2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Chrischigta]

2 hours ago, brainsandeggs said:

 

Thanks so much for replying! I appreciate your feedback on my research exp, my supreme hope is that it'll be enough to force my way past initial screenings. I'm tearing my hair out with these apps haha. I am definitely considering CSHL, I consider it in my reach-tier, but I've read on these forums that Rockefeller has this crazy high GPA cutoff rate? 

Of course I am hoping that  my Master's GPA will help compensate in some way for my insanely low uGPA. But I've ALSO read on these forums that schools don't weigh a high MA GPA that well because getting a B in graduate school is basically failing (that was not my experience however, I know a lot of kids who got Bs, and my As were a real battle it was NOT easy). 

I guess this is the wrong place to get advice on that since most people here are still applying, but I wonder if it is a common experience to have a MA GPA successfully override such a terrible uGPA? The forums seem to be divided on this, but all the advice for low uGPA people is "GET A MASTERS". 

If you are in the NYC area also, do you know anything about programs that might be more mid-tier - like Fordham/Rutgers etc.? Although I am cautiously optimistic about SUNY Downstate as a safety school, I would like to try and find more places that could be forgiving, though I know it's also a crapshoot - I've also heard that middle-ranked programs might use stats more than a top program would. 

Anyways, good luck with your apps! Neuroscience is so tough...

 

 

If you want to stay in NYC, I would also consider Weill Cornell as an option. They have a Neuroscience program and some really interesting faculty members. The research community is great with Sloan Kettering and Rockefeller around the corner. So far, I am liking it a lot here  I have a friend in the neuro program, I could give you his email if you want to inquire about it.

[123hardasABC]

5 hours ago, brainsandeggs said:

 

Thanks so much for replying! I appreciate your feedback on my research exp, my supreme hope is that it'll be enough to force my way past initial screenings. I'm tearing my hair out with these apps haha. I am definitely considering CSHL, I consider it in my reach-tier, but I've read on these forums that Rockefeller has this crazy high GPA cutoff rate? 

Of course I am hoping that  my Master's GPA will help compensate in some way for my insanely low uGPA. But I've ALSO read on these forums that schools don't weigh a high MA GPA that well because getting a B in graduate school is basically failing (that was not my experience however, I know a lot of kids who got Bs, and my As were a real battle it was NOT easy). 

I guess this is the wrong place to get advice on that since most people here are still applying, but I wonder if it is a common experience to have a MA GPA successfully override such a terrible uGPA? The forums seem to be divided on this, but all the advice for low uGPA people is "GET A MASTERS". 

If you are in the NYC area also, do you know anything about programs that might be more mid-tier - like Fordham/Rutgers etc.? Although I am cautiously optimistic about SUNY Downstate as a safety school, I would like to try and find more places that could be forgiving, though I know it's also a crapshoot - I've also heard that middle-ranked programs might use stats more than a top program would. 

Anyways, good luck with your apps! Neuroscience is so tough...

 

Have you considered Mount Sinai?

[brainsandeggs]

15 hours ago, Chrischigta said:

 

If you want to stay in NYC, I would also consider Weill Cornell as an option. They have a Neuroscience program and some really interesting faculty members. The research community is great with Sloan Kettering and Rockefeller around the corner. So far, I am liking it a lot here  I have a friend in the neuro program, I could give you his email if you want to inquire about it.

I have FOR SURE been considering Weill Cornell - both WC and Cold Spring harbor seem like tough programs to get into, but I have done a lot of research into their faculty and research areas so I might take the leap. And Wow Yes! I would absolutely love the chance to email your friend and get a sense of their experience in the program - that would be great, thanks so much! 

Would you mind if I asked you why you chose WC over UChicago? I'm looking there too, just because I was accepted there for undergrad (ended up not going) but I did a lot of research into their particular "culture" and the school itself so I felt like I knew how to write an essay for them. Was it just research fit/location/something unique to you or you felt something objectively about the programs was better/worse?

But thanks so  much for your advice! In  my lab, I"m the only person who actually does any work (the rest are PIs/Senior doctors/Scientists who are on the grant in name, but don't do anything) so I'm very isolated and don't have many people to ask for advice - thus the gradcafe stalking!

[brainsandeggs]

16 hours ago, Ferroportin said:

One of my recommenders also had me draft my own letter - it's definitely pretty tough, especially the first time you do it. The advice I was given from others is to write yourself a glowing letter rather than trying to stay unbiased. From my experience, it's more common that the PI has to fluff up the language in the letter rather than tone it down.

