Genetic Counseling Fall 2017 Applicants

[CiciGC]

I need some help on what psychology classes I should be taking, please. I've checked out several GC programs online but can't find info on what psychology background they want from a potential applicant. I haven't taken any psych classes yet but am interested in applying to GC programs this Fall.

I'm also trying to decide whether to take a psych class through a university for credit/grade (cost?) or if it would be OK to take an online class through somewhere like Coursera or a free online class from Harvard/MIT (lower cost). Any suggestions/experiences? Thanks!

[AspiringGC]

1 hour ago, CiciGC said:

I need some help on what psychology classes I should be taking, please. I've checked out several GC programs online but can't find info on what psychology background they want from a potential applicant. I haven't taken any psych classes yet but am interested in applying to GC programs this Fall.

I'm also trying to decide whether to take a psych class through a university for credit/grade (cost?) or if it would be OK to take an online class through somewhere like Coursera or a free online class from Harvard/MIT (lower cost). Any suggestions/experiences? Thanks!

Most appear to want an introduction Psych class and/or Developmental psych. I have see one program list Abnormal psych too. 
Most schools only want one semester, in which case intro psych would probably be best, if they want two semester, intro and abnormal or dev. psych would work. 

I think credit courses would probably be best. Check out your local community college. Mine offers psych courses that directly transfer/correlate to the matching psych classes at my university. I am thinking of taking the course at the community college to save money, but have not decided yet. The GC that I know recommended psych classes to be in person. Psychology is such an interpersonal subject that she said getting the material in person can sometimes be beneficial. 

Edited August 5, 2016 by slaybackc

[weilongli1]

On 8/5/2016 at 1:56 PM, CiciGC said:

I need some help on what psychology classes I should be taking, please. I've checked out several GC programs online but can't find info on what psychology background they want from a potential applicant. I haven't taken any psych classes yet but am interested in applying to GC programs this Fall.

I'm also trying to decide whether to take a psych class through a university for credit/grade (cost?) or if it would be OK to take an online class through somewhere like Coursera or a free online class from Harvard/MIT (lower cost). Any suggestions/experiences? Thanks!

I would advise against something like Coursera, but @slaybackc recommends, community college classes would be better. As for my personal experience, I took AP Psychology in high school, which covered the Intro to Psych class at my university, and the only psychology class I took while in college was Social Psychology.

 

[_GC19_]

Hello! Thanks for getting this thread started for 2017 applicants. I just learned about GradCafe during the interview season this past spring and really wish I had known about it sooner.

I applied this past year to 8 programs and interviewed at 3 (University of Maryland, University of Alabama - Birmingham, and Emory University). I was waitlisted at Maryland and Birmingham but ultimately did not get in - the process is so, so competitive! I also went through the unmatched applicant process and interviewed by phone with Ohio State; this was also a great learning experience and I would encourage people to participate in this if they do not have success on Match day. I followed up with each of the program directors and they were all extremely helpful with feedback - so to all worrying about contacting them do not be timid, they appreciate people who look for advice and that kind of sticks out to them come time to review applications. I was a Psychology major and Biology minor but each of the programs commented that they would really like to see additional Biology courses. I am taking Embryology through the University of Cincinnati Program online - one of the directors told me about this option and it really works perfect for my schedule since I work full-time with an hour commute and do not have much time to attend a scheduled class in-person. Other feedback I received was to do some additional shadowing so I have set-up some ongoing shadowing days with the GCs in my area to improve in that area as well.

I have been working to narrow down the list of schools I would like to apply to for this season and keeping an eye out for programs that are opening for Fall 2017. I have found some information on 4 programs - University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Rutgers, and University of Arizona. I have not seen that any besides South Florida have set-up a website yet but if anyone else finds out anything, it would be great to add info to this thread! I had also heard at one of my interviews that the University of Iowa may eventually be opening a program but have not been able to find anything online yet.

Looking forward to hearing from you all as we embark on another application season! Good luck everyone!

[Ultrapeaches]

Hi team,

This is my first year applying to GC programs and since making this decision I've swung wildly between hopeful and despondent. In my life, I've never been so sure of something being right for me; I'll be wrecked if I don't get in anywhere.

