Advice- international student, Molecular Biology/Biochemistry/Cell Biology/Genomics (PhD)

[myrtilus]

Okay, so I'm a little ( lot) clueless. I realized that perhaps, just perhaps, I really want to attend grad school not in Russia, but in the US. That scares the living daylights out of me. I have virtually no idea how to actually get accepted to a good program in the US (and how to to pay for it, though from what I've been able to find online most

Comments

[kahlan_amnell]

1. Yes it should be possible. It sounds like you have very good qualifications.

2. Well, start with what you mentioned: reading about what they do and looking up what they have written. Then consider e-mailing them. Perhaps you could get in contact with some grad students that have worked with them in the past.

3. Probably pretty far in advance. Check the GRE website to see when the test is offered near you, and allow lots of time for your scores to be sent. I haven't applied from abroad, so I don't know how long it will take, but even within the US it can take a month or more to get scores sent. Yes, you probably will have to take the TOEFL, it is usually required of all applicants from non-English speaking countries, unless they went to a university that taught in English.

4. The most common way for international students to pay for grad school seems to be through funding from universities in the form of teaching or research assistantships.

Thanks!

[myrtilus]

2. How can I e-mail their students? It's not like the web sites list all grad students in the program, so I can find them on facebook... =)
3. When is (usually) the deadline for scores to be sent? Should I leave a month or two?

Re: Thanks!

[kahlan_amnell]

2. Some schools actually do list all of the students on their websites. If not...that can be a bit more complicated. Sometimes you can ask department coordinators if there are current students willing to talk to prospective students.

3. Even within the US it is wise to leave a month for scores to be sent. As I understand it, the GRE isn't given as often outside the US, so you'll have to find out when it is given in Russia.
-Some information about GRE test centers outside the US can be found here: http://etsis4.ets.org/tcenter/tcenterIntl.jsp
-General information about the GRE can be found here: http://www.ets.org/gre/

Good luck!

Re: Thanks!

[myrtilus]

1. Cool! Thanks =)
2. The reason I'm fretting about the paper-based test is that it's given in Moscow in October and April. I really don't want to take it this April (I plan to do most of my studying over the summer, since I have a research project deadline in April (i.e. I'll be juggling way too much in spring anyway)).
So my timing question really boils down to whether they'll get the results by December 1st if I take the subject test in October...
Thanks for the ETS links. I've surfed their site

[gangur]

There are tons of foreign students doing PhD programs all around the United States. 5/30 grad students in my own program are international students. They get full funding. In more 'hard' science departments there are many more.

Take your TOEFL and your GRE (gotta do both) and score well. Then start corresponding with faculty members with similar research interests as your own. You have a good shot, certainly.

[adequaticus]

Only 5 of 30? Wow, my program is easily more than 50% international. I think my case is much more common in science and engineering.

[mos_stef]

Give it a shot! The Professor I work for went to MGU for undergrad and Clark University for grad. Ask the people at SRAS www.sras.org about it. They specialize in getting American students into Russian schools but might have information for you.

Also, your English is fantastic. I'm learning Russian and lived in Moscow over the fall '07 semester (at MosGU) and I must say that your English is way better than any other Russian college student I've met!

[roseofjuly]

I think it should be. A lot of my colleagues (in public health and psychology departments) are international students, and they are funded by our department just as any domestic student would be. You don't have to go to a high-ranking university in order to get into a good graduate program here in the states; what's important is your background in research and how you performed at the college you did attend.

I took the GRE in November of the year I applied, but you might want to take it a little earlier in Russia. I do believe they are reported electronically, though, so they shouldn't take months to arrive.

Most international students in my department are fully funded by departmental and graduate school resources. As a matter of fact, they force us domestic students to apply for fellowships that we're eligible for so we can support more international students who aren't eligible for the big grants. Seek out institutions that provide full funding for international students if that's a concern.

[fuzzylogician]

My two cents:

1) It is quite feasible to get accepted to tor-tier PhD programs with full funding. Check out the websites of some of your favorite programs, I'm sure you'll find that they have international students, and that many of them are fully funded.

2) No experience here. I'm in the humanities, where it's not a custom to contact specific faculty before applying.

3) You have to take both the GRE and TOEFL. Don't worry about the TOEFL, though. With your English, you wouldn't need more than three days to prepare for it, especially if you take it after you study for the GRE.

4) It's true that there is more funding available for US citizens than for international students. However, many universities offer their students (US citizens or not) full funding packages for the entire course of their studies. These usually include a mixture of fellowships, TAships and RAships. I would be willing to bet that in your field, most top-ranked programs offer their students such packages.