2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Bioenchilada]

The research I am currently doing is protein biochemistry, but I did some work with genetics last summer, and am applying to genetics/genomics programs.  

That won't be a problem then!  

[Microburritology]

Take a bow sir, take a bow.

Also, while we are at GPA's, in response to @xxyyxx, how is the grade inflation from different countries going to be factored in, if they have an "outright cutoff" of 3.5?? I graduated from India (where professors are stingy af), with a 3.3, and I was second in my class. Pertaining to USA, I have friends in my lab from Caltech and they said it was humanely impossible to make a 3.3 there, let alone a 3.5. 

Lastly, I don't mean to say that what you said is bullshit, but honestly, if you really don't have any clue as to what you're talking, don't post such stuff. Newbies get onto here for some advice and feedback, more often to feel positive about their application, and they get really disheartened reading such baseless edicts.

I'm sorry for calling you out, but this is total garbage.  This seems extremely unlikely and I have not heard similar experiences at all. I know several people who got accepted to the schools you mentioned (particularly Harvard and MIT) with subpar GREs on math and verbal (<65%) or subpar GPAs (<3.2).  I've also spoken with adcom members at these schools who have reiterated the same things.  There are several things that could have gone wrong with your friend's application process and there's obviously no way to know that it was his GPA.  The things that differentiate highly qualified applicants almost always has to do with how you fit with that particular university and if they just generally like you at the interviews.  You could look like the second coming of jesus on paper, but if you seem like a prick at the interview then you're not going to get in. 

I was originally very discouraged when I first started reading through gradcafe, but the more I learned the more I realized that this forum is no where near a fair representation of the applicant pool and that a lot of people on here actually have no idea what they're talking about.  So, for those who feel discouraged, don't listen to junk like this and get back to working on your application, as I will right now.

  

 

[adiJ]

Also, while we are at GPA's, in response to @xxyyxx, how is the grade inflation from different countries going to be factored in, if they have an "outright cutoff" of 3.5?? I graduated from India (where professors are stingy af), with a 3.3, and I was second in my class. Pertaining to USA, I have friends in my lab from Caltech and they said it was humanely impossible to make a 3.3 there, let alone a 3.5. 

Selection committee does look at the strength and competitiveness of your UG program. Obviously a 3.5 from MIT means something different than one from say a random liberal arts school. However, I'm not sure how informed they are about an Indian program, though you can email their admissions to check it out?

[Microburritology]

Lol I know that, it was meant to be a rhetoric directed towards xxyyxx, implying that there are no hard and fast rules for a 3.5 GPA cutoffs, although GPA's lower than 3 can hurt you.

I'm not sure how informed they are about my Indian program too, hoping they don't see a 3.3 and throw away my application, and I wish there was some way of telling them that grading was hard at my institution and I graduated third in my program. 

Selection committee does look at the strength and competitiveness of your UG program. Obviously a 3.5 from MIT means something different than one from say a random liberal arts school. However, I'm not sure how informed they are about an Indian program, though you can email their admissions to check it out?

[ilovelab]

Lol I know that, it was meant to be a rhetoric directed towards xxyyxx, implying that there are no hard and fast rules for a 3.5 GPA cutoffs, although GPA's lower than 3 can hurt you.

I'm not sure how informed they are about my Indian program too, hoping they don't see a 3.3 and throw away my application, and I wish there was some way of telling them that grading was hard at my institution and I graduated third in my program. 

 

Some apps may ask for your class rank so that's one way you could let them know. I honestly don't know how much they will care about what undergrad you went to whether its a no name school in the US or India. Take a look at the class profiles for WUSTL/Vanderbildt/UW etc. Those are top programs yet the vast majority of the students didn't go to top ranked schools. Most schools don't use cutoffs. 

[Bioenchilada]

Some apps may ask for your class rank so that's one way you could let them know. I honestly don't know how much they will care about what undergrad you went to whether its a no name school in the US or India. Take a look at the class profiles for WUSTL/Vanderbildt/UW etc. Those are top programs yet the vast majority of the students didn't go to top ranked schools. Most schools don't use cutoffs. 

I believe going to a better school lowers the impact of GPA/GRE and excuses you from taking subject tests.

