This post will work more like a forum, hence if you do have any specific questions regarding GRE, TOEFL or the program/department at a particular university then feel free to post questions using the "comment" link below. The experts (or at least the experienced) may try to answer them.
First of all, a great piece of work! Hats off! This guidance is very important to us, and more importantly, its at the right time... so a biiiig Thank you from all of us!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a question about research experience.. probably the 1st ques on this blog,well, a very silly simple one to begin with..
Is it like any research experience would do? Or is it like only that experience in your field of interest really matters? Well,Let me explain..
Say my field of interest is biophysics. I have a project in biophysics during a summer. The next summer i get it in something like mol bio.. I take it up coz something is better than nothing.
Does the 2nd project outside your field of interest, hold no value at all? Simply put, is the whole 'research experience' field-specific... or good work in just about any field would carry the same weightage??
So if have a 2months of experience in molbio and 2 months in biophysics... When i apply to biophysics, will my research experience be 4 months in all or just 2 months?
I hope i get my doubt across... waiting for answers! Thanks in advance!!
hi i am manoj , i want know about subject gre and its preparation .
ReplyDelete@madhumita: Research is all they are looking from.. even if you did some research project in electronics put it in your SOP.. doing research and sometimes from a wide range shows that you have tried many things and now have decided to specialize in a particular field.. hence its always an added plus..
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you think you biophysics project is good give more importance to it.. you could also say that it was your first step into biophysics and that really changed your way of thinking or interest.. (not so dramatically, but hope you get the point).. thought of places to apply?
@manoj: I will ask kavitha from my class to reply to your post when she free.. cause she is probably the best person to reply..
ReplyDeleteAs far as AGRE is concerned, I would recommend you to read Lehninger mainly. Go through the topics given in the ETS web site under the subject GRE section---> Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and try to touch as much as possible on all topics from Lehninger. (specially Biochemistry). You'll find this a little easy since you'd have done most of it as a part of Biochemistry curriculum in college. Palmer is a good book for enzyme kinetics and catalysis.
ReplyDeleteLodish is good for Cell B, but it feels too elaboreate sometimes, so just go through the basics of cell cycle and cell signaling. I would recommend reading "the cell" for cell signaling.
For Genetics and Molecular Biology I found Gardner and Friedfelder very useful . Try to cover as much as possible on Cell cycle, signaling, metabolic pathways, biosynthetic pathways, replication, transcription and translation.
There are a lot of data interpretation questions which are really easy-they give you the result of an experiment and ask you to interpret. They ask very simple questions mainly based on gels and chromatography. So while answering your test, do not waste time on the tough questions in the beginning, the easier ones (on data interpretation) come towards the end and that is where you can really score.
If you are serious about AGRE, so start preparing early- as early as third year. There is no limit to how much you can prepare for this test, so just keep reading and gathering as much information and grasping as many concepts as possible. You'll find it interesting anyway.But make sure you revise the topics, otherwise there is no point really.
I had a guide "REA" which i used as reference for covering topics. Some ppl in my class have a photocopy of that book from me. I'll be coming to college sometime to collect my certificates, those of you who want a photocopy of the book can take it from me and return it later.
Try taking the model test sent by ETS. The real test is more or less the same. A little tougher maybe (or it's just the feel of real test :-)). I took only that test, but I think there'll be other CDs available for practice. My giude book came with a CD too. All the best!
@ Madhumitha
ReplyDeleteYes, what Vishal said is right. Any research is valuable!
Besides, who says its totally unconnected? Remember, its how you put things forward in ur SOP. for eg, u can say ur first project was ur first step into the actual world of research and it helped you get a taste of the actual research experience. You liked it, so u went on to ur 2nd project, where u discovered ur realy field of interest...
Else if ur 1st proj is connected to the field u r apping to and ur 2nd is not connected, you can say after the first project u wanted to explore other fields, hence the 2nd project. And after that u figured that the field of the 1st project interests you most.. So its like after enough experience, and exploring other fields, you chose your field of interest.
