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Neuralicious

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Hey folks,

It's almost time for me to apply... :scared::scared::scared:

Well actually I am going to take a year off :) & was just wondering what I really need to work on developing a stellar application to get into a top 20 MSTP (although I have no problem attending any MSTP - given the quality of applicants).

I attend a tier 1 state school.

GPA: this shouldn't be a problem, I have a 3.92 sGPA & 3.93 overall with a double science major. I can expect to graduate with a 3.85+. I have also taken the hardest classes at my university - but I doubt anyone is going to sit there complimenting my course rigor in front of hundreds of other stellar applicants.

Research:
This is a bit iffy. I have 2 years. Unfortunately it really isn't progressing. I work 20-30+ hours easily a week & always have the worst problems - problems that are 100% outside of my control, i.e. technology failure & genetic mutations & etc (great for talking about in interviews I guess). I am changing labs next year & doing some sort of summer research experience this summer.
The amount of hours I put in with my course load really makes it impossible for me to get involved in leadership style things at my university.

Clinical:
~50 hours altogether - only shadowing, I have never volunteered. There is just so much paperwork and commitment involved with volunteering that I find it easier to just shadow & I think it is a better anyways. Correct me if I am wrong.

MCAT:
Given my terrible SAT score I am not sure how I will perform on this. However I do plan on actually studying for this exam, and taking it about 10x more seriously.
I would hope 33-38.


What do you students who have been successful at getting into top 20 programs think my application is missing that gives it the gold star? Or what can I do to give it a gold star?
Forget publications.

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Last edited:
Hey folks,

It's almost time for me to apply... :scared::scared::scared:

Well actually I am going to take a year off :) & was just wondering what I really need to work on developing a stellar application to get into a top 20 MSTP (although I have no problem attending any MSTP - given the quality of applicants).

I attend a tier 1 state school.

GPA: this shouldn't be a problem, I have a 3.92 sGPA & 3.93 overall with a double science major. I can expect to graduate with a 3.85+. I have also taken the hardest classes at my university - but I doubt anyone is going to sit there complimenting my course rigor in front of hundreds of other stellar applicants.

Research:
This is a bit iffy. I have 2 years. Unfortunately it really isn't progressing. I work 20-30+ hours easily a week & always have the worst problems - problems that are 100% outside of my control, i.e. technology failure & genetic mutations & etc (great for talking about in interviews I guess). I am changing labs next year & doing some sort of summer research experience this summer.
The amount of hours I put in with my course load really makes it impossible for me to get involved in leadership style things at my university.

Clinical:
~50 hours altogether - only shadowing, I have never volunteered. There is just so much paperwork and commitment involved with volunteering that I find it easier to just shadow & I think it is a better anyways. Correct me if I am wrong.

MCAT:
Given my terrible SAT score I am not sure how I will perform on this. However I do plan on actually studying for this exam, and taking it about 10x more seriously.
I would hope 33-38.


What do you students who have been successful at getting into top 20 programs think my application is missing that gives it the gold star? Or what can I do to give it a gold star?
Forget publications.

Honestly, aside from destroying the MCAT, there's not much more you can do within the next 8 months or so that will be a game changer.
 
Hey folks,

It's almost time for me to apply... :scared::scared::scared:

Well actually I am going to take a year off :) & was just wondering what I really need to work on developing a stellar application to get into a top 20 MSTP (although I have no problem attending any MSTP - given the quality of applicants).

I attend a tier 1 state school.

GPA: this shouldn't be a problem, I have a 3.92 sGPA & 3.93 overall with a double science major. I can expect to graduate with a 3.85+. I have also taken the hardest classes at my university - but I doubt anyone is going to sit there complimenting my course rigor in front of hundreds of other stellar applicants.

Research:
This is a bit iffy. I have 2 years. Unfortunately it really isn't progressing. I work 20-30+ hours easily a week & always have the worst problems - problems that are 100% outside of my control, i.e. technology failure & genetic mutations & etc (great for talking about in interviews I guess). I am changing labs next year & doing some sort of summer research experience this summer.
The amount of hours I put in with my course load really makes it impossible for me to get involved in leadership style things at my university.

Clinical:
~50 hours altogether - only shadowing, I have never volunteered. There is just so much paperwork and commitment involved with volunteering that I find it easier to just shadow & I think it is a better anyways. Correct me if I am wrong.

MCAT:
Given my terrible SAT score I am not sure how I will perform on this. However I do plan on actually studying for this exam, and taking it about 10x more seriously.
I would hope 33-38.


What do you students who have been successful at getting into top 20 programs think my application is missing that gives it the gold star? Or what can I do to give it a gold star?
Forget publications.

Sounds exactly like how my app was shaping up last year. I had a mediocre SAT score as well. Anyways, red doctober is right. Just prepare as best as you can for the MCAT. That's really going to make or break your app. Do not underestimate the MCAT. And apply broadly, even with a strong MCAT.
 
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Research:
This is a bit iffy. I have 2 years. Unfortunately it really isn't progressing. I work 20-30+ hours easily a week & always have the worst problems - problems that are 100% outside of my control, i.e. technology failure & genetic mutations & etc (great for talking about in interviews I guess). I am changing labs next year & doing some sort of summer research experience this summer.
The amount of hours I put in with my course load really makes it impossible for me to get involved in leadership style things at my university.

.

what do you expect your phd will be like? my first 2 years of research yielded nothing of real value in terms of publication .. all scientists go through that at some point. what happens when your phd work seems to go nowhere for a while? switch lab? nope
 
what do you expect your phd will be like? my first 2 years of research yielded nothing of real value in terms of publication .. all scientists go through that at some point. what happens when your phd work seems to go nowhere for a while? switch lab? nope

Well that's not the only reason I am switching ...
Thus far in my school I have only been in one lab. Albeit it has been a long time in one lab, but it's only one lab.

Better for me to get a more diverse experience in another lab than continue working in this lab. No?
 
No, better to do long-term hypothesis-driven research in one lab and get some publications/presentations out of it. Are you still in undergrad? It makes no sense to switch labs in undergrad unless you really don't get along with your mentor, I think. Switching labs between undergrad/gap year(s) makes more sense, if that is what you are doing.
 
Disagree somewhat with above - it definitely can make sense to switch labs in undergrad. I switched twice, each time to an area of research more aligned to my interests and because switching actually gained me more independence and autonomy in my research. I haven't been published, but will be second-fifth author on a paper that should be submitted soon from a previous lab. I'm not saying there can't be benefits to staying somewhere a long time (I was at one lab for almost 2 years) if it's a great setup, but there are definitely pros to switching, especially if you maintain a good relationship in leaving allowing you to acquire multiple strong rec letters from multiple PIs instead of just one if you stay at the same lab. Certain labs are more disorganized than others making work more difficult to be done - switching away from that can be a good thing. Other labs have a wall for how independent they let their undergrads become (ie. no matter how skilled they get or how much they are capable of carrying out independent project, undergads must work under grad student or postdoc). I think switching for you is a good idea as long as by the time apps/interviews come around you have a fully formulated project to talk about. I actually switched late september and though it was a bit stressful, i think it was really helpful to me in interviews as my new project is the first project i had come up with myself completely which interviewers seemed to like - and I was accepted at a top 20 MSTP with a below average GPA and a 36 MCAT.

tl;dr - switching can actually be a great idea imho
 
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