2017 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[rageofanath]

1 hour ago, blc073 said:

Wow. 

I looked through the requirements and found that an applicant needs fourteen semester courses to apply. I was just asking to see if you were aware of the requirements. When I see fourteen semester courses, I immediately assume a degree. 

Regardless, based on your response, you seem like a completely likable person, so I'm sure you will be fine. 

Good luck! 

 

A degree is definitely the easiest way to fulfill the course requirements, generally speaking. It is sometimes harder to be non-traditional, but no one said any of this would be easy, for any of us. Just challenging in different ways. I actually just checked the BBS admissions requirements too and they do require a BS. Very interesting how departments vary, and how much variety there is in bio. If I was going for what you are, your original post would probably be absolutely correct.

Since you're already at Harvard, we might have run into each other already even, despite being in different departments! Did you get the free Ben and Jerry's in front of the science center a few weeks back, haha?

Thanks, good luck in your program too.

[Bioenchilada]

23 minutes ago, rageofanath said:

A degree is definitely the easiest way to fulfill the course requirements, generally speaking. It is sometimes harder to be non-traditional, but no one said any of this would be easy, for any of us. Just challenging in different ways. I actually just checked the BBS admissions requirements too and they do require a BS. Very interesting how departments vary, and how much variety there is in bio. If I was going for what you are, your original post would probably be absolutely correct.

Since you're already at Harvard, we might have run into each other already even, despite being in different departments! Did you get the free Ben and Jerry's in front of the science center a few weeks back, haha?

Thanks, good luck in your program too.

He's starting in the fall and hasn't moved to Boston yet.

[blc073]

15 minutes ago, Bioenchilada said:

He's starting in the fall and hasn't moved to Boston yet.

Incorrect. 

[Bioenchilada]

3 minutes ago, blc073 said:

Incorrect. 

Woops. 

[localsciencedealer]

15 hours ago, rageofanath said:

A degree is definitely the easiest way to fulfill the course requirements, generally speaking. It is sometimes harder to be non-traditional, but no one said any of this would be easy, for any of us. Just challenging in different ways. I actually just checked the BBS admissions requirements too and they do require a BS. Very interesting how departments vary, and how much variety there is in bio. If I was going for what you are, your original post would probably be absolutely correct.

Since you're already at Harvard, we might have run into each other already even, despite being in different departments! Did you get the free Ben and Jerry's in front of the science center a few weeks back, haha?

Thanks, good luck in your program too.

So you sound similar to me when I graduated with my Psychology degree. I talked to admissions directors about getting a MS in Biology, however, I couldn't fully enter the program without taking remedial courses in Physics and Calculus so I decided to enroll for my second degree in Biochemistry to take those courses and a lot more chemistry. I know you are taking coursework and since you haven't specified if Physics and Calculus is apart of that coursework you may want to make sure you do or do not need those courses. 

Edited June 4, 2016 by localsciencedealer
To insert the word take.

[dragonfrog]

Hello! I will be applying this year for Fall 2017 admission. I am mainly interested in microbiology, but considering pathology as well.

Undergrad Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (medium-size engineering school, smaller but growing life sciences program)
Major(s): Biology and Biotechnology (that's one major, not two)
Minor(s): Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Spanish
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.97
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: domestic male, not minority

GRE Scores: taking in August

Research Experience: 3 years in an animal behavior lab (still working there), 2 months in a cell bio lab assisting with pilot experiments, and 2 months so far in a microbiology lab where I will be completing my senior thesis equivalent next year. No publications or talks, unfortunately. All of these have been at my school.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several scholarships within my school, Dean's list every semester, award for a poster presentation (non-bio), Goldwater honorable mention

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Two internships in pharmaceuticals. One not in a lab, but did a lot of literature research into antibiotics and other micro stuff. The other (current) a lab job in (mammalian) cell culture at the manufacturing end, so a lot of process optimization studies and that sort of thing. Also next year I will be a PLA (undergrad TA) for a microbiology class.

Applying to Where: Probably will apply to most, but not all of these.

