PhD Admissions Committee - Baylor College of Medicine. AMA

[Max]

Кратко о себе:

2001-2006 Новосибирский Государственный Университет (Биология)
2007-2013 PhD Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine
2013-2016 Postdoc, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, BCM
2015-2018 Instructor
2018-present Assistant Professor (tenure track) https://bit.ly/2tLOXTM

С этого года в Admissions Committee, Graduate Program in Immunology and Microbiology. Пока что на 12 мест более 400 аппликантов. Отвечу на вопросы по поступлению и по тому как отбирают кандидатов

[Max]

Начну с главных моментов. Всё, что написано внизу, касается Immunology and Microbiology program at Baylor, другие школы и специальности могут иметь иную специфику.

Мне проще это писать об этом по-английски, чем коряво переводить на русский.

1. We have too many applicants for too few spots so selection criteria are strict. Keep in mind Baylor is not even a top-10 school (more like top-25). Minimum TOEFL = 100, candidates with lower scores are not discussed. I was told applicants with TOEFL score <90 would not even get an F-1 visa (not sure if true?). GRE, both General and Subject, are now optional.
2. APPLY AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. The deadline in our school is January 1st we got >300 applications by December 5th which were promptly reviewed and ranked. By Dec 10th all interview invitations were sent out so everyone who applied after Dec 5th are basically ignored, regardless of how good they are.
3. Foreign applicants from Russia, Ukraine, China, India, etc with publications and/or internship in European or US labs are prioritized. Ideally, an applicant should have a paper published or in submission, which would be reflected in the rec letter. Domestic applicants are prioritized as they are eligible for T32 grants (their scholarship could be funded by NIH) and it is easier to assess their background and reach out to referees, if needed (very rarely).
4. The applicant should have a strong background in wet lab, ideally in the same field of proposed studies, but not necessary. If the applicant wishes to change the field and study something else in grad school, this decision has to be well justified in the statement of purposes. Also the applicant's interest should align well to research areas in the current institution - applicants with broad claims like "I've studied plant biology for 9 months but immunology is what really fascinates me" are getting triaged right away. Rec letters from direct lab supervisors are critical and are way more important than from academic referees (course directors, etc).
5. A strong, coherent, and lucid Research statement outlining research experience and professional interests is critical in our school. Applicant should not just list what they've done but also explain what the main research question/problem was, what were the outcomes and how they interpret the data, and provide context for future studies. We need to see how applicants think and how they fit their research in the grand scheme of things.
6. GPA is important, strong candidates usually have GPA >3.4 (out of 4.0), foreign applicants usually have >3.6. Basically, the admissions committee needs to have evidence that the candidates will not have problems with didactic courses during the first 1-2 years of grad schools so they can focus on research.
7. Strong candidates have ~2 years of research experience (part time OK) in a relevant field with professional interests aligned with at least 2-3 faculty in the department; strong rec letters from research mentors and at least one paper as a co-author in preparation or submission; GPA >3.5 out of 4.0 and TOEFL>=100. Everything else is corollary to the above points.

One final piece of advice, which I think is the most important. If you consider grad school as a pivotal step in your career, consider spending extra 1-2 years after undergrad to get more research experience and a stronger package. Further, you should consider joining a western lab as a technician to build your CV and get better orientated in the field. Getting a PhD from a strong school and a leading lab is way more important than graduating 1-2 years earlier from a mediocre grad school or a subpar lab.

Feel free to ask specific questions.

[Stanislav]

Начну с главных моментов. Всё, что написано внизу, касается Immunology and Microbiology program at Baylor, другие школы и специальности могут иметь иную специфику.

Мне проще это писать об этом по-английски, чем коряво переводить на русский.

1. We have too many applicants for too few spots so selection criteria are strict. Keep in mind Baylor is not even a top-10 school (more like top-25). Minimum TOEFL = 100, candidates with lower scores are not discussed. I was told applicants with TOEFL score <90 would not even get an F-1 visa (not sure if true?). GRE, both General and Subject, are now optional.
2. APPLY AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. The deadline in our school is January 1st we got >300 applications by December 5th which were promptly reviewed and ranked. By Dec 10th all interview invitations were sent out so everyone who applied after Dec 5th are basically ignored, regardless of how good they are.
3. Foreign applicants from Russia, Ukraine, China, India, etc with publications and/or internship in European or US labs are prioritized. Ideally, an applicant should have a paper published or in submission, which would be reflected in the rec letter. Domestic applicants are prioritized as they are eligible for T32 grants (their scholarship could be funded by NIH) and it is easier to assess their background and reach out to referees, if needed (very rarely).
4. The applicant should have a strong background in wet lab, ideally in the same field of proposed studies, but not necessary. If the applicant wishes to change the field and study something else in grad school, this decision has to be well justified in the statement of purposes. Also the applicant's interest should align well to research areas in the current institution - applicants with broad claims like "I've studied plant biology for 9 months but immunology is what really fascinates me" are getting triaged right away. Rec letters from direct lab supervisors are critical and are way more important than from academic referees (course directors, etc).
5. A strong, coherent, and lucid Research statement outlining research experience and professional interests is critical in our school. Applicant should not just list what they've done but also explain what the main research question/problem was, what were the outcomes and how they interpret the data, and provide context for future studies. We need to see how applicants think and how they fit their research in the grand scheme of things.
6. GPA is important, strong candidates usually have GPA >3.4 (out of 4.0), foreign applicants usually have >3.6. Basically, the admissions committee needs to have evidence that the candidates will not have problems with didactic courses during the first 1-2 years of grad schools so they can focus on research.
7. Strong candidates have ~2 years of research experience (part time OK) in a relevant field with professional interests aligned with at least 2-3 faculty in the department; strong rec letters from research mentors and at least one paper as a co-author in preparation or submission; GPA >3.5 out of 4.0 and TOEFL>=100. Everything else is corollary to the above points.

One final piece of advice, which I think is the most important. If you consider grad school as a pivotal step in your career, consider spending extra 1-2 years after undergrad to get more research experience and a stronger package. Further, you should consider joining a western lab as a technician to build your CV and get better orientated in the field. Getting a PhD from a strong school and a leading lab is way more important than graduating 1-2 years earlier from a mediocre grad school or a subpar lab.

Feel free to ask specific questions.

Очень обстоятельно, спасибо!
А вот GRE стал optional из каких соображений?

[Max]

GRE особо не отражает реальные способности аппликантов. Всё больше и больше школ больше не требуют GRE. GPA и research experience гораздо важнее.

[admin]

Критерии для fast track /near fast track approval после интервью для PhD аппликантов в нашей школе. Кандидаты удовлетворяющие всем критериям автоматом отправляются на approval на уровне школы, минуя обсуждение на уровне департмента.