Application — UMASS PREP

University of Massachusetts Amherst PREP is a one-year internship program designed to provide recent college graduates the opportunity to strengthen research skills and academic competitiveness in pursuit of a graduate degree. Applicants must be a US citizen or permanent resident. Successful applicants would have completed their under-graduate degree within the last 36 months, and are planning to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences. UMass PREP is supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Application deadline is April 15th, 2021 with special consideration on a case-by-case basis.
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Name*
First Last
Birth Date:*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Race/Ethnicity*
- American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
- Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as "Haitian" can be used in addition to "Black or African American."
- Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, "Spanish origin," can be used in addition to "Hispanic or Latino."
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
Are you a first generation college student?*
- Yes
- No
Gender Identity*
- Female
- Male
- Transmale
- Transfemale
- Gender non-conforming
- Something else
- Decline to answer
Are you a US citizen?*
- Yes
- No
If you are not a US Citizen, are you a permanent resident?
- Yes
- No
Current Mailing Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Permanent Mailing Address (if different)
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Telephone Number (daytime)*
Telephone Number (evening):*
E-mail:*
Enter Email Confirm Email
II. ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Undergraduate Institution:*
Graduation Date*
Major:*
Minor:
Overall GPA:*
Major GPA:*
Minor GPA:
Degree Objective(s)*
- Master’s Degree
- M.S. & Ph.D.
- M.D. & Ph.D.
- Ph.D. Degree
- M.D.
Select all that apply
Have you ever applied to graduate school?*
- Yes
- No
Institution
Year Applied
When applying to a graduate school, which program(s) would you apply for? (i.e. Microbiology, etc):*
Have you ever been enrolled as a graduate student?*
- Yes
- No
Institution
Year(s) Enrolled
Please indicate any UMass Amherst faculty or staff member(s) with whom you have corresponded about your plans for PREP or graduate study.*
Please indicate any UMass Amherst faculty with whom you are interested in working.*
Safeguard your submission. Because online forms are subject to transmission errors, we strongly recommend composing and saving your narrative elsewhere prior to submitting it below.
Your narrative: Background*
Note: Before beginning the narrative section, please read all of the following questions related to your story to avoid repeating information in each section. State your general reasons for applying to PREP and your specific career interest. You should include career objectives, interest in science, research interest and experience, skills and your intended area of specialization. Please be sure to answer the following questions in this section of the narrative:
1. What went well for you in college and of what accomplishment are you most proud?
2. What would you consider to be your most successful research experience, either in class or the laboratory? What did you learn most from this experience?
3. What do you want to do long-term?
4. What concerns do you have about your career choice?
5. What will be your biggest challenge?
6. Who is your biggest supporter and how do they support you?
7. What area of biomedical or biobehavioral research interests you most?
(300 words max)
Your narrative: Ph.D.*
What is compelling you to pursue a Ph.D. rather than an MD or a professional master's degree? (This is a critical question be sure to include detail here--200 words max)
Your narrative: Strengths & Weaknesses*
What do you honestly perceive to be your strengths and weaknesses that will impact your success in graduate school? (200 words max)
Your narrative: Persistence & Resilience*
Describe a life experience that required you to be persistent and/or resilient. (200 words max)
Your narrative: Multi-tasking & Strategizing*
Describe a recent period in which you managed multiple activities simultaneously: What strategies were most successful for you? (200 words max)
Your narrative: Benefits of Failure*
Describe a life experience in which you learned from a failure (200 words max)
Your narrative: Intellectual Curiosity & Problem Solving*
Describe a situation where you were intensely interested in solving a scientific problem? (200 words max)
TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION
Have two faculty who are familiar with your interest and abilities in science upload letters of recommendation directly to this platform, as well as your Registrar's Office.

Please provide them with the following link to register in order to upload documents:
http://umassprep.org/letters-of-recommendation-and-transcripts/

If you have participated in laboratory research, one or all letters should be from your mentor(s). Provide the names of your reference below.

You should ask the letter-writers to address the following:
1. Do you think this student is committed to earning a PhD degree, rather than a MD or professional MS degree? Why or why not?
2. Provide evidence of the student’s ability to overcome challenges.
3. Describe the student’s greatest strengths and weaknesses.
4. What do you think the student’s greatest challenge will be in pursuing a doctoral degree?
Reference #1
Name*
First
Title*
Phone*
Email*
Reference #2
Name*
First
Title*
Phone*
Email*
C) Upload a PDF of your current curriculum vitae or resume that includes any academic or other honors that you have received*
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 256 MB.
D) List any courses you are currently taking that will not show up on your transcript*
Before submitting, please double check to ensure you have filled out all required fields (denoted with an asterisk).
I hereby apply for admissions to the Post Baccalaureate Research Education Program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and certify that to the best of my knowledge all of the above statements are true and complete. I understand that submitted records and letters of recommendation will not be returned.
If you are unable to obtain or request official transcripts from your undergraduate institution, please upload an unofficial or unofficial version here.
Unofficial Transcript Upload
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 3 MB, Max. files: 3.
Digital Signature*
First

Save and Continue Later

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

II. ACADEMIC INFORMATION

TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION

Reference #1

Reference #2