2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Bonez]

Some questions:

Of course, what are my chances at those schools?

Is it significant that I am finishing my degree in 2.5 years? Should I highlight that in my SOP?

Wait. Do you mean that you will earn your B.S. 2.5 years from now, or that you will complete your B.S. this semester, after 2.5 years of study? If its the former, then there's absolutely no reason you should apply right now. If its the latter, then your stats are good and you should apply. I don't know if I would highlight that in your SOP, because, while that is an impressive accomplishment, I could also imagine ways that could be viewed negatively. I imagine you're young-ish, and some members of the adcom might question admitting a 20-21 year old fresh out of undergrad into the program. 

[Dubblebubble898]

When I say 2.5 years, I mean I started my undergrad in August 2012 as am getting my degree in December 2014.

Thanks for the comments!

[Dubblebubble898]

Do you think they will look much into Fall 2014 grades? I hope my GPA improves after this semester.

About writing scores in GRE, I heard from a Columbia admissions person for biology that their average GRE writing score is around 4 and that they themselves don't even really understand what it's really testing and they doubt other schools that they know as well.

[Vene]

When I say 2.5 years, I mean I started my undergrad in August 2012 as am getting my degree in December 2014.

Thanks for the comments!

Okay, that makes a lot more sense. And I'm not sure if I'd comment upon it. On one hand that's great and you should be very accomplished to finish so quickly. On the other hand, it may call into question maturity due to age. It's going to depend on who reads it for if it's positive or negative.

[yolk]

I'm reposting this as I have finalized my program list. I would very much appreciate input and thoughts on my applicant strength and appropriateness of the programs I have selected. Cheers!

 

Undergrad Institution: Public, Midsize, Liberal Arts University
Major(s): Microbiology
GPA in Major: 3.68
Overall GPA: 3.66
Type of Student: domestic Caucasian male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158
V: 159
W: 4.0

Research Experience:

1 summer + 1 winterim REU, cancer genetics and gene expression, viral mutagens, back-burner author in publication, 1 LoR from PI

beginning research in plant molecular lab (total of 3 months experience by the time I apply), 1 LoR from professor

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: organic chemistry tutor, general biology lab TA, president/founder of undergrad cell and molecular journal club.

1 summer in clinical lab, molecular hematopathology, 1 LoR from MD lab director

Special Bonus Points: My LoR's have explicitly told me they will write supportive letters highlighting my enthusiasm. few weak name connections to some of the programs I’m applying. I talk science well.

 

My interests lay in human genetic disease at the molecular level
 

Applying to Where: all PhD

University of Utah – MCEB (Departmental interest: Genetics)

Michigan State University – Genetics

Dartmouth – MCB Genetics

University of Wisconsin Madison – Genetics

University of Massachusetts Worcester – Biomedical Sciences

University of Massachusetts Amherst – MCB, Biomedicine

University of Oregon Eugene – Molecular Genetics

University of Iowa – Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics

Edited November 1, 2014 by yolk

[FloodGates]

Undergrad Institution: Big State, Top 30
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.6
Position in Class: Eh
Type of Student: White female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 163
V: 164
W: 5.5
B:


Research Experience: 1 year ecology research, 1.5 yrs in immunology, all at home institution, no publications or anything spectacular except undergrad symposium and honors thesis

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: haha nope

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: random stuff

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Probably not

Special Bonus Points: No

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Death in the immediate family in the middle of college, figured I would let my recommendations address this. One LOR from research mentor, one from a religion professor and another from a microbio professor, all are glowing but I'm worried because only my research mentor has done research with me so...perhaps that is a negative.

Applying to Where:

All immunology programs

Emory

WashU

UC Davis

U Minnesota

UVA

UNC

Johns Hopkins

Yale

U Chicago

Tufts

U Wisconsin Madison

 

I think I may have realistic chances at Emory, Tufts, Minnesota, and UVA. The others I have no idea and figured why not. I think I would be happy at any of these schools, have specific enough interests to help schools make sense of me but flexible enough to work into new areas. My professors say I have a creative edge and a talent for expressing scientific ideas in writing and presentation. They have also noted my exceptional curiosity, resilience, and potential. Wish I had more research experience in my intended area of study, but family death etc.

 

Also, I will not have a recommendation from my ecology research because my professor has some health problems and retired (he was pretty old when I did research with him and I was just a freshman) so I'm worried that will look funny. And my PI is a new professor and so maybe doesn't have a good frame of reference to evaluate me, and our new lab hasn't had time to publish and slap undergrad names on there.