As for an outline, I would google graduate school LoRs online (even if they're not science related) and use these as a starting point. Just make sure you hit on all the important parts. Write about what your contribution was to the lab (projects, papers, posters, etc) and how you achieved those. Were you able to work independently? Did you design the project from start to finish? What was the scope of the project and how far were you able to carry it? This really should be the bulk of the letter, since it's speaking to the work that you've done and how that work has prepared you as a competitive candidate for grad school. I also think a "show not tell" approach is better here. It's one thing to say" XYZ is a great candidate and worked really hard" but it's better to say "XYZ took on a difficult project of designing ABC when they joined the lab. XYZ tackled the project with confidence and independently designed etc etc." Something to that effect. 

I would also include some character references (though this probably shouldn't be the bulk of the letter) that highlight your interactions with others in the lab as well as your aptitude for graduate study. Just some nice fluff that frames you into a normal human being that others could get along with and collaborate on projects with.

Just my two cents, but I hope it helps a bit.

I agree with this - I said somewhere above but my PI had me write my own letter and it was really really tough- almost as tough as writing my SOP. I would also say to make it as enthusiastic and glowing as you can (as you dare), and have them  make changes if they need to. I think in most cases you would be better off having your PI have to tone it down slightly then playing it safe and writing a more mediocre letter - the type of PI who doesn't have time to write their own letter probably also won't bother going back in and editing it to make it as impressive as you could do yourself. 

In the end, I went through many drafts with him, each time he had to push me to make it more sappy and positive, which might annoy/make them second guess you if you had to do that too many times. 

I would say its also important to emphasize the things they are truly looking for - ability to work independently and with a true understanding of process, and the ability to analyze data to synthesize results for publication. And then, as they said above, SHOW how you have done that. 

 

Good luck!

[brainsandeggs]

12 hours ago, 123hardasABC said:

Have you considered Mount Sinai?

Yes for sure - I definitely consider Mt. Sinai to be a reach program as well - like in the range of Weill Cornell or NYU - is this a correct assessment? I saw in your sig you are there now - what do you think about the program? I haven't done as much research on Mt.Sinai just because I am looking for more realistic choices since my list is already populated with golden ticket type programs. I think my best chances are at programs that would be willing to take a risk on a low uGPA student for research fit/exp and MS didn't strike me as that kind of place, but I would love to go there - the lab that I work in now has a lot of people from a lab there so the "science lineage" is there. 

[Azia]

Officially submitted my last applications today! It is such a relief to be finished.

I hope all is going well for everyone as the deadline approaches! Good luck.

[brainsandeggs]

2 hours ago, TheKinaser said:

Anyone applying to the following?

 

MIT (Biology)

University of North Carolina (ChemBio/MedChem)

Yale (BBS/MMPP)

University of Michigan (ChemBio)

University of Washington (BPSD)

University of Wisconsin (Molecular & Cellular Pharm.)

I'm applying to MIT - it's my super reach dream school, but I have to do it. Are you looking at biochem there or something else? I've done a lot of research on the labs I want to get into/the school itself - all the most recent insanely blockbuster research in my field came out of there. I'm hoping something will stick. 

[TheKinaser]

5 minutes ago, brainsandeggs said:

I'm applying to MIT - it's my super reach dream school, but I have to do it. Are you looking at biochem there or something else? I've done a lot of research on the labs I want to get into/the school itself - all the most recent insanely blockbuster research in my field came out of there. I'm hoping something will stick. 

I'm more focused on the Cancer Biology and the the Molecular Medicine & Human Disease research areas.  Hope to see you at interviews.

[StemCellBio]

13 hours ago, Azia said:

Officially submitted my last applications today! It is such a relief to be finished.

I hope all is going well for everyone as the deadline approaches! Good luck.

Congratulations! I needed to see that, I haven't submitted any yet!

On a good note, I did get an abstract accepted for a large conference to give a presentation and a poster! The conference is in less than a week and I have been working on the presentation and not my applications. 

[ballwera]

3 hours ago, brainsandeggs said:

I'm applying to MIT - it's my super reach dream school, but I have to do it. Are you looking at biochem there or something else? I've done a lot of research on the labs I want to get into/the school itself - all the most recent insanely blockbuster research in my field came out of there. I'm hoping something will stick. 

 

To be honest, I would not at all be surprised if you got into MIT. This isn't med school. These programs are much more  holistic in looking at these applications. In a lot of circumstances experience and letters are enough to get you in (assuming your gpa is over the auto cutoffs). As long as your app gets to a human you'll be ok. 

