2017 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[hopefulgradstudent999]

On 11/18/2016 at 5:55 PM, VirologyPhDinTraining said:

I mean, if you think so, but they don't have any first author pubs. Being in research for 3 years without a first author pub isn't what I would call good research experience. It's a lot better than nothing, but top programs, when you have deficiencies in your packet, want proof that you will both be committed and productive. They have shown the former, but not the latter. As I said, if I were them, I would cut a few of the top schools and would add a few middle tier institutions, especially if they want to do a PhD asap. Also I would still suggest retaking the GRE, a low quant score is a massive red flag for viro/immune programs.

As for your comment about 50k+ on a masters? I have a masters and spent 0 for it. The only people I know who paid for masters were pre-meds who want to pad their GPA. Funded MS programs definitely exist, and can make an okay candidate into a top candidate.

Thank you for the feed back. As for the three years of research with no pubs, two of those since graduation have been in industry roles where you do not have the option of publishing unfortunately. The rankings of the schools I applied to are across the spectrum from being 13th all the way to unranked? I figured this would be a nice array of schools between safety and reach. Also, if the low quant will be a major red flag why do schools list minimums for verbal exclusively on their statistics pages? Specifically talking about UTSW here. The programs that are top 20 here are only Cornell, UTSW, and WashU. Two of my strongest LORs are coming from Cornell PHD grads, one from the program I applied to. UTSW I only applied to because one of my recommenders and current co-workers put me in contact with a current PI there who encouraged me to apply. And UW I only applied to because a family friend has some influence at that school and put me in contact with an alumni there who also encouraged me to apply. In all, I wont be surprised if I dont get into the top programs but I figure I would be qualified for the other more middling programs?

 

On 11/18/2016 at 10:57 AM, Bioenchilada said:

I honestly think that this person covered their based with the schools they intend to apply to. Their GPA is not bad enough to warrant a 50k+ investment on a Master's, and they seem to have good research experience. 

Thanks for your input! I was attempting to apply to a variety of schools of all different rankings. I was wondering if you could possibly elaborate on why you think I may be qualified for these schools? Haha just looking for something specific to latch onto here. As for LORs I think I have two very strong letters that can speak to over two years of independent work and a strongish third letter as well.

[LoveMysterious]

19 minutes ago, VirologyPhDinTraining said:

I mean, if you think so, but they don't have any first author pubs. Being in research for 3 years without a first author pub isn't what I would call good research experience.

 

100% disagree. If you're working in the biotech industry (as the person you're referring to individual did), you do not have the opportunity to publish scientific journal articles as you would in academia. That does not necessarily make your research any less valuable... or prolific. There are a myriad of other ways of showing research potential other than pubs alone.  

Edited November 19, 2016 by LoveMysterious

[Bioenchilada]

You have 3 years of research experience and strong lors. Grad schools care about you have done and what you can bring to the program, so your SOP is key. Your GPA and GRE are not great, but I think they're good enough to get you an offer granted that the rest of your application package is great. 

[VirologyPhDinTraining]

15 minutes ago, Bioenchilada said:

Lol do you honestly think that most people at top schools have first author pubs? I think rec letters are enough proof of a candidate being committed and productive. 

I didn't say that they did. I said that those who have deficiencies in their packet usually do. The GPA and low quant score are red flags to admission committees. To overcome this usually one has to show that they are more than just the numbers in their packet. Having talked to many professors who have and currently sit on admission committees, and reading what others have said, most in top programs will automatically reject packets with low GPA/scores without a second thought, unless they have a the ability to show that they are more than that set of numbers. I believe this person is on the edge of that, had they had a 75% or higher in quant that GPA would be a minor issue. I am not telling them not to reach, but to also look at other programs as well. I wouldn't want to find out that middle April they are left out in the cold. 

 

In the end it comes down to them having great a LoR, a well polished SoP and being good in interviews. 

Edited November 19, 2016 by VirologyPhDinTraining

[blc073]

@VirologyPhDinTraining 

Hey friendo, you're coming off a bit arrogant. I would tone it down a bit before proceeding. We're here to help people, not make them sad. 

[VirologyPhDinTraining]

58 minutes ago, blc073 said:

@VirologyPhDinTraining 

Hey friendo, you're coming off a bit arrogant. I would tone it down a bit before proceeding. We're here to help people, not make them sad. 

