2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[KitKatie]

Hi everyone! 

Hopped on the bandwagon a little too late, but I wanted some fresh opinions on my profile and the schools I'm aiming for... I'm thinking I'm aiming a little too high but I guess only time will tell.

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, Division I research
Major(s): Biochemistry/ Molecular & Cellular Biology (Double)
Minor(s): Psychology
GPA in Major: 3.54 (not sure if calculated right)
Overall GPA: 3.68
Position in Class: Probably average in my major
Type of Student: Domestic, female, white

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:157 (68%)
V:159 (81%)
W:4.5 (80%)
B:Didn't take


Research Experience: 1.5 years of research experience in a pharmacology lab with a rather well-known PI in her field. Two poster conferences (first place award in one of those), one national conference. Just started in a new research lab because my previous PI is transferring schools, been in this one only for 2 months but will write my senior thesis on this project (will be in this lab for a year total once I graduate). Part of a rather selective undergraduate research program that facilitated me working over the summers. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental poster conference first place award, multiple dean's list, honors college awards, Experimental Biology travel grant.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor/Preceptor for intro bio class for 2 years for same professor. Vice president of biochem club that does a lot of outreach and has a student-run poster conference on campus.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nope

Special Bonus Points: One of my recommenders is the departmental head for pharmacology at my school, while another recommender is quite famous in pharmacology and has just moved to a dean position. Don't know if this is worth anything though.

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

Applying to Where:

All pharmacology/toxicology PhD

University of Washington

University of California San Francisco

University of California San Diego

Notre Dame

University of California at Irvine

University of Arizona

Universtity of Colorado Denver

University of California Davis

Cornell University

University of Southern California

University of Utah   Comments? Suggestions? Halp me

[gyrase]

On 11/23/2015, 11:25:19, Micecroscopy said:

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.

Thanks so much for the input @Micecroscopy! It's really encouraging. I'm leaning toward Columbia b/c of location and might take Yale out of the picture. Probably not the best time to make huge decisions like these but... Hey! Carpe diem!

[Bioenchilada]

37 minutes ago, mwgskol said:

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, Ranked top 10 in Biology
Major(s): Biochemistry 
Minor(s): Computer Science
GPA in Major: 4.0/ 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.94 / 4.0

Type of Student: International

GRE Scores:
Q: 170(98%)
V: 154(63%...... This is horrible, I know lol)
W: 4.0 (56%)

Research Experience: 
2 years in one lab, worked on a few projects, did some conference presentations about the projects

one summer in another lab, got lucky and a second author publication

1.5 years in the lab, finishing my honor thesis

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
Nothing special at all. Just a bunch of academic honors

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
TA, school science journal writer 

Applying to Where:
Cornell University (Plant Bio)
Stanford University (Bioscience: Biology)
U Wisconsin (CMB)
U Michigan (CMB)
U Penn (BMS)
UIUC (Biophysics)
Boston U (Bioinformatics)

The 3 recommendations are going to be from the 3 PI of the lab I mentioned above. 2 of them are really big in their field, and I'm sure the letter is great. The last one... not so sure!

I also ran my SOP through a couple lab members who are in the admission committee, and they said if I was applying to my undergrad institution they would give me an interview. (IMO my SOP is extremely boring... If anyone is interested in reading it feel free to PM me!)

Now that I'm almost done with my application, I'm panicking that I won't even get an interview (...especially when I read the stats in this thread. you guys are awesome!) Anyone can give me some insight on where do I stand in the pool of applicant? I'd really appreciate it D:

I just PM'ed you :) 

[Gram Positive]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late post. I'm starting to get more and more excited (and tense, hehe) as it gets closer to December 1st. Good luck to everyone!