So, get my point? Its allll about how you put it! You can make ANY project sound relevant to your application, trust me :-)
@ vishal, priya:
ReplyDeleteThanks a ton... u made my day :) I have been thinking about it for quite sometime now, in the middle of a summer project, n getting confused ... now i am clear..
I am sure I am gonna have more doubts, more clarifications and so more botheration and bugging awaits u :)
Thanks again for the great initiative :)
thank u so much for ur information on agre .
ReplyDeletemanoj
@everyone
ReplyDeleteyou guys are welcome! Do let your friends and others know about this blog.. also hope you guys found the files useful (i.e. if you downloaded them.. I mean the audio wordlist and mama book etc) I'll try to get links to the softwares soon..
@ vishal
ReplyDeletethe files and links are indeed useful, especially the antonym, analogy links on the pages...Its like I keep running this page during work n take the test, time to time during breaks... Great idea!
Places to apply - frankly, i havent given it a serious thought.. whenever i find something good, i just give it a cursory glance and its there in the back of my mind...No serious analysis of sorts as such... Probably some of my classmates have started doing it... But i do understand that, it is indeed late for us in the 4th year not to have started thinking about it seriously...
Is there a easier way to do it? like where to start and how to go about it or sumthin? Like, say 1st find out and try applying to all those univs and labs and profs who have some collaboration wid the lab u have worked during summer?? Is that a good idea?? Cant we be more ambitious??
Here were a few questions from my juniors who are going to 5th sem. Thought I ll post the Qs and As here so it can help everyone else too:
ReplyDeleteQ. You stressed on the fact tht we had to do a summer project this year..i didnt exactly do a project but i did get trained in a lot of different fields like dna isolation,quantificatin.flow cytometry, analysis using hplc and gc/ms to mention a few..would tht count or would u say it was just a waste of my time?
Answer:-
U arent expected to just do laboratory work, u are expected to do a project.. What you have done till now is okay, but a project is anyday more valuable than training. Okay, now training is only abt learning techniques. Projects are about using those, to attain an objective. So this means, a project is not just techniques! But reading a lot of papers, comin up with hypothesis, designing expts to test hypotheses, carrying out expts to test those hypothesis, brainstorming, troubleshooting and finally interpretation of results. So, the techniques are just 1/10th of a project. Trainings arent useless, they are surely not as good as projects but they are not worthless either.
Q. I am going to 5th sem now. What do I need to do for a good PhD admit at the end of B.Tech?
Answer:-
If u want a good PhD admit in the US:-
Things that you need to do now:-
1) Now, start GRE prep like what I had mentioned in the blog. Click on GRE on this blog, and read the last post on how to prepare for GRE.
2) Study haaaaaard for next 2 sems! Try getting 9 point something! (this is the last year where ur CGPA will matter and the last year whose marks u ll be sending for admissions to US univs.
3) And start looking for a good project for the next summer, that project matters the MOST! :) Its okay if u did only trainings till now. Apply for a fellowship next year.
Q. What are the summer project fellowships available for undergrad students?
a) apply for IAS summer fellowship
b) JNCASR
c) TIFR
d) The IIT fellowships
e) German DAAD summer fellowship - get in touch with Sumanprava (your immediate senior) as to how she did it.
f) Japanese fellowship - get in touch with ur senior Madhura, she is in japan now doing her project
g) Wisconsin Madison fellowship (Univ of Wisconsin Madison, USA) - Mathangi and Shanmugapriya got thru. Ask them how they got thru. this is the BEST u can dream of. U almost have a straight ticket to PhD with this ;)
Here are a few more questions and answers for those entering 5th sem:-
ReplyDeleteQ. What if I dont get through to any fellowship for a summer project?
Its okay. Start contacting profs in NCBS, IISc and other research institutes in India. First email then. One email wont do. Email persistently. And please make ur emails sound smart! (I think I had told you about how you can get profs to let you do a project in their lab, in the very first email I sent to the 5th sem people! you had a common yahoo id or something. Dont really know how many of u read it.)