I never said I was better than anyone, nor do I have an inflated since of my own abilities. I am not trying to make anyone sad, I am just giving my opinion based on their packet. I never said it was impossible for them to make it into a top program, but, they are also very competitive and their admission committees tend to be very stringent. If it's not helpful to tell someone to hedge their bets if they want to for sure start a program next fall, or possible ways to improve their packets if they are married to top programs, then I don't know what is. I may have been a bit more blunt than I should have been (years in the army didn't help this), but, I have seen a few people get crushed because February/March roll around and they have no interviews or offers. And as I said before, I think with great LoRs, and a well polished SoP will definitely go a long way towards improving their odds.

Edited November 19, 2016 by VirologyPhDinTraining

[paprika27]

Undergrad Institution: Harvard
Major(s): Biochemistry
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA: 3.8
Type of Student: Domestic Male Hispanic

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:  161(79)
V: 161 (88)
W: 5.0 (93)
Chem GRE: 840 (88)

Research Experience: 1 yr at a protein folding lab, led to a publication (atlhough I'm only fifth author), 1 yr at the broad institute working on crispr related stuff, summer research abroad on stem cells 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nope

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TAd for a general chemistry course (which involved grading and teaching recitation sessions),  worked on the undergraduate research journal

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: no

Special Bonus Points: LGBT if that counts?

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

Applying to Where:

Mount Sinai - Biomedical Sciences

Cornell - BMCB

UCLA - Biosciences (Biochemistry)

UCSF CCB

WUSTL - DBBS

Tufts CMDB

Cornell Weill/MSK/Rockefeller TPCB

Stanford Biosciences

Columbia Chemistry

 

[VirologyPhDinTraining]

You should get lots of interviews. I think your biggest problem will be deciding which program you like best. Good luck!

[Promilla]

Reposting as I didn't get feedback last time and frantically trying to think whether I am not making massive mistake. 

Would really appreciate feedback. To be honest I set the bar really high just because I don't want to just do PhD on any random topic or with any random professor. I am applying to UK as well and hoping to have better prospects here. Also, I honestly prefer to do 1/2 years of research assistant rather than work on something I am not really passionate about. So I a not sure whether it's just a massive waste of money or I have some chances. 

I know I am international student so that is a disadvantage. Also, I know my verbal and essay are not perfect... (didn't have so much time to prepare as I didn't initially think I would apply. 

I am also going to research some more to find professors which work interests me. 

Undergrad Institution: University of Edinburgh (honestly not sure how known it is in US but it's one of the best in UK). 
Major(s): Immunology Bsc Hons 
Minor(s): We don't have such things - just single degree in Immunology
GPA in Major: 3.98 
Overall GPA:  It's A (so called First Class Honors) - around 75%; not sure what is it after conversion (around 3.9 from what I see). 
Position in Class: Probably up 5%
Type of Student: International Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 167 (93 percentile)
V: 161  (88 percentile) 
W: 4.5 (82 percentile) 
B:



Research Experience: 

Couple of small projects funded by associations at our school.

• After high school I went for 1 month to Germany - did chemistry there; mostly assisted with organic synthesis, etc. 
• Summer Internship at the University of Tokyo (biology/analytical chemistry) - 2 MONTHS. 
• Summer Internship at the University of Edinburgh - micrRNAs; mostly validated mouse model that the lab created; - 3 MONTHS
• Continued in the same lab for another 3/4 months - we started a completely new project; the work is ongoing; I couldn't stay for longer because of too much work for the degree. Also I was not allowed to continue my final honour thesis in the lab (it's not fair and our school does not allow it); 
• Summer Internship at Rockefeller - worked on immunology/chemical biology. - 2 MONTHS; 
• In December/January I am starting my final thesis project - working on the role of lipids in inflammation (autoimmunity, etc) = will be 3/4 months. 

Unfortunately no publication as most of the work was either negative results (UoT) or the work is ongoing.

Will have SOPs from Rockefeller and UoE (research PIs) and from my tutor at the University. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2nd Year Chemistry Laboratory Prize 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Student Champion for an organization that is concerned with equality in STEM; President of the UoE Science Media Society; 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:


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

Applying to Where:

Harvard Immunology

MSKCC

Weill Cornell

UCSF (BMS)

Rockefeller

 

 

Thanks! 