University of Wisconsin Madison - Microbiology (this is my current top choice)

University of Washington - Microbiology or Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease

University of Michigan Ann Arbor - Microbiology and Immunology

Cornell - Microbiology or Immunology and Infectious Disease

Ohio State University - Microbiology

Michigan State University - Microbiology or Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Brown - Pathobiology with Infection and Immunity concentration

Oregon State University - Microbiology

 

I was initially trying to identify some smaller schools as well, but it seems like it's the larger state schools that have the specialized microbiology and pathology programs. I'm concerned that this is a pretty reachy list overall and that I am lacking safeties. Is this accurate? I would also appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the differences between microbiology and pathology. I am pretty sure I want to go the infectious disease route, but it seems like pathology programs could let me focus on microbiology while still learning about other types of disease. And what are people's opinions on reaching out to potential labs? Thanks in advance!

[ballwera]

2 minutes ago, dragonfrog said:

Hello! I will be applying this year for Fall 2017 admission. I am mainly interested in microbiology, but considering pathology as well.

Undergrad Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (medium-size engineering school, smaller but growing life sciences program)
Major(s): Biology and Biotechnology (that's one major, not two)
Minor(s): Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Spanish
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.97
Position in Class: near top
Type of Student: domestic male, not minority

GRE Scores: taking in August

Research Experience: 3 years in an animal behavior lab (still working there), 2 months in a cell bio lab assisting with pilot experiments, and 2 months so far in a microbiology lab where I will be completing my senior thesis equivalent next year. No publications or talks, unfortunately. All of these have been at my school.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several scholarships within my school, Dean's list every semester, award for a poster presentation (non-bio), Goldwater honorable mention

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Two internships in pharmaceuticals. One not in a lab, but did a lot of literature research into antibiotics and other micro stuff. The other (current) a lab job in (mammalian) cell culture at the manufacturing end, so a lot of process optimization studies and that sort of thing. Also next year I will be a PLA (undergrad TA) for a microbiology class.

Applying to Where: Probably will apply to most, but not all of these.

University of Wisconsin Madison - Microbiology (this is my current top choice)

University of Washington - Microbiology or Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease

University of Michigan Ann Arbor - Microbiology and Immunology

Cornell - Microbiology or Immunology and Infectious Disease

Ohio State University - Microbiology

Michigan State University - Microbiology or Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Brown - Pathobiology with Infection and Immunity concentration

Oregon State University - Microbiology

 

I was initially trying to identify some smaller schools as well, but it seems like it's the larger state schools that have the specialized microbiology and pathology programs. I'm concerned that this is a pretty reachy list overall and that I am lacking safeties. Is this accurate? I would also appreciate any thoughts anyone has on the differences between microbiology and pathology. I am pretty sure I want to go the infectious disease route, but it seems like pathology programs could let me focus on microbiology while still learning about other types of disease. And what are people's opinions on reaching out to potential labs? Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure it's reachy enough haha I think you have too many safeties. 

[dragonfrog]

2 minutes ago, ballwera said:

I'm not sure it's reachy enough haha I think you have too many safeties. 

Ok that's good and bad. Could you explain that a little? I've mainly been going off of lists of top microbio programs and pieces of advice from a few professors and graduates of my school, so I don't have the most concrete sense of how competitive some of these are. I was also looking at Yale and UPenn as top choices, but had a professor describe them as a pressure cooker environment, which is not something I am super looking for.

[Bioenchilada]

18 minutes ago, dragonfrog said:

Ok that's good and bad. Could you explain that a little? I've mainly been going off of lists of top microbio programs and pieces of advice from a few professors and graduates of my school, so I don't have the most concrete sense of how competitive some of these are. I was also looking at Yale and UPenn as top choices, but had a professor describe them as a pressure cooker environment, which is not something I am super looking for.

I have to disagree with your professor, at least with regards to UPenn. The environment here is super friendly, the students are happy, and every program director I've met has been extremely enthusiastic, kind, and helpful.

I also think you have too many safeties. With your credentials, you can take more risks when applying to schools  

Edited June 6, 2016 by Bioenchilada

[blc073]

17 minutes ago, Bioenchilada said:

I have to disagree with your professor, at least with regards to UPenn. The environment here is super friendly, the students are happy, and every program director I've met has been extremely enthusiastic, kind, and helpful.

