Application season by Mollie B. '06

Just thought I’d reiterate, for anyone who’s applying to MIT this year (or next year, or in five years… whatever, I don’t discriminate), that I feel your pain on the application deal.

I’m applying to graduate programs in cell biology and/or neuroscience for admission in fall 2006 (partially so I can make everyone call me Dr. Mollie), and I just spent a great deal of my downtime at the lab today studying for the GRE, and it sucks. Who would have thought I’d need to remember how to do things like factoring polynomials and calculating the area of circles?

I’m trying to get everything together so that I have the majority of my applications completed before the school year starts (because I’m going to be taking too many classes and working too many hours at the lab during term again, oops)… I’m taking the GRE general test on July 19, and the biology subject test in November. After I take the general test, the rest of my summer evenings will be dedicated to writing statements of purpose, filling out online applications, and reminding my favorite professors that they’re writing me recommendations. And it’s stressing me out like crazy.

I had a dream the other night that I got to the GRE test center, froze once I got to the computer, and got a 33rd percentile on the test. The next night, I dreamed that I had gotten into grad school, but in biophysics (and trust me, if there’s one thing I hate in this world, it’s physics).

So, applicants, gripe away — I am right there with you.