Undergrad Institution: Medium-size (20,000) state school, Carnegie-level research
Major(s): Microbiology and Chemistry (two majors); Cell, Molecular, and Structural Biology (CMSB) combined BS/MS (5 year program)
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 4.00
Position in Class: Probably top
Type of Student: Domestic, male, white

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 170 (98%)
V: 168 (98%)
W: 4.5 (80%)
B: Didn't take

Research Experience: 5 years of biochemistry/enzymology research in antibiotic resistance with two middle author publications and one second author publication. Undergraduate and masters research in bioinformatics and microbial ecology (metagenomics) for about 2 years; I switched from one lab to another for my combined BS/MS program to get more comp bio/bioinformatics experience. Two poster presentations in regional bioinformatics conferences and one poster in an international microbiome conference. Currently writing masters thesis for combined BS/MS program and plan to submit two publications based on this research in the coming spring/summer.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater Scholarship, state-level bioinformatics scholarship, departmental biochemistry and microbiology scholarships, university-level scholarships, president's list, TerraGenome conference travel grant  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Supplemental instructor for organic chemistry lab (I make IR and NMR fun, hehe) for two semesters (and next semester) for same professors. President of Microbiology Club on campus (organize social/outreach/guest speaker/career events).

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nope

Special Bonus Points: Combined BS/MS? (Maybe?) My biochemistry PI and another PI at my school collaborate with a micro PI of interest at one of my top choices? 

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

Applying to Where:

All microbiology PhD programs (some umbrella programs)

Emory University (MMG)

University of Michigan (PIBS)

Harvard University (BBS)

Rockefeller University (David Rockefeller Graduate Program)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MCB)

Case Western Reserve University (BSTP)

NIH OxCam Graduate Partnership Program (GPP)

University of Pittsburgh (MVM/IBGP)

Vanderbilt University (GPMI/IGP)

University of Rochester (IMV)

University of Wisconsin (MDTP)

Any comments or suggestions? Any recommendations? Any micro posters out there?  

[sheila87]

Undergrad Institution: Good Mid-Tier UK School
Major(s): Human Biology
Minor(s): Biochemistry
GPA in Undergrad: 3.6
 

Masters Institution: LSHTM

Masters: Immunology of Infectious Diseases

GPA:TBA but looks like 3.4

Type of Student: Female International

GRE Scores:
Q: TBA
V: TBA
W: TBA

Research Experience: 
Internship at CDC labs performing flu surveillance and hemorrhagic fever elisa. Community surveillance of communicable diseases eg Cholera, Typhoid etc.

Masters project on Malaria genetics and resistance. Data presented at ASTMH,. Paper to be published.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
None unfortunately

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
Pharmacy assistant

Applying to Where:
All my choices are the immunology/microbiology grad programs

Stanford University (Bioscience: Biology)
UC Davis

UCSF

UC Berkeley

UC Irvine

Scripps Research Institute

University of Washington

Baylor

 

Currently writing my statement of purpose and really struggling. Not very good at selling myself on paper. Any tips would be greatly appreciated-doing my application blind as i am out of school. Also feel free to PM me if anyone wants someone to whinge to during the waiting process. 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by sheila87

[pali123]

Everyone please be super honest with me. Do you guys think I should even apply to these schools? I took the GRE yesterday and I did TERRIBLY. A lot worse than I expected, so now I feel like I need to reconsider my options. What do you guys think? Is there any hope? :( 

Major(s):  Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s):None
GPA in Major: 3.80
Overall GPA: 3.84
Position in Class: Top 30%
Type of Student: Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised
Q: 162
V: 152
W: NA


Research Experience: 

2 years at Laboratory in Chemical Engineering - Learned things like: PCR, molecular cloning, competent cell prep, protein purification, primer design, protein structure analysis, PyMOL ,Geneious software, DNA sequencing, ELISA prep, Gibson Cloning, miniprepping, genomic library constructions, protein-ligand docking. Working on engineering enzymes for cancer therapy. I had many side projects as well, spent about 25-40 hours a week in lab (freaked out like a grad student). I worked and was actually paid as well due to my large contributions. Had 3 projects total in this lab. No publicans yet, all in preparation. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Biomedical Engineering Honor Society,  Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 3 scholarships, Dean's Honor List. Engineering Scholar

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Chemistry Tutor for a professor intro class, Mathnasium Tutoring Center, Myriad RBM testing and receiving serum and blood samples

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Attended and presented at 4 undergraduate research symposiums at institution of study, presented at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium 

Special Bonus Points: Excellent LORs from widely known professors (one is my PI, one is a research scientist in our lab, 2 are other BME professors that I did well in their classes for), Applying to NSF fellowship as well 

Applying to Where:

-       Rice University  - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program

-       University of Washington – Bioengineering Program

-       University of California at San Diego -Bioengineering 

-       Stanford University – Bioengineering

-       MIT - Bioengineering 

-       University of Texas at Austin – Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering

-       Georgia Tech – Bioengineering  

-       University of Chicago – Bioengineering

 

-       Northwestern University 

 

 

 

Can someone tell me what my chances are in getting into these schools? I feel like my GPA is quite low and may not be as competitive.  

