Applying to Graduate School

... in the Biological Sciences

Declare Your Undergraduate Major – The earlier the better.

• Choose from: Biological Sciences or Biochemistry/Molecular Biology or Physiological Sciences.
• Talk to faculty members who can advise you about graduate programs in their area of expertise.
• Gain research experience by enrolling in our summer undergraduate research program and/or by undertaking research for credit in a faculty member’s laboratory.
• Maintain good grades.

During the Summer after your Junior Year

• You should have formulated your future area of advanced study.
• Assemble program information from target graduate schools.
• Draft your statement of purpose indicating your reasons for wanting to undertake graduate study at a selected university. M.S. applicants often write 250-500 words, while doctoral program applicants write an essay of 400-600 words.
• Prepare for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Buy one of the review books and develop a plan to systematically polish your skills in vocabulary, reading comprehension, analogies, algebra, and geometry.

August-September of your Senior Year

• Meet with faculty members who know your work to discuss your personal statement and consolidate your choice of graduate programs.
• Ask for letters of recommendation to be written in November. Good choices - a faculty member who was your mentor in a research project in their laboratory; a faculty member from whom you took a seminar or an honors course or an advanced/graduate course; your faculty advisor. Supporting letters from faculty in, for example, your minor will show your breadth of interest and non-science ability. To be accepted into a top graduate program it is important that you have strong letters from science faculty who can assess your potential to undertake independent research, and to think and analyze problems critically.

What is the GRE?

• The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) consists of two separate tests: The General Test and the Subject Test. The latter can be taken in many areas including Biology. Check with the graduate schools of interest to you to find out if they require both tests, and the minimum scores they require for admittance.
• The GRE General Test has three sections – Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Writing. The writing test is taken first and your answers to two questions (one on an “issue” topic for 45 minutes and one on an “argument” topic for 30 minutes) are written by hand or typed.

Why is the GRE Important?

While your admission to graduate school will be enhanced by good scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE (not the Subject Test), most graduate admissions committees consider the each applicant’s all round academic record and their potential for success. It is essential that you score well – at least 550 on each section (600+ is even better) – to be accepted into most doctoral programs. Masters programs require lower scores of 450-500 on each of the sections. It is unlikely that you will be admitted into any program with scores lower than 450 on one of the sections.

Applying to take the GRE.

• Register on line to take the GRE, at GRE Online (www.gre.org). It is important to register early to get your choice of test dates. The testing months of November, December and January are particularly busy. You will receive free software to help you study for the test. Do not prepare at the last minute or resort to cramming.
• Plan to take the GRE General Test in Spring or in early Summer. This will enable you to prepare for a second try if necessary. BUT REMEMBER – both sets of scores will be reported to the schools to which you apply, unless you cancel your scores, an option that you have after taking the computerized General Test - BUT you must cancel without knowing your scores. You will receive your unofficial test scores on the General Test as soon as you have finished the computer version.
• The online examination is progressive, that is, the level of difficulty is adjusted, either up or down, as your answers dictate.
• You also have the option of taking a paper-and-pencil version General Test instead of an online test. In the computer test you cannot go back to a question even if you are not sure of the correct answer. The paper-and-pencil test lets you skip a question, and return to it later. However, this option may lead you to misjudge the timing for the exam. Practice exams will help you with timing, and with preparation. The paper-and-pencil tests are not offered as frequently as the computer tests.
  • You can re-take the General Test only 1 time per calendar month and only 5 times in
    a 12-month period.
  • There is a Subject Test offered in Biology as a paper-and-pencil version. If you plan
    to take it, you should do so in November at the latest.
  • Even if you are not planning to attend graduate school immediately upon graduation it is
    good thing to take the GRE in your senior year. Scores are good for 5 years, and you
    will never be better prepared.

October

• Request application materials from the schools to which you will apply.
• Consider graduate studies at Marquette University
• Complete your personal statement customizing it, with the help of a faculty member, for each application.
• Order transcripts.
• Provide your recommenders with official forms and stamped, addressed envelopes.

Early November

• December 1st deadlines are not unheard of, so be prepared.
• Round up your writers for letters of recommendation.
• Mail applications.
• Make sure that you have applied for financial aid and assistantship if appropriate.
• Verify receipt of application. This requires a telephone call from you to ensure that your application package is complete.

February/March

You should be contacted regarding a campus visit and/or be contacted for a telephone interview. You can also contact programs about the possibility of making a campus visit.

April

• If you are applying for need-based financial aid you may be required to file a copy of your Federal income tax return with the interested school.
• April 15th is the usual deadline when programs ask that students make their final acceptance decisions.

Good luck and make the most of your advisor’s expertise. Our faculty can be an enormous help to you as you go through your undergraduate program. They are particularly useful in guiding you in the selection of the most appropriate graduate school to fit your needs.