[blankens]

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 Public
Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Minor: Biochemistry
GPA in Major: 
Overall GPA: 3.63
Type of Student: Domestic Male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:  168(95)
V: 161 (88)
W: 4.0 (59)

Research Experience: Three and a half years (i.e starting Freshman year) in tissue engineering lab. One year in natural products (field of interest) lab. In the first lab I have been heading up a major project for the last three years and in the natural products lab I have been doing independent research since the beginning of summer. I have three publications in prep from the tissue engineering lab right now, two of which I am a middle author on and the third centers around my project that we hope will be accepted into a high impact journal like Cell. Unfortunately, none have been submitted yet and will not until possibly December or January. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: One summer fellowship between Freshman and Sophomore year

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for athletic department and privately last two years. Have been training undergrads, five in total, in both labs this year.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nah

Special Bonus Points: PI of natural products lab is pretty big in the field

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've been in contact with two POIs from Harvard so that might help. 

Applying to Where:

UCSD-Biomedical Sciences

Harvard-Chem. Bio. (HILS)

Wisconsin-Pharmaceutical Sciences

Univ. of Ill. Chicago- Pharmacognosy

Kentucky- Medicinal Chemistry

WUSTL- Biological Chemistry

Michigan-Chemical Biology

Minnesota-Medicinal Chemistry

Ohio State-Pharmacognosy

Arizona-Medicinal Chemistry

USC-Pharmaceutical Sciences

Oregon State-Pharmaceutical Sciences 

Florida-Medicinal Chemistry

Princeton-Chemical and Biological Engineering 

Questions: What do you think? Do you think my Chemical Engineering major will hinder my application or help it? I think I have a reasonable list of schools. Most are colleges of pharmacy because of the nature of the field so I'm not sure how to evaluate. Any sort of feedback as to weaknesses in my app would be appreciated. 

Thank you!

[biochemgirl67]

On 11/16/2016 at 11:17 PM, hopefulgradstudent999 said:

So I was just wondering what anyone may think about my chances this application cycle of getting interviews/admits. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!

Undergrad Institution: Top 40 Liberal Arts school, known for science & engineering 
Major(s):Biochemistry
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:N/A
Overall GPA: 3.271
Position in Class: not calculated by my school
Type of Student: Domestic male, First-gen college student

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 154 (55%)
V:159 (81%)
W: 4.5 (79%)
B:


Research Experience: 1.5 years in undergrad lab doing protein characterization work. Put together a senior thesis project over the final year and presented it at a national conference.

Worked at a startup gene therapy company in Cambridge, MA developing a recombinant viral biotherapy system. (6 months, no pubs but lots of research heavy work)

Worked at a R&D hub in Boston generating mammalian cell lines for downstream manufacturing. Very immunology heavy and lots of assay development work. (1 year)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list junior year, Reserch honor society, National conference poster presentation

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Chem and bio club member for last 2 years

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 1st person in family to attend college. Both parents are military veterans.


Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Transferred from State school after freshman year?

Applying to Where:
 

Vandy 

Cornell 

Dartmouth 

Tulane 

UC Denver 

U Miami 

UTSW 

WashU 

Brown 

Georgia Tech 

Personally, I would say that your overall profile is low for a lot of the schools you've chosen.  (Vandy, Cornell, Dartmouth, UTSW, WashU)  Your research isn't anything more than expected because mosts applicants have that level.  Your GPA is low and your GRE scores are a little on the low side.  I'm of the opinion your undergrad's name won't matter that much unless it's a TOP school like Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, etc.  It's probably too late to change your applications, but maybe look into options like the NIH post-bacc or a lab tech job to bring your research experience into the light.  Otherwise, I would suggest adding some lower level schools that are less competitive.

 

On 11/20/2016 at 8:42 AM, blankens said:

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 Public
Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Minor: Biochemistry
GPA in Major: 
Overall GPA: 3.63
Type of Student: Domestic Male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:  168(95)
V: 161 (88)
W: 4.0 (59)

Research Experience: Three and a half years (i.e starting Freshman year) in tissue engineering lab. One year in natural products (field of interest) lab. In the first lab I have been heading up a major project for the last three years and in the natural products lab I have been doing independent research since the beginning of summer. I have three publications in prep from the tissue engineering lab right now, two of which I am a middle author on and the third centers around my project that we hope will be accepted into a high impact journal like Cell. Unfortunately, none have been submitted yet and will not until possibly December or January. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: One summer fellowship between Freshman and Sophomore year

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for athletic department and privately last two years. Have been training undergrads, five in total, in both labs this year.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nah

Special Bonus Points: PI of natural products lab is pretty big in the field

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've been in contact with two POIs from Harvard so that might help. 

