2017 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[geneticginger]

14 hours ago, abcd1 said:

Has anyone received an interview invite from Emory Genetics and Molecular Biology? I see a few people who have received invites for other bio programs but not from GMB.

Yes, I received a skype interview about two weeks ago and they called to let me know they wanted to have me come down for the interview weekend about a week ago. I'm pretty sure they're done with interviewing.

[Cervello]

9 hours ago, Marrow said:

Yep - around 450 applicants, 51 interviewed. Last year something like 33/45 were accepted, I don't know whether they're planning to lower the acceptance rate or increase the class size. Last year the total applicants were under 400 (350?) so this is a pretty big one-year increase.

Thanks for the information. Wow, that's a huge increase in applicants.

[Browncoat5871]

 

11 hours ago, LadyScientist said:

@Browncoat5871 Rejections have most commonly seemed to come via email. Some directly say that you are not offered admission, and some mention a change in the status of your application, so you see a rejection in the application portal.

Thanks.  I'll check the application portal for those that have one.  I still can't log on to some because the portal link was missing in the conformation email.

10 hours ago, sivis said:

UCSF sent an email that said there was an update to my application and to check the application portal. The homepage showed up with a rejection and if you clicked it, it linked to a rejection letter.

For UW, they sent the rejection in the email.

I'm expecting an Emory rejection in the near future post-holidays haha so I can let you know how that works

Thanks for the information!  I checked the homepage for a few and they don't have any info yet, which is...good?  Except for UC Denver-Anschutz which is freaking me out since they just tell me I don't have any pending application despite all the emails from them, so that's not worrisome at all!  

 

Oh, post-holiday rejection sounds like it might be a bonding experience for some of us.  Good luck!

[blankens]

10 hours ago, Marrow said:

Yep - around 450 applicants, 51 interviewed. Last year something like 33/45 were accepted, I don't know whether they're planning to lower the acceptance rate or increase the class size. Last year the total applicants were under 400 (350?) so this is a pretty big one-year increase.

Wow, where did you get this information from?

[gradgirl27]

If you haven't gotten an interview offer from a program by now, does this mean rejection is likely? 

[Browncoat5871]

1 hour ago, gradgirl27 said:

If you haven't gotten an interview offer from a program by now, does this mean rejection is likely? 

No, not necessarily.  It's actually still pretty early for invites, but it also depends on the program.  Some do rolling invites, some haven't even begun to send out invites yet.  So, while it is hard to do, I wouldn't worry too much.  After the new year is when they really start to send them out.

[Marrow]

15 hours ago, blankens said:

Wow, where did you get this information from?

I'm in the program and I heard it from people involved with admissions. Anybody who's interviewing can feel free to PM me with questions, although I don't check this account too often now that I'm no longer in an application cycle!

[systemicpoisoning]

Merry Christmas people

Just a random thought occurred. Let's say I am in the west, and have interviews all in the NE in 3 consecutive weekends.

Is it crazy to want to stay in the east for the duration? Appreciate any advice!

[Nick1452]

Hey guys has anyone heard from Yale - pharmacology ? or Princeton molecular biology ? yet. Trying to see if I missed the first round of interviews or not. 

 

Thanks! 

[jougami]

2 hours ago, Scott1452 said:

Hey guys has anyone heard from Yale - pharmacology ? or Princeton molecular biology ? yet. Trying to see if I missed the first round of interviews or not. 

 

Thanks! 

I heard back from Princeton MolBio 2 weeks ago.

[Gandalf?]

Kinda bored waiting to hear back from schools so I figured I would post here to see if any of you would send me an interview. Let me know what you think!

 

Undergrad Institution: Largest State School
Major(s):Biology
Minor(s):Psych
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.6
Position in Class: top ish, I graduated with honors
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 161
V: 162
W: 4.0



Research Experience: 3 years undergrad research in a cancer biology lab (1 paper in peer review right now), 2 years of full time research after graduating in two different clinical labs at a hospital (2nd author on one published paper, 2nd author on another conditionally accepted paper *working on minor revisions*)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 posters (one in an undergrad forum, another at an actual conference after graduating)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 years student research assistant, 2 years as full time research associate

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I've ran a few marathons?

