Graduate School Application
The On-Line Application provides a mechanism for you to fill out and submit an application directly on our web site. You may save your application while you are working on it and submit it when completed. Detailed instructions for each section of the application are given below. You may want to print this document and read it before beginning the application process on-line.
The Status Page is available to allow you to follow the receipt of letters of recommendation, transcripts, and standardized test scores. You can also use this page to change the information (such as email address) for your recommenders if you make a mistake in the application in case some of the information is in error. To help minimize errors with your letters of recommendation, we encourage you to use our web-based system rather than paper letters. Contact your recommenders before you allow our system to contact them and enter their names and particularly email addresses carefully. Make sure the email address is functional.
Logging onto the web application site requires a username and password. This is established when you create a new application. Please put your username and password in a location where you can retrieve it. Creating multiple applications can cause problems, particularly with associating your letters of recommendation and transcripts with your application. If you forget your username and/or password, you can email gradappboss@bcm.edu and an email will be sent to the address you used when beginning the application. After you submit your application you can access a status page updating you on the progress of your application.
The deadline for submitting your application to begin school in August is January 1, however, our programs may begin considering applications in December, so an early application is suggested. Please have your recommendation letters and transcripts arrive by this deadline. Application for entry at other times should be made only after approval of the graduate program. Admission offers are usually made in March-April. Applicants must accept offers by April 15. Instruction begins the first Monday in August, and orientation is held on the preceding Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Follow all instructions carefully. Failure to complete all items correctly may delay processing of your application. Fields can be edited or entries can be cut and pasted from your word processing program. General Instructions on the browser type and other requirements for filling out the application are given below.
PART I. Program Choice:
BCM admits students directly to one of our 14 graduate programs. Applicants can select two graduate programs for consideration. With so many excellent faculty (many of whom are in more than one graduate program) and graduate programs from which to choose, selecting only one can be difficult. Because some stipends are paid from federal training grants that can only be used to support U.S. citizens or Permanent residents, and because programs can fill up quickly, we encourage applicants to list two programs on the application. If the primary program you list is unable to accept your application, it will automatically be sent to the alternate program for consideration. Acceptance into either program means you have the opportunity to train at one of the finest research institutions in the country.
PART II. Personal Data:
It is essential that you provide your name, email address and birth date, because we use them for identification purposes and to communicate with you. Provide all of the other requested information as completely as you can. Please enter the address where we can contact you during the application process under Address for mail and E-mail. This is the address to which all mail and E-mail will be sent. The Permanent address is an address where we can always contact you, but mail will not be sent to this address.
PART III. Academic Information:
Summary of Grades for Science & Non-Science Courses by Year: Calculate your grade-point average for each category requested. Convert letter grades to numbers for each course, using the conversion A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 F=0. Then multiply grade (number x credit hours) for each course in that category. Sum the products and divide that total by the total number of credit hours taken. All courses, including those failed or repeated, should be included in your GPA. If your grades can be converted to the U.S. system (4.0 scale), please do so. If this is difficult to do, we can accept grades on a percentile or points basis, if necessary. Typically, successful applicants have an overall GPA over 3.0. (where 4.0 = A) and grades of B or better in science courses.
PART IV Standardized Tests:
Graduate Record Examination: The general aptitude portion of the GRE is required of all applicants. The Graduate School strongly recommends that you take an advanced test. Please check with the programs to which you are applying about their specific requirements. The GRE Test must be taken within the last three years. If you have not yet taken the GRE, indicate the date that you plan to take the exam. Please fill in both numerical scores and percentiles in this section of the application (use the format: Numerical Score/Percentile). If you have taken a test more than once, enter all scores. Typically, successful applicants have average GRE scores near the 70th percentile.
Arrange to have official notification of your scores sent directly to Baylor College of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, One Baylor Plaza, MS Code BCM215, Houston, Texas. (Institution Code 6052).
If you have not had your scores sent to Baylor College of Medicine, contact the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (1-800-GRE-CALL) for the appropriate forms for requesting transmission of your scores. Please check with the specific program for approval to substitute official MCAT scores for the GRE.
PART IVa: Test of English as a Foreign Language:
Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL or the IELTS examination to demonstrate proficiency in English. If you hold a degree from a U.S. university, or a university at which instruction is in English, the exam may be waived. The test must be taken within the last two years.
Arrange to have official notification of your scores sent to Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas (Institution Code 6052 for TOEFL scores).
PART V. Academic Institutions Attended and Degrees Received:
Institutions you have attended or are attending now: List all colleges and universities attended in chronological order beginning with the earliest, whether a degree was received or not. Enter the date and type of degree. If you have not received a degree yet, please enter the date and type of degree that you expect to receive.
