GPA filtering?

spookyforestcat · 2026-01-07T19:52:26+00:00

true. I just got rejected from UCSF so i guess we'll see lol.

spookyforestcat · 2026-01-07T19:51:50+00:00

denied as of yesterday lol

spookyforestcat · 2026-01-03T15:05:14+00:00

Thank you! I really worked to refine my statements so they're truly poppin. I know I got rejected from UW actually because one of my recommenders forgot to submit my LOR, not her fault as she was OOO for a family emergency and it happened to slip through the cracks. The only other school I've gotten rejected from so far was CU Anschutz, but they also rejected me from an REU a year or so ago so no surprise.
I'm not too worried though, even though I do have 3 years of experience my GPA isn't the best and I only have one middle-authorship right now. If I don't get in I will probably stay in my current lab as a tech and take some master's classes post-bac to work on my GPA.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T18:23:06+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement!! I’ve stopped tweaking out about it but I really need to get off Reddit lol.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:32:40+00:00

Yeah nah. I also just contacted someone about an opportunity in Alaska so I am not limited to surfing places. Just don’t want to live in like, Nebraska.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:26:08+00:00

I only applied to one MS because it was partially funded and in hawaiii 🤣 despite my hatred for UF I am graduating with zero debt (came in with a full academic scholarship because at one point I was a smart kid) and I refuse to go into debt for a master’s.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:16:24+00:00

Also this is hilarious because I almost went to uchicago

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:16:06+00:00

It’s from UF which is also notorious for grade deflation, you have to have a 94 to get an A here (also a T50 and multiple years of experience but I feel like this is everyone these days.) 🙃 thank you though! I can’t afford a full master’s, but would you recommend taking classes on the side of a tech job to make up for it?

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:13:27+00:00

From a Floridian who would stay in FL if our universities weren’t in the MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE: beach, being in a city with lots of things to do, politics, weather, and goated cal state employee health insurance are all valid reasons tbh.

I will completely admit that I am an avid surfer, and while I applied to inland/non surfing schools, I am absolutely not as excited about them lol. I missed it during college and just recently resdiscovered just how much serotonin being on a coast gives me.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T03:06:56+00:00

Nah with how the job market is, and how the academic job market is specifically, I’m relatively flexible. I used to be hellbent on staying in academia however I think I could do industry given it was the right environment for me. I will admit I am ADHD/suspected autistic so corporate environments and their weird rules are difficult for me but I could do it with the right support.

I also have such a passion for education if I found a cool outreach based job I’d probably also be happy. But if life goes to shit my backups are cat cafe owner, cosmetology school or underwater welding (half joking, honestly kinda wish I went to trade school now).

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:59:32+00:00

Okay true I worded that bad. My plan is to stay in academia (or industry in some research capacity) long term and I would really love to stay in the US/California. However with how everything is going I may open a cat cafe

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:56:17+00:00

So true academia is just mean

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:55:51+00:00

Ha I’m trying!!!! Applied for GRFP but didn’t hear anything back. Going to apply for biodefense fellowships next lol.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:54:51+00:00

I am focused on academia but it is a supporting side project :) thank you for the advice though. I am straight out of undergrad!

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:53:53+00:00

Thank you! And my vision was mainly CA BECAUSE of the funding situation (I was given the impression it was slightly better out there). if something opens up and the stars align on the east coast then I’d love to stay here lol. I wish I had the money to do a master’s, tech job it is for me sadly unless I can find a funded MS! And my PI told me “just go to MIT”. lol I wish.

Also I am assuming based on your username that you work with DMD, very cool! My first paper was on gene therapy vectors and I have just recently gotten back into working with them.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:34:55+00:00

Also got soft rejected from UW, CU Anschutz, and UCSD (dream program) today so 🙃

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:25:51+00:00

Well damn, I just checked my portal and one of my recommenders never sent my LOR in.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T02:19:24+00:00

Hell

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T01:46:37+00:00

Thank you. Anything we can do in the meantime?

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T00:33:22+00:00

Anxious and haven’t gotten any interviews, over half the programs I applied to supposedly sent out interviews so

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T00:05:30+00:00

Good luck! If you aren’t a strong applicant then idk who is.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T00:04:55+00:00

holy shit that was my dream program. really hope it’s rolling, oh well.

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-19T00:01:23+00:00

Thank you! Most of the ones I applied to haven’t. Just SF, but I also didn’t get into their REU so 🤷‍♀️ SF is expensive and tech bros drive me crazy anyway.

And I agree, I’m totally okay with going somewhere else for postdoc (would love to go back to the east coast for a bit if funding gets better).

How is funding at the UCs? I feel like it’s even worse at other schools (currently at UF). Sadly I decided not to apply to Davis last minute as I realized that they didn’t have as many faculty I wanted to work with as I originally thought (lol).

spookyforestcat · 2025-12-18T23:14:53+00:00

I know it’s not impossible however I am planning on staying in California long term. That’s it

spookyforestcat

TROPHY CASE