Q. How does one apply to the US? Can you pick up a form from somewhere, fill and send it?
No! US application, is a formal process with well defined requirements. In short:
For US application:
1) you have an online application. For that online application these are required:
a) your CGPA
b) general GRE score (Math and Verbal)
c) top colleges ask for subject GRE (go to ETS website, and look for Subject GRE/ A-GRE syllabus for us. We have to write biochem, cell b, molb etc)
d) you need 3 recommendation letters (hence your project play an imp role here. If u have done a project outside in a good institute, you can get recommendation letter from ur guide, an recos from scientists in big research institutes like NCBS, ICGEB, CDFD, CCMB, TRC, etc etc - beeest is NCBS, else other research insti is also really good.)
e) Statement of Purpose (u dont have to worry abt that till next year)
f) Research experience - this has the hiiiiiighest weightage in ur application to the U.S. This is why your projects play an very important role.Now ttell me, can a training be called research? No.. Only a project can be called research
So u basically get all this together, put all details in an online form, submit the online form, and send all the extra stuff that requires to be posted, by post.
Q. Which countries can we apply to for PhD?
Answer
Most Anna Univ students go to the U.S. US universities are the best for us students. Most UK and German universities require you to have a post graduate degree. Europe comes only after the U.S. So by far, U.S. is the best option!
Q. Can B.Tech students apply for PhD without even doing a M.S.?
Answer:
Yes you can! 24 of us from our class are going for a PhD directly from B.Tech.
We dont need MS. Only BSc ppl need MSc. We Btech graduates, can directly apply for PhD in US. So for now concentrate on US applications.
Hi.Its a very nice blog for aspiring students. Kudos to you all!!
ReplyDeleteI have two doubts -will small scale projects ie mini projects be of any help? I mean very simple work like for eg phytochemical studies,microbicidal property of compounds etc..
Also is it possible to work in labs during academic year in institutes like CLRI,TRC etc?
hey Anonymous, I would have found it easier to help you if you had mentioned your name and the year u were in..
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I have added your question onto the FAQs, so please fo there and look up Q10.
Hello,great blog! will technical paper presentation in different colleges help ? or should we focus on better things?
ReplyDeleteAlso regarding academics..like what would be a good score or cgpa? will say an average of 80% be ok?
First of all anonymous does not help cause if we know you then its easier for us to tell you what to do.. I mean what are you studying etc..
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Paper Presentation always a plus on resume! There is nothing better than that to do!??!
80+ is always good, 90+ better.
GRE at least above 1300, with at least above 750 Quantitave is good. Now these numbers are just approximate and were sought of good for our year, however remember CANDIDATES ARE JUDGED ON OVERALL QUALIFICATION AND NO ONE THING CAN GUARANTEE A PHD ADMIT!
Thank you very much..I am in a private engineering college,not so famous and neither do we have seniors/staffs to guide us properly.So,this blog is very helpful-but dunno if i can achieve all this..will make a fool of myself if i dont..thats why i prefer to be anonymous..
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous:- Whats most important is a project. Do whatever project u can do in summers, and even during college if possible. Thats very very important. Why dont u check out the FAQs link in this blog? It has answers to the question u r asking.
ReplyDeleteI understand that u dont want to give ur name, but do atleast mention which year and such specs so that we can guide you better. Dont worry, even if u r from a private engg coll, it doesnt matter, just try getting a 1350+ GRE score, and do ur best in acads.
The most important factor, is however ur research experience (if u score 1300 or 1350+ with 750+ quants 550 or 600+ verbal)
Best of luck!
@ Anonymous :- A paper presentation doesnt help much unless and until its in a reputed college like IIT/IISc. Because colleges in US dont know any college in India!
ReplyDeleteSo its more important to have done a project, and its great if u have done this project in a good research institute. And if u get a recommendation from that project guide, then its ideal.