Graduate School Application Research Articles

First person profile: Chanita Hughes-Halbert, PhD: In bridging the gap between biology and the behavioral world, this psychologist is pushing research on cancer disparities in new directions.

First person profile: Chanita Hughes-Halbert, PhD: In bridging the gap between biology and the behavioral world, this psychologist is pushing research on cancer disparities in new directions.

ACS Bridge Program accepting student applications

Applications are being accepted for the American Chemical Society Bridge Program, which provides underrepresented minority students in the chemical sciences with academic support and other resources to be successful in graduate school, as well as support to attend scientific conferences. The program is part of the newly formed Inclusive Graduate Education Network, funded by the National Science Foundation to increase diversity in the graduate sciences. Students who have not applied to graduate school or have applied but were unsuccessful are eligible to apply. Students can submit their general graduate school application through the online application system at www.acs.org/bridge. The deadline for applications is March 15.

Do You Have the Research Experience Necessary for a Competitive Graduate School Application?

Do You Have the Research Experience Necessary for a Competitive Graduate School Application?

Six Steps for Cultivating Successful Undergraduate Research

Six Steps for Cultivating Successful Undergraduate Research

The detour that became a shortcut.

Like many science students, I had always envisioned a pretty straightforward career path: a graduate degree, postdoctoral research, and—if all went well—a faculty position. But I was thrown off this track before I even completed my bachelor's degree in biology. A university strike delayed my graduation, and as a result I missed the graduate school application deadline. Suddenly I had no idea what my future might hold, and I needed to make a living. I was relieved to be offered a job managing a newly established conservation area in my home state of Sergipe in Brazil, and I was excited about working to support biodiversity. But in the back of my mind, I worried that the job would take me in the wrong direction, away from the academic career I still desired. ![Figure][1] ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER The idea of managing a protected area was appealing, but my everyday workload was far from inspiring. I handled some interesting challenges, such as reaching a compromise with the ranchers whose cattle needed to cross the reserve for water. But I spent more time on paperwork and meetings than on ecosystems and biodiversity. And the only opportunities for career advancement were administrative positions, one step away from becoming a career bureaucrat. That was not how I wanted to spend my life. So, 3 years in, I decided that I needed to make a change. I had managed to complete a master's degree in ecology and conservation on the side while working at my day job, and in my spare time, I studied the reserve's frogs. But it was time to get back on the academic ladder full time. Applying to Ph.D. programs was the obvious next step. When I was accepted into a program in ecology and evolution, I couldn't wait to trade government paperwork for the intellectual stimulation of being fully immersed in research. Yet I was a bit unsure how well my transition back to academia would go. Would the skills I developed during my years at the reserve be of any use in my new endeavor, or would I be hopelessly rusty and lost? At first, as I had feared, I felt a little behind my fellow students. Despite the supportive environment, I couldn't escape the fact that I lacked skills vital to my new research field, such as programming and advanced statistics. I doubted that I would ever make any progress in my research or produce a decent thesis. But I soon realized that, during my time at the reserve, I had developed my own valuable skills. Managing the conservation area, which relied on community participation and compromise, had taught me to work collaboratively. Through juggling reserve management, community meetings, and endless paperwork, I had learned to work creatively and, above all, to get things done. I soon realized that doing multivariate analyses was no harder than dealing with the multidimensional problems of reserve management, and that writing scientific papers was no more demanding than compiling environmental policy reports. And my collaborative approach served me well as I worked closely with my new peers. In time, I gained the confidence I needed to succeed. Three years after starting my Ph.D., I found what I hoped would be my next career step: a permanent faculty position at my alma mater. As I went into overdrive to finish my thesis and put together a compelling application, I drew on abilities honed during my time managing the conservation area—including meeting deadlines and multitasking effectively—to wrap up my degree and land the job. Looking back, I appreciate how my precocious experience as a reserve administrator has contributed to my progress in academia. I had been thrown into the deep end, alone at a completely new reserve, where I was expected to mediate conflicts and solve problems with next to no resources. In turn, I developed creativity, persuasiveness, and patience. My initial detour from my academic goals ended up being a shortcut to the career I have always wanted. [1]: pending:yes

