<p>Hi all! I'm new to the community and have been really impressed with all of the advice that's on here. I was hoping to get some advice on PhD programs in infectious disease/immunology/microbiology. I'm going to be applying to programs in the fall and want to get an early start. I'm going to be retaking the GRE soon (690Q, 500V, 5A) to try to increase the verbal. I have a 3.2 GPA with a BS in Biology from a small private school, graduated in 2010. I've traveled all over the world through fellowships, public health programs and study abroad. I'm currently working as a research tech for a world renowned biotech that does vaccine discovery research. I've also worked as a lab tech for the academic lab of a well known PI in cardiac stem cell research. I'm going to be taking some upper division biology classes this summer as well to try to raise my GPA a little and demonstrate my ability to succeed in those classes. I'm young, but I'm taking this gap year to gain more research experience at the company I'm with now. I'm interested in any and all infectious diseases, but mostly the big ones (malaria, TB, HIV, etc). I'd appreciate any suggestions on programs (international or domestic) that would fit my stats and interests! Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Hey - </p>
<p>I will also be applying to ID/Immunology/Microbiology PhD programs next year. My interests are within insect vector-borne diseases, so I can give you some of the schools I have found to have a bit of faculty doing research in this area. Your research experiences are impressive, however, your GPA is low (but most schools have a minimum of 3.0). I would advice to retake the GRE from the advice I have received. </p>
<p>I am also interested on people’s suggestions for Infectious Disease programs…</p>
<p>About myself: I am a biotechnology M.Sc. student researching insect ecology and life cycle and my course focus is molecular/biotech. I also have a research assistantship in a phytoplankton taxonomy lab and I am a field assistant sampling ticks to look at population and community structure to model the epidemiology. My grad GPA is 3.65. My B.Sc. is in microbiology with a undergrad GPA 3.5. I worked for a year in a microbiology/molecular genetics lab. My weakness is the GRE… I am also retaking them (640Q, 450V…yikes). </p>
<p>The schools I have found to have several faculty researching in vector-borne diseases:
Emory University - MMG
U of Vermont - CMB
U of Pitt - IDM
Colorado State U - MIP
Washington State U - Vet Science graduate program
Yale - School of Public Health
Harvard - School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins - School of Public Health MMI
NYU Sackler - Medical Parasitology
UC Berkeley - School of Public Health Infectious Disease</p>
<p>These of course aren’t all of them and I’m very interested in what other people have to say.</p>
<p>Just a thought from someone who has been there- a couple of programs offer dual degrees with a masters of public health combined with a microbial pathogenesis Phd. I regret not doing that. I think that Northwestern offers this (as does maybe Michigan?). If you are interested in the public health aspects of microbiology and infectious disease, this might be something you would be interested in.</p>
Hi All -
I am also interested in a Masters or PhD in microbiology/infectious diseases (whether in public health or not). I have previously applied to 2 different infectious diseases MPH program and got accepted to both. I would love to work through these programs; however, cannot get over the HIGH financial cost! I understand that grad assistantships are out there for Masters students, but nothing is guaranteed. Also, ultimately I would love to finish a PhD program to greatly increase my opportunities for higher-caliber positions.
So, here I am trying to decide what specific research to get involved in, where to go, whether to apply to MS/MPH/PhD, etc. Any advice from anyone who has gone through this would be great! My current stats are below:
Previous college: A.A.S. Biotechnology (GPA 2.8) & B.S. Biology (GPA 3.4)
GRE: 140 V, 150 Q, 4.0 AWA (I plan to retake this test soon, studying HARD!)
Research exp: 1 year in undergrad school, 1 year in professional position
Work exp: 1 year in virology/molecular biology position, 2 years in lower-level public health position