Genetic Counseling Fall 2018 Applicants

[bubusaur]

Seems like they will eventually accept 24 students, but not this year.

[GCInTraining]

Hey everyone!

I was just accepted into a genetic counseling program so my hospital is looking to hire my replacement as a genetic counseling assistant! I was a second year applicant and this job really helped strengthen my application during my gap year. I was able to shadow (paid!) whenever I had time and learn how to take pedigrees. I highly recommend it for those reapplying in the fall! Here's the link for those interested: https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/63509

We're looking to close the application in the next few days so I recommend applying ASAP! Let me know if you have any questions about the position or city!

Danielle

[GCertain]

So glad to be joining this forum! Reading through the Fall 2017 forum has given me a lot of insight into the admissions process. Now I'm finally able to make my own profile as I start preparing for Fall 2018 admissions alongside all of you.

I'm actually currently in the interview process (waiting to hear back) for a full time GC assistant position. This would be such an incredible experience. I think the interview went well so I am very hopeful. Fingers crossed!

[KM94]

13 minutes ago, GCInTraining said:

Hey everyone!

I was just accepted into a genetic counseling program so my hospital is looking to hire my replacement as a genetic counseling assistant! I was a second year applicant and this job really helped strengthen my application during my gap year. I was able to shadow (paid!) whenever I had time and learn how to take pedigrees. I highly recommend it for those reapplying in the fall! Here's the link for those interested: https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/63509

We're looking to close the application in the next few days so I recommend applying ASAP! Let me know if you have any questions about the position or city!

Danielle

Thanks @GCInTraining ! I'll put in an application. 

[AspiringGC]

I would love a GC assistant position, but there's none in my city. I've already signed a lease and committed to my new job, so I'm not looking to move this year. My shadowing I'm trying to set up will allow for me to do some of the paperwork etc too, so it'll be kind of like an unpaid GC internship.

[Ellaie]

5 hours ago, Elisheva said:

Thank you for the info @Ellaie! How many schools did you apply to last year and how many interviews did you get vs. this year? I know you got accepted at USF, (congrats!) were you accepted elsewhere? Also, I know this will be different for everyone but what was the area you improved on most that you believe ultimately got you a spot? Also, how does the personal statement work the second time around? Do you mend it, or write an entirely new one? 

Thanks! I hope I'm not being to nosy ?

You're not being nosy.  I don't mind answering.  Last year I applied to 7 (UCI, California state, Alabama, Utah, Indiana state, Michigan, and UC Denver).  I only received an interview at UCI.  I was wait listed and from my conversation with Pam I could tell I was pretty low on the wait list and didn't have that great of a chance of getting in.  This year I applied to UC Irvine, USF, Emory, Michigan, Indiana State, South Carolina, Northwestern, UAMS, Sarah Lawrence, and Ohio State.  I got interviews at UCI, USF, Emory, Ohio State, Sarah Lawrence, and UAMS.  USF was my top choice and they accepted me outright.  Ohio State and UAMS rejected me.  SLC had me on the waitlist, but I declined.  I didn't talk to anyone, so I'm not sure what my position on the wait list was.  UCI and Emory both told me I was high on the wait list.  Emory said I would likely receive an acceptance before Monday was over.  I don't know for sure whether I would have actually been accepted though because I accepted my offer for USF around noon and took myself off the other wait lists. 

I did a lot during my off year to improve my resume.  Previously I had been volunteering as a rape crisis advocate for a month, but I continued to do it and had over a year of experience by this round of applications.  I tutored a girl with Down syndrome in literacy.  I shadowed a couple more genetic counselors.  I interviewed a couple more that I wasn't able to shadow.  I think more important than all these experiences themselves though was how I did a better job presenting them and myself in my resume and essay.  I spent a lot more time on my writing, and I had A LOT of people proofread it for me and give me advice.  So to answer yours and @adragonisnoslave's question, I wrote an entirely new one.  I think this was important to include the new experiences over the last year as well as improve my writing.  I feel like from my application experience and the feedback I received I learned a lot more about what programs are looking for and tried to include this in my statement. 

