2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[bicsy]

28 minutes ago, Microburritology said:

@bicsy Finally someone else for WUSTL DBBS!! What was your program choice? What dates? I'll see you there if yours is also on the weekend of January 14th!

Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology. And wow, your interview is so early! I'll be there Feb. 25-27

[majorlurker]

Been lurking a while and figured I'd post this to see if people have any insight on my application. 

Undergrad Institution: UC with good bio research
Major(s): Biology 
GPA in Major: 3.8ish
Overall GPA: 3.85
Position in Class: Near top?

Master's Institution: same UC
Major(s): MS Biology
Overall GPA: 4.0

Type of Student: male, domestic

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 163 (86)
V: 160 (85)
W: 4.5 (80)

Research Experience: ~4 years in a lab at my university, starting as an undergraduate, continuing for my MS degree, and then hired as a technician in the lab. the work from this project has gone through a few rounds of reviews with top journal (IF>30) and I share first authorship. this will hopefully be published early 2016. also a first author on a book chapter that is in press with a springer publishing. have since started a completely new project in the same lab, which I will be leading and have already received funding for. i will be working on this project  until i start a phd program, and then I will hand this project off to another person in the lab.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: small-ish research based scholarship for my work during ugrad and master's

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have TAed for for 12+ upper level physiology-related biology courses

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: have been very involved for the past 3 years in a volunteer organization to address issues of mental health/disabilities in the local community and around specific communities in US-- have been recognized for with a university-wide award for work with this org. a lot of interaction with individuals affected by disorders that my lab is researching and seeing this other side (not the science side) of what I am working on is super motivating

Special Bonus Points: not sure if this belongs here but i am pretty experienced with some pretty hot/exciting/somewhat difficult techniques? with my current lab i have had extensive experience with cellular reprogramming, ipsc culture, neural differentiation, crispr/cas9 in pluripotent stem cells. use these on a daily basis and am very comfortable with them

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Two really strong LORs, one of them which is very well respected in our field and the other from a prof who knows me pretty well (as a student, TA, and on my MS committee); last LOR is probably good but not 100% sure. from feedback from some graduate students in my building I think it is strong? the only point that they brought up (which I can't do anything about at this point in time) is that the breadth of research is a little more narrow than I would like. I'm not sure how ADCOMs will view that I have gotten suuuuper involved in this one lab and don't have multiple different lab experiences. i think i have gotten a tremendous amount of experience from this single lab but I can see how having experienced a few settings is benefical. in my SOP i think I do a good job of showing the depth of the experience I have had so far, so hopefully this isn't a weak point.

Applying to Where:

Stanford- Neuroscience
Harvard- BBS
UCSD- Neuroscience
UCSD- BMS
UCSD- Biology
JHU- CMM
JHU- Neuroscience
NIH-OxCam GPP
UCLA- Neuroscience
UCSF- BMS
Yale- BBS

not really sure how to feel about the programs I am applying for but I can't help be feel super anxious for the next two weeks. any feedback would be greatly appreciated! 

Edited December 10, 2015 by majorlurker
forgot

[adiJ]

8 minutes ago, majorlurker said:

Been lurking a while and figured I'd post this to see if people have any insight on my application. 

Undergrad Institution: UC with good bio research
Major(s): Biology 
GPA in Major: 3.8ish
Overall GPA: 3.85
Position in Class: Near top?

Master's Institution: same UC
Major(s): MS Biology
Overall GPA: 4.0

Type of Student: male, domestic

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 163 (86)
V: 160 (85)
W: 4.5 (80)

Research Experience: ~4 years in a lab at my university, starting as an undergraduate, continuing for my MS degree, and then hired as a technician in the lab. the work from this project has gone through a few rounds of reviews with top journal (IF>30) and I share first authorship. this will hopefully be published early 2016. also a first author on a book chapter that is in press with a springer publishing. have since started a completely new project in the same lab, which I will be leading and have already received funding for. i will be working on this project  until i start a phd program, and then I will hand this project off to another person in the lab.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: small-ish research based scholarship for my work during ugrad and master's

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have TAed for for 12+ upper level physiology-related biology courses

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: have been very involved for the past 3 years in a volunteer organization to address issues of mental health/disabilities in the local community and around specific communities in US-- have been recognized for with a university-wide award for work with this org. a lot of interaction with individuals affected by disorders that my lab is researching and seeing this other side (not the science side) of what I am working on is super motivating

Special Bonus Points: not sure if this belongs here but i am pretty experienced with some pretty hot/exciting/somewhat difficult techniques? with my current lab i have had extensive experience with cellular reprogramming, ipsc culture, neural differentiation, crispr/cas9 in pluripotent stem cells. use these on a daily basis and am very comfortable with them

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

Applying to Where:

Stanford- Neuroscience
Harvard- BBS
UCSD- Neuroscience
UCSD- BMS
UCSD- Biology
JHU- CMM
JHU- Neuroscience
NIH-OxCam GPP
UCLA- Neuroscience
UCSF- BMS
Yale- BBS

 

 

any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

You have a fantastic overall application unless if you really messed up your LOR or SOPs. There's honestly nothing lacking in your application at all but the caliber of your schools are very good. As another student from a UC I'm quite jealous haha, but yeah you should be able to get some interviews definitely.