I also think you have too many safeties. With your credentials, you can take more risks when applying to schools  

I agree. Top 10 schools are generally relaxed and excited to help students succeed. Instead, it is specific labs that provide an intense environment. Every school, from Harvard and UPenn to North South Eastern Tech A&M, will have some professors who are enthusiastic to support graduate students and some professors who only care about publishing. My advice is to go to the best school you can get into with the most professors doing work that interests you. 

To support, the day I got into Harvard my PI at my undergraduate spent twenty minutes trying to convince me to go to a non-Ivy school. He had heard the horror stories about Harvard, that they do not care about graduate students, that they will kick you out to save money, etc. Fortunately, I did an REU at Harvard the summer before and I had been in contact with many great Harvard professors, so I knew his argument was unfounded. 

In short, if you are interested in a program, do not let hearsay or the behavior of a single professor dissuade you from applying. 

@dragonfrog

Edited June 6, 2016 by blc073

[ballwera]

2 hours ago, dragonfrog said:

Ok that's good and bad. Could you explain that a little? I've mainly been going off of lists of top microbio programs and pieces of advice from a few professors and graduates of my school, so I don't have the most concrete sense of how competitive some of these are. I was also looking at Yale and UPenn as top choices, but had a professor describe them as a pressure cooker environment, which is not something I am super looking for.

1) Be careful using those lists for anything, they are very subjective and very biased. I'd go with your gut and look at schools/programs that interest you and focus on their research, where the faculty publish and where alumni have gone. 2) The "pressure cooker" environment is all relative. What some consider high pressure, others will see as a cake walk. 

[Dank]

I have a quick question about recommended pre-req courses. Many schools recommend having 2 semesters of mathematics, and 2 years of chem (general and organic). I only have one semester of mathematics (stats) and I only took intro chem, orgo I and biochem in college. Since the courses are recommended, do you think it will affect my application much? I could take the courses within the next year, but they're expensive, so if you guys think it won't have a big impact then I might not take them.

[ballwera]

31 minutes ago, Dank said:

I have a quick question about recommended pre-req courses. Many schools recommend having 2 semesters of mathematics, and 2 years of chem (general and organic). I only have one semester of mathematics (stats) and I only took intro chem, orgo I and biochem in college. Since the courses are recommended, do you think it will affect my application much? I could take the courses within the next year, but they're expensive, so if you guys think it won't have a big impact then I might not take them.

If they aren't required I don't see it as that big an issue. However, what was your undergraduate degree in? Those courses are pretty much the gold standard gen eds for any science degree (unless you graduated H.S w/ college credits of course). 

Edited June 7, 2016 by ballwera

[Dank]

1 minute ago, ballwera said:

If they aren't required I don't see it as that big an issue. However, what was your undergraduate degree in? Those courses are pretty much the gold standard for gen eds for any science degree (unless you graduated H.S w/ college credits of course). 

My degree is in Biology, we only had to have one year of chemistry and one semester of mathematics. I'm thinking it should be fine, and if any schools want me to take the courses before I attend, I can do that.  

[stygldbby]

On 6/6/2016 at 1:40 PM, dragonfrog said:

Ok that's good and bad. Could you explain that a little? I've mainly been going off of lists of top microbio programs and pieces of advice from a few professors and graduates of my school, so I don't have the most concrete sense of how competitive some of these are. I was also looking at Yale and UPenn as top choices, but had a professor describe them as a pressure cooker environment, which is not something I am super looking for.

My experience at Yale so far hasn't been anything like that! I really think it comes down to the individual lab you end up joining (and this is probably at least somewhat true wherever you end up going), but in terms of overall inter- and intra-departmental things, I've found the environment here to be very collaborative and supportive! Most everyone has been really easy-going and friendly, and I'd say students are largely happy to be here. I (obviously, haha) didn't end up going to Penn, but I remember getting a similar vibe there too and definitely thought it was also one of their strong points. 