[Chrischigta]

On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎51‎:‎55‎, brainsandeggs said:

I have FOR SURE been considering Weill Cornell - both WC and Cold Spring harbor seem like tough programs to get into, but I have done a lot of research into their faculty and research areas so I might take the leap. And Wow Yes! I would absolutely love the chance to email your friend and get a sense of their experience in the program - that would be great, thanks so much! 

Would you mind if I asked you why you chose WC over UChicago? I'm looking there too, just because I was accepted there for undergrad (ended up not going) but I did a lot of research into their particular "culture" and the school itself so I felt like I knew how to write an essay for them. Was it just research fit/location/something unique to you or you felt something objectively about the programs was better/worse?

But thanks so  much for your advice! In  my lab, I"m the only person who actually does any work (the rest are PIs/Senior doctors/Scientists who are on the grant in name, but don't do anything) so I'm very isolated and don't have many people to ask for advice - thus the gradcafe stalking!

 

It definitely is a very competitive program, but I feel that for the enormous quality of the faculty here and the fact that this is an ivy school program, it is less competitive than others. Again, I want to strongly emphasize that this school is fantastic with great research, but I somehow feel a lot of people are not considering applying here when they choose their "top schools". That might just be a personal impression, too. That being said, if you like the research, then go for it!

I will ask my friend if he would be cool with taking your questions. I know he was a gradcafe stalker as well, so I am confident that he will be happy to help out.

I chose WC, because I really liked to sense of community here. That applies to both the interactions between students and between students and faculty. I feel that there are many faculty members that care about providing good education to grad students. Just the fact that everything is physically so close fosters that a lot. Then, I also really liked the idea of living right in Manhattan while still having this scientific community around. Most importantly, the research fit was just a little bit better. I really enjoyed my visit to Chicago and thought the faculty members there really invested in recruiting me, which was very impressive, but in the end I just had a gut feeling that Weill Cornell is my school and it was not a difficult choice to make. It was much harder to reject the other options haha.

[brainsandeggs]

18 minutes ago, ballwera said:

 

To be honest, I would not at all be surprised if you got into MIT. This isn't med school. These programs are much more  holistic in looking at these applications. In a lot of circumstances experience and letters are enough to get you in (assuming your gpa is over the auto cutoffs). As long as your app gets to a human you'll be ok. 

Aha! That is excellent to hear - this is exactly what I am hoping. Not sure if you saw my stats posted up above somewheres, but while I do have just about 8 years (5 at my current lab) of research experience, my uGPA is 2.46 so my main worry is that my app WON"T get into the hands of a human. But my Master's GPA is 4.0 in molecular biology so I'm hoping someone will do some kind of fancy math that squeaks me up over a 3.0 - the last 60 credits of everything together is just around 3.2, which I would be super happy with counting as my overall GPA, as long as it let's me get into consideration. 

I suppose schools keep this process super secret as no one has a list of schools that do this or schools that dont, though I have heard rumors of certain specific schools, like Rockefeller, that keep it really strict on stats. 

I was telling my friend the other day that once I started researching the incredible stuff MIT is producing (I wrote my last paper on it!) I sort of fell in love with the program, but it felt like the equivalent of falling in love with a movie star. And then deciding that you, a regular person, was going to find a way to meet them in real life and get them to marry you - impossible! But...maybe? 

 

[ballwera]

2 minutes ago, brainsandeggs said:

Aha! That is excellent to hear - this is exactly what I am hoping. Not sure if you saw my stats posted up above somewheres, but while I do have just about 8 years (5 at my current lab) of research experience, my uGPA is 2.46 so my main worry is that my app WON"T get into the hands of a human. But my Master's GPA is 4.0 in molecular biology so I'm hoping someone will do some kind of fancy math that squeaks me up over a 3.0 - the last 60 credits of everything together is just around 3.2, which I would be super happy with counting as my overall GPA, as long as it let's me get into consideration. 

I suppose schools keep this process super secret as no one has a list of schools that do this or schools that dont, though I have heard rumors of certain specific schools, like Rockefeller, that keep it really strict on stats. 

I was telling my friend the other day that once I started researching the incredible stuff MIT is producing (I wrote my last paper on it!) I sort of fell in love with the program, but it felt like the equivalent of falling in love with a movie star. And then deciding that you, a regular person, was going to find a way to meet them in real life and get them to marry you - impossible! But...maybe? 