Pathways to the Professoriate: The Experiences of First-Generation Latino Undergraduate Students at Hispanic Serving Institutions Applying to Doctoral Programs

Despite representing the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, Latinos remain underrepresented in the professoriate. Although Latinos are increasingly attending college, fewer graduate and even fewer continue to pursue graduate school. Prior research has explained the challenges that first-generation college students encounter in post-secondary contexts. Given that Latino college students are likely to be first-generation, understanding the experiences of first-generation Latino undergraduate students who aspire to be professors and are applying to graduate school can help illuminate what factors help support this underrepresented group in pursuing a career in the academy. Using qualitative approaches, this study describes the experiences of 15 first-generation undergraduate Latino students in a grant funded academic program that provides them with a plethora of resources to help prepare them for graduate school applications. The findings suggest how early exposure to information about applying to graduate school, access to role models, familial support and understanding of an academic career and having a community of peers with similar ambitions can help cultivate an environment where first-generation, Latino students remain inspired and committed to pursuing graduate school in efforts to become a professor.

Fighting for my Dream

I stood in front of my research poster, anxiously waiting for the last judge to come around. Graduate school application season was looming. This was my last chance to impress the judges and find a Ph.D. program that would accept me. “Whenever you're ready,” the judge said. This was it, my

A Multilevel Factor Analysis of Third-Party Evaluations of Noncognitive Constructs Used in Admissions Decision Making

ABSTRACTThe assessment of noncognitive traits is challenging due to possible response biases, “subjectivity” and “faking.” Standardized third-party evaluations where an external evaluator rates an applicant on their strengths and weaknesses on various noncognitive traits are a promising alternative. However, accurate score-based inferences from third-party evaluations requires disentangling score variance due to raters versus applicants by utilizing a multilevel factor analysis (MFA). To date, MFA is highly underutilized in the measurement field. In this study, we apply the MFA to analyze third-party evaluations using data from the Personal Potential Index (PPI). The PPI is a third-party measure used to evaluate graduate school applicants noncognitive traits to help inform admissions decisions. We analyzed 12,693 ratings of 6,249 applicants divided into two randomly selected subgroups. We conducted multilevel exploratory factor analysis with one subgroup and tested the hypothesized structure with the other subgroup. This work illustrates the advantages and challenges of using MFA approach to support the meaningful and valid interpretation of scores from third-party evaluations.

Predictors of Student Productivity in Biomedical Graduate School Applications.

Many US biomedical PhD programs receive more applications for admissions than they can accept each year, necessitating a selective admissions process. Typical selection criteria include standardized test scores, undergraduate grade point average, letters of recommendation, a resume and/or personal statement highlighting relevant research or professional experience, and feedback from interviews with training faculty. Admissions decisions are often founded on assumptions that these application components correlate with research success in graduate school, but these assumptions have not been rigorously tested. We sought to determine if any application components were predictive of student productivity measured by first-author student publications and time to degree completion. We collected productivity metrics for graduate students who entered the umbrella first-year biomedical PhD program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2008–2010 and analyzed components of their admissions applications. We found no correlations of test scores, grades, amount of previous research experience, or faculty interview ratings with high or low productivity among those applicants who were admitted and chose to matriculate at UNC. In contrast, ratings from recommendation letter writers were significantly stronger for students who published multiple first-author papers in graduate school than for those who published no first-author papers during the same timeframe. We conclude that the most commonly used standardized test (the general GRE) is a particularly ineffective predictive tool, but that qualitative assessments by previous mentors are more likely to identify students who will succeed in biomedical graduate research. Based on these results, we conclude that admissions committees should avoid over-reliance on any single component of the application and de-emphasize metrics that are minimally predictive of student productivity. We recommend continual tracking of desired training outcomes combined with retrospective analysis of admissions practices to guide both application requirements and holistic application review.