Applying to Where:

UCSD-Biomedical Sciences

Harvard-Chem. Bio. (HILS)

Wisconsin-Pharmaceutical Sciences

Univ. of Ill. Chicago- Pharmacognosy

Kentucky- Medicinal Chemistry

WUSTL- Biological Chemistry

Michigan-Chemical Biology

Minnesota-Medicinal Chemistry

Ohio State-Pharmacognosy

Arizona-Medicinal Chemistry

USC-Pharmaceutical Sciences

Oregon State-Pharmaceutical Sciences 

Florida-Medicinal Chemistry

Princeton-Chemical and Biological Engineering 

Questions: What do you think? Do you think my Chemical Engineering major will hinder my application or help it? I think I have a reasonable list of schools. Most are colleges of pharmacy because of the nature of the field so I'm not sure how to evaluate. Any sort of feedback as to weaknesses in my app would be appreciated. 

Thank you!

You will be fine!  I think you'll have some often awesome choices.  Engineering backgrounds with extensive research are super cool!

 

On 11/20/2016 at 4:44 AM, Promilla said:

Reposting as I didn't get feedback last time and frantically trying to think whether I am not making massive mistake. 

Would really appreciate feedback. To be honest I set the bar really high just because I don't want to just do PhD on any random topic or with any random professor. I am applying to UK as well and hoping to have better prospects here. Also, I honestly prefer to do 1/2 years of research assistant rather than work on something I am not really passionate about. So I a not sure whether it's just a massive waste of money or I have some chances. 

I know I am international student so that is a disadvantage. Also, I know my verbal and essay are not perfect... (didn't have so much time to prepare as I didn't initially think I would apply. 

I am also going to research some more to find professors which work interests me. 

Undergrad Institution: University of Edinburgh (honestly not sure how known it is in US but it's one of the best in UK). 
Major(s): Immunology Bsc Hons 
Minor(s): We don't have such things - just single degree in Immunology
GPA in Major: 3.98 
Overall GPA:  It's A (so called First Class Honors) - around 75%; not sure what is it after conversion (around 3.9 from what I see). 
Position in Class: Probably up 5%
Type of Student: International Female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 167 (93 percentile)
V: 161  (88 percentile) 
W: 4.5 (82 percentile) 
B:



Research Experience: 

Couple of small projects funded by associations at our school.

• After high school I went for 1 month to Germany - did chemistry there; mostly assisted with organic synthesis, etc. 
• Summer Internship at the University of Tokyo (biology/analytical chemistry) - 2 MONTHS. 
• Summer Internship at the University of Edinburgh - micrRNAs; mostly validated mouse model that the lab created; - 3 MONTHS
• Continued in the same lab for another 3/4 months - we started a completely new project; the work is ongoing; I couldn't stay for longer because of too much work for the degree. Also I was not allowed to continue my final honour thesis in the lab (it's not fair and our school does not allow it); 
• Summer Internship at Rockefeller - worked on immunology/chemical biology. - 2 MONTHS; 
• In December/January I am starting my final thesis project - working on the role of lipids in inflammation (autoimmunity, etc) = will be 3/4 months. 

Unfortunately no publication as most of the work was either negative results (UoT) or the work is ongoing.

Will have SOPs from Rockefeller and UoE (research PIs) and from my tutor at the University. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2nd Year Chemistry Laboratory Prize 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Student Champion for an organization that is concerned with equality in STEM; President of the UoE Science Media Society; 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:


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

Applying to Where:

Harvard Immunology

MSKCC

Weill Cornell

UCSF (BMS)

Rockefeller

 

 

Thanks! 

Your research experience is sorely lacking and it will be a toss up whether your stellar GPA and short-term projects will compensate.  I would say that it might be an issue especially since you're international.  I'm surprised you only applied to 5 schools, especially since they are so competitive.  You really should diversify and create a back up plan in case it doesn't pan out.  Many applicants will have great experiences with research and presentations and even sometimes publications.  Really, it'll a be toss-up and I wouldn't be expecting anything.

[Vidiwell]

Reposting for those last minute thoughts!

Undergrad Institution: College of William and Mary

Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.17
Overall GPA: 3.2
Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: Domestic, White, Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:165(95%)
V:167(93%)
W:5(93%)
B: Not Taking




Research Experience: 2 Years of endocrinology research at my undergrad, attempted honors thesis in this lab, worked with radioimmunoassays and gel chromatography to determine blood prolactin levels in zebrafinch.