 

There are a few of us that got in with bad GPAs (mine was < 3.0), but I had three years at a tech to make up for it, there are a few others on here with your situation that could attest to this as well ( one of them got into Hopkins). I'm not saying don't apply to safeties, but don't be afraid to apply to some prestigious programs. I know I didn't and am regretting it now. I actually got an offer from the "most prestigous" school that I applied to and ended up turning it down. 

[brainsandeggs]

13 minutes ago, Chrischigta said:

 

It definitely is a very competitive program, but I feel that for the enormous quality of the faculty here and the fact that this is an ivy school program, it is less competitive than others. Again, I want to strongly emphasize that this school is fantastic with great research, but I somehow feel a lot of people are not considering applying here when they choose their "top schools". That might just be a personal impression, too. That being said, if you like the research, then go for it!

I will ask my friend if he would be cool with taking your questions. I know he was a gradcafe stalker as well, so I am confident that he will be happy to help out.

I chose WC, because I really liked to sense of community here. That applies to both the interactions between students and between students and faculty. I feel that there are many faculty members that care about providing good education to grad students. Just the fact that everything is physically so close fosters that a lot. Then, I also really liked the idea of living right in Manhattan while still having this scientific community around. Most importantly, the research fit was just a little bit better. I really enjoyed my visit to Chicago and thought the faculty members there really invested in recruiting me, which was very impressive, but in the end I just had a gut feeling that Weill Cornell is my school and it was not a difficult choice to make. It was much harder to reject the other options haha.

I totally agree - a friend goes to the medical school so I've had the program on my radar, but my anecdotal experience on here is that people don't include it in their lists which is crazy because I would tend to think it would get swamped being another Ivy in Manhattan. It flies under the radar I guess! 

And I would very much appreciate running a few questions by your friend if they get the time! Any info at all helps make both my application stronger, better tailored to the culture of the program, and allows me to figure out if I am a good fit..

Thanks!

 

[123hardasABC]

On 11/11/2015, 9:04:10, brainsandeggs said:

Yes for sure - I definitely consider Mt. Sinai to be a reach program as well - like in the range of Weill Cornell or NYU - is this a correct assessment? I saw in your sig you are there now - what do you think about the program? I haven't done as much research on Mt.Sinai just because I am looking for more realistic choices since my list is already populated with golden ticket type programs. I think my best chances are at programs that would be willing to take a risk on a low uGPA student for research fit/exp and MS didn't strike me as that kind of place, but I would love to go there - the lab that I work in now has a lot of people from a lab there so the "science lineage" is there. 

I'm actually not sure. I'm not super familiar with the neuroscience department since I'm here for the MPH. I did apply to the MPH program with a sub-3.0 uGPA but I don't know how much weight that holds considering the admissions process differs widely between each graduate program. But if you're willing to take the risk, I think Mount Sinai is a great school if you're willing to deal with the NYC life (I am not; I hate NYC). What I'm looking for in a PhD program is inter-departmental collaborations, where nothing is strictly defined by a field, and I see a lot of that at Mount Sinai. Even though I'm studying public health, I currently work closely with pediatricians, toxicologists, and psychiatrists.

[Azia]

6 hours ago, StemCellBio said:

Congratulations! I needed to see that, I haven't submitted any yet!

On a good note, I did get an abstract accepted for a large conference to give a presentation and a poster! The conference is in less than a week and I have been working on the presentation and not my applications. 

Good luck! It's definitely a stressful time and simultaneously equally exciting.

Congratulations on your abstract! Those are always bonus points on applications and when interviewing.

[brainsandeggs]

17 hours ago, 123hardasABC said:

I'm actually not sure. I'm not super familiar with the neuroscience department since I'm here for the MPH. I did apply to the MPH program with a sub-3.0 uGPA but I don't know how much weight that holds considering the admissions process differs widely between each graduate program. But if you're willing to take the risk, I think Mount Sinai is a great school if you're willing to deal with the NYC life (I am not; I hate NYC). What I'm looking for in a PhD program is inter-departmental collaborations, where nothing is strictly defined by a field, and I see a lot of that at Mount Sinai. Even though I'm studying public health, I currently work closely with pediatricians, toxicologists, and psychiatrists.

I totally 100% agree - If that's been your experience at MOunt Sinai I will definitely be looking into way more closely! Sorry to hear you hate NYC! Haha its so funny - I've been here for about 8 years, I really love it but probably 3x a week either the MTA, the crazies, or the "80% of my paycheck on rent" makes me say "THIS TIME I"M NOT KIDDING I AM GETTING THE EFF OUT OF NEW YORK." and then i dont. 

