6/16/2015 Admissions and Recruitment | Department of Molecular & Cell Biology

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AdmissionsandRecruitment
TheDepartmentofMolecularandCellBiologyoffersonlyaPh.DprogramandadmitsstudentstotheFallsemesteronly.TheDepartmentdoesnotoffera
Master'sdegree.ApplicationsareavailableforsubmissiononlinethesecondMondayinSeptember.ApplicationdeadlineismidnightPacificStandardTime
December1st.Studentsshouldcompletetheirapplicationsasearlyaspossibleandbesuretohitthesubmitbuttonbeforethedeadline.Youwillneedtoensure
thatlettersofrecommendation,GREscores,andanyothersupportingdocumentsreachthedepartmentnolaterthanoneweekbeyondthedeadline.
Applicationswillbereviewedastheyarecompletedsoadelayinreceivingyoursupportingdocumentswilldelaythereviewofyourfile.

TheDepartmentofMolecularandCellBiologyisparticularlyinterestedinprovidingeducationalopportunitiesforstudentsfromdiversebackgroundsandfrom
ethnicgroupscurrentlyunderrepresentedinthebiologicalsciences.

Formoreinformationandtosubmitanapplicationgoto:http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/.
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ApplicationDeadlines&Information

GraduateApplicationforAdmission December
&Fellowship 1

December
TOEFLandGREScores
1

InstitutionCode 4833

GREDepartmentCode 0206

TOEFLDepartmentCode 74

Strongundergraduatepreparationforthisprogramwouldincludeatleastoneyeareachofcalculus,physics,andgeneralbiology,twotothreesemestersof
chemistry(general,organicandphysicalchemistry),andadditionaladvancedcourseworkinsuchareasasbiochemistry,biophysics,cellbiology,genetics,
microbiology,molecularbiology,immunologyand/orneurobiology.

Lettersofrecommendationshouldbefrompersonswhohavesupervisedyourresearchoracademicworkandwhocanevaluateyourintellectualability,
creativity,leadershippotentialandpromiseforproductivescholarship.Iflabsupervisionwasprovidedbyapostdocorgraduatestudentthelettershouldcarrythe
signatureofthefacultymemberinchargeoftheresearchproject.Lettersofrecommendationshouldbesubmittedonline.WerecommendusingtheInterfolio
letterwriterservice.Tolearnmore,clickonthelink:http://www.interfolio.com

Admissionisbasedonanevaluationbyadepartmentalcommitteecomprisedoffacultyandseniorgraduatestudents.Reviewbeginsassoonasanapplicant'sfile
iscomplete.TheAdmissionsCommitteeweighsmanyfactorsincludingtheapplicant'sundergraduatescholasticrecord,priorperformanceinlaboratory
research,lettersofrecommendation,statementofpurpose,andGREscores.

Admissionisbasednotonlyontheonlineapplicationbutalsouponfacultyinterviews.TheAdmissionsCommitteeinvitesselectedapplicantstothecampusto
participateinrecruitmentinterviewsonFebruary13orMarch13,2015.FacultyevaluationsofinterviewsareusedbytheAdmissionsCommitteetomakefinal
admissionrecommendationstotheGraduateDivision.OffersofadmissionaremadefromlateFebruarythroughmidMarch.

AllotherapplicantswillbenotifiedbyearlyMarch.

2014EnteringClassProfile

TotalMatriculated 37

Men 59%

Women 41%

DiversityStudents 11%

InternationalStudents 11%

CaliforniaResidents 16%

AverageAge 24(range:2236)

AGRESubjectTestisstronglyrecommendedandmayincludeBiochemistry&CellBiology,GeneralBiology,Chemistry,orPhysics.Applicantswhosenative
languageisnotEnglish,andwhohavenotreceivedadegreefromanEnglishlanguageinstitution,arerequiredtotaketheTestofEnglishasaForeign

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6/16/2015 Admissions and Recruitment | Department of Molecular & Cell Biology
Language(TOEFL)receivingaminimumscoreof570forthepapertest,233fortheComputerBasedTest(CBT)or90ontheInternetbasedtest(IBT).If,atthe
timeofapplication,youhavealreadycompletedatleastoneyearoffulltimeacademiccourseworkwithgradesofBorbetterataU.S.university,youarenot
requiredtotaketheTOEFL.Furtherinformationonthisrequirementcanbefoundwiththegraduateapplication.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
WhenistheadmissionapplicationdeadlineforthePh.D.program?

OurapplicationdeadlineisDecember1precedingtheAugustforwhichyouareseekingadmission.Weadmitforthefallsemesteronly

DoyouacceptapplicationsaftertheDecember1deadline?

No,applicationsandallsupportingdocuments(transcriptsandlettersofrecommendation)mustbereceivedbytheDecember1stdeadline.