 

Thanks.

[Gram Neutral]

2 hours ago, Gram Positive said:

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late post. I'm starting to get more and more excited (and tense, hehe) as it gets closer to December 1st. Good luck to everyone!

Undergrad Institution: Medium-size (20,000) state school, Carnegie-level research
Major(s): Microbiology and Chemistry (two majors); Cell, Molecular, and Structural Biology (CMSB) combined BS/MS (5 year program)
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 4.00
Position in Class: Probably top
Type of Student: Domestic, male, white

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 170 (98%)
V: 168 (98%)
W: 4.5 (80%)
B: Didn't take

Research Experience: 5 years of biochemistry/enzymology research in antibiotic resistance with two middle author publications and one second author publication. Undergraduate and masters research in bioinformatics and microbial ecology (metagenomics) for about 2 years; I switched from one lab to another for my combined BS/MS program to get more comp bio/bioinformatics experience. Two poster presentations in regional bioinformatics conferences and one poster in an international microbiome conference. Currently writing masters thesis for combined BS/MS program and plan to submit two publications based on this research in the coming spring/summer.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Goldwater Scholarship, state-level bioinformatics scholarship, departmental biochemistry and microbiology scholarships, university-level scholarships, president's list, TerraGenome conference travel grant  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Supplemental instructor for organic chemistry lab (I make IR and NMR fun, hehe) for two semesters (and next semester) for same professors. President of Microbiology Club on campus (organize social/outreach/guest speaker/career events).

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nope

Special Bonus Points: Combined BS/MS? (Maybe?) My biochemistry PI and another PI at my school collaborate with a micro PI of interest at one of my top choices? 

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

Applying to Where:

All microbiology PhD programs (some umbrella programs)

Emory University (MMG)

University of Michigan (PIBS)

Harvard University (BBS)

Rockefeller University (David Rockefeller Graduate Program)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MCB)

Case Western Reserve University (BSTP)

NIH OxCam Graduate Partnership Program (GPP)

University of Pittsburgh (MVM/IBGP)

Vanderbilt University (GPMI/IGP)

University of Rochester (IMV)

University of Wisconsin (MDTP)

Any comments or suggestions? Any recommendations? Any micro posters out there?  

Well I'm micro and applying to some of the schools you are applying to(UIUC, Vanderbilt), although you have like 10x better stats than me. My username is also a joke off of your username(although gram neutral bacteria do exist). So look at that. I find it hard to imagine you would not get an interview to almost every school you applied to. 

[Neuro PolarBear]

19 hours ago, pali123 said:

Everyone please be super honest with me. Do you guys think I should even apply to these schools? I took the GRE yesterday and I did TERRIBLY. A lot worse than I expected, so now I feel like I need to reconsider my options. What do you guys think? Is there any hope?

Major(s):  Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s):None
GPA in Major: 3.80
Overall GPA: 3.84
Position in Class: Top 30%
Type of Student: Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised
Q: 162
V: 152
W: NA

Special Bonus Points: Excellent LORs from widely known professors (one is my PI, one is a research scientist in our lab, 2 are other BME professors that I did well in their classes for), Applying to NSF fellowship as well

Can someone tell me what my chances are in getting into these schools? I feel like my GPA is quite low and may not be as competitive.  

 

Thanks.