1 semester of genetics research at my undergrad, worked with PCR, laddering and localization assays, yeast two hybrid screens attempting to find SLX5 interacting proteins 

1 year Postbac IRTA at the National Institutes of Health. Worked on delineating the pathophysiology of a genetic disorder and developing novel therapies , run a transgenic mouse colony, conduct western blots, viral copy number analysis, cDNA/qPCR work, design and grow plasmid for use in our viral therapy, enzyme expression analysis. Will have presented at a conference, and be coauthored on two papers by the end of this fellowship with the NIH(with one submitted by the time apps go in), this is all backed up in the LOR from my senior investigator there.  

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute research grant Freshman semester: Intramural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Health

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Organic Chemistry TA for a semester, Resident Assistant for a year, Ranger at a High adventure base for a summer, Vice President of my schools outdoors club

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Solid letter of recommendation from well known researcher from the NIH, also generally good overall letters from my mentors at the undergrad university. 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Visiting Seattle and will be interviewing with 2 co-directors of program from the programs I am interested there. Doing this to show my interest, ask how I can improve my application, and generally put myself on their radars before applications are due.  

Applying to Where:

U of Washington Genome Science/Molecular Medicine(unquestionably top choice) 

Columbia Genetics

Chicago Genetics

OHSU Genetics

UC Davis Genetics

Rochester Genetics

Any thoughts, specifically on U of Washington? I am banking hard on solid research experience with papers written and showing interest/enthusiasm in the faculty/school to help me out some.  

Thank for any help/advice you can give!

[ScientificMethod]

Undergrad Institution: Small, Private, Liberal Arts 
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.5
Position in Class: Not Ranked 
Type of Student: Domestic, White Male 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 155
V: 155
W: 4.0
B:

Research Experience: Three years and one summer in a cancer lab at my home institution. Two REUs at different schools, including one at Harvard. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: No.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Online tutor in chemistry and biology. 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: No. 

Special Bonus Points: Three LORs from top PIs. 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: No.

Applying to Where:

UCSF 

Harvard BBS 

Yale BBS 

UChicago 

University of Colorado at Boulder 

Tufts CMDB 

Vanderbilt 

Arizona State 

UPenn CAMB 

[bmengineer]

This may be too late, but what do people think?

Undergrad Institution: Boston University

Major(s): Biomedical ENG
GPA in Major: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.98
Position in Class: Top 5%
Type of Student: International, Male

Applying for: Bioengineering PhD

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:170(97%)
V:164(95%)
W:5(93%

Research Experience: 1 summer as part of the iGEM team (Synthetic Biology competition) working on optimizing genetic circuit design using computational tools. Gained a lot of experience in technical and communication skills. Spent the next year and a half working on a publication under the same PI (submitting a LOR). Working on another publication right now (at a Nature/Cell caliber journal).  

Then, moved to a mammalian SynBio lab to learn more techniques. The new PI uses my experience from the old lab to develop new projects and even labs for grad level classes. Started working on a CRISPR-dCas9 project for Senior Capstone. Have been in the lab for a year and have started work on two publications. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Many research grants for work over the three summers (ranging from $4200 to $10000). Deans List (all semesters). ENG and BME honor society. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for an ENG freshman course for over two years. Have a lot of leadership positions - RA, Student Advisor, etc. 

Special Bonus Points: LORs from 3 different PIs, all renowned in my field. 2 have been research advisors supervising independent work, while the third has taught me in two high level courses and has been in touch for a couple of years. 

Applying to Where:

BU (BME)

Harvard (HILS)

MIT (BE)

UW (BE)

NEU (BE)

UCSD (BE)

CASE (BSTP)

STANFORD (BE)

RICE (BE)

 

I realize that it is very top heavy, but I have been repeatedly told that I will definitely get into the 'reach' schools. I am scared that even though I have a lot of experience, I dont have too many publications (even though I am working on a few right now). Hopefully, my GRE and GPA can balance that out. My SOP should also be good.

[biochemgirl67]

5 hours ago, bmengineer said:

This may be too late, but what do people think?

Undergrad Institution: Boston University

Major(s): Biomedical ENG
GPA in Major: 3.98
Overall GPA: 3.98
Position in Class: Top 5%
Type of Student: International, Male

Applying for: Bioengineering PhD

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:170(97%)
V:164(95%)
W:5(93%

Research Experience: 1 summer as part of the iGEM team (Synthetic Biology competition) working on optimizing genetic circuit design using computational tools. Gained a lot of experience in technical and communication skills. Spent the next year and a half working on a publication under the same PI (submitting a LOR). Working on another publication right now (at a Nature/Cell caliber journal).  

