Worried - Did I Waste 4 Yrs? (Applying BME PhD)

Graduate School
1

<p>(Sorry this is more of a rant than a question)</p>

<p>Currently a senior at a top school for BME undergrad. GPA will be around 3.5 to 3.55, GREs are 800Q 690V. Those might be passable stats for applying to PhD programs in BME, but the more I think about my chances, the less optimistic I am.</p>

<p>Looking back I could have done more in the past 4 years given the opportunities around me. The one thing I wish someone would have beaten into my head freshman year was to find a lab early on and <em>stick with it</em>. It's now senior year and I've yet to be published (manuscripts still in the works - will be too late to matter), having shifted around different labs during different summers. The exposure to diverse fields is great, but I'd bet money that adcoms prefer depth over range.</p>

<p>Also, my junior year I applied to ~15 different REUs. The whole application process is highly similar to applying to grad school (recs, essays, transcripts, etc...) and its a good preview of the PhD program application process. I didn't get into a single one that year - not too comforting.</p>

<p>My only real chance is with the essays. I doubt coming from a good BME school will help wouldn't adcoms have higher expectations? My recs, grades, research seem average compared to all these elite super-BMEs w/ 2+ major publications, patents, 3.8+ GPAs, prestigious internships, and whatnot. The worst part - knowing that I could have done all that too.</p>

2

<p>You can always apply for a masters first then apply for a PhD when you are more competitive. I hear they are generally easier to get accepted to, but you will probably have to pay. </p>

<p>Also, I was speaking with a professor of mine the other day (I am a Mech E) and he is a very active researcher and on the admission’s committee for my department (at top 50 graduate program in Mech E). He told me that he is not that concerned with a student’s prior research experience because the point of going to graduate school is to learn how to do research. He focuses more on GPA, GRE and LORS. So not having a lot of research experience may keep you out of a top 10 school, but not everywhere. And personally I think it is a good thing to get to exposed to a lot of research as an undergraduate. I dont think I would want to research something for 4 years of undergraduate and then another 4-5 years for a PhD.</p>