I'm applying to 8 programs - Stanford, Emory, Cincinnati, Michigan, Denver, CSU Stanislaus, UC Irvine and Northwestern - proscribed by where my husband is willing to live for 2 years. I'm almost 30 and am having a hard time evaluating if I'm a competitive applicant, or not even in the ballpark, as my resume is so different from the standard 22 year old college graduate.

GRE: 170V, 163Q, 4.5AWA - This is an area of strength for me.

GPA: Technically 3.82 BUT my academic history is a tire fire. All told, it took me 10 years to complete my undergraduate degree. I started at a university close to home, then transfered to a small liberal arts school and did poorly - I dropped out at 19. I came home, took a break from college, got my mental health together, met Mr. Right, got married, and re-enrolled. Then I got pregnant. I had two children with whom I stayed home, and I completed my degree in the edges of the day. I failed an entire semester during my first pregnancy (I retook  those courses to replace the grade in my GPA calculation), and haven't taken a full time course load since. My worst grades that I wasn't able to replace are all in science courses - a C in Cellular/Molecular biology, Bs in intro genetics, physiology and two chemistry labs. I took all the upper level courses with the word "genetics" in the title, but human genetics was not offered, so I haven't take it. 

Advocacy experience: I'm a trained birth doula and have taken doula clients for 3 years. I have no idea if admissions officers will consider this appropriate, if they even bother to learn what a doula does.

Research: One year in a molecular bio lab. Loved the experience and learned a lot, but didn't publish anything.

I am interning with a local genetic counselor who isn't worried about my prospects for admission, but she graduated 5 years ago and I'm afraid she may be out of touch with how competitive the field currently is. Those of you who applied in previous cycles, would you soberly appraise my likelihood of getting an interview?

[UTGC]

44 minutes ago, Ultrapeaches said:

Hi team,

This is my first year applying to GC programs and since making this decision I've swung wildly between hopeful and despondent. In my life, I've never been so sure of something being right for me; I'll be wrecked if I don't get in anywhere.

I'm applying to 8 programs - Stanford, Emory, Cincinnati, Michigan, Denver, CSU Stanislaus, UC Irvine and Northwestern - proscribed by where my husband is willing to live for 2 years. I'm almost 30 and am having a hard time evaluating if I'm a competitive applicant, or not even in the ballpark, as my resume is so different from the standard 22 year old college graduate.

GRE: 170V, 163Q, 4.5AWA - This is an area of strength for me.

GPA: Technically 3.82 BUT my academic history is a tire fire. All told, it took me 10 years to complete my undergraduate degree. I started at a university close to home, then transfered to a small liberal arts school and did poorly - I dropped out at 19. I came home, took a break from college, got my mental health together, met Mr. Right, got married, and re-enrolled. Then I got pregnant. I had two children with whom I stayed home, and I completed my degree in the edges of the day. I failed an entire semester during my first pregnancy (I retook  those courses to replace the grade in my GPA calculation), and haven't taken a full time course load since. My worst grades that I wasn't able to replace are all in science courses - a C in Cellular/Molecular biology, Bs in intro genetics, physiology and two chemistry labs. I took all the upper level courses with the word "genetics" in the title, but human genetics was not offered, so I haven't take it. 

Advocacy experience: I'm a trained birth doula and have taken doula clients for 3 years. I have no idea if admissions officers will consider this appropriate, if they even bother to learn what a doula does.

Research: One year in a molecular bio lab. Loved the experience and learned a lot, but didn't publish anything.

I am interning with a local genetic counselor who isn't worried about my prospects for admission, but she graduated 5 years ago and I'm afraid she may be out of touch with how competitive the field currently is. Those of you who applied in previous cycles, would you soberly appraise my likelihood of getting an interview?

Best of luck with your application! I think your experience as a doula will be *incredibly* relevant. I know my program - and I'm sure the same is true for many others - really wants their graduates to have a deep understanding of the pregnancy and birthing process, as this is very important for prenatal counseling. They definitely will know what a doula is and understand the role you've played in many women's pregnancies. Many of the skills you had to use as a doula will be very relevant to a career in genetic counseling, as well.

As far as I know, most programs are very accepting of people who don't follow the typical path for GC applicants (that being: major in bio or psych and head to grad school either fresh out of college or after a year or two). However, there are some in particular that I feel were especially open to older or otherwise nontraditional students. If your husband wouldn't mind living in Boston, I'd recommend checking out Brandeis. They had the fewest number of "fresh out of college" students that I saw and I got the impression they strongly preferred applicants with some work experience between college and grad school.