Then, moved to a mammalian SynBio lab to learn more techniques. The new PI uses my experience from the old lab to develop new projects and even labs for grad level classes. Started working on a CRISPR-dCas9 project for Senior Capstone. Have been in the lab for a year and have started work on two publications. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Many research grants for work over the three summers (ranging from $4200 to $10000). Deans List (all semesters). ENG and BME honor society. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for an ENG freshman course for over two years. Have a lot of leadership positions - RA, Student Advisor, etc. 

Special Bonus Points: LORs from 3 different PIs, all renowned in my field. 2 have been research advisors supervising independent work, while the third has taught me in two high level courses and has been in touch for a couple of years. 

Applying to Where:

BU (BME)

Harvard (HILS)

MIT (BE)

UW (BE)

NEU (BE)

UCSD (BE)

CASE (BSTP)

STANFORD (BE)

RICE (BE)

 

I realize that it is very top heavy, but I have been repeatedly told that I will definitely get into the 'reach' schools. I am scared that even though I have a lot of experience, I dont have too many publications (even though I am working on a few right now). Hopefully, my GRE and GPA can balance that out. My SOP should also be good.

you can't use publications that haven't been at least submitted.  It's in bad form.  But otherwise, you'll be fine.  Don't freak out, you'll have some good choices.  No one expects publications out of undergrad, although they are a plus.  It won't be a detriment and your experience speaks for itself.  Hopefully you've done presentations and conferences, which are useful.  Either way, you will get in to some of the schools on your list at least.

You know when you think you're going to edit a post and then you just don't?  Sorry about that.  I'm tired and waiting for my damn Western to block.  Ugh.  (I messed it up the first time and am pretty sure it's gonna turn out shitty now too.  Hey kids, come to grad school! )

Edited November 22, 2016 by biochemgirl67

[blc073]

7 hours ago, biochemgirl67 said:

 I'm tired and waiting for my damn Western to block.  Ugh.  (I messed it up the first time and am pretty sure it's gonna turn out shitty now too.  Hey kids, come to grad school! )

How does one mess up blocking a western? Just curious. 

[NXPH2108]

Undergrad Institution: University of Dhaka, Bangladesh ( Its the top university of my country)
Major(s):Microbiology
CGPA in Bachelor: 3.86
CGPA in Masters : 3.79
Position in Class: Top in Bachelor but near top in Masters.
Type of Student: South Asian, Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158
V: 151
W:pending (expecting 4.0)
B: Not going to take


TOEFL Total: 107 (R-29, L-27, W-28 & S-23)

Research Experience: worked 1 year as a research fellow at immunology lab at my university; 4 months as senior research assistant in ICDDR,B ( International Center

for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh)

No publication

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Enlisted in the Dean's list for 4 years of Bachelor degree, University stipend for Bachelor degree result, National Science and Technology

fellowship from Ministry of Science and Technology

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Serving as a Lecturer in dept. of Microbiology at Primeasia University from October, 2015 and still continuing.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: International Duke of Edinburgh Award (Bronze)

Special Bonus Points: I've managed several good recommenders who I acknowledge highly in biological science.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: N/A

Applying to where: This where I'm totally confused. As I've a mediocre GRE score coupled with no publication whatsoever, I can't hope so much.

Can you please suggest me some universities? Or at least tell me at what range of ranking I should apply?

What are the ambitious, deserving and safe universities for me?

Thank in advance.

[Promilla]

On 20/11/2016 at 3:44 PM, biochemgirl67 said:

Your research experience is sorely lacking and it will be a toss up whether your stellar GPA and short-term projects will compensate.  I would say that it might be an issue especially since you're international.  I'm surprised you only applied to 5 schools, especially since they are so competitive.  You really should diversify and create a back up plan in case it doesn't pan out.  Many applicants will have great experiences with research and presentations and even sometimes publications.  Really, it'll a be toss-up and I wouldn't be expecting anything.

Thanks so much. Yeah, I realized maybe I made small mistake. It's just that I am also applying to schools in Europe. That's why only these three. 

 

Well, your comment made me aware that I have little chances. But really appreciate your response. 

[ballwera]

12 minutes ago, Promilla said:

Thanks so much. Yeah, I realized maybe I made small mistake. It's just that I am also applying to schools in Europe. That's why only these three. 

