<p>That verbal score is ridiculously low. It will hurt your application–no ifs ands or buts. I understand you are an international student and may find the verbal section a bit more challenging than residents of english-speaking countries.</p>
<p>However, don’t buy into some of the ******** that improving a verbal score takes too long. That is nonsense. You CAN improve your score by 100+ points quickly—in a few weeks. </p>
<p>However, there is the wrong way and the right way to improve a verbal score. Feel free to ask for advice on how to improve your score on the GRE subforum and I would be more than happy to help out. I managed to improve my verbal score from 500 on my first practice test before I started studying to a 670 on my second real GRE.</p>
<p>Mastermoe: do you know where that UBC student applied to? Having in-house people to recalculate our GPAs would be great… although it’s doubtful that this will happen in all the schools. I’m looking to apply for Molecular Pharmacology programs (either cancer or RNAi drug research, but i’m more hopeful for the latter). </p>
<p>I’ve been doing my own projects for just a year now. ‘Lab work’ before that was just a menial work in the lab (i.e. making buffers, etc). It looks like I have considerably less research experience than you guys :(</p>
<p>I’ve only begun studying for GREs three weeks ago… and I only have two more weeks left. I’m hoping for miracles. I need to memorize 1800 more vocabs…</p>
<p>Memorizing those word lists is a total waste of time. If you want to max your verbal score, I would stop wasting your time like that ASAP. You won’t remember 1/2 of those come test time. The shorter Kaplan lists of 500 words (comes as a book or flashcards) will suffice.</p>
<p>Just go through the BigBook verbal practice tests and time yourself for 25minutes or less and memorize the 500words. That will be your best bet.</p>
<p>Also, just practice Kaplan, Powerprep, and maybe 800score CAT tests for Quantitative and go through the NovaPrep Course math section.</p>
<p>For AWA, prep your own flexible template for writing essays and make sure you learn to keep within the time limit. Staying organized will be your best bet to a high score.</p>
<p>That will max out your GRE score. Along with a good night’s sleep and a lot of food. Burning yourself out WILL ruin your score. I promise.</p>
<p>Research Interests: systems biology, genomics, microbiology, genetics, chemical genetics
Degrees: BS/MS (1 year accelerated MS program through dissertation)
Overall GPA: 3.8/4.0 Science GPA: 3.9/4.0
Grad GPA: 3.6/4.0 (I totally just played during my masters year. Is this gonna hurt me?)
GRE: 1600
Research Experiences:
6 mo. materials science (2nd author, very low tier journal, this is of no significance to me)
NIH/NSF Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Harvard
Biomaterials (1.5 years)
Molecular Biology (2 years with undergraduate senior honors thesis and masters thesis dissertation)
infectious diseases at MGH/Broad Institute; systems biology, genomics, chemical genetics (2 years, working on pub, various posters including ASM and Gordon conference)
Currently at Weill Cornell; studying infectious diseases using metabolomics; working on several projects</p>
<p>I have following schools on mylist:</p>
<p>Harvard (BBS/MCB)
MIT
Stanford
UCB MCB
Rockefeller
UCSF BMS</p>
<p>How many should I be applying? I’m also applying to MD/PhD programs this year. I’m fairly broke and while I want to save money I want to at least get into one program. Am I being overconfident? Should I be adding more?</p>
<p>^The good thing about PhD apps, as opposed to MD/PhD, is that after the application fee (and GRE stuff), the PhD interview/recruitment process is free. The schools will pay for you to visit during their interview weekends, which I gather is not generally so for MD/PhD interview/revisit weekends.</p>
<p>To the people from UofT, do you know if we’d have a harder time getting into US schools versus an American citizen with similar stats by virtue of our Canadian citizenship?</p>
<p>Well international students tend to have a harder time with admissions because there are a lot of international applicants and few spots for international students. The thing is many departments are funded by agencies that fund students that are either U.S. residents or citizens. There is limited funding for international students.</p>
<p>That being said, not all international institutions are created equal. It would be only natural to assume that students from schools like UofT or McGill would have a much easier time with U.S. grad admissions because Canada’s main native language is English and UofT and McGill are large research-oriented institutions with strong U.S. connections. Many P.I.s here tend to have strong connections with collaborators in top U.S. schools. These same advantages aren’t enjoyed by other international institutions–at least not to the same extent. In addition, most U.S. schools are aware of the rigorous academic standards at top Canadian schools. </p>
<p>In conclusion, we will have it harder than U.S. applicants but we won’t have it hard as other international students.</p>
<p>it certainly is cheaper, but every Benjamin is precious when you are a poor research tech barely surviving in the city… molliebatmit, since you are a moderator, i gather that you are already a grad student (7549 posts!!! super moderator, indeed). do you think i should add more schools?? am i being too risky??</p>
<p>^ I don’t know, but I think you will be fine… seriously. Seems like good marks, tons of research experience. If your fit with the schools you are applying to is good, I wouldn’t be worried… (cause then I need to be in panic, lol).</p>