Hi Pali,

I think your still have a decent chance at some of the schools you're applying to! Your GPA is definitely not low at all, especially for an engineering program. Additionally, GRE scores are only one part of the application. I would, however, focus more on your SoP and LoR. Is there a reason you're getting letters from both the PI and a research scientist from the same lab? Normally the PI should be sufficient and a recommendation from a research scientist doesn't hold as much weight. Then, again, DWIC letters may not be as ideal. Also, I don't know how much your past research experience matches with the programs you're applying to. If you primarily did research in chemical engineering but you're applying to BME programs make sure your SoP helps clarify why you're choosing the programs that you are, your career goals, etc.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Micecroscopy
typo

[Bioenchilada]

16 minutes ago, Micecroscopy said:

Hi Pali,

I think your still have a decent chance at some of the schools you're applying to! Your GPA is definitely not low at all, especially for an engineering program. Additionally, GRE scores are only one part of the application. I would, however, focus more on your SoP and LoR. Is there a reason you're getting letters from both the PI and a research scientist from the same lab? Normally the PI should be sufficient and a recommendation from a research scientist doesn't hold as much weight. Then, again, DWIC letters may not be as ideal. Also, I don't know how much your past research experience matches with the programs you're applying to. If you primarily did research in chemical engineering but you're applying to BME programs make sure your SoP helps clarify why you're choosing the programs that you are, your career goals, etc.

Definitely agree with the rec letter redundancy. Also, is there a reason why you're sending 4 letters? Typically, a 4th one should only be added if it's going to be very strong.

[nu1116]

Undergrad Institution: Small public college
Major(s): Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.81
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic, Asian, immigrant

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 161 (too low for a math minor...)
V: 160
W: 3.5 (bad...)
B: Didn't take

Research Experience: 2 years undergrad research, doing research now at a renown hospital/med school in NYC for ~2 years. Two co-first author publications. One published in a pretty prestigious journal, one in a small journal but as first co-first author...

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Many awards from my undergrad department

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research tech for almost 2 years

Applying to Where:
Harvard - BBS

UC Berkeley

Cornell

Columbia

UVa

SUNY Stony Brook

 

I don't think I am good enough for Harvard, but my boss said I have a shot, so just to try it out...

Submitted a few days ago, still waiting for my last recommendation.

I will change career path if I don't get accepted this year...

Edited November 27, 2015 by nu1116

[adiJ]

5 hours ago, nu1116 said:

Undergrad Institution: Small public college
Major(s): Biomedical Engineering
Minor(s): Math
GPA in Major: 4.00
Overall GPA: 3.81
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic, Asian, immigrant

GRE Scores : Revised
Q: 161 (too low for a math minor...)
V: 160
W: 3.5 (bad...)
B: Didn't take

Research Experience: 2 years undergrad research, doing research now at a renown hospital/med school in NYC for ~2 years. Two co-first author publications. One published in a pretty prestigious journal, one in a small journal but as first co-first author...

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Many awards from my undergrad department

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research tech for almost 2 years

Applying to Where:
Harvard - BBS

UC Berkeley

Cornell

Columbia

UVa

SUNY Stony Brook

 

I don't think I am good enough for Harvard, but my boss said I have a shot, so just to try it out...

Submitted a few days ago, still waiting for my last recommendation.

I will change career path if I don't get accepted this year...

Are you set with that school selection? With a 4.0 and, at least judging from what you posted, decent research, you should get some interviews, but if you're thinking about changing career paths, are you sure you don't want more backups?

[nu1116]

8 hours ago, adiJ said:

Are you set with that school selection? With a 4.0 and, at least judging from what you posted, decent research, you should get some interviews, but if you're thinking about changing career paths, are you sure you don't want more backups?

Yeah, I am set. I felt exhausted already applying to those 6 schools. Hopefully I will get some interviews. I don't want to apply again next year that's why I am thinking changing career. lol

[Nero_Mustbethefeeling]

Wow I see some really qualified people here. I would like to know where I stand and if I have any chances at the schools/programs I am applying to. Thanks in advance!

Undergrad Institution: Low tier Cal State (This might hurt me coming from a not so good state college)
Major(s): Cell and Molecular Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.89
Overall GPA: 3.92
Position in Class: I dont know, I graduated Summa Cum Laude
Type of Student: Hispanic Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156 (64%)
V: 159 (81%)
W: 5.0 (94%)
B: N/A


Research Experience: 3 years experience at my undergrad's core facility (focus on sequencing technology) Most of the work was learning wet lab techniques and troubleshooting involving next gen sequencing, but I did conduct two projects through this lab, one involving sequencing clinical samples for identification of polymorphisms in hemoglobin, and another project I presented as a poster at the Bay Area Science fair that involved identifying microbes in public areas through sequencing. I also helped lead new students in teaching them wet lab techniques as well as teaching a biochem professor wet lab techniques for sequencing.