Interning with a GC is HUGE, you will probably have some of the highest number of exposure/shadowing hours. That combined with your doula experience will really convince the program directors that you really understand the field.

Your academic history isn't as bad as you think - that's a great GPA and the time it took you to finish seems to be based in very valid difficulties that you have since overcome. If you're confident that you can now handle a full course load, I'm sure you won't have too much trouble convincing them.

Honestly, I think you're quite competitive. I'd be very surprised if you didn't get most of those interviews, if not all. It is a competitive field, that's definitely true, but it looks to me like you have everything you need on paper. I'd work in some crisis counseling volunteering if you can spare the time (maybe you can work on a hotline from home), but you might also be able to cover that requirement with your doula work for that if you've worked with difficult pregnancies.

Edited August 24, 2016 by UTGC

[Ultrapeaches]

UTGC - thanks for reading my novel of anxious hand wringing, and thanks so much for your fast and thorough reply! That information about Brandeis is great to have. Boston is right on the edge for us - the cost of living is high, but we have family nearby, so it's a possibility.

You've definitely swung me back to hopeful for the day. 

Now I just have figure out how to cram everything I want to say into the personal statements. On the one hand, I feel like there isn't enough time to write the quality of essays I want to write for a 8+ schools... on the other hand, I'm so eager to put the process of completing applications behind me. The fatalistic exercise of simply waiting to be contacted sounds wholly appealing right now. 

[GCPH]

Hey guys!!

Super excited to start applying!  And I'm really glad someone started this forum up early because I'm already freaking out. First time applying so I'm really hoping for the best.

GPA: 3.13 (Definitely my weakest point) in Public Health. I'm taking Genetics now and will be taking Biochem in the Spring so I'm hoping the grades will bump me up by any margin. One of my letters of rec will be coming from a professor that I had two classes with plus TA'd for and worked really closely with. 

Shadowing: I've been shadowing cancer GCs since last September. Hoping to ask the manager for a letter of rec soon.

Advocacy: HIV/HCV Test Counselor since the end of March this year, will be doing this until the summer before GC school starts (if I get in haha). Also going to ask my program director for a letter of rec. 

Research: Currently working as a full-time clinical research assistant in genetic diagnostics. I just started this position a few months ago! I'm really hoping I'll have a lot to talk about if I can make it to interviews!

GRE: Still need to take. Will be taking within the next month or two. 

Seeing all your great stats and experiences make me a little nervous about my own. 

Best of luck to everyone applying this cycle! We can do it!

Edited August 25, 2016 by GCPH

[weilongli1]

On 8/24/2016 at 10:36 AM, Ultrapeaches said:

GPA: Technically 3.82 BUT my academic history is a tire fire. All told, it took me 10 years to complete my undergraduate degree. I started at a university close to home, then transfered to a small liberal arts school and did poorly - I dropped out at 19. I came home, took a break from college, got my mental health together, met Mr. Right, got married, and re-enrolled. Then I got pregnant. I had two children with whom I stayed home, and I completed my degree in the edges of the day. I failed an entire semester during my first pregnancy (I retook  those courses to replace the grade in my GPA calculation), and haven't taken a full time course load since. My worst grades that I wasn't able to replace are all in science courses - a C in Cellular/Molecular biology, Bs in intro genetics, physiology and two chemistry labs. I took all the upper level courses with the word "genetics" in the title, but human genetics was not offered, so I haven't take it. 

Adding on to what UTGC said, I would say that your dedication to get your degrees says a whole lot about you as a person. It's cliche, but from what I have seen, most people are firm believers in "Fall seven times, stand up eight." I would say this educational history makes your application better than people who had a more traditional route! I had Cs in some of my science classes as well - one coming very late in my undergraduate career, but they weren't held against me as much as I thought I they would be. Good luck!

[weilongli1]

On 8/24/2016 at 8:55 PM, GCPH said:

Seeing all your great stats and experiences make me a little nervous about my own. 

One thing that I have experienced and heard others mention during interviews last cycle was that seeing other people's bios and stats, etc. on here or on program websites makes it an extremely intimidating process. If I have any advice, it would be to ignore all of that. Talk to others and share your experiences, give and receive advice from each other, but don't spend hours comparing yourself to anybody else. Programs will not always select the students that look best on paper, nor should they. Focus on making your application the strongest it can be!  