[ilovelab]

I believe going to a better school lowers the impact of GPA/GRE and excuses you from taking subject tests.

Not necessarily. I went to UCLA and we had grade inflation like no other. I had a friend who went to a local CSU and had almost no grade inflation. Your 3.5 at UCLA isn't more impressive than a 3.5 at a local CSU. Granted this depends on your major and what classes you took. Going to a prestigious school doesn't excuse you from taking the subject tests, that's a ridiculous statement. Take the subject test if you believe other parts of your application cannot compensate for a lower GPA. Or you were a marine bio major and now want to do a Genetics/Genoimcs PhD. 

[Bioenchilada]

Not necessarily. I went to UCLA and we had grade inflation like no other. I had a friend who went to a local CSU and had almost no grade inflation. Your 3.5 at UCLA isn't more impressive than a 3.5 at a local CSU. Granted this depends on your major and what classes you took. Going to a prestigious school doesn't excuse you from taking the subject tests, that's a ridiculous statement. Take the subject test if you believe other parts of your application cannot compensate for a lower GPA. Or you were a marine bio major and now want to do a Genetics/Genoimcs PhD. 

Well, I obtained the information I posted from a Harvard faculty member that has been involved in admissions for many years. Of course, if the program states that it is REQUIRED for everyone to submit a subject test, then no one is excused. However, if it is simply recommended, your school's prestige might "save" you from having to take the test, if your GPA is decent. This is only because they become more familiar with the school's grading policy if they have some form of tie with it or many applicants have been from that particular school. Same thing applies with the GRE. If you have a 5.0 from MIT, then the relevance of your GRE is lowered because you come from a prestigious school.  I'm not talking about the impression that the GPA makes, but rather the adcoms familiarity with the school and its right. 

[adiJ]

Not necessarily. I went to UCLA and we had grade inflation like no other. I had a friend who went to a local CSU and had almost no grade inflation. Your 3.5 at UCLA isn't more impressive than a 3.5 at a local CSU. Granted this depends on your major and what classes you took. Going to a prestigious school doesn't excuse you from taking the subject tests, that's a ridiculous statement. Take the subject test if you believe other parts of your application cannot compensate for a lower GPA. Or you were a marine bio major and now want to do a Genetics/Genoimcs PhD. 

Oh shit. I go to UCLA and my GPA is only ok.

And the points being made are very valid. The entire application is holistic and there's always a give and take between various aspects.

[cumulina]

Does anyone know what kind of an impact a paltry CV might have on applications? for example, one of the schools i'm applying to lists the CV as optional, so I'm inclined towards not sending it in. I was wondering if my CV with not much awards/honors/pubs could actually hurt my application or if sending in anything can only help?

[123hardasABC]

Does anyone know what kind of an impact a paltry CV might have on applications? for example, one of the schools i'm applying to lists the CV as optional, so I'm inclined towards not sending it in. I was wondering if my CV with not much awards/honors/pubs could actually hurt my application or if sending in anything can only help?

Assuming the application doesn't ask for it anywhere else, if your CV demonstrates an interest in research (lab experience, internships, etc.), I would say it doesn't hurt. 

[Microburritology]

Thanks @ilovelab, didn't know some applications ask for that class rank, none of the ones I started so far have asked that, but that would be nice.

Some apps may ask for your class rank so that's one way you could let them know. I honestly don't know how much they will care about what undergrad you went to whether its a no name school in the US or India. Take a look at the class profiles for WUSTL/Vanderbildt/UW etc. Those are top programs yet the vast majority of the students didn't go to top ranked schools. Most schools don't use cutoffs. 

 

[Gram Neutral]

Not necessarily. I went to UCLA and we had grade inflation like no other. I had a friend who went to a local CSU and had almost no grade inflation. Your 3.5 at UCLA isn't more impressive than a 3.5 at a local CSU. Granted this depends on your major and what classes you took. Going to a prestigious school doesn't excuse you from taking the subject tests, that's a ridiculous statement. Take the subject test if you believe other parts of your application cannot compensate for a lower GPA. Or you were a marine bio major and now want to do a Genetics/Genoimcs PhD. 

