2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[brainsandeggs]

14 hours ago, Nomen1984 said:

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?

Yeah I keep hearing the same things - I actually don't know much about the program at all, but from what I know about other schools, being involved with the SURF program can definitely help you but it won't represent an "easy in" if you will. It's interesting that the dean was downplaying stats when you were there. If you were a SURF fellow I would for sure go for it and highlight this in your app - the same rules apply I'm sure as for any other program - research experience and most importantly, fit, are the critical factors. 

[biosci]

Hi.  I have heard mixed advice on emailing potential research advisors and was wondering what your all thoughts were.  Since all of the programs I am applying to require that you complete multiple rotations before choosing an advisor, I am not sure how important this step is, and I really don't want to seem annoying.  I appreciate your advice.  Thanks 

[laxgoal100]

3 minutes ago, biosci said:

Hi.  I have heard mixed advice on emailing potential research advisors and was wondering what your all thoughts were.  Since all of the programs I am applying to require that you complete multiple rotations before choosing an advisor, I am not sure how important this step is, and I really don't want to seem annoying.  I appreciate your advice.  Thanks 

I emailed one from each school basically asking whether they would be accepting students into their lab for the coming year. It would suck to have a few people in mind, apply to the school, get in, and realize that the people you want to work for aren't accepting new students. Just my two cents.

[Infinito]

1 hour ago, laxgoal100 said:

 

I emailed one from each school basically asking whether they would be accepting students into their lab for the coming year. It would suck to have a few people in mind, apply to the school, get in, and realize that the people you want to work for aren't accepting new students. Just my two cents.

That's pretty much what my approach was; though for some programs I reached out to about 5-10 people, got about 3 replies, so it makes sense. It's time consuming, and your e-mail shouldn't be generic. I definitely investigated the PIs and their websites, and looked at an abstract that I felt was representative of what I would be interested in doing with them.

[StrongTackleBacarySagna]

Lmfao apparently Brigham Young has a neuroscience program. Do they even evolution

Edited November 17, 2015 by StrongTackleBacarySagna

[biochemgirl67]

On 11/15/2015, 6:10:55, Nomen1984 said:

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?

What kind of strict cut-offs have you been hearing about??? I applied there and it's like a dark horse for me... I don't know much.

[ilovelab]

17 hours ago, StrongTackleBacarySagna said:

Lmfao apparently Brigham Young has a neuroscience program. Do they even evolution

University of Utah has a pretty awesome Biosciences Phd Umbrella Program. I was definitely surprised by the quality of the program. 

[Azia]

6 minutes ago, ilovelab said:

University of Utah has a pretty awesome Biosciences Phd Umbrella Program. I was definitely surprised by the quality of the program. 

Agreed! University of Utah is one of my top choices! They have a number of great research labs and are very supportive of their students.

[jesbevo]

Undergrad Institution: University of Iowa
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.54
Overall GPA: 3.76
Position in Class: not sure
Type of Student: Female, domestic, queer if you want to tick of your diversity checklist haha

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 154 (56%)
V: 166 (96%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
Bio subject test: 800 (84%)




Research Experience: 3 years of experience studying the genetics of hybrid female fertility; very exciting results. I've done all the work on my own project as well as assisted with a couple others in the lab. No publications yet, but it will eventually be a paper--just unfortunately not in time for application season.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A couple in-department scholarships/fellowships, as well as honors in my major and general university honors. I'm presenting my thesis next spring.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I worked in a radiology lab doing data quality checking for 1 year, work in 2 separate labs on campus (mostly just helping with lab upkeep), biology dept outreach for the honors department, tutoring for the intro biology course, and also have assisted in TAing the intro biology lab section for 2 semesters.

Special Bonus Points: Not particularly? I will be taking a grad level course next semester though. My letters will be very positive. My mentor thinks I hung the moon.


Applying to Where: Columbia, Rockefeller University, Einstein Biomed, NYU

Edited November 17, 2015 by jesbevo

[Earl]

Is anybody applying to Weill Cornell Graduate School having trouble with submitting the app?  Specifically, there's no confirmation email after submitting and no recommendation requests being automatically sent to the recommenders?

[Gram Neutral]

Ooooooo I messed up big time now....In my Statement of Purpose I accidentally left another schools name in my concluding paragraph. I can't delete the SOP. I'm going to try and call the school and ask if they can manually delete it. I can't believe I did that....I'm sure that's a big no-no.

[GradApplicant2016]

10 hours ago, Earl said:

Is anybody applying to Weill Cornell Graduate School having trouble with submitting the app?  Specifically, there's no confirmation email after submitting and no recommendation requests being automatically sent to the recommenders?