Predictors of Student Productivity in Biomedical Graduate School Applications

Predictors of Student Productivity in Biomedical Graduate School Applications

Aspirations and Application for Graduate Education: Gender Differences in Low-Participation STEM Disciplines

Past research has established educational aspiration as an important factor leading to future planning and academic attainment, but there is a lack of scholarly attention to the role of educational aspiration in the pursuit of graduate education. Using a recent nationally representative sample of college graduates, this study examines educational aspiration of college graduates in STEM majors and focuses on gender-based differences in the pursuit of advanced degrees in order to better understand the factors underlying the underrepresentation of women in their low-participation disciplines. Multinomial logit analysis is conducted to identify the factors that contribute to educational aspirations, graduate school application, and gender-based differences therein. The major findings are that (1) educational aspiration is a strong and important mediator to college graduates’ pursuit of continuing education; (2) female students are more sensitive to socio-psychological influences from significant others in developing educational aspirations; (3) given the aspiration for graduate education, women’s applications to graduate school is influenced strongly by family and financial factors. Potential policy recommendations are discussed based on the findings of the study.

Microbe Mentor:Advice for Graduate School Applications

The decision to attend graduate school has huge implications on any young microbiologist. It can determine lifelong colleagues and friends, impact future research directions, and build business opportunities. It is no wonder, then, that the ultimate goal of any applicant is to find a university, program, and ultimately an advisor, that will satisfy the student's current and future needs. Once the applicant has identified where he or she would like to spend the next few years of their lives, either as a Master's student or a Ph.D. candidate, the next challenge is to convince this university/program/advisor to accept the responsibility of taking on this new student. Similar to that of a job, this application process can be very competitive.

The difference one word makes: Imagining sexual orientation in graduate school application essays.

The difference one word makes: Imagining sexual orientation in graduate school application essays.

From Campers to Counselors: a Resource for Prospective Genetic Counseling Students.

When thinking about the future of the genetic counseling field, one place to start is with prospective genetic counseling graduate school applicants. Although resources and mentorship opportunities exist for genetic counselors entering the field, the process of deciding on a career, applying to graduate programs, and being admitted can be daunting. As members of the profession, we should take responsibility for ensuring that individuals have the information and resources necessary to make an educated decision about whether genetic counseling is the correct path for them and to take the initial steps along this path. In this article, we present our Genetic Counseling Boot Camp as a model for other genetic counselors to use in developing their own local programs. This type of program can benefit prospective genetic counselors as they begin their professional journeys and can also provide value for the organizers and presenters who are already seasoned in the field.

Leaping into the unknown.

Passion is not something you can plan for. When I was in elementary school and someone would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I would shout something along the lines of “a pirate astronaut” or “a Tyrannosaurus rex ” because those were the things that piqued my interest at the time. As I've aged my passions have changed, and though sometimes I still think it would be fun to be a pirate astronaut, these days I aspire to a career in neuroscience. But it hasn't been a direct path, and changing fields during my training, though challenging, has provided a valuable perspective that has improved my research and, I believe, will continue to serve me well throughout my career. ![Figure][1] ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER > “Being a researcher, no matter the field, is about adaptation.” By the end of my senior year of high school, I knew only that I was more fascinated by the natural world than by business or politics. That was all. But 3 weeks prior to the start of my freshman year of college, I took an elective course in biological anthropology. I became fascinated with human variation; ancient hominid fossils; and the behavior of our closest living relatives, the great apes, and ended up earning a degree in anthropology. For my undergraduate thesis, I investigated differences in circulating hormones between musicians and nonmusicians and how musical ability might be related to differences in physiology. After this experience, I felt the itch to look deeper into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of behavior. The next step, I decided, was graduate school in neuroscience—a subject in which I had not taken a single course. Quite a pickle I'd gotten myself into! How was I going to make the jump into this new field? I wrote my graduate school applications to showcase how I had arrived at the decision to pursue neuroscience research without a neuroscience background and my genuine interest in the mechanisms of behavior. I emphasized that I was trained in how to think about complex subjects and use the scientific method—skills I could apply to any topic. To improve my chances, I applied broadly to programs with an emphasis on behavior: anthropology, psychology, and—as a reachȁneuroscience. To my relief, it worked! After a gap year spent as the assistant project director for a chimpanzee field site for ecological research in western Uganda, I began graduate school in my first-choice neuroscience program. Since entering my new field 3 years ago, I've found that a key obstacle to overcome is the lingo. Few things in academia are scarier than walking into a room, listening to a lecture, and having absolutely no idea what just transpired. Early on, I would break out into cold sweats at the thought of having a neuroscience-based conversation. I had to quickly pick up on words like “orthodromic” and “deacetylation” to communicate with my peers. My anthropologist self had to adjust to my new intellectual environment, which I did by reading—a lot. A cycle emerged: A feeling of severe stupidity would be followed by intense reading, followed by another period of feeling stupid as I realized that, no matter how much I read, new gaps in knowledge would keep popping up. Even now that I feel relatively comfortable identifying myself as a neuroscientist, that cycle continues. Finding my way in a new discipline helped me realize that being a researcher, no matter the field, is about adaptation. Good scientists need to be able to recognize imminent paradigm shifts and adjust hypo theses accordingly. They should be prepared to explore new experimental approaches when original tactics don't work. And they should be comfortable examining questions from alternative angles, as sometimes the best way to tackle a problem may be hidden in an unfamiliar area. Because of my experience changing fields, I feel equipped to do all of these things, and although it was scary and difficult at times, I believe the experience will make me a better scientist in the long run. I anticipate that my passion will shift again as new discoveries are made. Overcoming the challenge of transitioning fields in graduate school has prepared me for whatever direction my research takes me. [1]: pending:yes