If your research interests match-up to programs with "bad" reputations, I would encourage applying anyways! Or at least digging deeper. You'll be able to feel out whether or not the fit is there during interviews. Or alternatively, you could reach out to people in those programs before applying. 

[farpar]

Hi guys,

I am applying for Spring/Fall 2017. Let me know what are my chances and your opinions! I am interested in applying for Masters in Biotechnology with a business emphasis. Here are my info: 

Undergrad Institution: UCDavis
Major(s): Biotechnology
Minor(s): Technology Management
GPA in Major: Not sure. 
Overall GPA: 3.19 (Yeah i know its low. But I did well in my Ochem, Chem and Math classes [As/Bs])
Position in Class: Not sure. 
Type of Student: International, Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): Gonna take it this year. Right now Im taking Magoosh and my estimated scores are Q155 and V150 (Super low I know, but Im gonna try to study as hard as I can to reach at least 160 for both) is that even possible? haha.
Q:
V:
W:
B:


Research Experience: 1 year at a reputable plant internship, about half a year at a Stem Cells Research lab. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for a quarter, Scholarship recipient from my home country (full tuition paid)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Currently working in pharmaceutical industry field learning about business aspects of biotechnology, particularly in the sales and marketing department. During my undergrad I was the President for honor society, fundrasier officer for honor society, assistant director for vice president of picnic day (large carnival event).

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

Special Bonus Points: 1st college generation, one potential reputable recommender, former national cyclist. 

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

Applying to Where:

1) University of San Francisco - Professional Science Masters in Biotechnology 

2) Georgetown University Medical Center - Masters in Biotechnology (includes BioBusiness track which is cool)

3) McGill University - Masters in Biotechnology (CANADA)

4) UPenn - Professional Master's Biotechnology (more academic)

5) NYU Tandon School of Engineering - MS in Biotech +/- Enterprenuership

6) Columbia University - MA in Biotechnology

 

Am I shooting too high? I have a feeling most of the schools are hard to get into. I wanna have a good and balanced mix of low/med/high tier schools. Also, what do you think I can improve on right now before applying for the schools? Is there any other schools I should consider for safety nets? Thanks so much!

Edited June 8, 2016 by farpar

[ballwera]

43 minutes ago, farpar said:

Hi guys,

I am applying for Spring/Fall 2017. Let me know what are my chances and your opinions! I am interested in applying for Masters in Biotechnology with a business emphasis. Here are my info: 

Undergrad Institution: UCDavis
Major(s): Biotechnology
Minor(s): Technology Management
GPA in Major: Not sure. 
Overall GPA: 3.19 (Yeah i know its low. But I did well in my Ochem, Chem and Math classes [As/Bs])
Position in Class: Not sure. 
Type of Student: International, Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): Gonna take it this year. Right now Im taking Magoosh and my estimated scores are Q155 and V150 (Super low I know, but Im gonna try to study as hard as I can to reach at least 160 for both) is that even possible? haha.
Q:
V:
W:
B:


Research Experience: 1 year at a reputable plant internship, about half a year at a Stem Cells Research lab. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for a quarter, Scholarship recipient from my home country (full tuition paid)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Currently working in pharmaceutical industry field learning about business aspects of biotechnology, particularly in the sales and marketing department. During my undergrad I was the President for honor society, fundrasier officer for honor society, assistant director for vice president of picnic day (large carnival event).

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

Special Bonus Points: 1st college generation, one potential reputable recommender, former national cyclist. 

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

Applying to Where:

1) University of San Francisco - Professional Science Masters in Biotechnology 

2) Georgetown University Medical Center - Masters in Biotechnology (includes BioBusiness track which is cool)

3) McGill University - Masters in Biotechnology (CANADA)

4) UPenn - Professional Master's Biotechnology (more academic)

5) NYU Tandon School of Engineering - MS in Biotech +/- Enterprenuership

6) Columbia University - MA in Biotechnology

 

Am I shooting too high? I have a feeling most of the schools are hard to get into. I wanna have a good and balanced mix of low/med/high tier schools. Also, what do you think I can improve on right now before applying for the schools? Is there any other schools I should consider for safety nets? Thanks so much!