Yes, I just noticed yesterday that none of my recommenders received the email notification from Weill. I'm going to email them today...glad to see I'm not the only one having this issue.

Actually NYU Sackler also didn't send out my recommendation requests even though when I log in there is a date and timestamp from when they were supposedly sent. Anyone else having this issue with Sackler too? 

Edited November 18, 2015 by GradApplicant2016

[123hardasABC]

11 hours ago, Gram Neutral said:

Ooooooo I messed up big time now....In my Statement of Purpose I accidentally left another schools name in my concluding paragraph. I can't delete the SOP. I'm going to try and call the school and ask if they can manually delete it. I can't believe I did that....I'm sure that's a big no-no.

Oh no! I hope it goes well. That is like....graduate school nightmare come true!

[StemCellBio]

15 hours ago, Gram Neutral said:

Ooooooo I messed up big time now....In my Statement of Purpose I accidentally left another schools name in my concluding paragraph. I can't delete the SOP. I'm going to try and call the school and ask if they can manually delete it. I can't believe I did that....I'm sure that's a big no-no.

It's not great, but I do know someone from last cycle that did the same thing in an SOP and still got an interview and accepted. Both the school that got sent the SOP with the wrong name and the school who's name was left in the SOP are top 10 schools. But I hope they allow you change it anyways!

[Sarahjc]

On 11/17/2015, 12:50:51, ilovelab said:

University of Utah has a pretty awesome Biosciences Phd Umbrella Program. I was definitely surprised by the quality of the program. 

This summer I  did a summer experience at MD Anderson and my PI went to Utah for grad school and postdoc.  The lab manager went to Utah for grad school too. They have a great cancer center with a lot of research.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Sarahjc

[Neuro PolarBear]

On 11/15/2015, 7:10:55, Nomen1984 said:

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?

Yes, definitely apply. A lot of programs, including Rockefeller, are more likely to accept undergrads, those that did SURF or other REUs, Amgen, etc., worked as a tech, and have rec letters from Profs at the University they're applying to. I'd emphasis the SURF program in your SoP and be sure to mention how it informed how much Rockefeller would continue to be a good fit for you.

Best of luck!

[Neuro PolarBear]

11 hours ago, GradApplicant2016 said:

Yes, I just noticed yesterday that none of my recommenders received the email notification from Weill. I'm going to email them today...glad to see I'm not the only one having this issue.

Actually NYU Sackler also didn't send out my recommendation requests even though when I log in there is a date and timestamp from when they were supposedly sent. Anyone else having this issue with Sackler too? 

I've had a problem with NYU, as well. Is your application through the Embark system? If so, it's very unclear in the email that the profs receive that the recommedation is for NYU and it got stuck in the spam folder for one of my professors.

[Earl]

12 hours ago, GradApplicant2016 said:

Yes, I just noticed yesterday that none of my recommenders received the email notification from Weill. I'm going to email them today...glad to see I'm not the only one having this issue.

Actually NYU Sackler also didn't send out my recommendation requests even though when I log in there is a date and timestamp from when they were supposedly sent. Anyone else having this issue with Sackler too? 

Ahh, actually I found out that Weill Cornell will only send the emails to recs AFTER you submit your application.  Strange way to go about it considering that they want everything by December 1st...

[GradApplicant2016]

39 minutes ago, Earl said:

Ahh, actually I found out that Weill Cornell will only send the emails to recs AFTER you submit your application.  Strange way to go about it considering that they want everything by December 1st...

You might want to email them... I did today and they said they will add my name "to the spreadsheet" and that all the emails will go out this week. If they have a spreadsheet, sounds like there may be a technical issue. 

[Gram Neutral]

8 hours ago, StemCellBio said:

It's not great, but I do know someone from last cycle that did the same thing in an SOP and still got an interview and accepted. Both the school that got sent the SOP with the wrong name and the school who's name was left in the SOP are top 10 schools. But I hope they allow you change it anyways!

Well the name I left in there is ranked significantly higher than school the SOP was for. I've called a few people and sent some emails. I keep the run around and transferred to new people. I wish they would just say yes or no. 

[parafilm]

3 hours ago, GradApplicant2016 said:

You might want to email them... I did today and they said they will add my name "to the spreadsheet" and that all the emails will go out this week. If they have a spreadsheet, sounds like there may be a technical issue. 

Grr. I'm also applying to Cornell. Thanks for the heads up! One of my LOR writers mentioned he hadn't gotten the rec email, now I realize why. Guess I'll call tomorrow, since I doubt I'll be submitting the application very far in advance.

Edited November 19, 2015 by parafilm

[adiJ]

On 11/15/2015, 11:40:05, Gram Neutral said:

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. 