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

So as you've probably noticed I have a lot of clinical research experience, however, I am applying to programs/labs that focus more on ecology. All of my research has been broadly in the field of molecular biology and my proposed area of study involves a combination of molecular biology and ecology. I am curious to see if this will help/hinder/not matter for my application.

Applying to Where:

I have contacted and talked with 4 different potential faculty either via phone/skype/in-person. All seemed interested and encouraged me to apply but I am concerned funding availability or student limits may leave me without any interviews. 

Washington State-Biology

University of Washington- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Ohio State- Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology

Cornell- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

 

I would greatly appreciate if anyone had more information about the timelines of these schools. I realize these are smaller programs off the beaten path and it is hard to come by helpful info about any specific stats. 

Cheers, hopefully someone else is bored over the holidays

[emfarce]

Undergrad Institution: Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
Major(s): Biology 
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:  3.0

Overall Undergrad GPA: 3.15 (however, for my last 60 semester hours, I had a 3.5. Low GPA can be attributed to poor start freshman and sophomore (only 1st semester) year
Position in Class: AverageAbove Average 
Type of Student: Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:161
V:159
W:4.0

Research Experience: 2 years of experience; did three 6-month co-ops (research interships) at Northeastern. Also worked for 6 months at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list two semesters

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked as a tutor for high school biology for one summer, involved in biology club at Northeastern

Applying to Where: PhD programs for Biology with emphasis on plant biology- some schools offer Plant Biology/Botany PhD programs

Top choices: 

U Washington

Cornell

Duke

 

 

Other choices:

Michigan State

Oregon State

Washington State

UNM

UCSB

Colorado State

U Minnesota

 

Recently got an email from MSU inviting me to their Plant Sciences recruiting weekend. That has been a big boost in my confidence of getting in to a good program, and MSU is a school I am very interested in!

[Nick1452]

57 minutes ago, jougami said:

I heard back from Princeton MolBio 2 weeks ago.

hmm i didn't see a lot of posts online but maybe I missed the first round haha or they may have more to send out. Bummer 

[Epigenetics]

12 hours ago, systemicpoisoning said:

Merry Christmas people

Just a random thought occurred. Let's say I am in the west, and have interviews all in the NE in 3 consecutive weekends.

Is it crazy to want to stay in the east for the duration? Appreciate any advice!

How close together are they? I'm doing the reverse, but the UCSF-Berkeley-Stanford dates literally abut (2/24-26, 2/26-28, 3/1-5) so I'm planning to just stay in SF for the week. For consecutive weeks I wouldn't do that, that's like two weeks to save a couple flights. Also you're not paying for the flights.

[emfarce]

Had anyone heard back from the following schools: Cornell (Plant Biology); Duke (Biology), U Washington (Biology), or Oregon State (Botany and Plant Pathology)? Cheers!

[spiffscience]

1 hour ago, Epigenetics said:

How close together are they? I'm doing the reverse, but the UCSF-Berkeley-Stanford dates literally abut (2/24-26, 2/26-28, 3/1-5) so I'm planning to just stay in SF for the week. For consecutive weeks I wouldn't do that, that's like two weeks to save a couple flights. Also you're not paying for the flights.

Sorry if I missed something but did Stanford Biosciences already send invites out?!?

[Epigenetics]

7 minutes ago, spiffscience said:

Sorry if I missed something but did Stanford Biosciences already send invites out?!?

A couple individual programs have, but most haven't. UCSF/Berkeley line up like that though, and Stanford would line up as well if I get an interview.

[Shero]

I wonder did anyone hear back from Biochemistry in UW 

[Maze]

Just got my very first rejection from UW genome science ...sad

[kokobanana]

17 hours ago, systemicpoisoning said:

Merry Christmas people

Just a random thought occurred. Let's say I am in the west, and have interviews all in the NE in 3 consecutive weekends.

Is it crazy to want to stay in the east for the duration? Appreciate any advice!

