2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Vene]

If you look back at the 2014 version of this thread you'll see that other academic all-stars applied to similar schools. Assuming your LOR and SOP are good, you'll probably end up with a decent number of schools to choose from.

 

There always seems to be a couple people who end up getting shut out despite having ridiculous stats, and there's no real way of knowing why but I'd make sure you have 1-2 safety schools depending on how far from the top your "safe" schools are.

With stats like that even a safe school can still be a pretty kickass university.

[elanorci]

Ho boy. I plan on emailing potential PIs this week.

 

Undergrad Institution: Very large state school; Known for medical research

Major(s): Biomedical Engineering

Minor(s): Potentially Neuroscience?

GPA in Major: 3.93

Overall GPA: 3.97

Position in Class: At least in the top 1/5th of my BME class

Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores (revised):

Q: 169 (97%)

V: 165 (95%)

W: 5.5 (98%)

B: N/A

Research Experience:

-Summer research at my school; analysis of miRNA expression in prostate cancer patients; got a poster out of it (presented twice, both just at different symposiums within my school); will hopefully have a paper under review by the time apps go in (co-first/second author)

 

-(technically ~1-1.5 years) Volunteer in an injury biomechanics research lab within my school; helped instrument cadavers for impact testing, cleaned tools, prepared instruments, etc.

 

-(ongoing) 5 months of volunteering in a motor neuron disease lab at my school; work with mouse models, PCR, cryostat sectioning, etc.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit-based scholarships?

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Anatomy TA and (one-time) calculus tutor

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: ?

Special Bonus Points: I'm a lady. Does that help at all?

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Various campus involvement: leadership roles in students organizations (BMES and AEMB, the BME honorary)

Applying to Where:

All programs will be Neuroscience PhD programs. Interests include adult neurogenesis, stem cells, Alzheimer's/Parkinson's, depression, and anxiety

 

Current list (in order of interest, probably needs to be cut down):

 

Harvard University

Columbia University

University of Washington

UC San Francisco

Stanford University

University of Wisconsin

UC Irvine

Northwestern University

Rockefeller University

Johns Hopkins University

Wake Forest University

University of Rochester

 

 

My big question is: Do I have too many top tier schools? I'm incredibly nervous about applying to too many "reach" schools and getting in to none...

 

Of course every case/year/school/etc is different, but FWIW you have slightly better background/stats than I did (different field, but yeah) and I fared well. As long as you have one safety that you'd be happy attending just in case something goes terribly awry, I think you'll be totally fine and wouldn't change your list. 

Edited August 20, 2014 by elanorci

[tuckbro]

Ho boy. I plan on emailing potential PIs this week.

 

Undergrad Institution: Very large state school; Known for medical researchMajor(s): Biomedical EngineeringMinor(s): Potentially Neuroscience?GPA in Major: 3.93Overall GPA: 3.97Position in Class: At least in the top 1/5th of my BME classType of Student: Domestic femaleGRE Scores (revised):Q: 169 (97%)V: 165 (95%)W: 5.5 (98%)B: N/AResearch Experience:

-Summer research at my school; analysis of miRNA expression in prostate cancer patients; got a poster out of it (presented twice, both just at different symposiums within my school); will hopefully have a paper under review by the time apps go in (co-first/second author)

 

-(technically ~1-1.5 years) Volunteer in an injury biomechanics research lab within my school; helped instrument cadavers for impact testing, cleaned tools, prepared instruments, etc.

