Admissions

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• Requirements
• Procedures
• Statistics

2007 Application deadline Friday October 13

Requirements

     Admission is competitive. To apply, students must complete either Biology 201 and 202 or Biology 180,200, and 220. It is recommended that students also complete most of the physics, math, and chemistry supporting coursework prior to applying, although some of these can be finished after admission.

     A minimum GPA of 2.5 in the supporting coursework that has been completed is required and individual grades in Biology 201,202 or Biology 180, 200, 220 of 2.0 or higher. Biology series grades of students accepted into the major in past years have generally been above 3.0.

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      We use a rolling admissions process, so there is not a firm deadline for applications and early application may increase your chances for admission. Applications will be reviewed throughout the summer and in the Autumn Quarter up until the announced deadline, which is usually in the third week in October. Contact the program office for details. Highly qualified students may be admitted soon after submitting their applications. We may wait to judge other applications until the applicant pool is larger. We will hold some spaces for students attending Biology 220 Autumn Quarter, so we can judge their performance on the first exam of that course before processing their applications.

     The admissions committee reviews all applicants based on the following criteria: preparation for the major as indicated by grades in all courses required for admission; overall GPA; personal statement reflecting interest in and commitment to the study of neurobiology. Minority students are encouraged to apply. Application forms are available in the Biology Department office in 318 Hitchcock Hall. Students who require an early decision (e.g. for financial aid or visa requirements) should consult program staff.

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Statistics

The NBio major accepts up to 48 students per year. We are limited to that number by spaces available in our laboratory sections for NBio 301 and 302. In general, about twice as many students apply as we can accept. In past years the average overall GPA of students accepted into the major has been 3.4-3.5.

If you are concerned about whether you are likely to be admitted, the following guidelines may help.

1. If your overall GPA is 3.4 or above, and your grade in Biology 220 is 3.4 or above, you are very likely to be admitted. If those numbers are between 3.0 and 3.3, you still have a good chance of admission. If those numbers are below 3.0, your chances of admission fall to about 10%, depending on other factors.

2. "Other factors" that may increase you chances of admission include:

• Research experience, especially a letter from the head of a lab in which you have worked.
• A marked improvement in grades after your first few quarters at UW. If you had a difficult time getting started here, but then did much better, point this out to us in your application and we will consider your later grades more strongly.
• A particularly strong, coherent statement of why you want to join our program and how it relates to your future plans.
• If you think that factors other than these are important for us to know and may affect how we judge your application, please let us know on the application form.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns about applying to our program, please contact Professor Moody directly by email.

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