What are you planning to do with this degree?

 

[Yuanyang]

Posting for the 2nd time. I feel like I'm the only person my age who still wants to be a PhD student, desperately.

Undergrad Institution:Reed College
Major(s): Biology (B.A.)
Overall GPA: 2.6

Current  Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology

Major(s): Bioinformatics (M.S)
Current GPA: 3.14

Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: the best type.
GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 157
V:162
W: 4

Research Experience: 3 years undergraduate REU, 2 years as a Research Techician at MIT, 1 Year Technican/MS student at Georgia Tech

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Betty Liu Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Georgia Tech Graduate Research Award.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Labwork (wet and in silico). Lots of raspberry Pi experience. Lots of experience with Noldus tools and systems.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: one middle author publication in Frontiers Neuroscience

Misc notes but not an accomplishment: I dont know if it matters but I was in contact with Eric Kandel and he said he wanted to talk to me about a student position in his lab. I tried to follow up but I wasn't able to get past his secretary. That was 2 years ago.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Odd transfer credits from University of Washington (summer neuroethology program), and Harvard Extension School (elective courses and Intro Physics which I did not do at my undergrad)

Applying to Where:

Columbia University - Department of Neurosciences - Computational Neuroscience
University of Washington - Graduate Program in Neurosciences - Computational Neuroscience
More to follow; would like suggestions.

[Bioenchilada]

45 minutes ago, Yuanyang said:

Posting for the 2nd time. I feel like I'm the only person my age who still wants to be a PhD student, desperately.

Undergrad Institution:Reed College
Major(s): Biology (B.A.)
Overall GPA: 2.6

Current  Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology

Major(s): Bioinformatics (M.S)
Current GPA: 3.14

Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: the best type.
GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 157
V:162
W: 4

Research Experience: 3 years undergraduate REU, 2 years as a Research Techician at MIT, 1 Year Technican/MS student at Georgia Tech

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Betty Liu Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Georgia Tech Graduate Research Award.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Labwork (wet and in silico). Lots of raspberry Pi experience. Lots of experience with Noldus tools and systems.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: one middle author publication in Frontiers Neuroscience

Misc notes but not an accomplishment: I dont know if it matters but I was in contact with Eric Kandel and he said he wanted to talk to me about a student position in his lab. I tried to follow up but I wasn't able to get past his secretary. That was 2 years ago.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Odd transfer credits from University of Washington (summer neuroethology program), and Harvard Extension School (elective courses and Intro Physics which I did not do at my undergrad)

Applying to Where:

Columbia University - Department of Neurosciences - Computational Neuroscience
University of Washington - Graduate Program in Neurosciences - Computational Neuroscience
More to follow; would like suggestions.

First off, lol at the type of student. 

Though you have a lot of research experience and might have good letters if your attitude and work in lab was good, I think your GPAs will most likely hurt you significantly. I guess your GRE could be higher, though I don't think it really matters that much since everything else is literally more important lol

I suggest your cast a wide net and apply broadly, hopefully your Masters will help. Also, I met a guy during my Penn interview that was 31, so don't feel discouraged by your age  

(And I know like 3 people back at my home school that also started their PhD pretty late and are still very motivated  )

[AspiringGC]

Undergrad Institution: University of Arizona (large public school)
Major(s): Molecular & Cellular Biology (single major)
Minor(s): Africana Studies - Hip Hop Concentration
GPA in Major: 2.531 (This is crap, I blame Ochem and biochem)
Overall GPA: 3.215 (And I know this is low too, but can probably get it up to around a 3.4 by graduation)
Position in Class: No idea
Type of Student: Hispanic/white female

GRE Scores: 
V: 158
R: 153
A: 4
Retaking in about a month to improve. 

Research Experience: None
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit scholarship from my school, in the Honors college

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Three years at University's Residence Life department as Desk Assistant and Desk Manager at the dorms. Upcoming internship in the Fall at my school's hospital as a Patient Advocate with guaranteed 135 patient/physician contact hours. 

