<p>Dear all, I am an INTERNATIONAL applicant. I have a BS from my home country top 3 university. I submitted ALL my applications before Dec, but heard no news from any of them. Please help me evaluate my chances to get in. I am kind of anxious.</p>
<p>uGPA 3.89 (major: 3.93 in Biotech) ranked top 10% among graduates
GRE: Verbal 550/ Math 800/ Writing 4.0 (paper-based test)
sGRE (Biology) : 740 (75%)
sGRE subscore: Mol Cell Bio 86%, Organismal Bio 75%, populational bio 51%
TOEFL: 102</p>
<p>Research Experience:
6 months research assistant (at the same lab as undergrad)
2 year undergraduate research (Molecular Microbiology)
Summer research at University of Toronto (Developmental Biology)</p>
<p>Publication: NO</p>
<p>LORs:
1 from University of Toronto (advisor)
1 from home country univ (advisor)
1 from home country univ (seminar instructor, ex-dean)</p>
<p>School Applied to:
1.Rockefeller
2.Mount Sinai
3.CSHL
4.Einstein
5.Columbia- Interdisciplinary Program in MCB
6.Cornell (Weill) - Allied Program in MCB
7.U Conn Health Center
8.U Cincinnati Med School - Mol & Dev Bio
9.Case Western - BSTP
10.U mass med
11.Rutgers/UMDNJ - Molecular Bioscience
12.UT southwestern - DBS (developmental genetics)
13.Baylor - Cell & Mol Bio and Dev Bio
14.UT Health Science Center at Houston
15.Vanderbilt Med School - IGP
16.Northwestern Med School - IGP
17.USC - PIBBS
18.NYU Sackler Med School</p>
<p>Wow thats a long list of schools that you applied to. What did it set you back? Anyway, I think that you have a great shot at many/most of the places on the list. I also think that you chose very wisely in the schools that you applied to in terms of reputation as well as in quality of living. Don't freak out about not getting interviews yet, especially since you are international and they don't need to allow for as much time to plan a phone interview as they need to make travel arrangements, hotels, rides etc. Best of luck.</p>
<p>It really took a long time in application...anyway, application is a pain. I personally wish I could never do it again, especially being international. That's why I applied to many. Thanks for replying. By the way, many people here suspect the rundown economic climate in US would lead to reduced positions for foreign PhD students.... :(</p>
<p>Maybe. The scientific enterprise is linked to NIH funding, not the general economy. That said, the NIH budget is formed by congress who have a clear interest in capping new expenditures during down economies. I wouldn't worry too much, the longview on the economy is positive and the future of medical research is solid. These kind of downturns last a few years and come around pretty regularly. It shouldn't prevent you from doing the things with your life that you want to do. Academia is also sheltered from the economy by annual budgets that don't reduce headcount by 50% in a single quarter like industry does.</p>
<p>well the domestic applicant funding is mostly dependent on the NIH, which seems pretty stable for the moment, esp with a new president who is actually into research. But the international funding comes from the university endowments which have been hit really hard. I know that most schools have 15% cuts in the budget for this year, which in a department like biology whose expenditures aren't really all that big to begin with (don't pay salaries, get money from the nih for overhead), is pretty problematic. I think it might be tough for international students this round, especially at the state schools.</p>