[AspiringGC]

A few applications have opened up! 
Good luck as we start this process!

 

[Ultrapeaches]

My husband gets home from a trip tomorrow, and he'll be the last person to look over my main essay that I'll be sending to many of the schools. I've had a friend read it and taken it to my university's writing center twice  (a bargain at $0 per hour, up to 3 hours per week - take advantage of it if you have one at your undergraduate institution!) but my husband is the best writer I know and a really critical reader, so I wouldn't submit anything without his critique. I'll need to name some minor tweaks between schools, but I think it's basically done.

Then, Monday I meet with my final recommender - the GC I'm interning with - to drop off my packet o' recommendation info. 

Tuesday is my first test in Advanced Biochemistry I, my only missing required class. It seems like it's going to be really easy? I'm debating whether I want to sign up for Advanced Biochemistry II in the spring. On the one hand, if I get in, I'll have wasted my time and $1500. On the other hand, it's a prereq for a bunch of graduate level classes at my university, so if I don't take it and don't get accepted anywhere, I'm very very limited in what classes I can take to improve my application before the next cycle. Decisions decisions.

Then... I guess I'm ready to submit like, 6 or so applications? Eeek. 

It'll seem less overwhelming when I've finished half of my applications and I'm only thinking about a few remaining ones. At least, that's what I'm telling myself... and my friends who've got to be tired of listening to me stress and strategize at this point.

Where are you guys in the process?

[CiciGC]

On 6/13/2016 at 3:29 PM, UTGC said:

Hey everyone! I applied last year and will be attending the UT program (I also applied to UPitt, CSU, UC Irvine, Brandeis, Sarah Lawrence and VCU). I just wanted to offer to answer any questions 2017 applicants have. There's certainly a few things that I would've done differently!

Hi-I'm planning on applying to CSU, UC, Brandeis, and Sarah Lawrence. I'd really appreciate any thoughts on how you prepared your application materials (including personal statement) and insights from your interviews. Thanks!

Edited September 11, 2016 by CiciGC

[AspiringGC]

On 9/10/2016 at 6:18 PM, Ultrapeaches said:

My husband gets home from a trip tomorrow, and he'll be the last person to look over my main essay that I'll be sending to many of the schools. I've had a friend read it and taken it to my university's writing center twice  (a bargain at $0 per hour, up to 3 hours per week - take advantage of it if you have one at your undergraduate institution!) but my husband is the best writer I know and a really critical reader, so I wouldn't submit anything without his critique. I'll need to name some minor tweaks between schools, but I think it's basically done.

Then, Monday I meet with my final recommender - the GC I'm interning with - to drop off my packet o' recommendation info. 

Tuesday is my first test in Advanced Biochemistry I, my only missing required class. It seems like it's going to be really easy? I'm debating whether I want to sign up for Advanced Biochemistry II in the spring. On the one hand, if I get in, I'll have wasted my time and $1500. On the other hand, it's a prereq for a bunch of graduate level classes at my university, so if I don't take it and don't get accepted anywhere, I'm very very limited in what classes I can take to improve my application before the next cycle. Decisions decisions.

Then... I guess I'm ready to submit like, 6 or so applications? Eeek. 

It'll seem less overwhelming when I've finished half of my applications and I'm only thinking about a few remaining ones. At least, that's what I'm telling myself... and my friends who've got to be tired of listening to me stress and strategize at this point.

Where are you guys in the process?

Wow, way further than I am, so congrats on that!

I have the basic gist of what my Personal Statement will be (finally 3 pages long with everything I want to include, just needs to be editted and perfected/cut down for schools that only wnat 500 words...). I am taking it into my school's Career Services center (they look over Resumes/CVs and PSs specifically on top of other Career related things) today. 
I am working on setting up a time to ask my GC mentor for a letter of Rec, we've been playing email tag the past few weeks. She offered to write me one last semester, so this is more a formality than anything. I need to set up a time to talk to my boss to have him write me one, and set up a time with my internship director to ask her to write me one. 

I have half started 2 applications, working on getting access to all of my unofficial transcripts (I took dual credit in high school at a tiny CC and their transcript request process isn't set up very well). 

I received from information from Texas when they had their GC day and it mentioned that most people apply to 5-6 programs and applying to more doesn't seem to improve the chances of getting in, so I am debating shortening my list from 8 to 6 because there's already a few schools on my list solely because I wanted a higher chance of getting in and wouldn't love going there, but would if it was the only place I got into. 