[Darwin]

Hi everyone. I also would be happy to share any advice or help in any way with people considering applying for programs next cycle, in particular if you are someone like me with a nontraditional, non-biology or genetics background (my degree is in English!). I was accepted to 4 programs this cycle and was wait listed at a 5th, which was all of the programs that I interviewed with. This process was definitely at times overwhelming and I appreciated this forum in not feeling isolated during this process, as I am a few years out of college so didn't have friends going through similar things at the same time.  I did not have extensive lab experience or shadowing experiences, but was focused on highlighting my strengths and focusing on what I was able to bring to the table, and think being able to create this narrative was really important. 

I don't know how often I will be checking in here over the next year, but if you are reading this in the ~future~, please feel free to PM me and that will send an alert to my email. 

Good luck to everyone!

 

 

 

[JN212]

Hello everyone, I'm glad someone created a new forum for the 2018 cycle. I too, did not get in anywhere this cycle which was a bummer but I am ready to persevere and try to improve my application for next fall. For those of you who applied to UC and didn't get in, you can contact Bette on Monday and there will be phone interviews to specifically help you beef up your application for next cycle. I think the thing that really brought me down this cycle was the stupid GRE.... so helpfully I can fix that this summer. 

[Nefelibata]

Hello all, I will be a second time applicant for the Fall2018 season as well. This year I applied to 4 schools and interviewed at one, but was too far down the waitlist to get in. I limited myself geographically and cost wise, but this next year I will be expanding both the number of schools and locations. I'm interested in checking out the new Columbia and MGH programs when they officially get accredited and put information up on their websites.

The feedback I got from the programs I didn't interview at mainly said two things:

1) they wanted to see more "traditional" advocacy work, like with a crisis line. My previous advocacy work was at the Mexican Embassy in my state teaching ESL classes and working with the civics class, which helps immigrants make various types of appointments, write resumes, apply for jobs, tour/apply to local colleges, and find/utilize other resources. So right now I am looking for "traditional" advocacy opportunites.

2) They weren't a fan of my undergrad biochem grade, which was a C+. It was a tough semester (Biochem + O.Chem + writing intensive Cell Bio + minor classes + being the competetive season for my sport as a D1 athlete...) so I plan to re-take biochem this fall.

 

I am thankful that some schools don't require you to re-submit your GRE's or transcripts if you apply a second time (unless you re-take them or something changes) so that will save me some money when applying again.,

[Ultrapeaches]

Hey all! I got in to UCI this cycle by the skin of my teeth and am feeling some mad survivor guilt.

I paid like $70 for the magoosh gre study program and knocked the gre out of the park - 170v, 163q - so I'd totally recommend that if you can afford it and are concerned about the gre.

I got started on my essays really early because I'm kind of a slow writer and I wanted time lots and lots of editing. I'm happy to edit your personal statements if you pm me! 

The 2017 applicants channeled their nervous energy into generating a lot of data. Here is a great deal of it -

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScblLkOC10eqmrQDn_PLVrutN5sllsTnQ4A6Xoq8OnMJfq7uQ/viewanalytics

This is survey results about how 2017 applicants ranked different schools - it includes fairly extensive qualitative pros and cons of each program.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1o1QTZb-PHuih117SY9LW7rPF0-Qm_WGjUvfc7pj0NVM/edit?usp=sharing

This is survey results about how many schools applicants applied to versus how many schools invited them to interviews. I made it mainly to get data for this one:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bvloEuIlsL5AohmhoBjuF_3UV_ADCF3lz8yVtkLjY9o/edit?usp=drivesdk

This spreadsheet gathered data about how many positions each program had and approximately how many applicants each program interviewed in the 2017 cycle. In addition, I used the data from the survey to make some guesses about admission.

If you have any questions please feel free to pm me! I'm eager to help. 

[kds27]

3 hours ago, bubusaur said:

I personally know the directors of the KGI program (actually they are discussing their rotations ideas right next to me right now) and I want to let you guys know that they are amazing amazing people with a great outlook on how the program is going to be and how to cater to their student's education. They can be opinionated in some ways, but it all makes sense for the greater good of education, rotations, students, etc. I'm sure you guys will looooove them.