I did a Summer Internship at UCSF in a viral diagnostics lab with a focus on next gen sequencing and bioinformatic pipelines. I presented my summer project to the UCSF community during a poster session and a talk.

Doing a 2 year NIH PostBac IRTA in two collaborating labs in the fields of retroviral gene therapy and neuropharmacology. I have presented 3 posters through these labs and have one publication on the way.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Summa Cum Laude, Golden Key International Honors Society, Deans list.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I tutored students 8th through 12th for 3 years in Biology, Physics, Calculus, Algebra, History, English, Zoology, and Chemistry.

I also T.A'd for a year a general studies cluster made up of Pre-Nursing, Pre-Med, and Biology students, where I devised and presented lesson plans for careers in medicine and science with the focus on increasing college retention for disadvantaged students. I also met with these students one on one for academic advising, counseling, and tutoring. This was through my leadership and development program where I learned all the necessary skills to do this. I Also helped train the next generation of Leadership students and as a result was selected to help implement this program in our sister Tech College in Japan during a two week cultural exchange program.

Special Bonus Points: My P.I. for my UCSF internship is on the board of admissions for UCSF. He offered me a job on the spot at his lab but I chose to go out to the east coast and work at NIH for two years instead (I hope this didn't hurt my chances). Receiving one letter from my undergrad P.I. and Professor, and two from NIH P.I.'s, although they are not exactly in the field of studies I am applying to, but I am applying to interdisciplinary programs so I wanted to show that I am capable of interdisciplinary studies as evident from my work in different fields.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Interested in interdisciplinary work, primarily in genomics, systems bio, and computational bio, although I lack a computational biology/bioinformatics background other than taking one bioinformatics class and my summer internship which was mostly focused on the wet lab side of things.

Applying to Where:

Weill Cornell- Tri institutional Program in Comp Bio and Medicine
UCSF-Tetrad
Rockefeller

Scripps

University of Irvine- Mathematical, Computational, and Systems Bio

NYU- Genomic and Systems Bio

University of Washington Seattle- Genome Sciences

Columbia- Computational and Systems Bio

I would greatly appreciate any input.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Nero_Mustbethefeeling

[Gram Positive]

13 hours ago, Nero_Mustbethefeeling said:

Wow I see some really qualified people here. I would like to know where I stand and if I have any chances at the schools/programs I am applying to. Thanks in advance!

Undergrad Institution: Low tier Cal State (This might hurt me coming from a not so good state college)
Major(s): Cell and Molecular Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.89
Overall GPA: 3.92
Position in Class: I dont know, I graduated Summa Cum Laude
Type of Student: Hispanic Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156 (64%)
V: 159 (81%)
W: 5.0 (94%)
B: N/A


Research Experience: 3 years experience at my undergrad's core facility (focus on sequencing technology) Most of the work was learning wet lab techniques and troubleshooting involving next gen sequencing, but I did conduct two projects through this lab, one involving sequencing clinical samples for identification of polymorphisms in hemoglobin, and another project I presented as a poster at the Bay Area Science fair that involved identifying microbes in public areas through sequencing. I also helped lead new students in teaching them wet lab techniques as well as teaching a biochem professor wet lab techniques for sequencing.

I did a Summer Internship at UCSF in a viral diagnostics lab with a focus on next gen sequencing and bioinformatic pipelines. I presented my summer project to the UCSF community during a poster session and a talk.

Doing a 2 year NIH PostBac IRTA in two collaborating labs in the fields of retroviral gene therapy and neuropharmacology. I have presented 3 posters through these labs and have one publication on the way.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Summa Cum Laude, Golden Key International Honors Society, Deans list.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I tutored students 8th through 12th for 3 years in Biology, Physics, Calculus, Algebra, History, English, Zoology, and Chemistry.

