<p>turkey:</p>
<p>The faculty I spoke with said that you can audit any class you like and that you interact in it just like any other student but you would be auditing. I’m not a student so I can’t say this is for sure, but that is what I have heard from the faculty when I asked about it.</p>
<p>blueroses:</p>
<p>Thanks for such an informative post!</p>
<p>Thanks. I hope I didn’t confuse you even more…</p>
<p>And I’ve sent in my acceptance to UCSF. So if turkey ends up auditing those BMI classes next year…yeah, it’s a small world.</p>
<p>(Phew! I’m nervous, but happy - grad school here I come!)</p>
<p>Heh, congrats blue! I hope to make my final decision today. And yea, it’s possible that I’ll see you next year! I’ll just scream out blueroses or some such in class and see if it registers with anyone.</p>
<p>I think you’ll have better luck screaming out the 11th letter of the alphabet…</p>
<p>Just updating, I’ll be going to SF!</p>
<p>Welcome! :)</p>
<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>I’m a rising senior studying Biomedical Science at an international university (TAU, Israel) and I’d very much like to come to the States to pursue a graduate degree, preferably in California…</p>
<p>I know it’s hard for out-of-state residents to get accepted into a UC and even harder for international students but hey, a dream is a dream, so I figured I’d give it a shot. (My GPA is currently ~3.9, which is a good start… haven’t yet taken the GRE)</p>
<p>I hope it’s not impolite to ask but I would very much appreciate it if any of you could share your stats with me so I’d know more or less what the requirements are for admission into UCSF - either TETRAD or BMS - as both are currently tied at the top of my list.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The range of GPAs and GRE scores among admitted applicants can vary quite a bit. The important qualification shared by all admittees (to all top-tier biology PhD programs, not just UCSF) is significant research experience.</p>
<p>True. I have at least a couple of friends who got into top programs, Johns Hopkins and Upenn, with less than a 3.7. If you have that, your application will look a lot more acceptable.</p>
<p>I’m afraid the one thing I won’t have is a ton of research experience…</p>
<p>When I submit my application I’ll have completed an undergrad summer program at NYU (in a very high-profile lab) and actively researched in a lab back home for about 5 months… I’m planning on working in the lab back home throughout senior year (meaning that by the start of fall semester I’ll have ~1.5 years of research experience) but that is probably a lot less than other applicants…</p>
<p>In your opinion, would a very high GPA+GRE (general + maybe subject) and (hopefully) strong letters of recommendation make up for this?</p>
<p>On a completely unrelated note I was thinking of calling the UCSF grad admissions office to talk to them and possibly fly out to the west coast to feel out the atmosphere. I mean, I’m currently in the US so may as well take advantage of that…
Do you know if the grad office have an e-mail address or phone number I could contact? Is the office even open during the summer?</p>
<p>Krypton, you are soooo right.</p>
<p>My brother got his MCB Ph.D from Berkeley a while back. He told me that his research experience was by far the MOST important criteria for getting into Berkeley. </p>
<p>In fact, he worked 2.5 years in a lab, while an undergrad. After graduation, he worked another 2 years for a biotech company as a research technician, where he contributed to original research and co-authored 2 papers. “That” pretty much opened the door for him to UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>BTW, today, he’s a research scientist at a major university and is in the process of co-founding a biotech company with several colleagues:)</p>
<p>To this very day, he is extremely proud of his Berkeley Ph.D. It does get noticed out in the real world.</p>
<p>
“Significant” does not necessarily mean “long.” Even if you have been in labs for “only” 1.5 years by the time of application, if the research you have done sets a good impression with your PIs, and this gets reflected in your LORs, then your applications will probably be successful. A high GPA and GRE alone will not compensate for below-average research experience.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input!</p>
<p>I am honestly undecided on where I want to go and this helped put things into perspective.</p>
<p>Damn Berkeley is so nice… but it’s a reach for me. Can you get in with a 1830 on the SAT’s and a 3.7 GPA (3 AP’s before senior year, 3 AP’s this year) for undergrad?</p>