<p>Hi everyone,
I'm a junior bioengineering major at a good engineering program (ranked ~20). I have a 3.88 GPA and think I can get a high GRE score because I had high SAT scores. However, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do until now and as a result haven't done much research (just an internship last summer). I am now pretty much decided on biomechanics and plan on getting into a lab next semester and for my senior year. I also have an internship for the upcoming summer. Assuming I do a good job in the lab and could get a good LOR from the PI (I know I can get another good one from a currrent professor), would this be enough to get into a respectable Ph.D program? Also, would it be a good idea to defer my application for a year so I could get more research experience during my senior year?</p>
<p>I can help a little, I’m a first year bioengineering phd student (my field is computational bio though, not biomechanics). In my experience, the two most important aspects of the application are research experience and letters of rec. I think your background sounds great, a high GPA and test scores will definitely help but they won’t make too big of a difference. If you could get on a publication as a coauthor, or present your work at a conference poster session, that would certainly help a lot as well. </p>
<p>I don’t think you necessarily need too much more research experience to get into many programs. Most of the students in my cohort graduated from college last year. I think most first year grad students, especially those who enroll straight out of college, feel like their previous research experience is not very extensive. Admissions committees are really just looking for applicants who have shown some commitment and enthusiasm for the field and who have credentials (publications, letters of rec, GPA etc) to match. </p>
<p>With that said, I think you always can increase your chances by taking a year or two to work in a lab as a research tech or associate. I think this helps because you get more extensive research experience, potentially more publications and letters of rec, and the ability to write a more focused personal statement. I took some time off to work in a lab and I would highly recommend it.</p>