 

-(ongoing) 5 months of volunteering in a motor neuron disease lab at my school; work with mouse models, PCR, cryostat sectioning, etc.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit-based scholarships?Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Anatomy TA and (one-time) calculus tutorAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: ?Special Bonus Points: I'm a lady. Does that help at all?Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Various campus involvement: leadership roles in students organizations (BMES and AEMB, the BME honorary)Applying to Where:

All programs will be Neuroscience PhD programs. Interests include adult neurogenesis, stem cells, Alzheimer's/Parkinson's, depression, and anxiety

 

Current list (in order of interest, probably needs to be cut down):

 

Harvard University

Columbia University

University of Washington

UC San Francisco

Stanford University

University of Wisconsin

UC Irvine

Northwestern University

Rockefeller University

Johns Hopkins University

Wake Forest University

University of Rochester

 

 

My big question is: Do I have too many top tier schools? I'm incredibly nervous about applying to too many "reach" schools and getting in to none...

I had similar stats and got into most of my schools so I think you will do well.

Warning. I never heard anything back from Wake Forest nor did others so not sure you want to waste the app fee there. Possibly funding issues there.

Also there is a thread every year under engineering for PhD in a Biomedical Engineering and you can get great info there.

Best of luck!!!!

[neverdecaf]

Undergrad Institution: Large state school
Major(s): Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology
Minor(s): Medical Anthropology
GPA in Major: 3.897
Overall GPA: 3.86 in both
Position in Class: Somewhere within top 10%
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 161 (~80%)
V: 166 (~96%)
W: Don't have the score yet, but I'll update
B: N/A

Research Experience:

4 years of cancer research in high school, including understanding the role of a specific gene in the growth of lung cancer (siRNA, Western Blot, RT-PCR, assays, etc.)

1 semester at cancer research institute developing a novel early detection test (creating scFv library, cell culture, fluorescent microscopy)

Over 2 years in biomedical sciences lab at university- projects ranging from infectious disease to toxicology (anaerobic bacterial techniques, assays, growth studies, drug screening, cell culture). One paper is in progress, but probably won't be submitted until after application deadline (my mentor said he would specify this in my rec letter) but I have presented a poster on the research. 

Conducted a small independent project as Quantitative biological methods TA to reduce the time needed for an MTT assay so it could fit into a lab class period

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Cancer research scholarship, 4th place International BioGENEius, university merit scholarship, honors college student, selected for research fellowship at my university

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Quantitative biological methods TA for 2 semesters, high school science research project mentor, volunteer at program for high school students interested in science

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: ?

Special Bonus Points: 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My three recommendation letters are all really strong. Two come from the professors I've done or do research with and the other is from the professor I TA for who I also had as a professor for two classes.

Applying to Where:

Immunology Programs

Still adding schools to the list so I'll update accordingly:

University of Virginia

University of Colorado Denver

University of Pennsylvania

Yale University

Penn State

University of Massachusetts Worcester

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Johns Hopkins University

University of Florida

 

I guess I'm not really sure where I fall as an applicant and would like some input from people who know have already been through the process. I'm trying to add a realistic school to the list for every top school I apply to.

Edited August 21, 2014 by neverdecaf

[Vene]

I guess I'm not really sure where I fall as an applicant and would like some input from people who know have already been through the process. I'm trying to add a realistic school to the list for every top school I apply to.

You are highly competitive.

[ss2player]

You are highly competitive.

 

Agreed, I would actually apply to more top tier schools (Harvard, UCSF, U of Washington) if they fit your interests.

[neverdecaf]

Agreed, I would actually apply to more top tier schools (Harvard, UCSF, U of Washington) if they fit your interests.

I was looking into top tier schools but wasn't sure I was competitive enough, so that definitely gives me confidence!

 

You are highly competitive.

Thank you both, that makes me feel better! 

[visiblethinking]

Hi all--first off, thank you for making me feel better about this travel-focused gap year that I'm taking.  

Because I'm attempting to lock down the list of schools that I am applying to within the next week or so, I was hoping that I could get some opinions on how realistic my current set of schools are from those who have gone through the application process already. I've re-posted my stats below--feel free to be brutally honest. 

 

 

 

Hi everyone! It's super strange to actually be posting in this thread and not just lurking in it like I have in previous years!