This might be too late, but what I did for a couple of them is that if they specifically said "upload official" I requested the school to print out their transcript for free, which is different to the one I can get online (or the unofficial one, I guess). Then I will scan it and upload that. I don't know if you still have access to those services though.

[gyrase]

Hello all - it's SUPER late in the process but I'm finishing things up and would like to hear ANY thoughts. Am I aiming too high? *hyperventilates*

Any opinions much appreciated in this trying time

--

Undergrad Institution: Huge state school... top 80 nationally according to US News 
Major(s): Genomics/Molecular Genetics (BS), Global Public Health (BS)
Minor(s): Bioethics and Japanese (two, separate)
GPA in Major: 3.98/4.0
Overall GPA: 3.99/4.0
Position in Class: top 1%
Type of Student: Domestic / Asian American / female (no points here)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158 (71st ish. not happy about this but no more time to remedy obviously)
V: 166 (94th!)
W: Just took so not sure... but pretty sure >4.5 at least
B: Didn't take (kicking myself for this)

Research Experience: Have been working in the same lab for 4 yrs; started w/ molecular bio work on cell lines but have since transitioned into biostats/large database analysis. Have 1 prominent pub in Scientific Reports (second author, through Nature Communications), and another has been submitted to a lower impact journal. 

Have also done research in global health - through geography dept. - but doubt that this will actually make a big difference in biology grad programs 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Rhodes Finalist, Goldwater Honorable mention, prominent academic merit award for top undergrads studying cancer biology, Deans list for all semesters, microbiology/molecular genetics department award, Student leadership award for extracurricular involvement (1 student/year), 3 research grants for undergrad research from home uni, research awards for poster presentations at undergrad research conferences, full ride academic merit scholarship to university (8 semesters for room and board + tuition), Honors College 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: founder and co-president of a prominent organization organizing conferences on campus (ok... it's the resident TEDx org), interned in international health dept. for ~1 year, eboard member for global brigades org (~2 yrs), secretary for science/engineering outreach org

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: have studied abroad multiple times... not sure if this helps b/c none was specifically tied to research in bio. But for what it's worth: Japan, Mexico (for medical observations), and Honduras (volunteer)

Special Bonus Points: Will have taken 3 grad-level classes by end of undergrad. Also have strong public speaking skills & experience in front of large audiences in multiple settings... 

LORs will be strong (one from dept. head, one from research mentor who is a well known ChemE / somewhat known Cancer Biologist, and one joint-written by Cancer epidemiologists).

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Have done quite a bit of outreach evangelizing science research for the university / cancer bio in general 

Applying to Where:

(these are all PhD programs unless otherwise specified. I'm looking specifically @ places w/ strong cancer bio backgrounds which also have strong faculty bases in cancer prevention work... which is where i'm aiming to focus research)

• Stanford - Cancer Biology (why not)
• Sloan Kettering - Cancer bio/genetics
• WUSTL - Human Genetics
• University of Washington - dual MS in Epidemiology and PhD in MCB
• Cleveland Clinic/CWRU - Molecular Medicine
• UCSF - Tetrad
• UChicago - Cancer Biology
• UPitt - Biological Sciences (sort of a safety)
• UC Irvine - Biological Sciences

Thinking about/solidifying opinions on:

• Vanderbilt - Interdisciplinary Grad program, focus on Human Genetics
• MD Anderson/UT Houston - Human Genetics
• Columbia - Integrated Cell/Molecular Bio
• UCSD 

[Neuro PolarBear]

7 hours ago, gyrase said:

Hello all - it's SUPER late in the process but I'm finishing things up and would like to hear ANY thoughts. Am I aiming too high? *hyperventilates*

Any opinions much appreciated in this trying time

Thinking about/solidifying opinions on:

• Vanderbilt - Interdisciplinary Grad program, focus on Human Genetics
• MD Anderson/UT Houston - Human Genetics
• Columbia - Integrated Cell/Molecular Bio
• UCSD 

No, you're not aiming too high at all. You look like a strong applicant to all the programs you're applying to. Even if your GRE quant score is a little low, the rest of your application more than makes up for it. As for Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt and MD Anderson are certainly quite strong. That Columbia program is more of an umbrella program, but they definitely have some strong faculty, especially in Systems Biology, as well.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Micecroscopy
typo

[Gram Neutral]

11 hours ago, adiJ said:

This might be too late, but what I did for a couple of them is that if they specifically said "upload official" I requested the school to print out their transcript for free, which is different to the one I can get online (or the unofficial one, I guess). Then I will scan it and upload that. I don't know if you still have access to those services though.

Thanks! I asked and they both said it was fine. One said upload unofficial on the app but official in the FAQs so it was misleading.