Applying to Where: Probably will apply to most, but not all of these.
UArizona - Genetic Counseling
UColorado Denver - Genetic Counseling
UUtah - Genetic Counseling
UTexas Houston - Genetic Counseling
UOklahoma - Genetic Counseling
UC Irvine - Genetic Counseling
Cal State Stanislaus - Genetic Counseling
Stanford - Genetic Counseling (A girl can dream) 

I realize I have zero research experience, but not really worried about that since I'm not going for a typical Masters. GC programs are still kind of competitive, so I was more interested in finding out about possible one year Master programs in biomedical sciences or something similar as a back up plan if I don't get in this cycle. 

[Katyya]

Undergrad Institution: Large state school (Top 60 US) Well respected in biomedical sciences
Major(s): Cell Biology
Minor(s): Clinical Science
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 3.57 (3.85 sophomore+junior years, crappy freshman GPA)
Position in Class: N/A
Type of Student: international female, white 

GRE Scores: 

V: 158

Q: 164

W: 5

Research Experience: 2 years in a myeloma cancer research lab. Several poster and oral presentations at local and national conferences (AACR, ENDO, Cold Spring Harbor Meeting). 1 first author pub, 1 first author in preparation (might be submitted before apps), one middle author submitted. Will get amazing letters from my lab 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Outstanding undergrad researcher award, research fellowships every semester and summers, won an oral presentation session twice, poster session awards, Dean's list 5 semesters, full ride merit scholarship 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Assistant TA of intro to bio, research org ambassador, involved with the honors program, multiple student org memberships and leadership positions

Applying to Where: Definitely applying to:

                                  Cornell University - BMCB 

                                  Yale University - Biomedical Sciences PhD 

                                  University of Washington - MCB 

                                  University of Minnesota - Molecular, Cellular, Developmental and Genetics PhD 

                                  Einstein - Biomedical Sciences 

                                  Rockefeller - PhD program

                                  Might apply to:

                                  Colorado - Denver, UCSD, Harvard, Wisconsin - Madison, Iowa Carver 

                                 

If anyone has any input on how my low overall GPA might affect my chances at these schools please tell me! Should I mention my upward trend in my personal statement? My whole junior year I have a 4.0! But my freshman year I had a 3.1 because I didn't speak the language really well and I was adjusting. Otherwise got As in all advanced bio coursework (biochem, cell bio, molecular, genomics, development) Any comments or suggestions are appreciated and welcome. 

[farpar]

23 hours ago, ballwera said:

What are you planning to do with this degree?

 

I want to go into biotechnology industry laboratory management/ product development/ manufacturing and quality control. The reason why I'm doing a Masters instead of an MBA, is that I'm still in a dilemma between choosing a career in academia (if so I would continue to do pHD) or industry. 

[kerrrn_3]

General advice/tips: 

Try to attend a national conference, and present a poster if you can. Many of these conferences have travel grants/awards or your own university might allow you to make a request for travel funds through student government or your department/program/college/PI/etc. -- you just need to ask! But why should you go? For the experience, for your CV, to strengthen your ability to talk about your research, to (maybe) get some helpful feedback on your work, to practice formal presenting, and to network. Lots of universities/companies go to these events precisely to recruit students at all levels (some want to recruit you for a job, a summer program, or for you to apply to their masters/PhD/MD/etc programs). I've even seen students take business cards, or resumes to these conferences to hand out to these representatives. This is your chance to get some free stuff, talk to recruiters (hopefully get them to remember your name), and to get FEE WAIVERS.  To make the most of your time, it would be best to have a list of booths you wanted to get to (i.e. schools your applying to) and hit those first. However, if you haven't decided yet (like I was, when I went) it is still a great opportunity to find out what your options are. 

Your undergrad./masters work does NOT have to be what you work on in your next step (within reason). For example, switching from business to a "hard science" would be difficult to convince a committee member that they should accept you without any substantial experience or coursework in the sciences. BUT if you can explain your switch or somehow justify your decision, go for it! (This seemed to be a common theme when talking to faculty, since I rarely heard that they had worked in the same field/area their entire career.) Ultimately, play to your strengths!

