ahimsa000 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Hello, I was a pre med student at my school (UCI) for the full 4 years, then I had some trouble with balancing work and school (I had to work) and I ended up with a 2.76 cumulative GPA. After long deliberation and serious soul-searching (and working as an EMT) I decided that being an M.D. or D.O. isn't for me. Anyways, I have done my research on what I want to do, and I'm very interested in a masters in biotechnology. Here are my stats: -Work Experience: 24 Hour Fitness: Service Rep, promoted to Service Manager after 1 year (2 yr total) UCI School of Medicine: Lab assistant for PI who is the dean of admissions at UCI SOM (2 years) UCI School of Medicine: Lab Manager/Research Assistant for very successful PI in neuroscience (1.5 years) Pacific Ambulance: EMT for this ambulance company (4 months) -Volunteer/Intern Experience: Medical internship in Nepal for one month ER Volunteer at St. Joseph's hospital (4 months) Research Intern at UCI SOM for PI (neuroscience one; before I got the job there) (1 year) -Publications/Abstracts: 1 paper in review 3 abstracts presented at Society for Neuroscience conference in Louisiana and D.C. GPA is sub-par at a whopping 2.76. GRE *practice tests*: Verbal section 150, Quantitative section 170 I'm set to take the GRE on January 10th, 2014. Applications for most programs are due by March/April Do I even have a chance? Thanks for reading! SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Any takers on this subject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icydubloon Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) Do you have a chance? Answer: Yes. Edited December 19, 2013 by Icydubloon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 I should also add, I have 2 F's on my transcript. One of them I retook, but have not had the time or money to retake the other. They don't give student loans for taking just one class at a UC school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 I just took the GRE, and got my verbal and quantitative scores: Verbal: 148, Quantitative: 160. I don't know if I should retake the GRE and then apply? Or what, but I'm semi-happy with my Quantitative score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Buckyball Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 You should be able to get into a program, perhaps a second tier or third tier Masters program due to low GPA. Your stats might not be competitive enough to get a TAship. Try to write a really good personal statement and get killer letters of recommendations, and avoid giving the admission committee the impression that you're applying to biotechnology because your portfolio wasn't competitive enough for DO/MD schools. In your personal statement, make sure to talk about why you need this Masters in Biotechnology degree, and how it is gonna affect your future career development and your end goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 I wrote a pretty decent personal statement, and had it reviewed by my previous PI who I worked under for 2 years. I've made a list of schools I am applying to. Please don't laugh at this list..I know it's ambitious. Harvard UCI UPenn Penn State EVMS Drexel Brown UMass Boston Any more to add? Thank you. SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratlab Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Your list is way too competitive for your stats (just being frank). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thank you, what should I add? The Harvard program doesn't have any GPA or GRE requirements because they require you take 3 prerequisite classes before getting admitted into the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Ok I added: Worcester University in Massachusetts Roosevelt University in Chicago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahimsa000 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Has anyone looked into the Harvard program? It's unique in that admissions is based off of getting B's or higher in 3 prereq courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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