But thanks so much for your perspective I appreciate it!

[pavitraviswanath]

Hey Guys! I am applying to GSBS in UT Hosuton.. My Profile is as follows:

Undergrad Institute: BMS College of Engineering, bangalore, India

GPA: 8.4/10 (upto 6th semester).. will increase to atleast 8.7 in the next two semesters

GRE 307 (V 152 Q155 AWA 4)

TOEFL 107

I have worked on creating a targeted drug delivery system using DNA Origami for Prostate Cancer. We presented this in Biomod 2014, a biomolecular design competition organised by the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and we won silver award for our research. We have filed for a patent and our project is nearly complete.

I am currently working on biomarker identification for different cancers. I have identified more than 10 potential molecules for triple negative breast cancer and lung squamous carcinoma. I will be validating this in patient samples at an mRNA and protein level.

Any chance I have a shot? 

I'm also planning to apply to

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Baylor College of Medicine

University of Chicago

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

New York Medical College

Do you guys think I have a shot at Rockefeller or Scripps? Or is it too farfetched a thought?

I would be grateful if you guys can let me know what you'll think!

Edited November 14, 2015 by pavitraviswanath

[laxgoal100]

ahh i sent in 4 applications with this typo in my SOP:

"My experiences teaching under-represented youth at the local Boys and Girls Club as well as at -school name- have shown me the positive impact that sharing my excitement for science for can make on the lives of others."

It's kinda buried in the middle of a paragraph. I'm hoping readers will be skimming enough to miss it. What do you guys think? I'm guessing asking to re-submit would be a bad idea...?

[Focus]

2 minutes ago, laxgoal100 said:

It's kinda buried in the middle of a paragraph. I'm hoping readers will be skimming enough to miss it. What do you guys think? I'm guessing asking to re-submit would be a bad idea...?

If it is just the one little error then it seems kind of inconsequential. It's not like your SoP is riddled with consistent spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. I, for one, wouldn't sweat it and take the time to trouble the poor program admins; they're buried in dozens of applications already. 

But now that you brought it up, I'm thinking I had better re-re-read all of my materials haha.

[laxgoal100]

1 minute ago, Focus said:

But now that you brought it up, I'm thinking I had better re-re-read all of my materials haha.

Yeah, I'm glad I caught it before all 10 were sent in. Although it is in my top choice program's. Thanks for the feedback and oh well! 

[laxgoal100]

And Focus, I retook the GRE and did much better this time: 80% Q, 81% V, and 80% Writing :)

[Focus]

6 hours ago, laxgoal100 said:

80% Q, 81% V, and 80% Writing :)

Great job! You really brought up that Q! You shouldn't have a problem with any automatic GRE cutoffs anymore.

[Gram Neutral]

If I submitted unofficial transcripts for my post graduate work and they asked for official, will that be much of a problem? My undergraduate transcript is official. Most of the programs didn't care and I didn't realize this one program wanted official and not unofficial, but I've a essay submitted it. 

[Nomen1984]

On 11/12/2015, 1:41:18, brainsandeggs said:

Aha! That is excellent to hear - this is exactly what I am hoping. Not sure if you saw my stats posted up above somewheres, but while I do have just about 8 years (5 at my current lab) of research experience, my uGPA is 2.46 so my main worry is that my app WON"T get into the hands of a human. But my Master's GPA is 4.0 in molecular biology so I'm hoping someone will do some kind of fancy math that squeaks me up over a 3.0 - the last 60 credits of everything together is just around 3.2, which I would be super happy with counting as my overall GPA, as long as it let's me get into consideration. 

I suppose schools keep this process super secret as no one has a list of schools that do this or schools that dont, though I have heard rumors of certain specific schools, like Rockefeller, that keep it really strict on stats. 

I was telling my friend the other day that once I started researching the incredible stuff MIT is producing (I wrote my last paper on it!) I sort of fell in love with the program, but it felt like the equivalent of falling in love with a movie star. And then deciding that you, a regular person, was going to find a way to meet them in real life and get them to marry you - impossible! But...maybe? 

 

I keep hearing about Rockefeller having strict cut-offs and I'm slightly worried, as I have neither a stellar GPA nor stellar GREs. I was a SURF fellow there and the Dean seemed to downplay the importance of grades/test scores when talking about admissions. Do you think getting into the SURF program (even with mediocre stats) means I'll likely get into the graduate program as well, or should I seriously consider other options?