 

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 Research Institution
Major(s): Biology (concentration in Genomics)
Minor(s): Philosophy
GPA in Major: Approximately 3.8
Overall GPA: 3.91
Position in Class: Top 5-10%
Type of Student: Domestic, Female 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 162 (84%)
V: 166 (96%)
W: 5.0 (93%)

Research Experience:

• 3 years in a yeast epigenetics lab at school (including 3 independent study semesters and a few volunteer semesters)
• 1 summer research experience at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in a homologous recombination lab

Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

• Phi Beta Kappa
• Award for Academic Excellence in the Biomedicine Program in my study abroad program
• Chosen as a 1 of 4 Shaps Scholars in Sloan-Kettering's SURP program (in a program of about 35)
• 6 semesters on the Dean's List 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

• Spent one summer shadowing a cancer-focused genetic counselor at the University of Miami 

Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)

• One of my recommenders is extremely influential in the BRCA2/homologous recombination community 

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

• Received a certificate in Genome Science & Policy from my school 

Applying to Where:

Definitely:
Gerstner Sloan-Kettering--Biomedical Sciences program

UC San Francisco--Biomedical Science program

UW Seattle--MCB or Genome Sciences or Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease program (I'm having a hard time deciding between the 3!)
Stanford--Genetics
 

Maybe:

Harvard--Integrated Life Sciences program

UPenn--CAMB program

 

***My research interests lie mainly in translational science. More specifically, I have interests in cancer genetics/biology, genomics, human genetics, epigenetics, and molecular biology.

 

[glow_gene]

On 8/22/2014 at 4:12 PM, paige04 said:

Hi all--first off, thank you for making me feel better about this travel-focused gap year that I'm taking.  

Because I'm attempting to lock down the list of schools that I am applying to within the next week or so, I was hoping that I could get some opinions on how realistic my current set of schools are from those who have gone through the application process already. I've re-posted my stats below--feel free to be brutally honest. 

 

A couple things, 

 

1) We have pretty much the same basic application (down to GRE scores and a concentration in Genomics). You just have a much higher GPA than me . My application season went very well and there's a part of me that wishes I had applied to Stanford/Harvard (though I would probably still have chosen WashU. I love this place!). I applied all in the top 25, mostly in the top 10 in my field. I think you should apply to whichever programs you think you might enjoy!

 

2) Some schools/programs you may want to add to your list. I'm in a "damp" (50% dry work, 50% wet) cancer/epigenetics lab at WashU and I really do love it here. Based on your interests, I highly recommend you check out WashU's DBBS program, MGG in particular. Based on your translational interests, I would also suggest Johns Hopkins' CMM program. TONS of translational research. Hopkin's Human Genetics program is also pretty excellent, though they seem to trend much more strongly toward dry lab. I turned down Penn's CAMB interview for a variety of reasons but I went and visited campus/talked to several students. They have a lot to offer and a variety of high quality research labs. I don't think you could go wrong by officially adding them to your "definitely" list!

 

3) I wish you all the best with your applications! Feel free to PM me any time if there's anything I could help you with during this process

 

~glow

[Ivey0126]

HEY GUYS,

 

I'm so nervous for this application season to start. My first time around so here goes:

 

 

Undergrad Institution: Private, pretty well known in sciences
Major(s):Biology
GPA in Major: 3.04
Overall GPA:
Position in Class: No idea
Master's GPA: 3.75

 

 

Type of Student: Domestic/female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 152 (54%)
V: 154 (56%)
W: 4.0 (56%)
B:



Research Experience: 1.5 years of research for my master's doing protein classification and DNA sequencing which culminated in 2 poster presentations and a thesis dissertation. Now I work in dementia and alzheimer's research for the past year.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Award Gradaute assistantship for my second year.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Was am adjunct Professor for one semester at the local community college. Now I am a research technician at a mental health institute.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:Have a Master's in Molecular Biology (not sure if that counts)
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

UC Irvine -Interdepartmental Neuroscience - Neuroscience, Molecular Biology

UC Santa Cruz-Molecular Biology
UC San Diego - Molecular Biology, Neuroscience

UC Davis- Molecular Biology

UCLA- Biochem and Mol Bio

UC Santa Barbara

 

 

Hoping I seem competitive enough to get in. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

[Dedi]

Hoping I seem competitive enough to get in. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

 

Have you checked the cut-off for the GRE in these places? Your GRE score, while not terrible, may prevent you from getting into the UC schools. If your heart is set for California, you may want to consider retaking it.