This is so exciting to hear!! Do you know when they are going to be releasing information about the program on the website?

[kds27]

1 hour ago, Ultrapeaches said:

If you have any questions please feel free to pm me! I'm eager to help. 

Thank you so so so much! You are so Kind

[NHxx]

Hi guys! I just got into a program this year (first-time applicant), and I'm more than happy to help/answer questions as well!! I know that lurking through the forum throughout the whole process was really helpful so I'm eager to help applicants out for the next cycle as much as I can! I interviewed at 4 schools (CSU Stanislaus, Utah, UTexas, Pitt), was accepted to CSUS & Utah and waitlisted to UT and Pitt, and will be attending CSU Stanislaus in the fall! Feel free to message me with anything  

[GeneDawg]

@NHxx  Congratulations! Can you tell me more about how you decided which colleges to apply? Also, is it important to be able to speak Spanish for Californian programs? I am just beginning to decide on colleges, so I have a lot of questions. How did you gather information about specifics of each program?  Thank you  

[NHxx]

1 hour ago, GeneDawg said:

@NHxx  Congratulations! Can you tell me more about how you decided which colleges to apply? Also, is it important to be able to speak Spanish for Californian programs? I am just beginning to decide on colleges, so I have a lot of questions. How did you gather information about specifics of each program?  Thank you  

So in terms of information, the best (and sometimes only) resource is the websites of the programs. I was thinking about location when applying, and whether I could live in the city as well as if I knew any counselors or students that had attended the program. I applied to UCI, CSUStan, Utah, Texas, Pitt, Mt. Sinai & Case Western - and I hoped to stay in California. Another thing to look out for are the rotations the schools have - whether they start in your first or second year, if you have an elective rotation, or what kind of variable rotations are offered. For me, apart from location, I liked having the option to do a lab rotation - which CSUS and Utah had. And (although this isn't very beneficial to you rn and I'm sorry) people were right when they told me you really get a feel for a program once you visit for your interview, and you'll see if you feel like you're a fit there. 

Also, speaking Spanish is definitely a huge plus, but not absolutely a requirement - I'm from Southern California and I don't speak Spanish (but I do speak Armenian). 

& no problem! ask away!! 

[bubusaur]

21 hours ago, kds27 said:

This is so exciting to hear!! Do you know when they are going to be releasing information about the program on the website?

As far as I know, they are still in their planning stage. So I don't think anything will be out in the public in the soon future.

[lex94]

Hey everyone! I wanted to post here about my experience applying as a second time applicant.

I know it sounds redundant and hopeless, but keep applying. If becoming a GC is what you really want to do, then don't give up! I applied for the first time for fall 2016. I applied to 13 schools, and got rejected (not even an interview) from all of them. I knew my problems- my GPA was lower than average, and my GRE scores were kind of bad. But, I went and tried to fix my problems by retaking some classes even after I graduated as well as retaking the GRE, and reapplied for fall 2017. I applied to 13 schools again (only maybe 3 were the same schools as last round) and ended up getting 2 interviews and got accepted this year and will be attending in the fall. 

It was really hard but I knew I wanted to be a GC so I didn't give up. Hopefully you guys will keep on pushing through if it's what you're passionate about!

If you guys have any questions or want more details or further advice just PM me, I check gradcafe pretty regularly now to check up on the GC applicants.

[Cricket643]

Hi everyone! I just thought I would post here as I am also willing to answer any questions for those of you going through the application/interview process for 2018. I can also provide a perspective on some of the Canadian programs, as I found most applicants on here applied to the American programs only.