Beyond the GRE: using a composite score to predict the success of Puerto Rican students in a biomedical PhD program.

The use and validity of the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) to predict the success of graduate school applicants is heavily debated, especially for its possible impact on the selection of underrepresented minorities into science, technology, engineering, and math fields. To better identify candidates who would succeed in our program with less reliance on the GRE and grade point average (GPA), we developed and tested a composite score (CS) that incorporates additional measurable predictors of success to evaluate incoming applicants. Uniform numerical values were assigned to GPA, GRE, research experience, advanced course work or degrees, presentations, and publications. We compared the CS of our students with their achievement of program goals and graduate school outcomes. The average CS was significantly higher in those students completing the graduate program versus dropouts (p < 0.002) and correlated with success in competing for fellowships and a shorter time to thesis defense. In contrast, these outcomes were not predicted by GPA, science GPA, or GRE. Recent implementation of an impromptu writing assessment during the interview suggests the CS can be improved further. We conclude that the CS provides a broader quantitative measure that better predicts success of students in our program and allows improved evaluation and selection of the most promising candidates.

How we treat our own: the experiences and characteristics of psychology trainees with disabilities.

To better understand the characteristics and experiences of psychologists and trainees with disabilities. An invitation to participate in a survey of psychologists and psychology trainees with disabilities was sent to professional listservs related to psychology and/or disability. Fifty-six trainees and psychologists with doctoral training in clinical, counseling, school, or rehabilitation psychology completed the survey. Over half (57.1%) were practicing psychologists and 42.9% were current trainees. The most commonly reported disabilities were physical, sensory, and chronic health. The majority of the participants reported experiencing disability-related discrimination during their training, and less than one third had received mentorship from psychologists with disabilities. Less than half of respondents disclosed their disability to a university disability services office, and many relied on informal accommodations alone. Most participants did not disclose their disability during the graduate school, internship, or postdoctoral application processes. Professional psychology programs and training sites should work to remove barriers and provide support for trainees with disabilities, especially during preinternship doctoral training. Programs should not expect disability services offices to provide all support for students with disabilities, especially support related to clinical training.

Career lasting influences.