I could be wrong, but I would think on the flipside a lower GPA from a top tier school would be more forgiven than a lower GPA from <insert Random Direction University of Random State...State>. I also have a hard time believing a 3.2 at UCLA would be looked at equally to a 3.2 at say Chicago State (no offense to anyone). It's just impossible with inherent biases and preconceived notions. 

[Infinito]

I could be wrong, but I would think on the flipside a lower GPA from a top tier school would be more forgiven than a lower GPA from <insert Random Direction University of Random State...State>. I also have a hard time believing a 3.2 at UCLA would be looked at equally to a 3.2 at say Chicago State (no offense to anyone). It's just impossible with inherent biases and preconceived notions. 

This is usually true, but insiders in academia have a bit more insight beyond mere school ranking and GPA correlations. For instance, I've heard before from professors at the Ivys that a 3.5 at Harvard will NOT be weighed more heavily than a 3.5 from an in-state University. Some of the Ivy Leagues have documented grade inflation (think Harvard, Brown), while others have deflation (Princeton, Penn, Columbia). It could actually be said that a low GPA from a top tier university with known grade inflation will hurt you. On the other hand, a low GPA from Caltech would be understandable. 

Then there are the unconscious biases where people might assume a low GPA in engineering is excusable as compared to a low GPA in a "soft science." Either way, I'm betting that top tier graduate committees have enough people that are aware of these nuances to allow for "holistic" admissions. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Infinito
Forgot Quote.

[123hardasABC]

This is a dumb question, but is there any benefit to submitting early if you don't have all of your material in? I've finished my part and have 2 letters in, but my last letter writer decided to disappear off the face of the planet. I've asked someone new to take his part but I still have to wait. 

[eeee1923]

This is a dumb question, but is there any benefit to submitting early if you don't have all of your material in? I've finished my part and have 2 letters in, but my last letter writer decided to disappear off the face of the planet. I've asked someone new to take his part but I still have to wait. 

No real benefit. If you meet the minimum acceptance criteria you will reach the next stage of the application process (e.g. interviews) regardless of submission date - as long as you submit by the program's deadlines. When I turned in my applications, I only got 2 submitted about a week early and the remaining on the day they were due - it didn't affect my interviews/acceptances. 

Edited October 28, 2015 by eteshoe

[123hardasABC]

No real benefit. If you meet the minimum acceptance criteria you will reach the next stage of the application process (e.g. interviews) regardless of submission date - as long as you submit by the program's deadlines. When I turned in my applications, I only got 2 submitted about a week early and the remaining on the day they were due - it didn't affect my interviews/acceptances. 

Okay. That's good to know. I've been panicking because one of my letter writers went AWOL and I'm in the process of asking different people. Thanks!

[ilovelab]

Well, I obtained the information I posted from a Harvard faculty member that has been involved in admissions for many years. Of course, if the program states that it is REQUIRED for everyone to submit a subject test, then no one is excused. However, if it is simply recommended, your school's prestige might "save" you from having to take the test, if your GPA is decent. This is only because they become more familiar with the school's grading policy if they have some form of tie with it or many applicants have been from that particular school. Same thing applies with the GRE. If you have a 5.0 from MIT, then the relevance of your GRE is lowered because you come from a prestigious school.  I'm not talking about the impression that the GPA makes, but rather the adcoms familiarity with the school and its right. 

I don't know of any program that REQUIRES the subject test (scripps might?). You should only take it if you have a lower GPA or your major is outside the program of interest. Grading policies are fairly standard between universities. Most large schools have massive grade inflation esp the UC's. Smaller universities/liberal arts schools generally don't have as much grade inflation (Reed for example). Maybe Harvard works the way you describe but there are plenty of top schools, UCLA,Vanderbilt,WashU,Michigan,UCSF, that don't. 

[jayelko]

Undergrad Institution: UT Austin
Major(s): Human biology, concentration in pathogenesis and immunology 
GPA in Major: 3.71 / 4.0 
Overall GPA: 3.73 / 4.0 
Position in Class: Top 10%
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores:
Q: 163 (86%) 
V: 158 (79%) 
W: 5.0 (93%) 
B: Not taking 


Research Experience: 

This is what I'm worried about. 

August 2014 - June 2015: volunteered in a pharmacology lab studying the emotional responses to drug use and drug addiction in rats. This one was pretty cut and dry, I went in every night of the week to give them alcohol and end their recording sessions. Also did some analysis in excel.