Whereshouldtranscriptsbesent?

Electroniccopiesofofficialtranscriptsshouldbeuploadedwithyouradmissionapplication.Ifadmittedintotheprogram,youwillberequiredtosubmitahardcopy
ofyourofficialtranscriptuponyouracceptanceoftheadmissionoffer.

Whatarethetest(s)requiredtoapplytoyourprogram?

WerequiretheGeneralGRE(SubjectGREisoptional)ofallapplicants.TheGREtestscoresneedtobewithinfiveyearsfromthetimeofyourapplication.

ForallInternationalStudents,theTOEFLorIELTSisrequired.ForFall2015,TOEFLorIELTSteststakenbeforeJune1,2013willnotbeacceptedevenifyour
scorewasreportedtoBerkeley.

FormoreinformationonEnglishlanguagetestingrequirementsandpossibleexceptionspleasegoto:
http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/admis_require.shtml#4_2

WhenisthelatestIcouldtaketheexam(s)?

YoushouldplantotakethetestsothatscoresarereportedtotheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeleynolaterthanDecember1st.Checkwiththetestingagencyfor
scorereportdates.

WhatcodesshouldIusedtoreportscorestoUCBerkeley?

TheUCBerkeleyinstitutioncodeforGREandTOEFLis4833.DeptcodetobeusedfortheGREis0206(cell/cellularbiology)andthedepartmentcodetousefor
theTOEFLis74.

HaveyoureceivedmyGREand/orTOEFLscores?

Scoresaresentdirectlytotheuniversityandmatchedtoyouronlineapplicationbeforebeingdownloadedtothedepartment.Ifyoudidnotusethecorrectcode
youmaycontactthedepartmenttoconfirmthereceiptofthescores.However,ifproperlycoded,youdonotneedtofollowupwiththedepartment.If,bysome
chance,wedonotreceiveyourscores,wewillcontactyounolaterthantheendofJanuary.

IfyoulistUCBerkeleyasaschooltoreceiveyourscores,theywillbeautomaticallyuploadedtooursystem.Wedonotkeeppaperscoresonhand.

HowdoIcalculatemymajorGPA?

YourmajorGPAisbaseduponallcourseworktakenforyourmajorandincludesbothupperandlowerdivisioncourses.TherearesomeonlineGPAcalculators
youcanfindwithaGooglesearch.

WhatisthedifferencebetweentheStatementofPurposeandthePersonalStatement?

TheStatementofPurposeisadetailedsummaryyourresearchexperienceandoverallscientificpreparationforaresearchPhD.Includeyouroverallresearch
interestsandgoalsandwhyUCBerkeleyandourdepartmentwouldbeagoodintellectualfit.

ThePersonalStatementshoulddescribehowyourpersonalbackgroundshapedyourinterestsanddecisiontopursueagraduatedegree.Includeanyfamilial,
educational,cultural,economicorsocialexperiencesthathaveaffectedyourdecisionstopursueacareerinscientificresearch.Describeyourleadershipskills,
interestsandhowyoumightcontributetosocialorculturaldiversityinthebiologicalsciences.

HowmanylettersofrecommendationshouldIsubmit?

Threeonlinelettersofrecommendationarerequired.Itisrecommendedthatyoustaywithinthisrequirement.

Myrecommendercannotsubmittheirletteronline,whatdoIneedtodo?

Ifyourrecommenderisnotabletosubmittheirletteronlinethroughthecampusadmissionsprogram,theymaysendacopydirectlytoourdepartment.To
expeditethereviewofyourappicationtheycaneitheremailorfaxthelettertous.Emaillettersmaybesenttousatmcbgao@berkeley.eduandthesubjectline
shouldcontaingtheapplicantnameand"LOR".Faxesmaybesentto(510)6431307.

AmIrequiredtocontactthefacultypriortoapplying?

Youarenotrequiredtocontactthefacultybutyoumightfinditworthwhiletodosoparticularlyregardingspecificresearchquestions.

DoIhavetoprovidealistoffacultyinwhoseresearchI'minterested?Why?

Yes,weaskthatyouprovidethenamesofbetween68faculty(of~90totalfaculty)withwhomyouareinterestedinconductingresearchorperformingrotations.
InchoosingfacultywhoseresearchinterestsmatchyourowntheChairofAdmissionswillbeabletodirectyourapplicationtotheappropriatesubcommitteefor
reviewand,second,itassiststhestaffinarrangingforappropriatefacultyinterviewsandstudenthostingshouldyoubeselectedforaninterviewvisit.

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6/16/2015 Admissions and Recruitment | Department of Molecular & Cell Biology
WhereandhowdoIlistmyresearchexperience?