[Ultrapeaches]

7 hours ago, slaybackc said:

 most people apply to 5-6 programs and applying to more doesn't seem to improve the chances of getting in

That makes a lot of sense to me; If you're a competitive applicant, 6 schools should be plenty, and if your application isn't strong enough for the first 6, chances are the next 6 are going to pass just the same.

That said, I'm probably going to go crazy sending out too many applications anyway, because I think I'm kind of a weird applicant?

Like, I could see one adcom being really interested in my doula experience and finding my personal statement compelling, and another thinking that my doula work is totally irrelevant and that I'm entirely mediocre. I feel like my application will be more divisive than a more normal candidate. Plus, besides the cities that they're in, I am having a hard time ranking the school that I'm applying to. There are only maybe 3 that I'm not already excited about, and I'm applying to them because if they offer me an interview, I want to go and learn more before making a decision. 

In other news, my husband thinks my personal statement needs "several more" rereads, so that's a bit of a self esteem killer and will delay my application submission schedule a bit.

[AspiringGC]

2 minutes ago, Ultrapeaches said:

In other news, my husband thinks my personal statement needs "several more" rereads, so that's a bit of a self esteem killer and will delay my application submission schedule a bit.

I think his honesty is better than not putting out your best work! I did not end up getting my personal statement looked over today, but I am going to set up an appointment right now so that I can have a better edition to give to my LOR writers. 

I feel I'm on okay candidate, so I don't know if cutting out 2 schools is that big of a deal for me, but it's looking more and more like my university is not going to have their program ready in time, which means I am 100% having to go out of state, which is a huge bummer for me (as I did not want to do long distance with my boyfriend if I didn't have to). But a couple of the school's in locations that I would be okay with living for the next two years are ridiculous when looking at COL.. So I am in a weird tango of deciding whether to take them off of my list, even though I love the location and things about the school, and maybe add other school's in a less favorable location, but more realistic COL. 

[AspiringGC]

Posting again: But I finally asked all of my LOR writers if they would write my letter and they all said yes! UCDenver requests 4 LOR, so I am still debating on who to ask for that one (probably the supervisor of my internship [I doesn't actually interact with her, she simply reads my bi-monthly journals, which is why she isn't one of the 3 I already asked], but also thinking about asking a teacher I took a small colloquium style class with, or my Bioethics teacher from last year, not really sure who would be best...). 

Asides from that, I perfected my resume and uploaded that to every open application (I believe CSU is the only one still closed?), submitted one application (Oklahoma has you email in the Resume and Personal Statement), and basically just need to perfect my Personal Statement and I could submit almost all of my applications!

I feel much less stress after meeting with my GC mentor/one of my LOR writers, she told me she'd be surprised if I didn't get in this cycle, and she's not the type of woman to sugar coat things or say something just because you want to hear it, so that made me extremely happy. 

---

Has anyone had trouble with taking their personal statement to their university's writing center and they didn't give very good advice? On top of always having to spend some time explaining what genetic counseling is, my last "tutor" I had told me to say a lot of cliche things in my statement that I've been told not to do by people who actually know what they're talking about. The only thing useful I got out of the appointment was that I needed to make my statement more "personal" and I found some areas that I could cut out (which is needed since some schools only want 500 words). 

[UTGC]

On 10/3/2016 at 10:59 PM, GCHopeful said:

My list of schools to apply to so far is: Stanford (reach), Denver, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Brandeis, and South Carolina. Any thoughts or suggestions regarding where I stand would be fantastic! Any tips on school selections  would be great as well. A lot of my friends are applying to medical school and the rankings for those are easily available, but not so much for genetic counseling programs. I am excited to get this process underway and, hopefully by this time next year, start the journey of becoming a genetic counselor with the rest of you!

Cheers. 

This may be frustrating, but there isn't a genetic counseling program ranking at all. The undergrad and med school ranking is pretty irrelevant, as the GC programs usually operate relatively independently. Therefore, you don't really need to consider Stanford more of a reach school than the other programs you've listed. It's Ivy League, sure, but when it comes to the GC program, I'm pretty sure they receive a similar number of applications as other desirable, established programs do (note: the number of applicants displayed on some program websites may be several years out of date, do not put too much stock into reported admission rates - they change quickly). And do remember: every accredited program gives the same degree and they all prepare you to do well on boards or they wouldn't be accredited. The closest thing you'll get to a ranking is perhaps to compare the pass rate for boards, but most were pretty high.