Depends if you have the free time and money. If you aren't working or in school, it's not a bad idea. I know international students that spend two months moving from one interview to another, and staying with friends if possible in between.  

Just don't expect the programs to pay for any extra hotel nights or food... that's asking for too much. 

[immunoweirdo]

Hi everyone! Is anyone familiar with the major differences between University of Washington's MCB program versus Immunology? In terms of faculty, I've noticed a lot of the faculty I'm interested in are shared in both programs. But what about ranking? Or other thoughts about the two programs?

[prospectivegrad1]

2 hours ago, zam330 said:

So what exactly determines a strong applicant?  This is going to be long because I'm freaking out, but any feedback would be helpful.

I'm currently in a masters program for biology with a focus in micro and have a 4.0 GPA.  When I graduate this summer I will have completed my masters in 3 semesters, have at least one conference presentation, and will be submitting my research to be published.  My undergrad GPA was bad (3.12), but my last 60 hours of course work which include my masters is a 3.95.  I took a summer semester and fall semester off in between undergrad and grad school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.  When I decided to apply to grad school it was in october, so my GRE scores are low because I didn't study for the exam.  How strongly do GRE scores affect the application if I have a strong LORs, a high GPA, a masters degree, and research experience?  I also have a teaching assistantship with a scholarship award, received a grant over the summer, and received a grant during undergrad research.   

From what I've been reading, some schools focus on research experience more than others, but because I'm from a small state school I'm worried.  We don't receive much funding so I have to use older methods in my research, for example instead of using a sequencer or sending my stuff to be sequenced, I have to carry out sanger sequencing in house, which is a pain.  However, my school has fed a few students to top programs such as UBC immuno and they've mentioned that their research experience is the main reason for their acceptance.  I'd really like to get into the University of Washington's microbiology program.  

Do I seem like a strong applicant?  

 

 

I can't answer your overarching question of whether you are a strong applicant or not, but I can pitch in my opinion on the impact of GREs. For sciences, the admissions committee is mainly looking for good quantitative and analytic writing scores and judge less on your verbal score. So in your scenario, it depends on which section of the GRE  you scored low on. Moreover, the admissions committee typically will look at your master's GPA more strongly than your undergrad GPA; so even though your undergrad GPA is quite low, it is very possible that your master's GPA will compensate for it.

Even if your quantitative and analytic writing scores are not terrific, I truly believe that the two most important aspects of an application are your LORs and SOP. The admissions committee is looking for students who are competent (based on your LORs) and motivated/enthusiastic/a-good-fit (based on your SOP). If you have letter writers who know you well and are enthusiastic about you, then their letters should mitigate the negative effects of your GREs and carry you into grad school. Don't let numbers (GPA, GREs) affect your confidence level -- your LORs and SOP mean much more. 

[Epigenetics]

16 minutes ago, prospectivegrad1 said:

I can't answer your overarching question of whether you are a strong applicant or not, but I can pitch in my opinion on the impact of GREs. For sciences, the admissions committee is mainly looking for good quantitative and analytic writing scores and judge less on your verbal score. So in your scenario, it depends on which section of the GRE  you scored low on. Moreover, the admissions committee typically will look at your master's GPA more strongly than your undergrad GPA; so even though your undergrad GPA is quite low, it is very possible that your master's GPA will compensate for it.

Even if your quantitative and analytic writing scores are not terrific, I truly believe that the two most important aspects of an application are your LORs and SOP. The admissions committee is looking for students who are competent (based on your LORs) and motivated/enthusiastic/a-good-fit (based on your SOP). If you have letter writers who know you well and are enthusiastic about you, then their letters should mitigate the negative effects of your GREs and carry you into grad school. Don't let numbers (GPA, GREs) affect your confidence level -- your LORs and SOP mean much more. 

On that note though, committees care about independent research experience most of all, and idk if a master's actually demonstrates that, largely depends on the nature of the program. I can tell you the two biggest things committees care about, from friends who have been on them, are letters of rec and research experience. They want to know you know what you're getting into.

