Vene Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I have gone to the FAQ section for some of my schools and they pretty much correlate with the info that you see in the News & World Report rankings. The schools ranked the highest there have the lowest acceptance rates, and highest average GRE and GPA scores. I wouldn't actually think that NWR can discrimate between a school that is #3 vs. #4, but I've seen that they are pretty accurate in saying that the braket of #1-10 is more competitive than the braket #20-30. NWR is also a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy as the ranking means it is more likely for people to want to attend such programs which in turn makes them more competitive and they get better students. So, somebody with a high GPA and GRE score and a publication can look at the rankings and decide to start at number 1, look to see if the professors have matching research interests, do the same with number 2, and can probably find a good number of schools that align with their desires without getting past the top 50 or even top 30. And at least for undergrad rankings the same schools will recruit like mad trying to convince students who have no chance to apply so it'll look like they're more selective than they really are. This is related and I found it interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molecularmagic Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 So as you know all the application are basically in and now the real anxiety begins. I just had a first author paper published in PLOS ONE, and was wondering if anyone knows how much that will help my application, since I'm freaking out of course. All my other stats suck. My stats are: Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry and Criminology GPA: 3.12 GRE: V:150 Q:153 Schools applied too: UF, University of Colorado Denver, University of Michigan, and University of California Santa Cruz So I have almost 3 years total of different research experiences. I worked in one lab for 2 years on and off (internship at NASA broke up my work time there), an Oceanography lab for a year (where I wrote my paper, although my paper was about the microbial ecology of plants). I have taken a year off since I've graduated to work on my paper and start a lab that is more biomedical and a better University. I also now work for the director of a Genetics institute. But I definitely know my GPA sucks and my GRE do too. I "think" I have UF at least locked down since my boss (the director) really wants me to stay in his program. But any feedback would be nice! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERR_Alpha Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 So then how is one supposed to know how competitive a given school is? Also remember that the fraction of applicants who use GradCafe are generally skewed towards the top-tier applicants. A lot of people on this forum got interviews at UPenn, but we're also not a good sample size. UPenn is an Ivy and by nature will be competitive. Then again, pretty much all graduate programs can be described as competitive in some fashion. virus guy, blinchik and ss2player 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonez Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Really? I didn't think miami, upenn, or GW were that competitive. The only top-10 school in my list is Johns Hopkins. Originally I was only applying to the 5 NYC schools and then my advisers told me what you just told me so I added the other four. Even if they are competitive I should at least get into 1 out of 9, right? I am also very personable so I think that if I get interviews I'll have a pretty good shot. U Penn is essentially an Ivy so yeah its really competitive. Miami is less so, and I don't really know much about George Washington. My point is that 7-8 of the nine schools you picked are really difficult to get into, and maybe that adding a few schools that are less competitive might be better. Just make sure you're picking schools based on research fit rather than prestige. Who knows? You might get an interview at all of these great New York schools, but you might not. I personally wouldn't want to shoot for interviews at 1 out of 9 schools. I'd much rather be in a position where I can interview at a handful of schools and pick the one that I like best. ss2player 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForScience! Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Did anyone get an interview offer from any schools yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbear91 Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Can anyone help? I'm slightly worried as I sent my GRE score reports to a bunch of schools last Thursday (28 Nov) through the ETS online portal, but none of them have received it yet. I did self-report my scores in my online application, and submitted them all before the deadline of December 1. I must admit, I made the assumption that the additional GRE score reports are sent to schools electronically and that hence schools would receive them quite quickly. It seems this is not true. All my other materials (letters, transcripts) have been received in time, so does anyone know if I will be overlooked because my official GRE scores didn't arrive in time, or will schools be okay with the self-reported scores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliaful Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Can anyone help? I'm slightly worried as I sent my GRE score reports to a bunch of schools last Thursday (28 Nov) through the ETS online portal, but none of them have received it yet. I did self-report my scores in my online application, and submitted them all before the deadline of December 1. I must admit, I made the assumption that the additional GRE score reports are sent to schools electronically and that hence schools would receive them quite quickly. It seems this is not true. All my other materials (letters, transcripts) have been received in time, so does anyone know if I will be overlooked because my official GRE scores didn't arrive in time, or will schools be okay with the self-reported scores? I thought the purpose of self-reported scores was for this exact phenomenon. Of course, self-reported scores must match the actual scores when they arrive. Iowa didn't even want me to send my scores (relying entirely on self-reported) until they offer admission (if they do). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yolk Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) Did anyone get an interview offer from any schools yet? I just received my first interview from MSU's biomolecular science program. What a rush!! Edited December 3, 2014 by yolk username1824, ForScience! and blinchik 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachypie Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 @rbear91 it is totally fine. ETS is strangely expensive and slow for being purely electronic huh?! It is super frustrating but I wouldn't be concerned about the official ETS. Schools know that ETS sends out in batches and sometimes even once the school has them it can take a bit to be updated in their system and also updated to reflect in your application status page. Just relax, I would bet that by the end of this week/early next week it will be "complete". Also I don't think any schools would hold you against that. I even had a school that claimed they never got mine and asked me to resend them long after the deadline and I still was accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbear91 Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) I thought the purpose of self-reported scores was for this exact phenomenon. Of course, self-reported scores must match the actual scores when they arrive. Iowa didn't even want me to send my scores (relying entirely on self-reported) until they offer admission (if they do). @rbear91 it is totally fine. ETS is strangely expensive and slow for being purely electronic huh?! It is super frustrating but I wouldn't be concerned about the official ETS. Schools know that ETS sends out in batches and sometimes even once the school has them it can take a bit to be updated in their system and also updated to reflect in your application status page. Just relax, I would bet that by the end of this week/early next week it will be "complete". Also I don't think any schools would hold you against that. I even had a school that claimed they never got mine and asked me to resend them long after the deadline and I still was accepted. Thank you both for the relief! It wasn't nice to see a big "INCOMPLETE" banner next to my applications... Edited December 3, 2014 by rbear91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrischigta Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I was in a similar Situation. For two institutions the "shipping date" of my TOEFL scores were pretty late and I was fearing they might not arrive in time. I wrote some quick mails and got responses saying that this is no issue at all. As stated before: That's what the self reported scores are there for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vene Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Can anyone help? I'm slightly worried as I sent my GRE score reports to a bunch of schools last Thursday (28 Nov) through the ETS online portal, but none of them have received it yet. I did self-report my scores in my online application, and submitted them all before the deadline of December 1. I must admit, I made the assumption that the additional GRE score reports are sent to schools electronically and that hence schools would receive them quite quickly. It seems this is not true. All my other materials (letters, transcripts) have been received in time, so does anyone know if I will be overlooked because my official GRE scores didn't arrive in time, or will schools be okay with the self-reported scores? Just as an FYI, the best way to handle this sort of situation is to contact the admin assistant. The responses you get here will not be specific to where you applied and so may or may not be applicable. blinchik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForScience! Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I just received my first interview from MSU's biomolecular science program. What a rush!! Is that Michigan State? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrischigta Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 The way I understood it, most schools will send out the invitations for interviews either in the week before christmas or in the first 2 weeks of January, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GABA-daba-doo Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Did anyone get an interview offer from any schools yet? I got Alabama Birmingham Neuroscience today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonez Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Did anyone get an interview offer from any schools yet? I got one from Emory a few weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForScience! Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Apparently Cornell BCMB sends out invitations to internationals in February That's just so late. I applied to Cancer Biology in Emory, didn't get any invite yet. Wasn't their deadline on Dec 1st, how did you get an invite so early? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito balisimo Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I got Alabama Birmingham Neuroscience today Did you get it through email or did you check the application message dropbox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yolk Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Is that Michigan State? Yes, Michigan State University. The way I understood it, most schools will send out the invitations for interviews either in the week before christmas or in the first 2 weeks of January, right? I think it depends on the department, program, and admissions. To me a longer decision time suggests the department is careful in considering your application and putting in the time to make an informed decision. Best to be patient! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForScience! Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Hey, sorry about this, but does anyone know how I can add the whole applied, rejected, interview, etc thingy that you guys have at the bottom of your comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissymisha Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Hey, sorry about this, but does anyone know how I can add the whole applied, rejected, interview, etc thingy that you guys have at the bottom of your comments? Go to your profile, then Edit Profile, and then a Signature link will be on the left hand side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForScience! Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Go to your profile, then Edit Profile, and then a Signature link will be on the left hand side. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GABA-daba-doo Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Did you get it through email or did you check the application message dropbox? I got an email from the Program Manager... I had gotten an email to check the status of my application as well but all it said was that my application was under review when I logged on Good luck! Sounds like they just started looking at apps today because I had asked a question regarding parts of my application yesterday and they hadn't started reviewing yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey0126 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I'm dying.... deadline only just passed and I'm obsessing already through my email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito balisimo Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I got an email from the Program Manager... I had gotten an email to check the status of my application as well but all it said was that my application was under review when I logged on Good luck! Sounds like they just started looking at apps today because I had asked a question regarding parts of my application yesterday and they hadn't started reviewing yet Thank you and congrats. I would be disappointed to not hear from them since I was emailed 20 fliers from them and have a great research fit. Fingers crossed . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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