In this brief tribute to Hilary Koprowski, I wish to convey a small example of the often unintended but significant positive impact that Hilary had on the careers of many young scientists who spent time at The Wistar Institute. Although they may not have directly worked with Hilary, many had the privilege of benefiting enormously from his wisdom of what was scientifically important and his insight in recognizing scientific talent. I literally showed up at the office of Lionel Manson at Wistar in the summer of 1975. The reason—I had applied as a graduate student to the Immunology Graduate Group program at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Manson was the Chair of the Group at that time. Unfortunately, they had lost half my graduate school application, although I was unaware of this until I arrived. Undaunted, I was initially permitted to enroll in the program part-time and Dr. Manson suggested I apply for a technical job at Wistar. I went straight to the personnel office and quickly obtained a position with Yasuhiro Hosaka. Again, unknown at the time, this was the first major influence Hilary had on my career. The major reason that Hilary had brought Hosaka to The Wistar Institute was because Hilary wanted to immortalize B cells. From his vaccine work, Hilary knew the importance of serological responses for clearing virus infections. Even at this early stage, he could envision the potential impact and importance of being able to produce virtually unlimited amounts of specific antibodies to viruses, cancers, and other targets. Dr. Hosaka worked on Sendai virus, which is a paramyxovirus that fuses with cell membranes at neutral pH. The hope was that the virus could be used to fuse cells to generate immortalized B cells producing specific antibodies. In Hosaka's lab, I gained my initial knowledge and skills in working with and growing viruses that I would later use throughout my career. I also established a relationship with Dr. Hosaka for future collaborations and a lifelong friendship until his death. After my first semester, I became a full-time graduate student at Penn. It was before this that Hilary had heard about the discovery of the major histocompatibility restriction (MHC) of T cell responses to viruses. He was interested in all facets of vaccination and anti-viral immunity so he asked Peter Doherty to join Wistar. It was a clear demonstration of his true insight into understanding the impact of their findings over 20 years before Peter and Rolf Zinkernagel were awarded the Nobel Prize. I owe the entire future direction of my career to this insight. Doherty joined Wistar in 1975 and in 1976 I joined the lab as his second doctorate student. Rita Effros was his first. As one might imagine, immediately after such an important and groundbreaking discovery, it was an extremely fast-paced and exciting time working as a graduate student in Doherty's lab on anti-viral T cell immunity. Our primary focus was on T cell specificity and repertoire. Why were cytotoxic T cells specific for both virus and MHC? Were there two receptors or one? To address these questions, we naively began using an influenza virus system because of the known serological differences between virus strains. While we did not answer these questions during my time in the lab, we did discover the cross-reactive nature of the anti-influenza virus T cell response, helped to define positive and negative thymic selection during T cell development, and examined the role of cytotoxic T cells in protection from influenza virus infection. All of this was made possible by Hilary's insights into what was scientifically important and recognizing that Doherty was an incredible scientist. Soon after graduation, I went to the Basel Institute for Immunology to spend two years as a member there before returning to Hilary's Institute; Peter Doherty returned to Australia to become the Department Chair at the John Curtin School of Medicine. For the next five years, first as an Assistant and later Associate Professor, I had the opportunity to interact with Hilary on many occasions at meetings and dinners. As anyone who had the privilege of being at Wistar during those years could tell you, it was a very unique place with many characters one will never forget, including Hilary. As has often been stated, he was truly a renaissance man and operated Wistar as his fiefdom. One could tell many stories about their time at Wistar and about the people who worked there. Some would not be so flattering but many would certainly be funny. However, for many young scientists who trained at Wistar, one of the most enduring memories is the indirect impact of Hilary's scientific choices and insights that helped shape our careers.

E-Portfolios in Social Work Curriculum: Demonstrating Integrative and Reflective Learning

Social work educators have used portfolios to evaluate learning over the past 3 decades. With student learning needs changing in response to technological learning opportunities, social work programs are starting a transition from the traditional, paper-based portfolio to an electronic one. The authors describe one program's formative evaluation of e-portfolios and how it led from a focus on the product, the portfolio, to a refocus on the portfolio creation process. Both the program and students gained from the e-portfolio through curriculum review and subsequent curriculum development and through student demonstration of integrative and reflective learning. Students who successfully articulate and demonstrate professional growth through the e-portfolio are likely to use that information in job interviews and graduate school applications. Thus, the e-portfolio can be an effective tool for using today's technology to meet student learner needs.

The preference for potential.

When people seek to impress others, they often do so by highlighting individual achievements. Despite the intuitive appeal of this strategy, we demonstrate that people often prefer potential rather than achievement when evaluating others. Indeed, compared with references to achievement (e.g., "this person has won an award for his work"), references to potential (e.g., "this person could win an award for his work") appear to stimulate greater interest and processing, which can translate into more favorable reactions. This tendency creates a phenomenon whereby the potential to be good at something can be preferred over actually being good at that very same thing. We document this preference for potential in laboratory and field experiments, using targets ranging from athletes to comedians to graduate school applicants and measures ranging from salary allocations to online ad clicks to admission decisions.