 

Well, your comment made me aware that I have little chances. But really appreciate your response. 

I think you'll be fine, I would just add a few extra schools to your list. I would also try to find someone other than a tutor to write your last LOR. 

Edited November 23, 2016 by ballwera

[Promilla]

24 minutes ago, ballwera said:

I think you'll be fine, I would just add a few extra schools to your list. I would also try to find someone other than a tutor to write your last LOR. 

Thanks ballwera. I think it's too late now since my recommenders have already submitted my letters. And yeah - my previous supervisor from Japan is too busy to write a letter so I had to, unfortunately, ask my tutor. But well - it will be a lottery.

 

Thanks a lot! 

[biochemgirl67]

On 11/22/2016 at 8:25 AM, blc073 said:

How does one mess up blocking a western? Just curious. 

Lol not the blocking!  I messed up the first one that night by somehow managing to move the membrane when I tried to roll it together.  I tried to learn it off Bio-Rad protocols that said to do it in buffer and I think it was too wet for someone with no experience in doing wet transfers.  So I had to redo it and stay later that night.

 

23 hours ago, Promilla said:

Thanks so much. Yeah, I realized maybe I made small mistake. It's just that I am also applying to schools in Europe. That's why only these three. 

 

Well, your comment made me aware that I have little chances. But really appreciate your response. 

It's not that you don't have a chance.  Those schools are literally the top in the country and can be a bit dodgy in reliably admitting students based on a common profile.  I've never seen an American student apply to just 4 of the top 10 schools in our country just because it can be a bit of a crapshoot.

[MeTooThanks]

Undergrad Institution: University of Washington (unfortunate, since this is among my top grad school choices)
Major(s): Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (B.S.)
Minor(s): None 
GPA in Major: 3.43 (Ochem/biochem brought this down a bit)
Overall GPA: 3.45
Position in Class: The UW doesn't give us this data, but most classes curved to a 2.7-2.8 so I would suspect I was above average.
Type of Student: Domestic, Asian, Male, First-gen college

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 163 (85th)
V: 165 (95th)
W: 4.0 (59th)
B: N/A

Research Experience: 

• 2 years of undergraduate research in a lab as part of an iGEM team (two projects, one year each). This was mainly student-led research, but we got input from graduate students and post-docs and were hosted by a lab. I'm not sure if this is a pro or a con since it isn't the typical undergraduate research experience.
  • I presented a poster the first year at the iGEM conference in Boston. This project was related to protein design.
  • The lab which hosted us is one in which I hope to become a graduate student
• Have been a research technician for about a year at Fred Hutch, which is pretty well-known locally and nationally.
  • The lab performs assays on vaccine recipients who are participating in clinical trials. We work on assaying immune responses to peptides in blood samples from the vax recipients. On a broad level, I want to study protein design with the end goal of engineering immunogens/vaccines/medicine/you name it. This is why I accepted the position - to learn more about immunology and what it takes to design a vaccine.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Our first iGEM project won Gold, our second year we won Silver. This sounds impressive, but lots of teams get medals.
 

Special Bonus Points: My previous and current PIs are renowned in their field and have a lot of name recognition. They were both willing to write strong letters. I also have a strong letter from my current supervisor, which I have been told carries a lot of weight. 
 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I did running start at a local community college. I earned an associate in science degree in biology with honors and had a 3.79 gpa. I don't factor this into my cumulative GPA above since I feel like it's separate and a community colleges aren't as rigorous.

Applying to Where:

My only certain choice so far is UW. I plan to apply to the BPSD and the MCB program. I would love to go here and study protein design since there are several faculty that do that type of research.

Other schools I am considering are UCSD (BMS) and Columbia (CMBS). I think I would be happy studying protein function/structure anywhere, and these are good programs thare are cross-disciplinary. I'm not 100% sure where else I might be a good fit, or if I'm competitive for the schools I have chosen already.

Any thoughts?

