<p>How competitive is it to get into MIT, Caltech, etc. Master’s Degree graduate school? Could you provide approximate guess? Is Ph.D in physical and biological science more competitive? What “stuff” do I need on my resume? I definitely love to do research and can’t get enough of science :). How GPA calculated in college, is it higher during junior and senior year if one does better than soph. and freshman year?</p>
<p>MIT’s website has some of the information you’re looking for. For Biology:</p>
<p>The average undergraduate GPA for admitted students is 3.62, and the average GRE’s are:
Verbal (650; 88%),
Quantitative (738; 87%), and
Analytical (735; 90%).</p>
<p>That verbal score is <em>VERY</em> high for the sciences so, um, yes, MIT is extremely competitive. US News says their overall admit rate is 25.4% but I have read somewhere (can’t locate it now) that some programs have as low as a 4% rate.</p>
<p>Your resume, called a CV, will include anything relevant that is not already on your transcript. This is where your undergrad research experience and any publications will go.</p>
<p>Masters vs. PhD - MS degress in engineering and the sciences tend to be vocational, that is they are a credential for a particular type of job. If you’re interested in running your own research, you’ll be in the market for a PhD.</p>
<p>Some schools, not all, pay more attention to your junior & senior year GPA than to overall GPA. Typically, those years will reflect advanced work in your major and so be more important in terms of graduate preparation.</p>
<p>Since you will be needing reccomendation letters (2 or 3) from your professors, you’ll want to start talking to them as early in your undergrad years as possible.</p>
<p>Also, pick up a copy of “Getting What you Came For” its a good, though dated, guide to getting in and succeding in grad school. It is ludicrously out of date what talking about computers but everything else still applies.</p>
<p>MIT does not offer a masters degree in biology, only a PhD.</p>
<p>Last year I believe about 33% of applicants were offered an interview, and 50-60% of those who had an interview were accepted. This should be approximately on par with other top schools in biology.</p>