 

Otherwise your application seems strong enough. I think your next steps would be to write a killer statement, maybe retake the GRE, and think about who would write your recommendation letters.

[Ivey0126]

Have you checked the cut-off for the GRE in these places? Your GRE score, while not terrible, may prevent you from getting into the UC schools. If your heart is set for California, you may want to consider retaking it.

 

Otherwise your application seems strong enough. I think your next steps would be to write a killer statement, maybe retake the GRE, and think about who would write your recommendation letters.

 

All of the UC schools say they don't have a GRE cutoff. I wish they would just say what they want from an applicant directly. I was considering retaking the GRE but the thought alone gives me heart palpitations. I dont want to be rejected just over a low GRE score. Perhaps I should just buckle down and retake it.

[Chimeric Phoenix]

Have you checked the cut-off for the GRE in these places? Your GRE score, while not terrible, may prevent you from getting into the UC schools. If your heart is set for California, you may want to consider retaking it.

 

Otherwise your application seems strong enough. I think your next steps would be to write a killer statement, maybe retake the GRE, and think about who would write your recommendation letters.

 

I have to agree, UC schools can be pretty tough to get into. The GRE is definitely your achilles heel. You still have time to get a good deal of studying done before retaking the GRE if you're only working full-time. Add 7-10 points to those scores and you'll be golden =)

[Vene]

All of the UC schools say they don't have a GRE cutoff. I wish they would just say what they want from an applicant directly. I was considering retaking the GRE but the thought alone gives me heart palpitations. I dont want to be rejected just over a low GRE score. Perhaps I should just buckle down and retake it.

I doubt they have an official cutoff, but unofficial ones may exist. This is speculation, but I could see a program having an unofficial GRE cutoff (let's say 310), but if an application with a lower score catches their attention (say from networking with a professor) then not having an official means there is no barrier to accepting said student. But without such an in their application would have been culled.

[Monochrome Spring]

They don't list a cutoff because some applicants are absolutely stellar other than GRE scores and it would be a shame to cut them from the applicant pool because of one score. However, most applicants with poor GRE scores are not stellar in other ways and are simply competitive. So, those applicants will need to show that they have something else to bring to the table.

[neverdecaf]

Kind of on the same topic, I've been wondering if a 161 quantitative score is acceptable for top 10 schools. I've seen people get in with lower, just wondering if anyone has any input for me. I appreciate it! (Also to ivey...I used free magoosh online flashcards to study for the GRE and found them really useful if you decide to retake. Good luck!)

[Vene]

Kind of on the same topic, I've been wondering if a 161 quantitative score is acceptable for top 10 schools. I've seen people get in with lower, just wondering if anyone has any input for me. I appreciate it! (Also to ivey...I used free magoosh online flashcards to study for the GRE and found them really useful if you decide to retake. Good luck!)

I doubt it'll be a problem, assuming the rest of your application is competitive.

[neverdecaf]

My stats are a few posts back on this page if that helps @vene

Edited August 27, 2014 by neverdecaf

[Vene]

Looks like I to that post. My opinion hasn't changed. Feel free to apply to top programs, just make sure that research interests match and that you think it is a place where you want to live for the next 5-7 years. For reference, my GPA was lower than yours and my V and Q GRE scores were both 161. I got interviews at both the University of Minnesota and University of Vermont (I didn't reach significantly higher for prestige than them) and I'm currently studying at Vermont. I can't imagine you having a tough time finding a good university.

