If I knew then what I know now

[mejkor]

I've seen one of these threads for general applications, but what about biology specifically? Do people who recently went through the application process have advice for choosing schools, interviews, GREs, GRE subject tests, SOPs, etc...?

[shikkui]

People on this site really like talking and looking at rank, but I think it's important to look at individual research that PIs are conducting.  There isn't any point going to a school if there aren't professors doing work that you're interested in doing.  Also, when you're looking at schools online, you should think about the offers that you could possibly get in terms of funding.  Some schools are waaaay more generous than others.

[whybanana]

How early should I begin the PhD application process (i.e. reaching out to professors/schools, preparing a research proposal)?

 

[KR Marksmen]

4 hours ago, whybanana said:

How early should I begin the PhD application process (i.e. reaching out to professors/schools, preparing a research proposal)?

 

I started writing and researching schools mid july. I got serious about it in August though and wrote most of my generic essays (why PhD/PS/research Statement). These essays and an updated CV were proofread by several people, my mentor pi and advisors, and finished by mid September. I used October to tailor each essay to each school(different schools want specific things addressed in essays or have additional diversity essays). 

I took my GRE in November exactly two weeks before December 1st(lol dont do that, shoot for mid october at the latest) or else I would have submitted all my apps mid November. Every app was submitted before December 1st.

[ballwera]

Don't sell yourself short. 

[shikkui]

14 hours ago, whybanana said:

How early should I begin the PhD application process (i.e. reaching out to professors/schools, preparing a research proposal)?

 

If you're planning to submit your application this upcoming December-January, you could start around october, november to reach out the potential PIs.  That's what I did.  I took the GREs over the summer which gave me enough time to prepare outside of school and take the exam at my own leisure.

[Dragon_ChemBio]

Don't get so wrapped up in school name recognition. It's really all about the best fit (how the professors in the program match your specific research interests, and other personal factors). I kept telling everyone and was trying to convince myself that Berkeley was my top choice when I started my applications, and in the end, I didn't even apply to Berkeley because the research fit was quite poor. After that, I kept telling everyone and was trying to convince myself that Stanford was my top choice after I got my interview offers, but once again, the research fit was less than stellar (but I kept saying that it was my top choice during and after the interview). I wasn't accepted after the interview, which was actually a good thing. If Berkeley and Stanford were replaced by two lesser-known schools, but everything else about the programs/professors were kept the same, I wouldn't even have considered applying to them.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Dragon_ChemBio

[MrJforCancerBio]

Start as early as feasibly possible. 

[L543]

I took the GRE in August and then again in October. I was advised not to take the subject GRE and I still got interviews at all but one school I applied to, even though every program said the subject test was strongly recommended. I wrote all my essays in September, had them edited by advisers/PI in October, submitted all my apps in November (they weren't due til December, but I wanted to be done with it). Before you decide to apply to a program, go through and make sure there are at least 3-4 professors you would want to work for, otherwise don't bother applying.

[MoreInformation]

All of your letters of recommendation should come from PIs. 

Your statement of purpose should state clearly your research experience. Describe your projects. 

Don't waste your time taking the GRE subject test. 

In your interviews, you will be expected to describe your work.

[Lurpelis]

I would only have applied for the one program I got into. I applied to the other just to feel like I was being safe and I was outright rejected (no interview) from everything except my first choice. Wasted $300 on application fees for nothing.

[Kvothe~]

Only apply to my first 5 schools. Freaked out and applied to five more towards the end, but really, should've stuck to my top 5.

[BigThomason51]

Reach out to every single program coordinator and generate some type of rapport with them. Although they usually do not have a say in whether you are accepted or not, the programs I ended up getting into were the ones where I contacted the coordinator EARLY and assessed my competitiveness for the program. 

Secondly, I would prepare 3X harder for my interview. I botched my first interview because I got super nervous and couldn't accurately describe my research (they ended up rejecting me two weeks ago.) Do not make this mistake, and practice even if you feel like you know your research on the back of your hand.

