250]

Don't stress about it too much, after the apps are all in there is nothing you can do about it anymore. last year I wrote out all the past times invites were sent out for the programs I applied to and they did not match up very well with when I got interview invites.

 

ps. if anyone has questions about UNC BBSP feel free to shoot me a pm or post

 Do they review the applications of international students later? When do  they send the last invites for interview?

[aldoushuxley]

FYI, just got an email from Ohio State:

 

Thank you for submitting your application for admission to the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University. Our admissions committee will be meeting at the beginning of December to determine who will receive the first round of interviews. We are still missing two letters of recommendation for your entire application to be complete. Please submit this missing piece as soon as possible. We look forward to receiving this additional information from you.

 

Of course the two LOR's are taking forever.

[Monochrome Spring]

FYI, just got an email from Ohio State:

 

Thank you for submitting your application for admission to the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University. Our admissions committee will be meeting at the beginning of December to determine who will receive the first round of interviews. We are still missing two letters of recommendation for your entire application to be complete. Please submit this missing piece as soon as possible. We look forward to receiving this additional information from you.

 

Of course the two LOR's are taking forever.

Forward your letter writers the email so that they understand the importance of getting them in asap.

[aldoushuxley]

Forward your letter writers the email so that they understand the importance of getting them in asap.

I did exactly that; I hope that they don't think it's too pushy. I know one for sure has it written. The other told me that mine is the first rec letter that she has ever written. 

 

So nervous. It's finals week. I shouldn't be thinking about this stuff!

[Mabester]

I got an invite to Pittsburgh IBGP as well! I got the notification a good amount of time before the application due date, but I submitted it relatively early (everything was complete by Nov. 10)

[mop]

 Do they review the applications of international students later? When do  they send the last invites for interview?

I am fairly certain application reviews are all at the same time regardless of status. They will only do phone interviews for international students though, so they will likely be set up separate from the interview weekends (6 weekends). I don't know when the phone interviews will be.

[rat.girl]

Interview invite for Vanderbilt IGP today.  Seems like everything is coming so early this year…let the nervousness begin.

[djc7xf]

Undergrad Institution: Small engineering state school in the midwest

Major: Biochemical Engineering

2nd Major: Biological Sciences

GPA in Major: Unsure
Overall GPA: 3.93

Type of Student: Domestic white male

 

GRE Scores (revised)
Q: 163 (87%) 
V: 159 (81%)
W: 4.0 (54% ahhhhh)

B: N/A

 

Research Experience:

 

Very little. Some research experience in the chemical industry for 1 summer, nothing substantial. Worked as a laboratory assistant in a cDNA cloning laboratory for a year, which was molecular biology intensive. Researched 1 summer at a small pharmaceuticals company in their formulations department, presented a poster and received 1st place out of all the interns.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

Basically just that 1st place poster... some scholarships.

 

Special Bonus Points:

 

Hopefully the engineering background adds something special to the mix... OR it could just end up hurting me.

 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

 

The research in biomedical sciences at my school is incredibly lacking.. One of my recommenders is the department chair and also my advisor. The others are my mentors at the pharma company and cDNA resource center, but I think overall my recommendations are weak. Optimism at its finest.

 

Applying to Where:

 

WashU

UIC

UMich

Vanderbilt

Columbia

NYU

Weill Cornell

SLU

Brown

Georgetown

 

After reading all these posts, I definitely feel like I overshot!

[Eatin' Biscuits]

Woot! UNC BBSP invite!

[Leuco]

Undergrad Institution: Purdue
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s): Chemistry, Classical Studies
GPA in Major: 3.80
Overall GPA: 3.70
Type of Student: Domestic, female

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 157 (69%)
V: 162 (89%)
W: 4.5 (78%)


Research Experience:

 

All at my school:

3.5 years: enzymology/microbiology-esque lab  (a few posters/talks)

~6 months post-bachelors: plant biology/biochemistry lab

 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Won't show up on my app (except Emory, the only school I'm re-applying to), but I did this whole application thing last year, too.  I am not exactly sure why I got rejected (wasn't even interviewed), but it may have been related to one of my letters or my SOP... or the schools I applied to.  I have applied to more schools, wrote a better statement, and have changed up my letter writers a bit.  It is just utterly terrifying, going through this again.