<p>hey guys im just wondering if not writing the subject test will hurt my chances. Something has come up and i wont be able to write (currently typing this on my phone from italy). Im an international applicant applying to neuro…a few schools have it as a recommendation only. UofT grad 3.84 gpa 710/760 gre with few years research and no pubs…also a bunch of awards</p>
<p>hi habman6, i also had a bad writing score but many people have confirmed that writing score does not carry much weight, and thus shouldn’t hurt your chance</p>
<p>Labgod - The way I see it is thusly: If you CATEGORICALLY want to go to grad school in Fall 2010, I’d add a few less competitive programs (keeping in mind you should never ever apply anywhere you wouldn’t actually go). If, however, you’re prepared to entertain the idea of working for another year, or doing anything else for a year if you don’t get into one of your existing-list programs (because one never knows, though your stats are very good) then I think your list is fine. When I applied, I was dead-set on getting in that year, and so applied to 10 programs, ranging from “impossible” to “inconceivable that I wouldn’t get in”.</p>
<p>hey guys! will you please help me with some questions about my profile?</p>
<p>top 10 liberal arts college
GPA: 3.5 (magna cum laude) Major GPA: 3.65
GRE 600V (86%) 730Q (78%) AW 4.0
2 years research experience at Cold Spring Harbor laboratory in HHMI lab. (graduated 07, been working here since)
1 summer internship at Yale
1 summer internship at Columbia a while back, but this was clinical research and not particularly relevant to the programs I will be applying to.
1 third author publication in good journal (journal of neuroscience), 1 more in the works, also third author (can I put this on my application??),
currently compiling literature for a review that I may write with my current advisor - not sure if this will help since it will definitely not be submitted by the time apps go out.</p>
<p>3 LoRs all from profs, should all be pretty excellent.</p>
<p>I am really worried about my GRE score, and I can’t decide whether I should take it again or not. The writing is awful (41%!) and the quant isnt so hot either.</p>
<p>I am hoping to get into top schools, here is my tentative list:</p>
<p>Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Stanford
Berkeley
UCSF
UWashington
UCLA
UPenn
NIH/GPP</p>
<p>People in my lab think I have good chances at top schools, but after reading this blog I am worried - you guys are all really impressive! </p>
<p>anyway, any advice would be appreciated - I am planning on taking the biochem gre next saturday, but not sure how well I will do.</p>
<p>aldo003b, i categorically have to go to grad school this year. i’m getting too old. i love that word btw!! looking at jenlam’s list i think i should add Penn. NIH/GPP, oooh I would love the idea of spending a couple years overseas.</p>
<p>jenlam, i admire your list of schools. i wish i had both the resources and the energy to apply to that many schools. i am sure you will at least get into ucla and uw. i think if you ace your biochem subject test it will be icing on the cake. btw, i was curious and interested that you chose NIH/GPP. I was briefly interested in that program as well maybe a month ago. But I wasn’t sure how people will perceived PhD from NIH. Do you know how this program is viewed as? Would you go here over Harvard Stanford? How about vs UCLA or UW?</p>
<p>Jenlam, I wouldn’t worry about the GRE scores; they are good enough. Your scientific experience is what counts, and you’ve got impressive credentials there. Instead of worrying (or retaking) the GRE, work on polishing your SOP. Remember that graduate programs are not as stats-oriented as undergraduate schools; most programs don’t care about GREs as long as they meet a minimum threshold.</p>
<p>I can’t say for sure now, but I might choose NIH over Harvard or Stanford (if I am lucky enough to have that choice). Like many people have said before, it is really the lab that you work in and not the school that is the most important determinant of your success. The NIH program may not seem as prestigious now because it is relatively new (I think it started early 2000s), but they definitely have some amazing labs, so if there is a lab there that you love I would definitely say you should go, as I don’t believe people would perceive it as any lower than Harvard, stanford or the likes (especially if you get into the NIH/cambridge or NIH/oxford program)</p>
<p>The other nice thing about NIH is that they are incredibly well funded. Being in a well funded HHMI lab for the last 2 years had made me realize that time is money…the grad students in my lab have lots of help because money is not a problem, so they don’t have to spent 10 hours a week managing mice, for example (techs do that). I am sure you know this too as you have been in research longer than I have. The NIH program at oxford also emphasizes that they have a standard 4 year timeline to a degree - I definitely liked that.</p>
<p>also, fyi the application for NIH is completely free. Though you may have to pay for an application to the partnership school, some of them (like oxford, cambridge), dont require you to do so until the NIH has accepted you. so probably no harm in applying.</p>
molliebatmit, since you are a moderator, i gather that you are already a grad student (7549 posts!!! super moderator, indeed). do you think i should add more schools?? am i being too risky??</p>
looking at jenlam’s list i think i should add Penn. NIH/GPP, oooh I would love the idea of spending a couple years overseas.</p>