Priorresearchexperienceisaveryimportantpartofyourapplication.InadditiontodescribingyourresearchinyourStatementofPurpose,pleaselistall
researchexperienceintheResearchExperiencesection.YouwillbeaskedtoincludetheInstitution/Employer,FacultyMentor/Supervisor,PositionTitle,Dates
ofEmployment,andTitleofResearchProject.

HowcanIcheckonthestatusofmyapplication?

Duetothehighvolumeofinquirieswereceive,wemaynotbeabletorespondtoeachrequestindividually.However,ifyourapplicationismissinganysupporting
documents,youwillbenotified.Pleasewaitoneweekbeyondtheapplicationdeadlinebeforemakinginquiriestoallowtimeforprocessingofalldocumentsforall
applicants.

WhenwillIhearwhetherornotI'minvitedforaninterviewvisit?

ApplicantsinvitedforaninterviewvisitwillbecontactedbymidJanuary.

Whenaretherecruitmentvisitdates?

Therecruitmentdatesare:February13,andMarch13,2015.

IfI'minvitedforaninterviewvisit,whenwillIhearthefinaladmissiondecision?

AlladmissiondecisionsarefinalizedbymidMarchfollowingtherecruitmentvisits.

Ifthisinformationdidnotansweryourquestionpleasefeelfreetocontactusat5106425252.

MoreInformationontheMCBGraduateProgrammayberequestedfrom:
MCBGraduateAffairsOffice
UniversityofCalifornia
DepartmentofMolecularandCellBiology
299LifeSciencesAddition#3200
UniversityofCalifornia
Berkeley,CA947203200
Tel.(510)6425252
Email:mcbgao@berkeley.edu

[ReturntoGraduateProgramHome]

FinancialSupport
Weprovidefiveandahalfyearsoffinancialsupporttoallstudents(includinginternationalstudents)maintainingsatisfactoryacademicprogress.Withtheapproval
ofthedissertationcommittee,thissupportcanbeextendedforanadditionalsemester(theendofthesixthyear).TheDepartmentprovidesacompetitivestipend
andcoverageofallfeesandnonresidenttuition.Graduatestudentfeescoverthecostofcomprehensivehealthanddentalinsurancethroughoutthedoctoral
program.SupportforthegraduateprogramisprovidedbytraininggrantsfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH),federal,state,andprivatefundsaswellas
universityandextramuralfellowships.StudentsmayalsobeappointedasGraduateStudentResearchers(GSR)andGraduateStudentInstructors(GSI).

TheMCBDepartmentadministersfourNIHtraininggrants(T32)inthefollowingresearchareas:MolecularBasisofCellFunction(MatthewWelch,Program
DirectorNIGMSGM007232)GeneticsPostgraduateTrainingProgram(AndrewDillin,ProgramDirectorNIGMSGM007127)Genomics(DanielRokhsarand
JasperRine,ProgramCoDirectorsNHGRIHG00047)and,ImmunologyandPathogenesisProgram(EllenRobey,ProgramDirectorNIAIDAI100829).

CaliforniaResidency.U.S.citizenswhoarenotresidentsofCaliforniaareexpectedtotakethestepsnecessarytogainresidencyduringtheirfirstyear.Some
examplesofwhatisrequiredtoobtainresidencyinCaliforniainclude:RegisteringtovoteandvotinginCaliforniaelectionsfilingCaliforniastateincometaxes
registeringyourcarinandobtainingadriver'slicensefromtheStateofCaliforniadesignatingCaliforniaasyourpermanentaddressandestablishingand
maintainingactivebankaccountsinCaliforniaandclosingalloutofstateaccounts.Nonresidenttuitionfortheperiodduringwhichstudentsareestablishing
Californiaresidency(firstyear)isalsocoveredbythedepartment.ResidencyishandledbytheOfficeoftheRegistrarandfurtherinformationcanbeobtainedat
theirwebsite:http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/legalinfo.html.

Fellowships.Allprospectivestudentsareurgedtoapplyforanyextramuralpredoctoralfellowshipsforwhichtheymaybeeligible,includingNationalScience
Foundation,FordFoundation,DepartmentofDefenseand,privateandcorporatefellowships.ApplicantsarenominatedforUniversityFellowshipsby
theAdmissionsCommitteeandMCBDepartmentifyouwishtobeconsideredforUniversityFellowshipspleasebesuretocompletetheDomesticFellowshipor
InternationalFellowshipsectionoftheadmissionapplication.

InternationalApplicants.Sincetheadditionalcostofaninternationalstudentisconsiderablyhigheradmissionoffersarelimited.ApplicantswhoarenotUnited
Statescitizens,immigrants,orpermanentresidentsshouldcarefullyreadtheinformationintheUniversityapplicationmaterials.Thisinformationcanalsobefound
onlineathttp://www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/admis_require.shtml#4_2.

[ReturntoGraduateProgramHome]

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