My tips for picking schools when the time comes is to focus on these elements (in no particular order):

• Location/cost of living/tuition: Is this a city you see yourself enjoying? Can you afford this program in this location? How do you feel about the access to clinics for rotations - are you in a big medical center or do you have to commute a few hours to some of the sites?
• Rotation schedule: Are you the type of person that wants to jump into rotations in your second semester and learn by experience? Or do you prefer to wait for the summer when you might feel more confident and knowledgeable before seeing a patient? Pay attention to when rotations start as this is a pretty significant element of any program.
• Class structure: Are all of the classes GC only? Or do you take most of your classes alongside students in other programs, like a med school? Who teaches the classes - genetic counselors or doctors?
• Gut instinct: How did you feel about the program after your interview? Could you see yourself at this school? Did you like the program director and other staff?

There are other things that are important, like the class schedule and way that research projects are handled, but it's difficult to make decisions based off of that when you're in the applicant stage, so don't worry about it if you're not sure what your ideal program would be in those areas.

Oh - and I think you're a very strong applicant. Good luck!

Edited October 6, 2016 by UTGC
.

[KT123]

I am really trying to decide if I should apply for this year. I am a senior majoring in Health Promotion with an emphasis in health services. I have a 3.68 GPA right now, but my GRE scores are lacking (150 V; 154 Q). Ive taken the GRE three times, so I don't see my scores going up anymore. I don't know if my scores can be compensated with my GPA or extracurriculars.

Genetic Counseling Experience: Summer internship at Northwestern and shadowing 2 genetic counselors 

Advocacy: Im an education ambassador for Bright Pink which is an organization that strives to save womens lives from breast and ovarian cancer. I am also a counselor at Camp Kesem which is a non-profit organization that puts on a free summer camp for kids who have a parent with cancer. I also went to Africa this past summer for a medical-service learning trip where I got to do community health screenings in the community and perform clinical rotations in the hospitals, where I got to do rotations in family planning, labor and delivery, NICU, nutrition rehabilitation, physical therapy, general surgery, obstetric surgery, and lab. I am also going to be a Meals on Wheels intern next semester.

Undergraduate Research: I have been a research assistant for a Professor that studies nutritional genetics for two years

 

[Ultrapeaches]

29 minutes ago, KT123 said:

I am really trying to decide if I should apply for this year. I am a senior majoring in Health Promotion with an emphasis in health services. I have a 3.68 GPA right now, but my GRE scores are lacking (150 V; 154 Q). Ive taken the GRE three times, so I don't see my scores going up anymore. I don't know if my scores can be compensated with my GPA or extracurriculars.

I could be wrong - I have no inside information - but I can't imagine that GRE scores are a particularly important part of your application. This isn't engineering; this is a counseling field. Being good at standardized test just isn't going to be that important a skill set compared to, say, interpersonal skills. 

[AspiringGC]

4 hours ago, KT123 said:

I am really trying to decide if I should apply for this year. I am a senior majoring in Health Promotion with an emphasis in health services. I have a 3.68 GPA right now, but my GRE scores are lacking (150 V; 154 Q). Ive taken the GRE three times, so I don't see my scores going up anymore. I don't know if my scores can be compensated with my GPA or extracurriculars.

Genetic Counseling Experience: Summer internship at Northwestern and shadowing 2 genetic counselors 

Advocacy: Im an education ambassador for Bright Pink which is an organization that strives to save womens lives from breast and ovarian cancer. I am also a counselor at Camp Kesem which is a non-profit organization that puts on a free summer camp for kids who have a parent with cancer. I also went to Africa this past summer for a medical-service learning trip where I got to do community health screenings in the community and perform clinical rotations in the hospitals, where I got to do rotations in family planning, labor and delivery, NICU, nutrition rehabilitation, physical therapy, general surgery, obstetric surgery, and lab. I am also going to be a Meals on Wheels intern next semester.

Undergraduate Research: I have been a research assistant for a Professor that studies nutritional genetics for two years

 

I attended Stanford's webinar today and what they said about the GRE is that it is important. This is because they don't want to train students who then cannot pass the required board exam, which is also a standardized exam. But that this can still supplemented with a higher GPA and experience.  I'd say if you have at least in the 50th %iles or higher you'd be more than fine, especially with the huge amount of experience that you have. 

