Deciding what PhD program to choose

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I have been following the site for a while and really have a question that I was hoping someone could answer. I am currently a Junior in Biological Engineering (Biomedical Emphasis) at the University of Missouri. I currently am working in a lab in the Molecular Microbiology & Immunology department of the Med School where I am researching anti-bodies and interactions that come about with the PBEF protein which has been linked to Alzheimer's and Heart disease as well as some cancers. I really like this sector of medical research and the interactions between cells. The problem is that there are no Faculty in the department that specialize in this form of research. My question is, is there opportunities in industry for a biological engineering undergrad and mibrobiology PhD that will use some of the knowledge learned in an engineering program? Or should I apply to BME programs that have research areas in what I am interested in? I should end up graduating with somewhere between a 3.4-3.5 GPA and will be taking the GRE later this year. Will I be able to get into any reputable programs such as Washington University in St. Louis, Rice University, or Vanderbilt University? Thank You in advance for any help.</p>

2

<p>best advice: start looking up papers in research journals that interest you. i would look up to about 3 years (at max!) ago. you should get an idea of what professors are big in your field from those articles. and a 3.5 gpa is more than fine. your undergraduate reserach doesnt have to directly tie into what you want to do, grad school adcoms realize that. </p>

<p>the biggest factor will be your letters of rec. a good letter of rec (even if they arent big names) will get you far.</p>

3

<p>I agree with the advice above, but also:
Your PI should know where people are working on similar stuff.
If you can be a first author on a paper in a respectable journal, it will help you a lot.</p>