[neverdecaf]

Oh sorry, I'm on my phone so it's a little hard to see. I definitely think being happy is most important. I really appreciate your advice (especially to kind of silly questions like that, since I know it's hard to predict). I hope you took your own advice and love Vermont!

[solipsistic]

Undergrad Institution: medium sized private school, top regionally
Major(s): Biology and Philosophy
Minor(s): n/a 
GPA in Major: ~2.9 in biology, 3.8 in philosophy 
Overall GPA: 3.2 (trending up greatly since freshman year) 
Position in Class: definitely above average, closer to %75 
Type of Student: domestic, white male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 155
V: 157
W: waiting (would anticipate a 4.0 or 4.5)
B: n/a


Research Experience: by the time I apply: 3 semesters and a summer program studying membrane protein biophysics (protein-protein interaction) and

3 semesters studying/organizing/leading a team of students studying a slow-sand water filter in an applied microbiology lab 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: pretty much half tuition scholarship, deans list

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: member of social fraternity, held several leadership roles. 4 semesters TAing intro chem and intro bio courses 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: by application time I'll have 4 poster presentations (1 at a national conference, one regional, and two at home institution)

Special Bonus Points: i'm a great guy, should have 3 incredibly positive LOR

Applying to Where:

All M.S. programs

Loyola Chicago

William and Mary

Southern Maine

University of Virginia

University of New Hampshire (microbiology)

University of Georgia (microbiology)

North Carolina State University (microbiology)

 

Basically I'm just looking for advice/chances. I'm only accepting offers that come with a stipend and tuition waiver. Most of these schools it seems almost guarantee them for the masters. 

[bsharpe269]

 

Undergrad Institution: medium sized private school, top regionally

Major(s): Biology and Philosophy

Minor(s): n/a 

GPA in Major: ~2.9 in biology, 3.8 in philosophy 

Overall GPA: 3.2 (trending up greatly since freshman year) 

Position in Class: definitely above average, closer to %75 

Type of Student: domestic, white male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 155

V: 157

W: waiting (would anticipate a 4.0 or 4.5)

B: n/a

Research Experience: by the time I apply: 3 semesters and a summer program studying membrane protein biophysics (protein-protein interaction) and

3 semesters studying/organizing/leading a team of students studying a slow-sand water filter in an applied microbiology lab 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: pretty much half tuition scholarship, deans list

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: member of social fraternity, held several leadership roles. 4 semesters TAing intro chem and intro bio courses 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: by application time I'll have 4 poster presentations (1 at a national conference, one regional, and two at home institution)

Special Bonus Points: i'm a great guy, should have 3 incredibly positive LOR

Applying to Where:

All M.S. programs

Loyola Chicago

William and Mary

Southern Maine

University of Virginia

University of New Hampshire (microbiology)

University of Georgia (microbiology)

North Carolina State University (microbiology)

 

Basically I'm just looking for advice/chances. I'm only accepting offers that come with a stipend and tuition waiver. Most of these schools it seems almost guarantee them for the masters. 

 

 

I recommend retaking the GRE. Your GPA is fine but not great and solid GRE scores (especially a 160+ quant) could help make up for this. If you get the GRE up then I think that you will be in pretty good shape for these MS programs and can at least expect a couple offers.