 

This forum is a great resource, any thoughts on my app?

[ilovelab]

 

I think I may have realistic chances at Emory, Tufts, Minnesota, and UVA. The others I have no idea and figured why not. I think I would be happy at any of these schools, have specific enough interests to help schools make sense of me but flexible enough to work into new areas. My professors say I have a creative edge and a talent for expressing scientific ideas in writing and presentation. They have also noted my exceptional curiosity, resilience, and potential. Wish I had more research experience in my intended area of study, but family death etc.

 

Also, I will not have a recommendation from my ecology research because my professor has some health problems and retired (he was pretty old when I did research with him and I was just a freshman) so I'm worried that will look funny. And my PI is a new professor and so maybe doesn't have a good frame of reference to evaluate me, and our new lab hasn't had time to publish and slap undergrad names on there.

 

This forum is a great resource, any thoughts on my app?

There is usually a space where you can explain extenuating circumstances etc/anything else you would like the Adcom to know. Mention how the PI you did the ecology work with retired. I'm sure they will understand. Are you still getting a LOR from your current PI? I wouldn't worry about the fact that he's new and the lab hasn't published.

[FloodGates]

Yeah, my PI is also mentioning how a combination of him being new/me having a family death meant I had no research my sophomore year. He didn't start at my institution until the beginning of my third year, and while he absolutely supports me and wants me to shoot for the top, has said that given more timely circumstances I could have had a real competitive application. He thinks I have made some real contributions and am fully ready for graduate school, technically and intellectually. After making that post last night I asked him if he thinks he has encountered enough students to properly evaluate me. He did his postdoc at a top school and said I would fit somewhere like that. I don't need to hit the top, personally, but don't want to sell myself short either. My GRE score was a nice surprise, so I added some more dream schools.

Edited November 3, 2014 by FloodGates

[laminator]

A little late in the game for me to make any changes to my plans, but let's see what y'all think. I come from a slightly different background than most of you.

 

Undergrad Institution: Berkeley
Major(s): Math, physics
Minor(s): 
GPA in Major: 4.0, 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.9
Position in Class: Not sure exactly, but pretty high.
Type of Student: DWM

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 170 (98%)
V: 170 (99%)
W: 5.0 (93%) 
B: Did not take.


Research Experience: 1 year at Lawrence Berkeley Lab in particle physics (computational & experimental), summer at another UC in plant sciences (loosely biophysics), summer internship in Singapore in computational physics, currently employed in a career-track job at a research institute associated with another well known university, doing some modeling & simulation work (a little in systems biology), some machine learning that I could spin as useful, and some unrelated crap. Unfortunately no publications yet, might have one by spring but not sure enough we'll get the funding to work on it to put it on my apps.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: High honors overall, highest honors in math, award for excellence in scholarship in math, a couple of minor physics scholarships for research and stuff.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Three semesters teaching math at Berkeley (UGSI, basically a TA but I was leading 3 hours of class per week per section I taught), TA for Berkeley's under-resourced high school outreach program for a summer. For jobs see research.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Might be clear already, but I have a substantial amount of CS experience, a few classes but mostly hands on. 

Special Bonus Points: Contact with professors at Stanford, U Penn, Berkeley, and Princeton. (more than just an email exchange)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:  Currently taking Neural networks and a physiology-neurophysiology sequence. Background is a little broader than my majors would indicate, with some small number of psychology courses thrown in.

 

Extracurricular-wise I'm pretty serious about a weird musical instrument I play, got admitted into the national organization of players this year, doubt schools would care so I'm not putting it on most apps unless you all think I should.

Applying to Where:

Interest is mostly in cognitive neuroscience, though I'm still open to exploring & also interested in some more biophysics-related stuff.

Princeton - Neuroscience - Computational

U Penn - Neuroscience - Computational

UCSD - Neuroscience - Computational

Duke - Neuroscience - Computational

Stanford - Psychology - Computaional/Cognitive

Berkeley - Biophysics - Neuroscience

 

Last two are different program choices on the advice of the professors I talked with there in terms of where my application would be most successful or where they had the most influence.

 

Obviously I have a pretty short and competitive list here, my numbers are good but my lack of publications might hurt me I think. Hopefully my (I think strong) letters of rec from my research at LBNL and presently should help counteract that. The list is short because I only applied where there were specific professors I was interested in, and I am not going to be heartbroken about staying in my current job for another year or two (plus I can pick up a free masters along the way.)