Applying to Where:

Emory - GDBBS (MMG)
Cornell - BBS

MSU - Biomolecular Sciences

Purdue - PULSe

UNC - BBS  [Haven't heard anything about this yet, but I did submit it late in the month]

Wisconsin-Madison - Microbiology

Ohio State - Microbiology

 

Essentially, I am simply terrified about going through this whole process again.  I want nothing more than to go to graduate school, and honestly, if I could just get an interview, I would be very, very happy...

Edited December 6, 2013 by Leuco

[elanorci]

Congrats to whoever just got the Harvard BBS interview, if you're reading  

[nns91]

Wait!!! Harvard BBS is already out??? I thought the committee does not meet till after Jan 1st?

[elanorci]

I have no idea. Just saw it on the results page: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/

 

(How did you find out that the committee doesn't meet until after Jan. 1st? I applied to Harvard, though not BBS) 

[username1824]

I know their website says that if you don't hear from them by January 15, you should expect a rejection letter, and there was only one person on the survey who said they get on interview from Harvard, so I'm skeptical for now. But if it's true then congrats to that person!

[Eatin' Biscuits]

I'm fairly skeptical about that one too.. It looks like all their interviews went out around Jan 10-17 in previous years, and with only one person posting it's a little fishy.

[tuba250]

I am confused about my UNC BBSP application. They received all the required things (Form,Fees,Test scores and recommendation letters) but still shows incomplete :/  Do you guys have any idea why ? Should i send them email asking about it?

[iheartplants]

Ok...I'll go

 

Undergrad Institution: Large pulbic university (degree #1), smaller public university (degree #2)
Major(s): Biology, Education
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.90
Overall GPA: 3.78
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores (revised/old version): testing= not my forte
Q: 157 (71%)
V: 157 (73%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
B: Nope

Research Experience:

2 years in university plant genetics and ecology lab leading to ~3 publications (early 2014)

2 years working for government plant genetics and ecology lab in affiliation with above

1/2 year ethnobotany intern at museum

1 year working in education physchology lab as lab tech

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: ~several departmental travel awards/scholarships, 1 first poster award

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Lead tutor at University science/math department

Voluneer STEM coordinator/liason to local community from University

Public school teacher (English/science)-2 yr

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Have presented at a few national conferences

Teach for America

Special Bonus Points: Communicated with POIs at all programs I applied to

Applying to Where:

Michigan State University--Plant Biology PhD

CU Boulder--EBIO PhD

UC Berkeley--Integrative Biology PhD

UMD at College Park--BISI/BEES PhD

[iheartplants]

I am confused about my UNC BBSP application. They received all the required things (Form,Fees,Test scores and recommendation letters) but still shows incomplete :/  Do you guys have any idea why ? Should i send them email asking about it?

I would assume their system probably just has not caught up yet, but never be afraid to ask questions. That's what their graduate secretary is for

[BostonBio153]

About the Harvard BBS interview invite... I spoke with one of the members on the admissions committee, and they said that they don't send out invites this year until late December, so I'm pretty skeptical.

[username1824]

I got an interview with UChicago Molecular Biosciences today via email!

 

It's at the same time as the UNC interview though, so I'm not sure which one I should go to.

[NeuroGirl042]

I got an interview with UChicago Molecular Biosciences today via email!

 

It's at the same time as the UNC interview though, so I'm not sure which one I should go to.

 

Congrats!!! I think the common procedure here is to pick whichever one is your top choice - or the one you care more about - and confirm the weekend they give you. Then, email/call the other school for an alternate weekend if you're still interested in going. I'm sure both schools will end up having multiple interview dates, so you should be fine! 

[Eatin' Biscuits]

Congrats on another interview! Like Melissa said, it's probably best to accept the invitation from the one you like more and try to reschedule the other. I don't know for sure this year, but historically UNC has had 3 interview weekends so you probably have some flexibility with them.