Edited November 24, 2016 by MeTooThanks

[Neuro15]

1 hour ago, MeTooThanks said:

Undergrad Institution: University of Washington (unfortunate, since this is among my top grad school choices)
Major(s): Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (B.S.)
Minor(s): None 
GPA in Major: 3.43 (Ochem/biochem brought this down a bit)
Overall GPA: 3.45
Position in Class: The UW doesn't give us this data, but most classes curved to a 2.7-2.8 so I would suspect I was above average.
Type of Student: Domestic, Asian, Male, First-gen college

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 163 (85th)
V: 165 (95th)
W: 4.0 (59th)
B: N/A

Research Experience: 

• 2 years of undergraduate research in a lab as part of an iGEM team (two projects, one year each). This was mainly student-led research, but we got input from graduate students and post-docs and were hosted by a lab. I'm not sure if this is a pro or a con since it isn't the typical undergraduate research experience.
  • I presented a poster the first year at the iGEM conference in Boston. This project was related to protein design.
  • The lab which hosted us is one in which I hope to become a graduate student
• Have been a research technician for about a year at Fred Hutch, which is pretty well-known locally and nationally.
  • The lab performs assays on vaccine recipients who are participating in clinical trials. We work on assaying immune responses to peptides in blood samples from the vax recipients. On a broad level, I want to study protein design with the end goal of engineering immunogens/vaccines/medicine/you name it. This is why I accepted the position - to learn more about immunology and what it takes to design a vaccine.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Our first iGEM project won Gold, our second year we won Silver. This sounds impressive, but lots of teams get medals.
 

Special Bonus Points: My previous and current PIs are renowned in their field and have a lot of name recognition. They were both willing to write strong letters. I also have a strong letter from my current supervisor, which I have been told carries a lot of weight. 
 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I did running start at a local community college. I earned an associate in science degree in biology with honors and had a 3.79 gpa. I don't factor this into my cumulative GPA above since I feel like it's separate and a community colleges aren't as rigorous.

Applying to Where:

My only certain choice so far is UW. I plan to apply to the BPSD and the MCB program. I would love to go here and study protein design since there are several faculty that do that type of research.

Other schools I am considering are UCSD (BMS) and Columbia (CMBS). I think I would be happy studying protein function/structure anywhere, and these are good programs thare are cross-disciplinary. I'm not 100% sure where else I might be a good fit, or if I'm competitive for the schools I have chosen already.

Any thoughts?

I'll let the more experienced posters weigh in on your chances, but regarding school choice, you know Dec 1st is the deadline for a lot of programs right? Just a reminder because you're going to have to hustle to get all your LoRs/GRE/transcripts in. 

[MeTooThanks]

26 minutes ago, Neuro15 said:

I'll let the more experienced posters weigh in on your chances, but regarding school choice, you know Dec 1st is the deadline for a lot of programs right? Just a reminder because you're going to have to hustle to get all your LoRs/GRE/transcripts in. 

Yeah, I'm relying on being able to get my materials in electronically. I've also sent my GRE scores to the three institutions I've mentioned already. I'm hoping to get an idea of schools I might be able to apply to just under the wire or some sense of whether my current picks are a reach.

Edited November 25, 2016 by MeTooThanks

[iamthemorning]

Undergrad Institution: Top institute in India
Major(s): Biology
GPA in Major:  ~3.92 (Converted)
Overall GPA: ~3.9
Position in Class: Near top overall, top in major
Type of Student: International male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 170 (97^th percentile)
V: 169 (99^th percentile)
W: 4.5 (82^nd percentile)
B: 950 (99^th percentile)

TOEFL Total: 117

Research Experience: 

3 months in a neuroscience lab (in a small state school in the US). Not relevant to current interests

5-6 months in a biophysics/computational biology lab at top biology research institute in India after sophomore year. Theoretical work, mostly modelling and simulations. No publications, but some cool results.

3 months in a biophysics lab at MIT after junior year. Work went really well, will be writing a first author paper from my work here (won’t be submitted in the next couple of months). Presented this work at a relevant conference in India, likely to have poster for the APS Meeting next year.

Currently at another biophysics lab for undergraduate thesis research at same institute where I worked after sophomore year. Working on microbial ecology and evolution.

Interests: Biophysics, ecology and evolution

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Two Govt. scholarships, one for undergrad study, one for summer research in the US.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: N/A

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:  Medal at an International Olympiad.

Special Bonus Points:  Several graduate level courses in systems biology and related fields (which had a significant research component, something that I’ve emphasized in my application).

Strong recommendations (esp. from PI at MIT, who is very well known in the field). Other recommendations from the two biophysics labs I worked in.

 

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

Applying to:

MIT: CSB, Microbiology

 

Harvard: Systems Biology, MCO (Engineering and Physical Biology track)

Princeton: QCB

Stanford: Bioengineering

Berkeley: Biophysics

UCSD: Biology (Quantitative Biology)

 

 

What do you think about my chances at these programs?

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2016 by iamthemorning
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