Lately, I've been receiving application results from my graduate program applications for my master's programs in bioinformatics and biomedical engineering. I am lucky enough to be admitted into graduate programs at Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and ETH Zurich. Here are some key takeaways from the tedious application process, I'll try my best to be less cliche:
1. Keep your application organized. I used a notion table to organize the file, timeline, and checklists for all the programs I applied to so that I can keep my mind clear of the status of my applications. Check out this article for some templates;
2. Leave time for research. The most time-consuming part of the application is actually choosing the best programs and supervisors for you. Start early on navigating through university websites and lab pages for the topics/programs of your interests;
3. Use forums wisely. Forums such as GradCafe and college confidential can be useful in providing some scholarship/program database. But bear in mind every year situation changes and doesn't be obsessed browsing through those forums as it may heighten your anxiety;
4. Logic and Story. For personal statements/SoP, tell a story of clear logic is the strategy I choose for my application. Though it may vary from program to program, showing your professionalism and tailoring your writing to the program generally help. Also, short sentences can be powerful.
I'd love to hear about your stories and tips for applying for grad schools (Masters, Ph.D., MD, etc). We may also have a panel talk on grad school applications in the future. Before that, Laidlaw hosted a panel talk before on this topic, check it out if you're interested.
Recent Comments
This is awesome! Miscommunication can easily be the greatest barrier to medical research translation.
Hi Sun, this is such a great informative article. I was wondering if you think these 3D printing processes could be scaled up and whether this is currently possible or will require further developments in the field?
Hi James. Thanks for the question. Scaling is, without doubt, an important issue for the manufacture of 3D printing techniques. Yet I think to answer your questions from my understanding, there are no obvious technical difficulties for the relatively fast and convenient printing processes of drug tablets. Yet as a newly-emerged technique, the companies are still seeking partners to prepare for the initial commercial-scale manufacturing given the specific requirements for the manufacturing environment and 3D printers.
Many of those drug-printing techniques focused on rare diseases as they provide more flexibilities with lower cost. That, to some extent, may also be related to the fact that the newborn techniques are looking for a way to enter the market, even with some printed drugs approved by the FDA.
I found this article may be relevant to your comment and also check this out if you want to learn more about the printing techniques.
Lemme know your thoughts! :))
Also, let me know your thoughts on 3D printed drugs! what do you think of its future? Will future drugs all be printed?