Third, I would have taken the GRE again.  I came into the process with a low GPA, and a good GRE, however, it could have been better. A lot of schools have filters for people who do not have a certain GPA or GRE. 

[FailedScientist]

My advice;

• Sit for the GRE as early as possible, at least by August. Start researching schools at around the same time you start preparing for your GRE, so July/August. The GRE allows around 4 universities that you can send your score in for free.
• Write up your research/personal statement leaving enough time for 2-3 people to proofread it. I'd suggest at least one person who knows the field, one who is more of a writer/English major and one person close to you who would know if you are missing out on anything important.
• Select your referees carefully, give them enough notice and follow up with them regularly. (They sometimes leave these things for the last minute)
• Apply to as many schools as you can afford.Several top notch schools have free or cheap applications. I eventually had to apply to 12 schools over 2 cycles, before I got an interview and acceptance. (International student here)
• After application, follow up regularly to make sure that they have actually looked at your application. My application was transferred from my 1st choice department to 2nd choice but it was quite clear that it wasn't looked at until I put in a lot of effort to contact the director of that 2nd choice program. They eventually liked what they read.

Good Luck with your application! It can be tough, especially if you are faced with many rejections but keep at it if it is your dream.

 

[shikkui]

On 5/17/2017 at 8:08 AM, FailedScientist said:

My advice;

• Sit for the GRE as early as possible, at least by August. Start researching schools at around the same time you start preparing for your GRE, so July/August. The GRE allows around 4 universities that you can send your score in for free.

 

I would say search for schools earlier than the GRE.  That way, you can send in your 3 free GRE scores to schools you really like.  Also, reading papers from potential PIs early is pretty important.

[FailedScientist]

On 6/3/2017 at 7:21 AM, shikkui said:

I would say search for schools earlier than the GRE.  That way, you can send in your 3 free GRE scores to schools you really like.  Also, reading papers from potential PIs early is pretty important.

Kinda what I meant. For me I was working full time so I prepared for the GRE from around July (sat for it end August). I think thats early enough to prepare your shortlist. A few schools may change along the way.

[shikkui]

7 hours ago, FailedScientist said:

Kinda what I meant. For me I was working full time so I prepared for the GRE from around July (sat for it end August). I think thats early enough to prepare your shortlist. A few schools may change along the way.

Ah, my bad.  Was redundant.

[Eppendork]

On 4/26/2017 at 3:18 PM, MoreInformation said:

 

Don't waste your time taking the GRE subject test. 

I would say that this depends.  I went to a relatively unknown undergrad (no one I meet from outside my state has heard of it) and got mediocre scores on my general GRE.  I got a high score on my subject GRE (97th percentile), and I think that helped my chances.  It showed that my low general GRE scores weren't necessarily indicative of a subpar undergrad education, and I got 6/7 interview invites.

 

The only program that didn't invite me to interview was the highest ranked, and it's also the only application in which I didn't mention specific labs of interest.  I of course had labs of interest, but was having trouble with the word limit and removed that section, which was probably a bad idea.  Luckily, I will be attending a great program anyway, so I'm not beating myself up about it (much).  It may have been my general GRE scores that did me in, anyway.

I don't know if neglecting to mention specific labs of interest put me in the reject pile, but it's possible.  So I would recommend doing so.  Looking back, I also would have gone to more interviews.  After the first two, I was so happy with what I saw that I declined all but one interview offer after that.  While I think there's a strong chance I would pick the same grad program that I did, no matter what, it might have been nice to see other departments- who knows?

[MCF10A]

To future international applicants: Many programs are not "international-friendly", especially some small programs that rely on NIH training grant. When selecting programs, do some homework on whether these programss have a proven track-record of taking intl students.  

[flyFISH]

On 7/6/2017 at 0:38 AM, MCF10A said:

To future international applicants: Many programs are not "international-friendly", especially some small programs that rely on NIH training grant. When selecting programs, do some homework on whether these programss have a proven track-record of taking intl students.  

How do you go about finding out if they have a good history of taking in intl students?