Academic performance, letters of recommendation and previous research experience are crucial in our selection process. We also consider TOEFL scores (if relevant), motivation, work experience, awards, honors, prizes, and other accomplishments. In more detail, we are looking for:
- Academic Performance: The GPA is not the only criterion. Grades in disciplines relevant to computational biology count more than grades in other areas. Also, we take into account the fact that at some very competitive schools it is very difficult to achieve a high GPA.
- Letters of Recommendation: Letters must give a detailed, factual, and candid evaluation of the applicant's capabilities. Rankings and comparisons with other students are very useful. Ask your recommender to follow these guidelines. If your recommender is sending the letter directly, check to make sure the deadlines are met. We routinely find ourselves unable to admit potentially qualified students because their letters of recommendation have not arrived in time.
- Research Experience: Research experience, although not required, can boost your chances of admission considerably. If you have worked on a research project, please tell us about it and ask at least one of your recommenders to comment on it. If your work is part of a joint project, the recommender should indicate your specific contribution to the project. Include abstracts or reprints of any papers you have published in journals or presented at conferences.
- Program-Specific Questions: Applicants will be asked a series of short form questions regarding their interest in computational biology, their research experiences, and their goals for the future.
- Describe the life experiences that inspired you to pursue a career in science.
- Describe at least one research experience you have had that prepared you intellectually/ scientifically for a career in computational biology.
- Explain at least one challenge you have overcome in life or research to pursue a scientific career and what you have learned from this experience.
- Why would you like to pursue your PhD in the Brown CCMB program? (Include at least two faculty members who you would like to work with at Brown and why.)
- Brown's Supplemental Essay: The Graduate School is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive academic community and educating and training a distinguished and diverse cohort of students. To this end, Brown University requires a brief supplemental essay (300 words or less) in which applicants respond to one of the following prompts:
- Discuss specific examples of how your background, knowledge, and life experiences would influence your ability to both benefit from and contribute to Brown's inclusive academic community.
- Discuss how you aspire to contribute to our mission to promote diversity and inclusion through your research, teaching, or service.
- TOEFL and IELTS Scores: Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not received a college degree from an institution in an English-speaking country must take the TOEFL exam. Additional evidence (e.g., certificate of completion of an English course) may also be submitted. We generally do not consider applicants who have scored below 620 (PBT) or 260 (CBT) or 105 (IBT), and prefer scores higher than that. The corresponding minimum IELTS score is 7. More info on TOEFL scores can be found here.
- Work Experience: Please describe your work experience in the application and, if related to computational biology, mention how you think it will help you in graduate school.
- Awards, Honors, and Prizes: Unless they are well known (e.g., NSF fellowship or graduation with honors), please give details about them (how many candidates? how many awards? what were the selection criteria?). This is especially important for foreign applicants. If these awards are really important, we would expect your recommenders to mention them.