[zam330]

59 minutes ago, prospectivegrad1 said:

I can't answer your overarching question of whether you are a strong applicant or not, but I can pitch in my opinion on the impact of GREs. For sciences, the admissions committee is mainly looking for good quantitative and analytic writing scores and judge less on your verbal score. So in your scenario, it depends on which section of the GRE  you scored low on. Moreover, the admissions committee typically will look at your master's GPA more strongly than your undergrad GPA; so even though your undergrad GPA is quite low, it is very possible that your master's GPA will compensate for it.

Even if your quantitative and analytic writing scores are not terrific, I truly believe that the two most important aspects of an application are your LORs and SOP. The admissions committee is looking for students who are competent (based on your LORs) and motivated/enthusiastic/a-good-fit (based on your SOP). If you have letter writers who know you well and are enthusiastic about you, then their letters should mitigate the negative effects of your GREs and carry you into grad school. Don't let numbers (GPA, GREs) affect your confidence level -- your LORs and SOP mean much more. 

 

43 minutes ago, Epigenetics said:

On that note though, committees care about independent research experience most of all, and idk if a master's actually demonstrates that, largely depends on the nature of the program. I can tell you the two biggest things committees care about, from friends who have been on them, are letters of rec and research experience. They want to know you know what you're getting into.

Thanks guys!  You kind of summed up what my advisor told me, and that makes me feel a lot better.  I went deep into the details of my research because my advisor believes that showing competence in your work is the most superior aspect of the SOP.  Paraphrasing him: he would want to see that someone understands what they're doing in lab (techniques) and why its being done.  By going into immense detail you will show the connection between certain techniques in relation to your research. 

Edited December 27, 2016 by zam330

[fieldbióloga]

8 hours ago, Gandalf? said:

Kinda bored waiting to hear back from schools so I figured I would post here to see if any of you would send me an interview. Let me know what you think!

 

Undergrad Institution: Largest State School
Major(s):Biology
Minor(s):Psych
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.6
Position in Class: top ish, I graduated with honors
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 161
V: 162
W: 4.0



Research Experience: 3 years undergrad research in a cancer biology lab (1 paper in peer review right now), 2 years of full time research after graduating in two different clinical labs at a hospital (2nd author on one published paper, 2nd author on another conditionally accepted paper *working on minor revisions*)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 posters (one in an undergrad forum, another at an actual conference after graduating)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 years student research assistant, 2 years as full time research associate

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: I've ran a few marathons?

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

So as you've probably noticed I have a lot of clinical research experience, however, I am applying to programs/labs that focus more on ecology. All of my research has been broadly in the field of molecular biology and my proposed area of study involves a combination of molecular biology and ecology. I am curious to see if this will help/hinder/not matter for my application.

Applying to Where:

I have contacted and talked with 4 different potential faculty either via phone/skype/in-person. All seemed interested and encouraged me to apply but I am concerned funding availability or student limits may leave me without any interviews. 

Washington State-Biology

University of Washington- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Ohio State- Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology

Cornell- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

 

I would greatly appreciate if anyone had more information about the timelines of these schools. I realize these are smaller programs off the beaten path and it is hard to come by helpful info about any specific stats. 

Cheers, hopefully someone else is bored over the holidays

I applied to Cornell EEB last year so I guess I have a little bit of insight for that one...even though I ultimately got rejected. I thought I had a pretty good chance since I had been emailing back and forth with a professor who seemed very enthusiastic, and Cornell is my current PI's alma mater so he wrote me a very specific rec letter. I would have been working with one of his collaborators had I gotten in. (Looking back, though, I didn't have nearly enough research experience and my GPA isn't Ivy League material.)

Point being: Cornell EEB sends out interview invites around this time. Last year their interview weekend was the last week of January and invites went out the week before Christmas. I got my rejection by email in the middle of February. For stats: their program receives over 100 applicants. The top ~20 of those applicants will get invited to interview. About 8 people will get accepted.

Also, where are all the other EEB people on here?? Is this just a small year? It seems that there were many more prospective students last application round.