Kind of desperate & in need of advice

[ghelskel124]

Hey all,

 

       This is a "what are my chances" post because i'm floundering a bit.

 

First my application content:

 

      I attended a top 15 university and completed my degree in may.

      I had a 3.5+ GPA my senior year.

      Loads of lab experience at 3 top institution labs

      170 quant, 164 verbal

      I am very fit and interview well (am articulate)

      

 

 that's the good news. The bad news is:

 

     degree took me 8 years since i spent 4 years either failing some classes or on a leave of absence due to REALLY BAD home and mental health problems (the mental problems are completely resolved).

     i was not able to take the subject GRE even though i spent a month studying for it (home problems)

     i am currently unemployed, likely due to my savaged credit and credit score (a family member did this to me, i don't spend ANY money)

    also, no publications (which is the defining academic currency)

 

 

    The thing is, I have finished my application to the university i originally attended and i will finish my application to two more schools near me, one of which is free and one application which will cost 100$. I look around and even a safety application like university of arizona is 60$. I really dont want to spend any money due to my SEVERE home problems but a lot of schools dont waive fees or only waive fees based on your current financial aid filings with your university (im not in school now). 

 

So here is my question: I'm applying to the graduate program in molecular and cellular biology at CUNY, which is ostensibly ranked 130th in biology. Am i guaranteed admission or can you not say with certainty based on my pros and cons that i would get in. I really don't want to spend any money on applications and i would be very pleased to simply matriculate there. 

 

I really would appreciate an honest informed opinion on this as i am , while very intellectually productive at the moment, under a lot of stress at home. unable to get a job no matter how hard i try and with ruined credit and few contacts, i'm unable to extricate myself from my family and under SO MUCH psychological stress. If i don't hear from any program that i have gotten admission in a few months, i'm really afraid for myself in the next 6 months. i'm really at my wits end as this family has been a crushing weight for a decade now.

 

                           thanks for any help

     

[gellert]

As has been said before, fit >>>>>> stats in terms of importance.  How is your fit, interest-wise, for the program? Does it require a subj GRE?  Can you explain your elongated college career without mentioning mental health in your SOP or can one of your LOR writers do this for you?

[ghelskel124]

They don't require a subject gre. My LOR dont know about my troubles and when i reference those troubles in the SOP, i am concise, with the emphasis that the most recent part of my record is the part without any caveats.

[gellert]

What do you mean by "concise?"  It's generally considered a kiss of death to mention mental health issues in an app, whether there ought to be that stigma or not.

[ghelskel124]

I don't mention "mental" or "health" in the SOP but i refer to a "trouble concentrating" and "fatalism" i felt in the past. i guess i tried to be euphemistic. But I only spent a few sentences on it since i made a point of saying they are clearly in the past and behind me. I don't see how i could not say anything at all, they will want an explanation when they see my transcript.

[gellert]

I'd be even more euphemistic and just say that you struggled adapting to the college environment, but the grades from your later years better reflect what you are capable of.  You don't want to raise any red flags. 

 

That taken care of, how similar is the research you've done in the past to what you want to do in grad school?  Can you construct a coherent narrative of how your interests developed and became defined?

[ghelskel124]

I believe i did when i wrote my SOP. I would post it on here but i don't think that's prudent. But from what i understand, you are saying that the strong points in my concrete stats don't offer enough to guarantee me anything. And that the committee will still have to satisfy themselves that i will be a good "fit" and that i'm "interested" in the research being done their. I'm personally very interested in molecular biology, biochemistry in general and would be happy to continue in the fields I have worked in prior. That said, i would be ecstatic to work on anything right now. Is that not enough?

[gellert]

Sadly, no, not always.  Grad school is extremely competitive these days.  You need to convince them that not only are you interested in the field at large, but in what their faculty are doing.  And then you need to prove in your SOP and through your history that their program is the next logical step in your development as a scientist.  No stats are ever good enough to compensate for poor fit and interest.  You could have a 4.00 and I'd say you aren't guaranteed admission.  The stats mean your application will be looked at; that is all.  Absolutely everyone who is applying is interested in the field, so vague interest will not help you to stand out.

 

Maybe think about taking a year or two off and working as a full-time RA to solidify your interests?  As I understand, most bio programs are rotation-style, so you don't have to get TOO specific, but you probably do need to be a bit more directed than just "molecular bio or biochem."

Edited December 10, 2013 by gellert

[ghelskel124]

I appreciate the feedback. I have 2.5 years worth of lab experience and , while i haven't seen my letters of recommendation, i am hoping they are solid as i was working 60 hours a week at some point in each lab I worked in. I don't want to put off graduate school but i would work as a full time RA just to get away from my family. But i can't even manage that as no matter how hard i try, i can't land a job, biological or otherwise.

Edited December 10, 2013 by ghelskel124

[gellert]

If you can't get a job as an RA, you're unlikely to get into grad school, loathe though I am to say it.  RA/Lab manager positions are pretty competitive, but surely not as competitive as grad school.  Can you ask one of the people you applied to why they didn't hire you?  That may give you insight as to whatever it is in your app that was lacking, and you can fix it before applying to grad school or other RA positions.

[socioholic]

Perhaps i'm missing something here...going to school is more stress. How will attending a program make life better at this point? I dont expect you to respond with all your personal business; after reading your post my first reaction was to wonder if more school is really what you need at this moment. Wish you all the best.

[ghelskel124]

From the feedback i have gotten, its my credit score and bad credit that are keeping me from getting positions. Attending a program will allow me to get away from my family. I'm doing great academically for the last year and I am very productive studying on my own right now. But grad school would allow me to get away from my family AND advance my education.

[Queen of Kale]

I would avoid using the term 'fatalism' - again it's not fair but it reminded me (and potentially your adcoms) of the Kristen Wiig Saturday Night Live "Red Flag" skit:

 

http://youtu.be/RhxOWekRGXI

Edited December 11, 2013 by Queen of Kale

[ghelskel124]

Fair enough. But can you think of a more benign way of explaining the poor parts of my transcript?

[NoSleepTilBreuckelen]

Hi ghelshel124 - you say that your LOR writers don't know about the circumstances you've been dealing with, but perhaps you could add an additional, 4th (assuming you already have 3 letter writers) LOR from someone who does know about what you've dealt with and could explain it. That way, your essay can focus on your interest in the program, your lab experiences and  your success in classes the last 4 years. That might be an effective way to have those hardships you've been dealing with explained, while you can highlight all the reasons why you'd be a great candidate for the programs you're applying to.