<p>Thank bobbydinero and Momwaitingfornew for your opinion!</p>
<p>Prior to this post, I have already read the biomed thread you provided here. Several accepted applicants had outstanding academic records in GPA and GRE, which might be part of my weakness. I am clear about that, but in some cases, strong research experiences, which are more important for PhD study, can compensate for the weakness in standardized exam scores. For example, the BBS website in WUSTL says, “Outstanding recommendations and higher quality research experience may make up for lower test scores, so do not let lower scores discourage you from applying.” Therefore, it is my research experience that I would like to emphasize in my application.</p>
<p>I am also clear that public schools such as UC tend to accept fewer international students due to funding issue. That is why I choose only one UC school in my list. However, I am not pretty sure about which private university is not international-friendly, because most private schools do not directly state this. In addition, umbrella programs such as Harvard BBS accept more students than specific programs, thus increasing the chance of acceptance. I therefore choose this type of program in most of my school list. </p>
<p>Please share your opinion if you have any other suggestion. </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>