[Crucial BBQ]

 

Undergrad Institution: medium sized private school, top regionally

Major(s): Biology and Philosophy

Minor(s): n/a 

GPA in Major: ~2.9 in biology, 3.8 in philosophy 

Overall GPA: 3.2 (trending up greatly since freshman year) 

Position in Class: definitely above average, closer to %75 

Type of Student: domestic, white male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 155

V: 157

W: waiting (would anticipate a 4.0 or 4.5)

B: n/a

Research Experience: by the time I apply: 3 semesters and a summer program studying membrane protein biophysics (protein-protein interaction) and

3 semesters studying/organizing/leading a team of students studying a slow-sand water filter in an applied microbiology lab 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: pretty much half tuition scholarship, deans list

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: member of social fraternity, held several leadership roles. 4 semesters TAing intro chem and intro bio courses 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: by application time I'll have 4 poster presentations (1 at a national conference, one regional, and two at home institution)

Special Bonus Points: i'm a great guy, should have 3 incredibly positive LOR

Applying to Where:

All M.S. programs

Loyola Chicago

William and Mary

Southern Maine

University of Virginia

University of New Hampshire (microbiology)

University of Georgia (microbiology)

North Carolina State University (microbiology)

 

Basically I'm just looking for advice/chances. I'm only accepting offers that come with a stipend and tuition waiver. Most of these schools it seems almost guarantee them for the masters. 

 

I recently spent three years in Maine (Portland).  If by Southern Maine you mean University of Southern Maine, I'd reconsider.  That school has been having some serious financial troubles over the last decade.  It seems like a decent school, my GF at the time went there.  I'd definitely visit first.  

 

If you meant a school in Southern Maine....I'm thinking the University of New England.  UNE has a new president and is currently embarking on a...five year plan?...to change the school's reputation from rather unknown to.....being put on the map.  It is one of the best schools for marine mammal rehabilitation, sports medicine, and occupational rehabilitation (you should see the theme here). 

 

For both schools....Maine is extremely rural.  It is larger than the other five New England states combined, but barely has a population of 1.4 million.  It's largest city has 65K residents. To give you some perspective:  you can fit five Marylands into Maine, but Maine only has 1/5 the population of Maryland. 

 

I almost went to UNE for undergrad, and have considered them for grad school in the past, but if you are looking at Maine then why the University of Maine? 

[wildlifer]

Looks like I to that post. My opinion hasn't changed. Feel free to apply to top programs, just make sure that research interests match and that you think it is a place where you want to live for the next 5-7 years. For reference, my GPA was lower than yours and my V and Q GRE scores were both 161. I got interviews at both the University of Minnesota and University of Vermont (I didn't reach significantly higher for prestige than them) and I'm currently studying at Vermont. I can't imagine you having a tough time finding a good university.

 

 

Not quite ready to post my information yet (still trying to decide where I want to apply). But anywho, saw that you're a UVMer! I'm class of 09, Animal Science. I'm actually contemplating looking into their MS in Natural Resources program, as I know some of the professors in the Rubenstein school. Hope you're enjoying Burlington, I miss it over there!

[wildlifer]

I recently spent three years in Maine (Portland).  If by Southern Maine you mean University of Southern Maine, I'd reconsider.  That school has been having some serious financial troubles over the last decade.  It seems like a decent school, my GF at the time went there.  I'd definitely visit first.  

 

If you meant a school in Southern Maine....I'm thinking the University of New England.  UNE has a new president and is currently embarking on a...five year plan?...to change the school's reputation from rather unknown to.....being put on the map.  It is one of the best schools for marine mammal rehabilitation, sports medicine, and occupational rehabilitation (you should see the theme here). 

 

For both schools....Maine is extremely rural.  It is larger than the other five New England states combined, but barely has a population of 1.4 million.  It's largest city has 65K residents. To give you some perspective:  you can fit five Marylands into Maine, but Maine only has 1/5 the population of Maryland. 

 

I almost went to UNE for undergrad, and have considered them for grad school in the past, but if you are looking at Maine then why the University of Maine? 

 

Maine is rural but that might be the appeal to the applicant I personally love it.. but I was born and raised here, so I'm biased I'm with you on the list of schools, UMaine, of those three, is probably the best one as far as funding and such goes. Plus, if the applicant is looking for that rural appeal, UMaine in Orono has more of that to offer than UNE and USM. I'll be most likely applying to UMaine as well for their MS in wildlife ecology.