Be realistic, yet optimistic. There isn't a magic number when it comes to how many schools you should apply to, nor a fancy formula that will accurately predict your chances of getting into a particular school. That being said, be realistic about your budget. Applying for schools is EXPENSIVE. Be sure to factor in the cost of sending your transcripts, GRE scores, and any application fees per school. Simultaneously, be optimistic. Apply to a school or two that you don't think you'll get into but it wouldn't be inconceivable that you would either - you could be pleasantly surprised! (I actually had someone tell me once that they wished they had applied to more "difficult" schools to get into, because they got into most of their schools.) What I'm getting at is that your list of schools should be a balance - some "should get into," some "might get into," and some "probably won't get into, but you never know" schools. I would advise that you talk to someone (i.e. a mentor) about your list... but ultimately the decision is yours! (See @biochemgirl67's post about which factors to consider/how to prioritize http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/73654-2017-applicant-profiles-and-admissions-results/?do=findComment&comment=1058351681

Interview/Revisit Weekends are as much an interview for you, as it is for them. This is easy to forget, but incredibly important. While they are interviewing you, (to make sure that the person in the application matches up to the person in front of them) they are also trying to determine whether or not you could be successful there. You are basically an investment, and think of interviews as their opportunity to test drive the shiny, new car around the dealership to see if it's a good match before they buy. So if you got an interview, they at least had to like you - especially if they are spending the money to fly you out there! HOWEVER, you need to remember that you will be spending a considerable chunk of your life at this school/location, so you need to make sure that you could be successful AND happy there. 

Faculty are people too. When you're stressed about interviewing, it can be difficult to remember that faculty are people. Try to keep in mind that if you are on your 6th interview, it is likely that a faculty member is on their 6th interview as well. Additionally, even though some faculty may only want to talk about the research/work/science, this isn't necessarily the case. And that's okay. Sometimes faculty members just want to know more about the potential person they might be interacting with, and not the applicant. While I wouldn't necessarily try to stray the conversation to alternative topics, if the discussion goes in that direction, follow that path. These interviews are more like conversations, rather than interviews... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be professional.

 

Unfortunately, some of this may only be applicable to the sciences but this is where my experience lies. I hope this was at least somewhat helpful. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, and best of luck!

Edited June 10, 2016 by kerrrn_3
formatting

[kerrrn_3]

Undergrad Institution: virtually unknown, public, state, "Hispanic-serving institution" in the southwest
Major(s): Biochemistry
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.84
Overall GPA: 3.76 (3.80 at time of application)
Position in Class: Unknown
Type of Student: Domestic, Hispanic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 154 (56%)
V: 155 (67%)
W: 4.5 (80%)
B: N/A

TOEFL Total: N/A

Research Experience: 

3.5 years research experience at my school: 0.5 year in organic chem. lab, and 3 years in plant genetics lab (lots of mol. bio. techniques)

summers were spent as follows: one summer at UTSW QP-SURF program, one summer in medicinal plants summer program at my school, and one summer in my plant genetics lab at my school -- no publications

presented posters at SACNAS, ABRCMS, end of QP-SURF program, end of medicinal plants program, and my host institution's annual conference (twice: one oral, one poster) and outside of science, I went to 3 ethics/bioethics conferences to debate cases

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Undergrad. Research Programs: RISE scholar for ~0.5 year until grant ended, HHMI scholar for 1 year until my program ended, and finally MARC scholar for 2 years

Honor's student (wrote a thesis and graduated with Distinction in University Honors -- but this part is not in my application since I graduated in May 2016), and Dean's list for 2 semesters only

Received travel grant from my Honors College and a SACNAS travel grant

ABRCMS poster presentation award in Biochemistry

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Teaching Experience: tutor/mentor for general physics course (1 semester), and for an incoming Freshman course on college prep./advice/etc. (1 semester)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Member of a community service organization (Rotaract) ~2 years, and held various leadership positions in an ethics organization on campus ~3 years

Special Bonus Points: Hispanic (bilingual: Spanish/English), female, first generation student (mother did some college but did not finish, and father did not finish high school)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Don't think so...?

