I’m trying to apply for several summer research programs, but I feel like my GPA will pretty much guarantee an instant rejection.
Currently, my cumulative GPA is a 3.64, and my BCPM GPA is a 3.37.
I transferred from a local state college with a 4.0 my freshman year to a top 20 school my sophomore year, and that’s when my GPA took a nosedive. I got a 2.73 my first semester here, hence the huge drop in GPA. Obviously, I’m working to raise my GPA here, but the research programs won’t care because by the time this semester ends, the programs will have gotten everything solidified long beforehand.
I also have no prior formal research experience. My bio labs introduce its students to research methods, and we emulated research experiments and writing, but nothing formal.
I’m avoiding research at big-name schools (plus, AMGEN and most SURFs deadlines have passed). I’m applying to programs like University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Pittsburgh, and CVS at Rochester.
Will my GPA keep me out of the running? What do these research programs usually place more emphasis on in your application? Is GPA an actual factor, or more of a cutoff?
I should also mention that most of the damage done to my GPA was Bio 1 and Math – Bio 1 because it is the hardest weedout in my school (much more so than Orgo), and Math because it was multivariable calculus and I jumped in after one year of no math classes. If the research programs focused on biology/biochem/biomed/medicine etc., would a C in my one and only bio class hinder my chances? I got A’s both semesters of gen. chem. and physics and a B in Orgo; Bio is the one glaring mistake.
Does your school (or a school within driving distance of your parents’ place) not have professors running research labs? Those positions are typically less competitive to get but are no less competitive looking on your application to medical school.
That ship has sailed. I didn’t hear about my school’s opportunities until after the deadlines.
I talked to a rep. from Nebraska, and she said their program actually favors students from other schools over their own. Granted, my school isn’t the only one out there, but it’s something.
Most of the professors that I’ve talked to either ran out of room or are only interested in grad/med students.
As others have mentioned, with your current stats, your home university is your best bet for getting research opportunities. A top 20 school will have multiple opportunities, especially in the summer when many students leave and research still goes on. You haven’t hit a wall until you have talked to ALL research labs at your university. You may need to modify your approach if they are running away from you-- catching them after class is a bad way to do something like this (and inappropriate).
Yes, they are all more interested in grad/med students because they bring way more to the table than an undergrad just starting out. However, at a top 20 school, they also are keenly aware of their mission. They will take undergrad students in their labs if they have skills and are willing to make a longer term commitment (for example, if they are going to invest in training you, you need to stay a year).
Its not your gpa is no good, its the number of competition for those few spots in out of your own schools positions. My D applied everywhere and they just did not come through. She ended up with her own school medical lab. When I visited the school, there were only two or three UG students and they were all from the school, even though that lab was only one of the many, but you can see the problem. The Neb. rep may have told you the truth, but that is exception than the rule.
Do you have any opportunities for less formal projects? My undergrad had a specific summer research program that certain profs participated in; you had to apply for it and be accepted before figuring out with whom you would work. I didn’t need something that concrete so I just sent a bunch of friendly emails looking for someone to do research with. I started out not getting paid, and never was paid per se but was able to use my research for course credit, which made my schedule a little more flexible. Perhaps you could get in with a lab on a volunteer basis, and if you need money for the summer, you could work a different job. There are plenty of ways for students to get involved with research that don’t require a formal summer fellowship program, and getting involved outside a formal program can literally be as simple and straightforward as showing up for a lab meeting and learning about ways to help out.