<p>I think the simplest route is the best -- I find that professors respond best to emails that are succinct and get to the point quickly and politely. (My PI says he gets about 50 emails an hour, which I think explains this pretty well. :))</p>
<p>You could contact him late in the summer to begin emailing, and mention that you'll be in the area in November if he'd like to meet up. I think it's true that you don't want to email too early, but you also do not want to contact so late that you look as though you're just emailing him to check off a box on the application that says you've contacted a faculty member.</p>
<p>Another approach that I have seen lauded by Prof X many times is to contact the DGS prior to your November trip stating that you are interested in the school, would like to visit, and if possible, talk to these [specific] profs. They may be able to set up a better meeting for you, arrange for visits with the profs and even grad students and may even cover some of your expenses.</p>
<p>It would help (IMHO) to have more than one lab that you are interested in at the school, as sometimes (at least in Bio where you typically rotate anyway) putting all your eggs in one basket is not the best strat. For instance, the school may look at you as a risk if you present the idea that if you do not get into so and so's lab (they are not taking students that year, you find out you cannot work with them personally, whatever) that you would no longer be interested in the program. So while that one prof may be perfect for you on paper, and may very well end up being your PI, take the time to research other PI's at the school in similar fields and see what options you might have there. Honestly, if it comes down to being that one PI or bust, that school would not be one of my top choices, personally. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hey everyone!
I'm going to be applying for PhD programs in Microbiology/Immunology.
GPA: 4.0 at Tulane (transferred junior year), 3.3 at University of Delaware (first 2 yrs of college).<br>
GRE: dunno yet
Research: 3 different labs, 2 of them microbiology/immunology related.<br>
Applying to:
*Emory
*Yale
*Georgetown
*UNC
Since they're all very competitive, if I don't get in I think I'll just take a year or two off and get some more research experience.</p>
<p>I'm a 4.0 from UC's infant (premature born :D) sattelite, UC Merced. I don't have any research experience. is that necessarily to get into grad for molecular bio/genetics? I'm talking about a mid-tier school even such as USC.</p>
<p>From what I understand, it's almost a necessity to have 2+ years of research experience for top-tier schools. For a school like USC, with a 4.0 and good recommendations, you'd probably have a good chance. I don't really know, though.</p>
<p>Is there nothing you can do to gain some experience before applying? You may even want to spend the year after you graduate working in a lab to make yourself more competitive. A Ph.D. is a big commitment to make without really knowing what you're getting yourself into. With good research experience, you'd be much more competitive and could get into a much better school.</p>
<p>I have no clue to be honest. I'm petrified of the private sector. What kind of job should I get to see if I really like it? Or just work part time after i graduate then volunteer for a year at a lab?</p>
<p>Mollie, new_user thanks for this post. I am about to write to professors whose work I am interested in, just to see if my background is what they are looking for.(I am from a mixed medicine/science background but want to work in theoretical neuroscience)</p>
<p>Did you just finish your Junior year? If you did, then you should e-mail some professors that are working on some things that look interesting and see if they have any room in the lab for the fall. Or, if you're on campus, you could see if you could start this summer. The sooner the better.</p>
<p>If you just graduated, then maybe talk to your advisor about where you could do some research.</p>
<p>Sarbruis is incorrect about the research requirement for top schools. I know someone (non minority) who got into UC Berkeley MCB, Hopkins, and UCSF with a summer research program (no pubs). An extensive amount of research would be helpful, but it definately is not a requirement.</p>
<p>Cjf- I would get research experience ASAP! I think it is practically an unstated requirement these days. I applied to CMB programs last year. Most of my full-time post undergrad research experience over the last two years was behavioral (behavioral genetics lab with big named PI). Many CMB programs hated this, since some of the programs seemed to be looking for lab slaves instead of grad students! I had two years of molecular research in college, but this did not seem to help me at many schools. This seemed to be more of a problem for schools below the top25. Top 10-25 were very accepting and the top 10 schools split either way. Based on my experience, I do not think they would be excited about you not having research experience. </p>
<p>EbolaZaire- You should be competitive at those schools. If you want to go to a top20, I would add more schools. If you want to take a year off (probably not due to a lack of an acceptance), check out the NIH IRTA program. Assuming your GRE, letters of rec, and application are strong, you should not have a problem getting in. (just apply broadly)!</p>
<p>I would also recommend contacting PIs as others suggested. I may have received a few other interviews if I did this. You can do okay if you do not contact people.</p>
<p>mtlive: That's why I said "almost a necessity" instead of "definitely a necessity". People with little experience are going to be the exception. And then you say "I think it is practically an unstated requirement these days [to have research.]" That's basically what I said.</p>
<p>fyi -- unless the school does rolling admissions (and none of mine did, so i'm guessing not too many schools do that), it doesn't matter when you submit it as long as it's before the deadline. once the deadline hits, a departmental secretary-ish person prints all of them out, organizes file folders with app + recs + additional things, lumps them into "very likely" "likely" and "not likely" piles alphabetically, and only THEN does the committee review them. so in the long run, submitting early won't help much but your own sanity. :)</p>
<p>most schools do rolling admissions in terms of when you're actually admitted, but most don't care when you submit. I know that Rockefeller might take a look at yours early, but thats about it. I wouldn't wait until the very last day, but a week ahead or so should be fine.</p>
<p>Most schools don't look at applications until after the deadline, but it's nice to get them in early -- it's good for your peace of mind, and you never know when one of your recommenders' letters will get lost in the mail or when ETS will randomly decide not to send your GRE score to a school. Submitting a little early will give you a cushion for the inevitable.</p>
<p>I think Mollie's advice is good (as always) for peace of mind, but I would add that from reading last years' thread, it seemed that some who got their apps in early received interview invitations earlier than others. That may have been a mistaken impression on my part, though, or just coincidence. It makes sense to me, though, for peace of mind to just get it done...</p>