Edited November 3, 2014 by laminator

[Crucial BBQ]

 

 

Obviously I have a pretty short and competitive list here, my numbers are good but my lack of publications might hurt me I think. 

 

Assuming all of what you wrote is true, you will be a very competitive applicant. I would not worry about a lack of publications.  I would be surprised if you did not receive at  least one offer (my guess....four in the least).   

[laminator]

Thanks, that's encouraging! I'm a little concerned that they'll see my research in mostly unrelated areas and lack of publications and think I'm not serious about neuroscience in particular, but I hope you're right.

[Dubblebubble898]

@laminator: Very impressive profile!  I think you have a great shot at all the schools you state (in fact, I think any school you could apply to).  Coming from Berkeley, I know how difficult it is to get a 3.9 (especially in math and physics major).  I work at LBNL as well, in fact I was working there today!  I definitely wouldn't worry about publications.  In my view, undergrads who have publications had to have 2 things: hard work and luck.  If you didn't have luck in your research (because of results or you came too late in the project), then there's nothing you can really do about it.

 

Shameless plug, but does anyone have comments on my profile?  (I think it's the page before or 2 pages before)

[Crucial BBQ]

Thanks, that's encouraging! I'm a little concerned that they'll see my research in mostly unrelated areas and lack of publications and think I'm not serious about neuroscience in particular, but I hope you're right.

Despite the impression you may get from reading posts here on gradcafe or in other websites, undergraduates with published papers are not that common, and undergraduates with first-authorships are even more of an outlier.  

 

To be frank, research is research.  The whole point of doing research while an undergrad is to basically just get a feel for what it is like to do research, day in and day out.  That is it.   It is like going to an Asian restaurant and ordering mock duck.  If you have prior experience with fake meats, and liked them, the chances of you finishing your meal increase.  *I am from Nor Cal, I used to order the mock duck from Lucky House Thai. In case you are not familiar, Lucky House Thai is near UCB*  Perhaps not the best analogy but you should get the point. 

 

 

 

Shameless plug, but does anyone have comments on my profile?  (I think it's the page before or 2 pages before)

 

There are a few comments.  Do you want someone to chance you?  Graduating within 2.5 years is impressive, sure, but how adcoms will respond to that may depend on why/how you were able to graduate in 2.5 years.  

 

Aside from that you wrote in a previous post that you are concerned about your GPA this semester, so I dunno.  Once again it will depend on why/how you are graduating in 2.5 years.  But hey, I am not an adcom 

[Dubblebubble898]

If u disregard the 2.5 years, what would u say about my chances.

The 2.5 years is because of financial reasons and the fact that I am out of state

[Dedi]

I think I'm a bit difficult to chance, but I am curious to see if anyone has any thoughts. My initial post was on the first page. My GRE scores came in since then (161 Q, 156 V, 3.0 AWA) but this is not very worrisome since most of my applications do not require the GRE scores.

[Appsitude]

@Iaminator - You should have no problems with the application process with your stats and experience. Don't worry about the lack of publications or unrelated research experience. I had zero publications + evolutionary biology experience and got into all of my choices for cancer biology. As long as you can talk about your research and what you have learned from it (broadly), you should be good to go.

 

@Dubblebubble - You are also a very competitive applicant. Really highlight your grants and your presentations -- these will boost your application more than anything else. A 3.7 GPA will at least meet the baselines at all of your institutions too. You may not be 9/9 on interviews and acceptances, but I would be surprised if you go less than 4 acceptances this cycle.

[laminator]

Thanks everyone! You've allayed my fears a bit.

 

(@Crucial BBQ: I walked by Lucky House a lot, but actually never went there, Dara's was my go-to Thai place. Did I miss out?)

[peachypie]

@Floodgates any reason you are getting a LOR from a religion professor?!?  Is there any other professors that are more related to immunology that you could ask?  You have to have taken more than a microbio course in biochemistry major? 

 

I'd try to find someone else over that recommender, personally. 

 

I'd also not leave it to my recommenders to address the death in the family in the middle of college.  They aren't going to speak that as much as you would if it had an impact in your profile (grads, time off etc).  I'd add in as part of your SOP or as part of an extenuating circumstances addendum.

[Crucial BBQ]

Thanks everyone! You've allayed my fears a bit.

 

(@Crucial BBQ: I walked by Lucky House a lot, but actually never went there, Dara's was my go-to Thai place. Did I miss out?)

*off topic*

 

No, I am not familiar with Dara's.  I only went to Lucky House because the girl I was dating at the time was vegan; Lucky House, to my knowledge, was the only place to offer a fake meat.  