I also T.A'd for a year a general studies cluster made up of Pre-Nursing, Pre-Med, and Biology students, where I devised and presented lesson plans for careers in medicine and science with the focus on increasing college retention for disadvantaged students. I also met with these students one on one for academic advising, counseling, and tutoring. This was through my leadership and development program where I learned all the necessary skills to do this. I Also helped train the next generation of Leadership students and as a result was selected to help implement this program in our sister Tech College in Japan during a two week cultural exchange program.

Special Bonus Points: My P.I. for my UCSF internship is on the board of admissions for UCSF. He offered me a job on the spot at his lab but I chose to go out to the east coast and work at NIH for two years instead (I hope this didn't hurt my chances). Receiving one letter from my undergrad P.I. and Professor, and two from NIH P.I.'s, although they are not exactly in the field of studies I am applying to, but I am applying to interdisciplinary programs so I wanted to show that I am capable of interdisciplinary studies as evident from my work in different fields.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Interested in interdisciplinary work, primarily in genomics, systems bio, and computational bio, although I lack a computational biology/bioinformatics background other than taking one bioinformatics class and my summer internship which was mostly focused on the wet lab side of things.

Applying to Where:

Weill Cornell- Tri institutional Program in Comp Bio and Medicine
UCSF-Tetrad
Rockefeller

Scripps

University of Irvine- Mathematical, Computational, and Systems Bio

NYU- Genomic and Systems Bio

University of Washington Seattle- Genome Sciences

Columbia- Computational and Systems Bio

I would greatly appreciate any input.

Looks good to me! Congrats on the IRTA. Have you considered the Pitt-Carnegie Mellon joint PhD program in computational biology (I realize it is late)? CMU is definitely very strong in computer science (fastest internet connections in the world according to a friend of mine who went there, lol). Pitt is also really strong in virology and cancer research. 

All these places look like great fits, although I think Rockefeller seems to have surprisingly little computational bio as I recall. Weill Cornell seems to have a lot more going on in comp bio/sys bio/bioinformatics.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Gram Positive

[gyrase]

@Nero_Mustbethefeeling - I am also applying so take it w/ a grain of salt, but your profile looks really impressive - the IRTA especially! I'm interested in computational bio also so it'd be cool to talk about the process, I think. This might be too late but Yale and Stanford (where I'm applying) have some killer interdisciplinary programs also. Good luck!! 

[4eyes]

If your GRE scores have already been sent by ETS but will not yet be received by Dec 1, can they throw away your application? Thanks :'(

[Gram Positive]

25 minutes ago, 4eyes said:

If your GRE scores have already been sent by ETS but will not yet be received by Dec 1, can they throw away your application? Thanks :'(

See my reply in the GRE forum. Hope it helps! Best of luck!

[jdkent6]

This is a little late but I'll throw it out there

Undergrad Institution: Mid level state school, not well known.
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s): Psychology
GPA in Major: 3.33
Overall GPA: 3.32
Position in Class: Probably around average

Master's Institution: Same school
Major(s): Biology
GPA: 3.95
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Domestic, male, white

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164 (88%)
V: 160 (85%)
W: 4.0 (56%)
B: 770 (77%): C&M- 96%, O- 69%, E&E- 42%

Research Experience: 2+ years undergraduate microbiology research. Poster presentation. Not all that significant other than experience in lab.

Currently finishing thesis research: molecular, genetic engineering stuff.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab Instructor for undergraduate microbiology courses. Few lab tech/ta positions as undergraduate.

Special Bonus Points: Master's degree? 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Decent letters of rec, not much else worth mentioning.

Applying to Where: All are Cell&Molecular/ Molecular Microbiology programs, whatever has faculty doing virology research. 

U Penn
Emory
WashU
Duke

UNC

U Mass

U Nebraska

Baylor

OHSU

I just submitted all my applications, but don't really know how I stack up against the competition. Good luck guys!

[parafilm]

I'll throw in a repost since I was still deciding where to apply earlier (full post page 8). I'm a non-trad.

 

Undergrad Institution: Mid-rank private
Major(s): Neuroscience
GPA in Major: 3.1
Overall GPA: 3.0
Grad GPA: 3.7
Type of Student: Female, domestic.