Transcripts from Academic Institutions: Transcripts are required from every school you attended before the application can be reviewed for admission. Official transcripts must be in envelopes sealed by the university, and can be mailed by either the university or the applicant.
Transcripts should be sent to the following address:
Graduate School of Biomedical Science
Baylor College of Medicine
One Baylor Plaza, MS Code BCM215
Houston, TX 77030
PART VI. Letters of Recommendation:
Recommendation letters are one of the most important parts of your application. We require THREE letters of recommendation from professors and research supervisors and no more than four. If you have had research experience, we require that one of the letters must be from a research supervisor. If, for some reason, you cannot request a letter from your research supervisor, please include an explanation at the end of your personal statement, and ask other faculty members to comment on your research experience. Although some research experience is an important factor for admission, we will consider students who have not had the opportunity to do undergraduate research. If you are currently enrolled in a graduate program, we also require a letter from your current research advisor or graduate program director.
Please ask your referees to comment on your:
- Desire to be a scientist
- Intellectual capability
- Creativity and imagination
- Scientific background in coursework
- Laboratory and/or technical skills
- Comparison to other Ph.D. students
- Suitability for graduate school and research
- Ability to complete long-term tasks
- Ability to interact with others
- Honesty and integrity
- Maturity
We strongly encourage you to provide recommendation letters through our on-line system, which will contact your recommender directly. This system is integrated into the on-line application. You can ask the system to request electronic recommendations at any time; however, it is important that you contact your recommenders BEFORE our system contacts them and that you double check the names and email address provided. Once you enter a recommender's name and email and designate that we can begin contacting them, an email invitations will be sent to your recommender. Once we begin contacting a recommender you cannot change the information or recommender until after you submit your application - so pay particular attention to the details.
While we will accept letters of recommendation on paper, we discourage it. They are more difficult for us to process and may slow down the consideration of your application. However, if one or more of your recommenders must send paper letters, they must be sent directly from the recommender on letterhead. Even if your recommenders are submitting letters by normal mail, it is important that you log in and begin the application process so that we will be able to associate a letter we receive with your application. Paper letters should be mailed directly to Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - Admissions, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza - MS Code BCM215, Houston, Texas 77030, U.S. A.
PART VII. Research and Work Experience:
Please list your research and work experiences in chronological order. Provide the institution, department, dates of employment, and mentor.
PART VIII. Personal Statement:
A personal statement should be an approximately one page description of your interest in science and your motivation to pursue a career as a research scientist. It can also include a discussion of your long term career goals.
Use additional space in your personal statement for any explanatory information that will not fit in the spaces provided in other parts of the application.
PART VIIIa. Research Statement
Your research experience is a very important consideration in the admission process. The Research Statement essay should be an approximately one page description of your previous research experience, including details of the project, what you did, what you learned, and the significance of the work. List any presentations or publications. If you do not have research experience, you can use this essay to explain why and focus on your desire to be a scientist and other characteristics that make you suitable for graduate school.
Part IX. Demographic Information:
This section is optional. We are required to report demographic data about our applicant pool to the federal government; however, this information will not be used in making admissions decisions. Please describe yourself by choosing from the drop-down menu.
Part X. Application History:
Please answer all questions "Yes/No".
If you answer "yes" to any question, please explain briefly.
Part XI. Other Schools to Which you have Applied:
Please list up to 8 schools to which you have applied.
Checklist for Your Application and Certification:
Make sure you have completed each of the items in the checklist.
- You must check the box certifying that all information is complete and correct.
- Electronic applications do not have to be signed, but checking the box on the electronic application is considered the equivalent to your signature.
- Clicking on the "submit and print" button will open a new window, with all the information you entered. Please print for your records. Close the top window to return the final page.
General Help
1. Must have Javascript enabled on your browser.
2. Internet Explorer on the MAC does not support verisign secure certificates, so your connection will not be secure using this browser.
3. If you use a MAC and want a secure connection, use Netscape.
4. If you have trouble with the application, try it on another browser and/or another system.
5. You can cut and paste from Microsoft Notepad, but not from Microsoft Word. Please do not use special symbols, Greek letters, superscripts or subscripts. If you paste directly from Microsoft Word or other word processing programs, it may insert some special formatting codes into the text box. We can decode most of these but the safest way to ensure that the text looks just like you intended, is to cut and paste from Notepad or some simple text editor.
6. 800 x 600 or greater resolution is recommended.
7. A click on the Save Changes button will save your changes and move to the next page. If you have made changes to the page do not click on the logoff button until you have clicked the Save Changes button.
8. For your security please click on the LOGOFF button when you are finished with each session.
9. You will get an error message dialog box if you do not fill in a required box.
10. You cannot access the application once it has been submitted.