Biology/Biomedical Sciences Applicants 2008

<p>Hey sydneya, Did you hear from Johns Hopkins via mail or email? Thanks in advance! :)</p>

<p>Hey sydneya,
What program at JHU did you apply to?? I applied to BIophysics
THanks a lot</p>

<p>Those who heard back from Columbia, were you able to track your application status? Did you receive some kind of application ID?</p>

<p>No I never got an application ID for Columbia, although they said we would get one. I received a phone call about the interview.</p>

<p>MCBartist: it was through email. Congrats on all your interviews btw! Very impressive! </p>

<p>sabnimin: it is for the BCMB program</p>

<p>A far-fetched question from a concerned parent:</p>

<p>My son has an acceptance from Oxford (UK) as well as from an excellent LAC (US) for undergrad studies. </p>

<p>Provided everything else is equal (academic performance, grades etc), which one of these two colleges, in your opinion, would boost his chances to get into an ivy league graduate school? (His field of interest at this point is biological sciences).</p>

<p>Or to be even more blunt, would he stand out more with a diploma from Oxford, or would it really not make that much of a difference?</p>

<p>He will have to make a decision between the two real soon, and your input would be precious. Any Oxbridge graduates at Harvard for instance?</p>

<p>onemoreparent,</p>

<p>I find your post quite absurd for the following reasons.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>This is your son's decision let him decide which is a better intellectual fit.</p></li>
<li><p>Going to an "Ivy League Graduate School" Isn't everything, it is more about being interested/passionate about something, committing oneself to a greater understanding, and hopefully making a breakthrough. Usually this is done by finding an investigator with similar interests and pursuing graduate study there because of him/her. Of course "Ivy League Schools" have a reputation of supporting a superior intellectual environment many other schools harbor the best investigators in their field that aren't "Ivy League"</p></li>
<li><p>What will matter more than a brand name education is acquired research experience, academic accomplishments, and connections that he makes within the community.</p></li>
<li><p>This thread is for people who have applied for graduate admissions for 2008.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Going to school in the US might make it easier for him to get into a graduate school in the united states- the professors will be more familiar with the admissions process, the transcripts will be more understandable, and it will be much easier during the interview process. Also the type of education is quite different at US and UK schools if I understand correctly. </p>

<p>That being said, it does not make sense to choose undergrad schools based on a slight difference in graduate school- interests change and what he migth want to do now he might not want to do in 3 or 4 years.</p>

<p>thanks ec1234, I agree completely.</p>

<p>And autocell, my post is a little absurd, I know, I actually expected a response like yours. I agree with you too. </p>

<p>I'll leave you alone now, out of respect for all of you who applied for grad admissions for 2008.</p>

<p>I can think of one Oxford graduate in my year in my program (which is the biomedical sciences program at Harvard).</p>

<p>To speak very generally, it will be easiest to get into graduate school at top programs if a student is able to participate in meaningful undergraduate research and get strong letters of recommendation from well-known professors. That does not always track well with prestige, but it can. Students from top programs are also often given more leeway with GPA, so a student from a well-respected program could get into a top graduate program with a lower GPA than a student at a less-respected program.</p>

<p>So after questions of fit and cost, the top priorities for a student interested in biology should be availability of quality research opportunities and quality of student-professor relationships.</p>

<p>Hey Generalist,
I didnt receive one either. I just got an email.</p>

<p>Has anyone heard from anywhere else? I feel that with the schools opening up again we should be hearing soon..</p>

<p>So far I've heard from University of Rochester, Penn State, and Notre Dame (Interviews)</p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

<p>It seemed from the TestMagic forum last year most invites were sent by ~Jan 20th but there were a few that came in later than that, from what I read maybe those folks were waitlisted.</p>

<p>I'm hoping that by the end of next week we'll all have some positive news.</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

<p>Applied: UCSF (BMS), UCB (MCB), UW (MCB), WUSTL (DBBS), UCSD (BMS), OHSU, UPENN, Columbia, UNC-CH, UChicago, Northwestern, UT-Austin, TSRI
Accepted:
Interviews: WashU (2/7)
Rejected:</p>

<p>I received the visiting invitation e-mail from Yale BBS yesterday.</p>

<p>Applygrad:
Can I ask which program under BBS at Yale you applied to? Did you also get a phone call invitation from them? Thanks.</p>

<p>JR074,</p>

<p>I applied MBB. I only got an e-mail from the admission chair.</p>

<p>Thanks for letting me know applygrad.
Did anyone apply to Neuroscience program at Yale or HMS?</p>

<p>Hi, everyone! I'm an international student from China. It's happy to join you guys! </p>

<p>I have some questions for molliebatmit:
I'm applying to Harvard BBS Genetics and I have just received an invitation to Committee interview at Shanghai 2 weeks later. I am just wondering what are the typical questions that professors would ask in the interview. Also, can you offer some advice about how to get well prepared?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
My son has an acceptance from Oxford (UK) as well as from an excellent LAC (US) for undergrad studies.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>I know this thread is about graduate studies, but I think this is an important question to answer.</p>

<p>Eduation in the UK in general, and Oxford in particular, is as far away from a LAC as can possibly be. Have you any idea what your son really wants? You do realise that at Oxford you student only one subject for all 3/4 years? No breaks, no changes, no general requirements? It's all about being focussed. Completely different from the US concept of being "well-rounded" at college. If your son wants a liberal arts education (a bizarre concept in the UK), then he definitely DOES NOT want to go to Oxford. However, if he is really focussed on biological sciences, so much that he is already determined to go to grad school, then perhaps he doesn't want a LAC? I really think this should be a very easy decision to make. </p>

<p>CC- Biology graduate student at Oxford</p>