[majorlurker]

8 minutes ago, adiJ said:

You have a fantastic overall application unless if you really messed up your LOR or SOPs. There's honestly nothing lacking in your application at all but the caliber of your schools are very good. As another student from a UC I'm quite jealous haha, but yeah you should be able to get some interviews definitely.

Thank you! I added some stuff because I completely forgot to mention about LORs and SOP. aaaaah so anxious

[Microburritology]

Oh nice. And haha, yeah it is early right? But I guess thats when my group is meeting, Plant and Microbial Biology.

8 hours ago, bicsy said:

Developmental, Regenerative, and Stem Cell Biology. And wow, your interview is so early! I'll be there Feb. 25-27

[AstronautSteve]

11 hours ago, bicsy said:

Earlier in this application season, I had an excel sheet with all the requirements, deadlines, etc for my programs. Now that interviews are coming out, I added a column with all the interview dates that I know of. Most are posted on their websites. For those that aren't posted online, I used the dates given by some people on here (which may or may not be the same date I receive). For the rest, there's not much I can do but wait for more information. 

Having at least a few dates written down will help a lot when it comes to choosing between 2 dates for some programs (provided I get interviews at those).

I did this exact same thing. So helpful. Many programs will also state when their interview weekends are, or you can piece together clues from last year's results. Then pencil them in on your google or outlook calendar...

[123hardasABC]

10 hours ago, Microburritology said:

@123hardasABC I wish I was half as good at writing. It took me 3 straight hours for the perseverance essay. I almost was about to give up the application solely for the essay as it was 11 pm at night and the essay was the only thing remaining.

Was your perseverance essay about how you persevered to write a last minute essay? 

[Microburritology]

LOLOL honestly though writing the essay took more perseverance than the example I stated in the perseverance essay . It was about my experience as a D1 athlete, but still nothing compared to writing an essay with shivering hands and a racing heart at 11 pm, when the deadline is an hour away. 

[TheKinaser]

Looks like Yale BBS-Immunology is going out (according to the survey).

[environsoil]

Hello,

My school requires all international academic credentials be reviewed for authenticity. What does this mean? Will it delay my application status? I sent them the official ones but they still say my transcripts and diplomas needs to be reviewed?

Thanks

[Gvh]

6 minutes ago, environsoil said:

Hello,

My school requires all international academic credentials be reviewed for authenticity. What does this mean? Will it delay my application status? I sent them the official ones but they still say my transcripts and diplomas needs to be reviewed?

Thanks

It means you need to have them "translated" by an outside agency like WES (World Education Services): https://www.wes.org/

[environsoil]

Thank you. Wow, that will be a big hassle. The ones I sent are English version already... Does anyone need to do this or do you have any experiences with this?

 

[Gvh]

5 minutes ago, environsoil said:

Thank you. Wow, that will be a big hassle. The ones I sent are English version already... Does anyone need to do this or do you have any experiences with this?

 

I had to use WES for my Masters' applications a few years ago (I did my undergrad in the UK), though it seems most schools no longer require this service as they  often have in-house assistance. It is definitely a hassle, and expensive! I would contact your schools and ask them if something like WES processing is what they require.

[environsoil]

3 minutes ago, Gvh said:

I had to use WES for my Masters' applications a few years ago (I did my undergrad in the UK), though it seems most schools no longer require this service as they  often have in-house assistance. It is definitely a hassle, and expensive! I would contact your schools and ask them if something like WES processing is what they require.

Thank you Gvh. I'll ask them again to make sure

[Microburritology]

What wait WHAT? WHEN HOW WHERE 

55 minutes ago, TheKinaser said:

Looks like Yale BBS-Immunology is going out (according to the survey).

Now i'll be spending the rest of the day refreshing my email. 

[Bioenchilada]

That moment when you check the interview dates for your schools and realize there will be conflict if you're invited.

[Infinito]

20 minutes ago, Bioenchilada said:

That moment when you check the interview dates for your schools and realize there will be conflict if you're invited.