GRE Scores (revised Version):
Q: 159 (71%, womp)
V: 165 (95%)
W: Waiting for score
B: ain't nobody got time for that 

3ish years during undergrad in 3 different labs. Master's degree, followed by 2 years as a scientist in industry. One 2nd author pub, a poster, and an undergrad research award. My focus is mainly on cancer biology and stress & metabolic signaling. LORs will be very good but not from any big-names.

Albert Einstein 
Cornell - BCMB
Scripps - Cell Biology
University of Colorado Denver - Cancer Biology
UPenn - CAMB
Columbia - Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine

I had hoped to add another school or two but just could convince myself to do it. Hopefully I get some bites-- I'd love to go to any of the schools on my list. I've submitted my 3 that are due on the 1st and hope to submit the other 3 tomorrow or tuesday.

As an aside-- Any Cornell people still having trouble getting recommendation links sent to their recommenders? I had to call last wednesday because no one had gotten them, even though I had submitted the application. Hopefully they have them by now or tomorrow at the latest, it's stressing me out leaving my recommenders hanging.

Having been through this process once before, I am NOT looking forward to the waiting period. It's nice to have my apps (almost) done, but the waiting sucks! 

 

[pot8o]

Finally just submitted my last of my apps. Good luck to everyone applying this season! 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by pot8o

[adiJ]

44 minutes ago, pot8o said:

Finally just submitted my last of my apps. Good luck to everyone applying this season! 

 

 

Need it  WUSTL's second essay about leadership is a pain in the butt. This wait is going to be terrible I bet after I submit all of them

[Neuro PolarBear]

Still finishing up my last few applications but I'm getting bored of tailoring my statement of purpose so:

Undergrad Institution: Ivy
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: Not sure? 3.89-3.91, depending on how you calculate it
Overall GPA: 3.944  (but on 4.33 scale, and I'm not sure if I should recalculate it)
Position in Class: Top 15%, magna cum laude
Type of Student: Male, domestic.

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 170 (98%)
V: 163 (92%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
Biochemistry: 81%, but not submitting it since I got a low score in cell bio

Research Experience: 2 years in neuroscience lab at undergrad institute, summer SURF program in developmental neurobiology at another institute, Fall of senior year–Present (graduated this May and stayed on as a technician in the lab) switched to another neuroscience lab at undergrad institute. Current PI is ex-HHMI, chair of dept. Potential concerns: No major presentations or publications, but these labs don't publish as frequently and I think my letters (from each of these three PIs) should still be strong. One postdoc I worked with is currently preparing a manuscript, but I haven't mentioned this since we haven't submitted it yet and it's not my main project in the lab.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, Dean's list, Amgen Scholar (2013).
Other info: Did well in some graduate-level neuroscience courses with prominent faculty (but don't have a LoR from the prof) as an undergrad, was a TA, but I don't know how much weight this will hold. Got a few promising replies from potential faculty I've reached out to, but they might just courtesy replies.

Applying / Applied to neuroscience PhD programs at:

UC Berkeley
UCSF
Columbia
Harvard
JHU / Janelia Joint Program
WashU
MIT BCS
NYU
Princeton
Stanford

I hope to see you all at interviews! I'll be anxiously waiting starting on Tuesday.

[laxgoal100]

Finally done with all 10 apps. Now to eagerly wait while my last LOR gives me a heart attack from being a last minute-er.

[Focus]

1 hour ago, laxgoal100 said:

Finally done with all 10 apps. Now to eagerly wait while my last LOR gives me a heart attack from being a last minute-er.

It's the best feeling in the entire world! Congratulations!

[biochemgirl67]

All my applications are in and while I'm relieved, I'm... anxious.  I'm having big time regret for applying to the caliber of schools I did and a serious freak out about my lack of back up plan.  What if I get in nowhere?  What if my experience last summer spoiled everything and all I want is Harvard and I can't get in?  Ugh.  Please tell me I'm not alone in feeling a bit like I'm in limbo.

And does anyone know when we can realistically hope to hear back from the admissions committees?  One of mine says late December!  (University of Washington)