[Echo_Yang]

Has any international student apply to the PhD program of Biomedical Science in UCSD? Is there any result about the pre-application?

[Shep2789]

I have one of the lowest undergrad GPAs I've seen on here, but I am still applying to top-tier programs. Am I crazy?

 

Undergrad Institution: Williams College
Major(s): Biology
GPA in Major: 2.63
Overall GPA: 2.64
Position in Class: Not sure at all actually
Type of Student: Domestic, White Male. First-generation college graduate

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 162 (83%)
V: 166 (96%)
W: 3.5 (38%) 
Biology Subject Test: 760 (76%)


Research Experience: 2 years as a work-study research assistant for a professor at Williams College. 2 summer research internships, one at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the other in the same lab I did my work-study work. Currently in my second year as a Postbaccalaureate Fellow at the National Institutes of Health.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2014 NHLBI Directors Award (awarded to my entire current lab), Biology Class of 1960's Scholar (a program for Williams students intending to pursue a career in Academia),

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Four semesters as a laboratory TA at Williams. Biology Majors Advisory Committee.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I graduated top of my class from a rural, public high school in Oklahoma. I was not prepared for Williams College and struggled hard until I found out I had a learning disorder that affected my reading and writing ability. I chose to take a break at really bad time that resulted in the failing grades that destroyed my GPA. I went back home and spent two years getting myself together. I made up my academic deficiencies at a community college in OK and returned to finish my degree at Williams.

 

Williams doesn't have credit hours and the 18 credit hours I took at community college are not factored into my final GPA. If I use the Williams metric for converting grades to credit hours and add the community college classes, my GPA becomes a 2.8.

 

I am currently enrolled in a graduate level course through the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences and getting an A doesn't seem impossible.

Special Bonus Points: I have three strong recommendation letters from a former professor, my work-study supervisor/undergraduate mentor, and my current PI. The latter is actively calling in favors with people he knows at each school I'm applying. I have a manuscript in preparation that probably won't be ready for submission before application deadlines. I was on two poster abstracts published in a peer-reviewed journal last month, though.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:  My Liberal Arts education means I had time to get chemistry, physics, and math coursework. I don't mention it beyond a line on my CV, but I managed a $100,000 budget to organize popular music concerts at my undergrad.

Applying to Where:

I'm interested in cardiovascular and peripheral nervous development and/or medical application of developmental understanding so I'm reaching for a couple BME programs.

 

Emory - BCDB

GA Tech - Biomedical Engineering

Vanderbilt - IGP

UAB - CMDB

Cornell - BBS (Comparative Biomedical Sciences)

Baylor - Developmental Biology

UT Austin - Cellular and Molecular Biology

WashU - Biomedical Engineering

Cal Tech - BBE (big reach?)

University of Oklahoma - Biomedical Sciences (safety?)

 

That's everywhere I've gotten to so far. I have other schools on my radar, but I haven't given them enough of a thought. My current approach is just to apply everywhere and hope that a couple stick. I'm being encouraged to apply to other top-tier programs, such as Harvard, but I don't want to lose the application fee if they'll just toss my app after seeing my GPA. There is definitely research there I'd be really excited to get involved with, but should I bother?

[Vene]

Okay, I'm not saying not to apply, but keep in mind that for a PhD program to accept you they're going to have to fight with the graduate college as the vast majority require a minimum GPA of 3.0. People can and do get accepted with lower GPAs, but it's a challenge.

[ilovelab]

 

I have one of the lowest undergrad GPAs I've seen on here, but I am still applying to top-tier programs. Am I crazy?

 

 Do you like the current lab you are in? Could you possibly do your grad work there? I would call/email someone at the program and ask them if they have a GPA cutoff. If they do then you know your answer. Ask if they will look at your app, if they do then you should be considered.

[No Coffee Plz]

Has any international student apply to the PhD program of Biomedical Science in UCSD? Is there any result about the pre-application?

Last year they sent out the decision Nov 22.

[FloodGates]

@peachypie, yeah I know it's not ideal, but his class was research oriented so he can speak to my personal thought process and potential for scholarly work. Since my first PI is off the table due to health problems, I thought I would take a more personal approach rather than a biochem class I did well in. My current PI can speak to my work ethic and technical abilities, and my microbio professor can speak to my classroom performance and engagement with science. I'm taking off most upper tier schools and adding some lower tiers. As for the SOP, schools ask for different things. Some purely research and some a mix or with an optional adversity essay. I thought I might cover all my bases and have my LOR writers at least aware of it.