August 2014 - Present: Initially started off volunteering in a nutrition lab but I got hired and promoted when I graduated (in May), and now I'm in charge of our entire animal study, which looks at how macronutrient composition and timing of diet affects circadian rhythm and microbiome diversity in mice. I've got a ton of experience in lab work from this (PCR, DNA/RNA extraction and quantitation, cell culture), and I've also become really involved in the study's design and implementation (I wrote and designed the protocols for our experiments, and I'm responsible for all the planning and troubleshooting for them). However, I don't have any presentations or publications and I'm really worried about it. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi; graduated with honors

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Certified phlebotomist and pharmacy technician, if that matters

Special Bonus Points: My PI in the nutrition lab is the chair of the department and she's pretty famous in her field. My recommendation from her will be extremely strong, so that's a big plus. Also getting recommendations from my pharmacology PI and an old infectious disease professor; both should be pretty strong.


Applying to Where: I'm applying to mostly neuroscience programs and I really want to study neuroimmunology and/or neuroendocrinology. All of these programs except UT have a lot of faculty whose research aligns very strongly with those interests:

Emory - neuroscience

Ohio State University - neuroscience

Vanderbilt - IGP

UNC Chapel Hill -  BBSP

UC Boulder - psych/neuro

U Virginia - neuroscience

U Texas - neuroscience

 

What do you guys think? I'm really worried about the lack of presentations or publications and since I've only gained my research experience over the past year, I'm worried if it'll be enough. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated, because I'm naturally in a bit of a panic 

[kire01]

Undergrad Institution: UT Austin
Major(s): Human biology, concentration in pathogenesis and immunology 
GPA in Major: 3.71 / 4.0 
Overall GPA: 3.73 / 4.0 
Position in Class: Top 10%
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Scores:
Q: 163 (86%) 
V: 158 (79%) 
W: 5.0 (93%) 
B: Not taking 


Research Experience: 

This is what I'm worried about. 

August 2014 - June 2015: volunteered in a pharmacology lab studying the emotional responses to drug use and drug addiction in rats. This one was pretty cut and dry, I went in every night of the week to give them alcohol and end their recording sessions. Also did some analysis in excel.

August 2014 - Present: Initially started off volunteering in a nutrition lab but I got hired and promoted when I graduated (in May), and now I'm in charge of our entire animal study, which looks at how macronutrient composition and timing of diet affects circadian rhythm and microbiome diversity in mice. I've got a ton of experience in lab work from this (PCR, DNA/RNA extraction and quantitation, cell culture), and I've also become really involved in the study's design and implementation (I wrote and designed the protocols for our experiments, and I'm responsible for all the planning and troubleshooting for them). However, I don't have any presentations or publications and I'm really worried about it. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi; graduated with honors

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Certified phlebotomist and pharmacy technician, if that matters

Special Bonus Points: My PI in the nutrition lab is the chair of the department and she's pretty famous in her field. My recommendation from her will be extremely strong, so that's a big plus. Also getting recommendations from my pharmacology PI and an old infectious disease professor; both should be pretty strong.


Applying to Where: I'm applying to mostly neuroscience programs and I really want to study neuroimmunology and/or neuroendocrinology. All of these programs except UT have a lot of faculty whose research aligns very strongly with those interests:

Emory - neuroscience

Ohio State University - neuroscience

Vanderbilt - IGP

UNC Chapel Hill -  BBSP

UC Boulder - psych/neuro

U Virginia - neuroscience

U Texas - neuroscience

 

What do you guys think? I'm really worried about the lack of presentations or publications and since I've only gained my research experience over the past year, I'm worried if it'll be enough. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated, because I'm naturally in a bit of a panic '

I wouldn't worry too much about the presentation/publication stuff. It's very common for undergrads to have solid research experience that didn't result in a presentation/pub. Provided you can talk knowledgeably about your work, and your LOR says you did quality research, it's not really a problem. Those things are brownie points, not a be-all-end-all. A year of experience is a little on the thin side, but it sounds like your experience was pretty in depth.

