<p>What’s a biomer?</p>
<p>Before I took the test, I did actually call UCSF up and ask them if the subject test is definitely required, and they said absolutely yes. So I took it and only reported my (very low) score to them. However, I too have spoken with people who said they didn’t take it and still got in. It goes to show there’s no cut-and-dry way of doing things when it comes to graduate school applications.</p>
<p>@ sarbruis. Life Science undergraduates at UofToronto have their forum with discussions relating to courses, undergrad life, tests, and other random junk like general “life” things… it is called Biome, and thus those at LifeSci UofT who utilize it are “biomers”.</p>
<p>this subject test stuff is absolutely useless. it’s in our interests as applicants to make the process as stress-free as possible, and the ets and 1/1000000 graduate schools in the country have to complicate the matter by “strongly recommending,” “requiring” or “absolutely requiring” us to spend valuable money and time on a stupid subject test. that’s something else.</p>
<p></p>
<p>“So I took it and only reported my (very low) score to them.” What is a very low score? People aren’t responding to my other post about that (570, 70th percentile, taken mid-molec. bio/pre cell bio because of my major’s graduation requirements forced the timing; my biochem sub test was 84th percentile and my cell and molec bio were lower than 70th percentile, so it averages)</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>i asked about this once and i got the reply that anything above 85 percentile is a good score.</p>
<p>Interest: Molecular Medicine/Pharmacology
GPA: 3.2 overall, upward trend junior year I had a 3.5 in mostly upper level courses
Major: B.S. Biology minor in Economics
GRE: 550 (75%) V/ 640 (57%) Q/ 4.5 (63%) AW
Experience: 1 summer in a pharmacology lab and the senior project I will be working on this year
LORs: 1 from senior thesis advisor, 1 from academic advisor who also taught two bio classes, 1 from PI over the summer</p>
<p>Applying:
Pitt
UNC
U of Virginia
U of Maryland
Duke
UT Houston
UT Southwestern
Baylor
Case</p>
<p>My sentiments exactly MolSysBio, but at the end of the day it’s just another hoop to jump through. The crappy part is, it’s a “go big or go home” sort of thing. If you do well it might help, but if you don’t your screwed.</p>
<p>My impression is that even the benefit from doing well is very minimal.</p>
<p>I got an email from UCSD BMS saying I was approved to fill out the application (they have a pre application they require first). Anyone know if they actually screen people?</p>
<p>Interest: Molecular/Cell Biology and Genetics
GPA: 3.3 cumulative, 3.7 in the last semester (does that help?)
Major: Recently graduated with a B.A. in Biology, Chemistry minor
GRE: 480 (55%) Verbal, 660 (63%) Quantitative, 4.0 (37%) Analytical Writing
Research: 2 years at a Plant Developmental Genetics Lab, no publications, but wrote a 35-page senior year thesis
Teaching: 2.5 years teaching General Chemistry
LORs: 1 from PI and 2 from faculty who are familiar with my teaching experience
Future goal: Tenure-track position as a research/teaching professor</p>
<p>My mind is really fried from test-taking and senior year research, so I don’t think I can handle studying for and retaking the GRE.</p>
<p>Given this economy and very competitive applicant pool, I’m thinking of applying to Master’s programs in Biology at NYU and Hunter College (they’re the only ones that offer Bio for the Spring 2010 semester).</p>
<p>I’m also going to take a chance and apply to the Molecular Bio PhD programs at CUNY, Columbia, and SUNY Stony Brook for the Fall 2010 semester. I don’t want to leave the NYC area for personal reasons.</p>
<p>I’ve been applying to lab tech jobs since May…and nothing yet. The job market is VERY bad in NYC (that’s my experience). I’m applying for the Master’s for Spring 2010 in case I can’t get a job. If I get in a PhD program, I’ll leave the Master’s (one semester of tuition would be lost, but I have to take a chance). Any advice?</p>
<p>Bentham, you are DEFINITELY going to want to take your GRE again.</p>
<p>Univ_student - If I were you, I’d retake the GRE before applying to those PhD programs - Sadly, a tired mind is what you’ll have to work with in a PhD program, so you might as well get used to it now. Also, you might consider the several other PhD programs in NYC - Einstein, MSSM and Cornell come to mind (also, New York Medical College in Valhalla has PhD programs in bio, and is fairly close to the city - I don’t think it’s any further out than Stony Brook)</p>
<p>don’t go to stony brook. don’t even apply. worst place on the face of the planet. aldo’s suggestions are better, though.</p>
<p>Yeah, notably Stony Brook never replied to my application. No rejection/acceptance/wait list. Just no response. I took that as a pretty bad sign.</p>
<p>How about cold spring harbor?</p>
<p>Heard they have excellent programs in the field of genetics.</p>
<p>Matter of fact anybody care to share info on Cold spring?</p>
<p>It is great I guess if location in terms of any kind of life outside of the lab isn’t part of your concern <em>at all</em>. Or so it seems based on its location and what I know of a PI whose postdoc’d there.</p>
<p>CSHL is a VERY intense place, and exceptionally competitive. They only take 5-6 students per year. You have 10-12 interviews in 2 days in their interview process, and if I recall correctly, 4-5 drinking-related events (I almost think alcohol tolerance is part of their admissions decisions). It is QUITE isolated from anywhere else, but that means that there’s fewer distractions, and likely contributes to their average graduation time of 4 years. What I did like about it was the sense that after labwork and dinner, students, post docs and faculty all meet up at the on-campus bar, and the science continues, sketching out ideas on cocktail napkins. It’s not as stratified as some places, where there’s a clear hierarchy in labs, but more that everyone, regardless of level, is encouraged to suggest ideas and such. In the end, I think it’s a very good program for HIGHLY motivated people who don’t much care about being having a social life outside of school. I didn’t suggest it to Univ_student because (no offense) those are just not competitive stats for that program. Choijae, yours might be more apt to get an interview, but I don’t know what their stance on internationals is.</p>
<p>That all said, students at Stony Brook can do their research with profs @ CSHL, which is a point in favor of SB.</p>
<p>i’ve just heard from dozens of people that stony brook is one of the worst places on earth. there’s even a website called stonybrooksucks.com or something. i might be wrong and definitely don’t take my word on it, but in all honesty long island might not be the best place to spend 7 years of your life.</p>
<p>Do you guys have any advice for statement of purpose writing? I definitely have a writer’s block with that. I just don’t want mine sounding cheesy and don’t want to have to justify my love of science with some story from my childhood that inspired me!</p>