Applying to Where:  

Interested in translational medicine and general research interests in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Structural Biology, and Neuroscience 

Applied (10/10) - Interview/Visit Offered/Attended (6/10) - Rejected (6.5/10) - Accepted (3.5/10) - Admitted and Attending (1/10)

1. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) - Division of Basic Science interested in Mechanisms of Disease Track/Molecular Biophysics/ Biological Chemistry - email on 1/4, interview offered for multiple weekends, chose to attend 2/25-2/27 - phone on 2/29

2. University of Wisconsin, Madison - A. IPiB and B. Biophysics - A. email on 2/3, interview offered on 2/18-2/20 B. email on 1/5, interview offered 2/11-2/13; interviewed for both on 2/11-2/13 - A. unofficial email on 2/17, official email on 2/22 B. email on 2/24

3. Scripps Research Institute - Chemical and Biological Sciences - no response, so I emailed on 1/22 and was emailed back on 1/26 that final decisions would be sent out the next week, official email on 2/2

4. University of California, San Fransisco (UCSF) - TETRAD - email on 1/7

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) - BBSP interested in Biophysics/Biochemistry - email on 1/5, interview offered and attended 2/18-2/20 - unofficial email on 3/31, official email on 4/1

6. University of Washington, Seattle - Biochemistry - email on 12/18, interview offered and attended 1/20-1/23 - email on 2/2 

7. California Institute of Technology (Cal. Tech.) - Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (BMB) - no response, so I emailed on 1/22 and received my rejection that day (side note: got a second, official email much later on 3/15)

8. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) - email on 12/21

9. University of Colorado, Denver: Anschutz Medical Campus - Structural Biology and Biochemistry (STBB) - phone & email on 12/18, interview offered and attended 2/4-2/7 - told in person during interview weekend on 2/6, official email on 2/11

10. University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) - Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (BMB) - email 12/27, interview offered 1/21-1/23 but did not attend, Skype interviewed instead, went to Revisit Weekend in March - unofficial email on 2/3, official email on 2/5 (side note: accepted into Graduate Training in Medical Science (GTMS) Certificate on 3/10) - Attending!! 

Edited June 10, 2016 by kerrrn_3

[tottenham]

Hi everyone, first time posting here!

I will be applying this coming fall to matriculate in the fall of 2017. I am currently trying to determine which graduate programs I should consider applying to. Let me know if you can suggest any programs I should look into that I may have a chance of getting admitted into.

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college
Major(s): Molecular Biology
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 3.86
Overall GPA: 3.89
Position in Class: No idea (probably near top)
Type of Student: International male

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

Haven't taken it yet! Will take it this upcoming fall.

TOEFL Total: 111

Research Experience: I have spent this past year performing cancer research. I am currently in an REU summer program at my home college continuing the research project I had worked on during the last academic year. After the summer, I will further continue the same research project during my summer year as a Departmental Honors project. What is great about my research experience so far is the fact that I really have done most of the work in regards to designing the project, performing the procedures and obtaining results. My PI has helped quite a bit with guiding me in the design of my experiments and analysis of results.

Unfortunately, however, I do not have a huge amount of research experience and also do not have a variety of experience either. I have focused my attention in one project and will have worked on it for 2 years now after my senior year. I am unsure if this is something that will go against me in my application, particularly as I will only have 1 PI recommendation letter.

No publications and no presentations outside of my home college as of yet.

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

Nothing major.

1. Recipient of home college research scholarship (nothing major but only a few students at my college get it).
2. Dean's List for the last 6 semesters.

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

1. Lecture TA for upper-class Biochemistry course, Lab TA in a Biology and Organic Chemistry lab
2. AP Biology/Chemistry tutor for international high school students

Not sure how pertinent these are to research per say but I invested a significant amount of time into them:

1. Resident Assistant for 2 years (will be continuing next year). This experience really helped me to collaborate and cooperate with others on my staff, which I know is invaluable in a lab setting and in academic research as a whole.
2. Club president for our college's International Student Association (have been involved for 1 year already and will be president next year).

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

I will be going on a short-term medical missions trip this summer and thus had the chance of fundraising for the first time to be fully supported. I may mention it somewhere in my application.

Edited June 28, 2016 by tottenham