 I was accepted to a program (second time applicant) for fall 2017. Last year, I applied to 3 Canadian programs and did not receive any interviews. I was lacking counselling experience and had not shadowed any GCs yet, but my supervisors suggested I apply, even just to get a feel for putting my applications together. This year, I applied to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Toronto, BC, and Manitoba and received interviews at all 5 schools. I was accepted at Manitoba and BC and wait listed at the other 3 schools, and will be attending the U of M in the fall. For my application this year, I added volunteer counselling experience (birth control and pregnancy counselling), shadowed a couple of GCs, and was more involved as a volunteer at school. I re-wrote my personal statements and tailored them to really highlight the experiences that I have had that parallel the role of a genetic counsellor or will contribute to my success in a GC program. I used 2 of the same references as last year, although they rewrote their letters. As others have said, if you really want to be a GC, keep applying and working on your application! You will get there! 

[kds27]

Hi all!  I have a question!  What types of jobs do you all have?  I am looking for an advocacy/healthcare/nonprofit/clinical research type of job and I would love to hear what you all are up to, so I can get ideas!  Thanks

[AspiringGC]

Hi guys! So not sure if anyone has some suggestions about classes I should retake. 
Basically, I think a big issue with my application this year was my science GPA/prereq grades. I figured I should try retake some of the ones I received a C in as well as take the other semester of Biochem as I only took one semester. So I'm thinking of retaking OChem I (which I've taken twice already), Biochem I, and then a random assortment of Psych classes (because I'm looking to add a minor on if I am allowed to after I graduate). Psych classes I'm looking at are: Health psych, Psych of Death and Loss, and Intro Cognitive Psych/Cognitive development. 

Are there any other suggestions of classes I should look into? I know embryology would be beneficial, but none of the programs I'm looking at require it. Counseling classes? Try to improve my sign language by taking more semesters of that? I've already taken a medical terminology class, Stats, and Calc and received A's/B's in those. 

[GeneDawg]

New match system will be up soon! Does anybody know what pros and cons could be?

https://www.natmatch.com/gcadmissions.html

[AspiringGC]

46 minutes ago, GeneDawg said:

New match system will be up soon! Does anybody know what pros and cons could be?

https://www.natmatch.com/gcadmissions.html

Pros for us: we are given our highest preferred program if we are ranked at that school and there are spots, no more waiting/stand stills waiting for movement from other applicants (takes away the "applicant 1 waitlisted at 1st choice program A, but accepted to 2nd choice program B while applicant 2 is waitlisted at 1st choice program B, accepted to 2nd choice program A" theoretical problem, we will get our acceptance right away, takes away some of the stress of match day

Cons: takes away some of our ability to choose between programs as we only get one acceptance, could still end up without a placement if not ranked/ranked low on a waitlist by the school, Canadian applicants might have specific issues/cons that affect them more drastically 

Pros for programs: more streamlined, less work for the program, should make it easier for every program to fill their class

Cons: their preference is second to applicants choices, could still end up with empty seats (I'd bet that they will keep the second match process to combat this??) 

That's just what I've thought of, I bet there's more for both sides!

Edited May 1, 2017 by AspiringGC

[AnonymousGC]

I'm nervous for the new match system. I feel like we need to be smart in ranking our programs because although for example Columbia may be my number 1, I may have the least chance of getting accepted. I feel as though this puts more stress on the applicants as walking out of interview days we need to rank our programs wisely. 

Anyone second this?

[AspiringGC]

11 minutes ago, Elisheva said:

I'm nervous for the new match system. I feel like we need to be smart in ranking our programs because although for example Columbia may be my number 1, I may have the least chance of getting accepted. I feel as though this puts more stress on the applicants as walking out of interview days we need to rank our programs wisely. 

Anyone second this?

Yes! I very strongly want to go to Arizona, for one I live here already and have done undergrad here, so of course it's my number 1. But that puts soo much pressure on making sure I nail the interview and hope that they love me. But I still need to be smart about the others ranking so that I am TRULY happy when I get my offer. 

That's why they strongly tell you to only rank programs you'd ACTUALLY attend, but they tell you to not leave programs off as that lessens your chance of getting in too. 

[AnonymousGC]

It's so confusing! Even if you think you nail the interview, you just never know. At the same time although I was barely considering some options for this year, after getting waitlisted for them I was dying to attend so they all of a sudden became my top choice... It's going to be so confusing.