I planned mine ahead of time for that reason and looked for conflicts. Either way, it's not important until you're invited, because those conflicts might disappear. 
If it came to it, I might just weed out some schools that conflicted, or ask for later Skype interviews with faculty. 

[bdnf_13.1]

3 minutes ago, Infinito said:

I planned mine ahead of time for that reason and looked for conflicts. Either way, it's not important until you're invited, because those conflicts might disappear. 
If it came to it, I might just weed out some schools that conflicted, or ask for later Skype interviews with faculty. 

Some schools have alternate dates (like a one day visit) or will skype you, or otherwise let you switch your date. Don't worry...this is a good problem to have and if they don't want to accommodate you they don't want you enough! That said prioritize and be prepared.

[Microburritology]

Yup, they do let you choose an alternative date outside of their interview dates if you have a clash.

3 minutes ago, bdnf_13.1 said:

Some schools have alternate dates (like a one day visit) or will skype you, or otherwise let you switch your date. Don't worry...this is a good problem to have and if they don't want to accommodate you they don't want you enough! That said prioritize and be prepared.

 

[Ferroportin]

6 minutes ago, Microburritology said:

Yup, they do let you choose an alternative date outside of their interview dates if you have a clash.

 

If your interview dates clash and you ask them for an alternative date - should you say that you have another interview conflict? Or just keep it vague and say that you are unavailable for those dates?

[Microburritology]

@Ferroportin I would say that you have a conflict with another interview! That would urge them the most to accommodate around your schedule.

Saying otherwise would be like, okay I worked hard for months, put my application together, and now when you call me for an interview I'm "unavailable" because I have other vague stuff going on? Not saying they wouldn't try to accommodate you, but in my opinion, saying you've already been scheduled for an interview elsewhere would have the best impression.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Microburritology

[BiochemVitD]

So I've seen a lot of amazing application profiles on here, and I thought I would post mine for some feedback.

Undergrad Institution: Big State School - Well respected for sciences / engineering
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s): 
GPA in Major: 3.2
Overall GPA: 3.11 (Really poor early years when I didn't try, then ~3.5 for Jr/Sr years - "A"s in graduate level Immunology, RNA Biochemistry, and Biomolecular Physics)
Position in Class: No rankings. Only 2 students graduated above a cumulative 3.5, none above a 3.7.
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164 (88%)
V: 166 (96%)
W: 4.0
B: Not Taken


TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

As an undergrad I was hired at a private company as an intern instead of working for a professor. I worked there for about 2 years part-time, then was offered a full-time position upon graduation. I graduated in 2015 though, so I have about 2.5 current years research experience. Most of our research is proprietary (analytical biochem), so I have no publications. However, I worked on a project which resulted in the development of a new product (which nets our company a healthy sum), multiple large scale analytical projects, have done methodology R&D, and have recently begun assisting our company with clinical trials studying certain supplementation effects on muscle metabolism and strength.

Being within industry, I feel like my research experience is a bit different than most of the profiles I looked at, so I have no idea how that will be received.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Nothing of note, I'm an Eagle Scout but I doubt they care about that.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: 

Grad classes with good grades, should have excellent LORs.

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

Applying to Where:

UCLA - Biochemistry

Wisconsin Madison - IPiB

U of Michigan - BMS

Colorado Denver - BMS

UCSF - BMS

U of Washington - Biochemistry

UC Davis - Biochemistry

[pandorse]

As I'm hearing about interview invites being sent out and not having received any thus far, I'm getting a bit nervous about whether I even stood a chance in the first place.  Please review my stats and give assessment:

GRE General:

Q: 71%

V: 71%,

W: 93%

GRE Subject- not taken

Study area of interest: pharmacology

4 years of research experience at my undergrad institution (low tier), 1 presentation at national conference, GPA: 3.6, job experience.

 

Applied to: Rutgers, UMaryland, Yale, Weill Cornell, NYU, Dartmouth, UPenn.

Interviews:----

Accepted----

 

[Gram Neutral]

1 hour ago, Bioenchilada said:

That moment when you check the interview dates for your schools and realize there will be conflict if you're invited.

I would be careful about which one you reschedule. Some schools accept people after the interview and if they reach the quota before the conflict weekend it could be tough luck. I got 2 interviews and they were of course the same weekend. The other one gave me a makeup weekend, but they told us when we got there that they only had 3 spots left for the 10 or so of us there. I didn't get in. 

[biosci]

Just got a call from WUSTL Molecular Genetics and Genomics!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Was too nervous to answer but voicemail had invite!