[UTGC]

9 hours ago, KT123 said:

I am really trying to decide if I should apply for this year. I am a senior majoring in Health Promotion with an emphasis in health services. I have a 3.68 GPA right now, but my GRE scores are lacking (150 V; 154 Q). Ive taken the GRE three times, so I don't see my scores going up anymore. I don't know if my scores can be compensated with my GPA or extracurriculars.

Genetic Counseling Experience: Summer internship at Northwestern and shadowing 2 genetic counselors 

Advocacy: Im an education ambassador for Bright Pink which is an organization that strives to save womens lives from breast and ovarian cancer. I am also a counselor at Camp Kesem which is a non-profit organization that puts on a free summer camp for kids who have a parent with cancer. I also went to Africa this past summer for a medical-service learning trip where I got to do community health screenings in the community and perform clinical rotations in the hospitals, where I got to do rotations in family planning, labor and delivery, NICU, nutrition rehabilitation, physical therapy, general surgery, obstetric surgery, and lab. I am also going to be a Meals on Wheels intern next semester.

Undergraduate Research: I have been a research assistant for a Professor that studies nutritional genetics for two years

 

You sound like you're ready to apply! I'd only recommend waiting if you are very selective about wanting to get into a specific program and want to be as competitive as you possibly can be, really just want a gap year to work, or if you are concerned about spending money on applications/interviews when you're not 100% confident in your application. Seems like you feel that the GRE scores are your weakest point, but it also seems like you don't plan to retake the test. Why not apply this year?

You may feel like it's a bit late in the cycle to make a bunch of applications from scratch (especially because you're in college right now), but maybe you can just pick a few programs you're really interested in and gain some experience by sending in those applications and attending a few interviews. If it doesn't work out, you'll really know what you're doing next cycle. But I think you have decent chances, especially with all that GC/advocacy exposure.

[Razzlezazzle]

Hi All, 

I am working on my application now and feel like I'm getting really close to finishing my applications. I have just been really worried about getting in. I know I have a decent gpa, gre and experiences, but it is just so competitive it feels like it is out of my hands. Just wondering if anyone else is feeling this way/ how are you dealing with it?

[Ultrapeaches]

3 hours ago, Razzlezazzle said:

Hi All, 

I am working on my application now and feel like I'm getting really close to finishing my applications. I have just been really worried about getting in. I know I have a decent gpa, gre and experiences, but it is just so competitive it feels like it is out of my hands. Just wondering if anyone else is feeling this way/ how are you dealing with it?

I feel this way exactly. Ten years ago I got a C in Molecular Biology, and that's it, I'm done; there are 100 other applicants who have never gotten a C in anything and are just as strong as me in every other area and there is simply nothing that I can do to compensate. I'm plenty qualified, but when it comes down to it, they're choosing between me and a version of me with a pristine academic history from a more prestigious undergraduate institution, and really, it's no choice at all. 

So what am I doing to deal with it? 1) Applying to every program that interests me in a city my husband is willing to move to and 2) generating silver linings about my backup plan, which is to finish a non-thesis masters in physiology, accept a full time position as the administrative assistant for the GC office I intern with, then apply again next cycle. 

I mean, unless I get zero interviews. If I'm outright rejected from all ten programs, I'll probably take the hint and, well, I really don't know. I have never wanted anything for myself this badly in my life. There is a sort of fatalism that I think is necessary to not go crazy. I am exactly who I am, and that will come through in my writing, in my letters of rec, and hopefully in my interview, and they'll either want that person or not. I can't fake being a different sort of person, and I can't make admissions commitees seek something different than they are seeking. Like you said, it's out of my hands - why stress about something you can control no more than you can the weather?

[AspiringGC]

I am not sure anyone else is applying to UC Denver's program, but I was wondering if you were having issues with their website? 
Everytime I try to navigate passed the homepage it prompts me to log in. 

Because of this I have only been using the brochure on the main page as my guide to applying and it says that their personal statement is actually a series of essay questions that they want answered, but I can't find these anywhere on the application (or the website obviously). I just emailed the Program Administrator, but I wanted to see if anyone else was in the same boat. 

(I am only stressing so much because the application needs to be submitted before the links for the LOR is sent out).