 

[crusin]

Undergrad Institution: Cal State University
Major(s): Biochemistry
GPA in Major: 3.74 / 4.0 
Overall GPA: 3.59 / 4.0 
Type of Student: International

GRE Scores:
Q: 161 (80%) 
V: 154 (63%) 
W: 3.5 (38%) 
B: Will not be taking it. 

TOEFL: Do not need to take it. 

Research Experience: 

- Summer Research experience in Biophysical chemical lab. 

- 2.5 years in Electrochemical Lab. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated with honors; Achievement Award

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 3 publications in peer-review journals with one being first-author. 

Applying to Where:

I am applying mostly to biochemistry/chemistry/biosciences Ph.D. programs listed below:

Emory University	Molecular and Systems Pharmacology
Northeastern University	Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Northwestern University	Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program
New York University	Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology - Structural and Computational Biology
Stanford University School of Medicine	Stanford Biosciences - Chemical and System Biology
UCLA	ACCESS - Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology
University of Washington - Seattle	Biological Physics, Structure and Design
Washington University of St. Louis	Biochemistry
University of Missouri, Columbia	Biochemistry - Structural and Chemical Biology
Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan - Tri Institutional	Chemical Biology

I am a little worried about my GRE scores though my professors assure me that it should be fine because of my research experiences. Any thoughts? Thank you. Came across this site browsing and it is awesome!

Edited October 30, 2015 by crusin

[juice12]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts school
Major(s): Biology
GPA in Major: 3.88/4.0
Overall GPA: 3.93/4.0
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: domestic white female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158
V: 152
W: 4
B:


Research Experience: Currently working on senior thesis, started while I was a junior in microbiology at undergraduate institution. NSF funded REU in developmental biology, summer after sophomore year. The Jackson Laboratory summer student program, working with a new faculty member on reproductive biology during summer after junior year


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

 My GRE scores are my obvious weak point of my application, but I am hoping my three different research experiences and letters from all three advisors made up for it. Also I transferred from a big science school after my freshman year, but I'm hoping my GPA now will make up for the low GPA I had at my old school. 

Applying to Where:

Tufts - Developmental Biology

Cornell - Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (one of my PI's just finished her Post-doc here)

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 

University of Pittsburgh - Biomedical Sciences

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - Molecular and Cellular Biology 

UNC Chapel Hill - Biological and Biomedical Sciences 

Washington State University - Molecular Biosciences

University of Washington - Molecular, Cell, and Developmental

 

[blinchik]

Hi all! I'm a first-year student at Penn CAMB, and loving it so far. If my signature is still in tact (which it should be), you can see that I interviewed/was invited to interview at some of the places that you all are interested in applying to. 

A note regarding GPA/GREs: they are not the be-all end-all, and often times, strict cut-offs are lower than you think.  That being said, they are important, especially if you're coming straight out of undergrad and do not have as extensive of a research background as some other prospective applicants. I was told quite frankly by faculty who were interviewing me at multiple institutions that they were impressed by my ability to manage my increased course load (I graduated in 3 years with a 3.8+), and that it reflected well upon me. 

Another note, although it is premature at this point as most apps aren't even due yet: if you have an interview conflict, manage it very, very carefully. I had multiple conflicts last year, and for one of them. making the two programs aware of the conflict (in a polite, carefully phrased manner after consulting my letter of recommendation writers/undergrad mentors) did not turn out very well for me. If you really want to go to a certain program (or think you do, as interviewing may very well change your opinion of the program!), make sure to reach out to them after enough time has passed and see when you can expect to be notified re: interview invitations. I was lucky in that the program that I loved the best and was the best fit for my research interests had no conflicts associated with it, but some programs are far more amenable to conflicts than others.

With that, I'm off to prepare for an exam, but please feel free to PM me with any questions and I will do my best to get back to you within the week. Good luck!

[blinchik]

Also, one final tidbit of advice, which is probably obvious to most, if not all of you: do consider cost-of-living and stipend amounts/other benefits (e.g. subsidized housing) when considering where to apply - 25k+ will get you a lot farther in some cities than in others (I'm looking at you, NYC + San Francisco), and this is especially important to consider if you have dependents (family/pets) or even if you just want to save and enjoy a slightly higher quality of life for the 4-5+ years you are in grad school.

Edited November 1, 2015 by blinchik

[ImmunoXX]

San Diego is also expensive relative to stipend amount.