#  FAQ 

 



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###    Can I apply for a fee waiver?  expand\_more  

Yes! If the application fee is a barrier for you, please apply for a waiver via the [GSAS website](https://gsas.harvard.edu/apply/applying-degree-programs). As stated on this website: Waivers are available to those for whom payment of the application fee would be financially challenging. Applicants can determine eligibility for a fee waiver by completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application. Once these questions have been answered, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility.

 



 

 

 



###    Should I apply directly to professors?  expand\_more  

No, prospective students apply to the SSQB program directly. Students in SSQB are not committed to a professor when they join the program. Rather, they try out 3-4 labs in their first year to figure out a good fit. This is different than in the European system where students usually get a master's and then commit to doing a PhD under a pre-selected professor.

 



 

 

 



###    How do students choose a lab?  expand\_more  

SSQB students typically complete 3-4 rotations in different labs over the course of their first year. Following these rotations students officially join a lab and begin their thesis research.

 



 

 

 



###    How many students are in a given year?  expand\_more  

Cohort sizes vary from year to year. Cohort sizes range from around 7 to 12 students.

 



 

 

 



###    How long does it take to graduate?  expand\_more  

There is no set timeline for the PhD program. Most students take 5-6 years, but shorter or longer PhDs are not uncommon. It is rare to take more than 6 or fewer than 4 years

 



 

 

 



###    Can I defer my admissions?  expand\_more  

This is decided on a case-by-case basis, and also varies each year, depending on applicant pools and class sizes.

 



 

 

 



###    Should I contact professors ahead of time?  expand\_more  

Contacting professors prior to applying is not a requirement, and it does not increase your chances of admission. If you have specific questions about a professor’s research or their availability as an advisor, sending them a short email may be appropriate.

 



 

 

 



###    How do I find out about professors’ research?  expand\_more  

To find more information about what a lab is doing, we recommend reading their recent publications (on Google Scholar, for example) and their lab websites.

 



 

 

 



###    Which professors can I work with?  expand\_more  

SSQB students generally work with our core faculty, but are able to rotate with any faculty in HILS.

 



 

 

 



###    What distinguishes SSQB from other programs in HILS? What other programs might be of interest? (Biophysics, Chemical Biology, MCO, Biological and Biomedical Sciences…)  expand\_more  

The SSQB program is a research-focused degree program emphasizing quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches to biological problems. Systems biology seeks to explain the relationships between parts and wholes at multiple scales of complexity through integrated empirical, computational, and theoretical approaches. Our mission as a program is to help you tackle this challenge through training that advances our understanding of how evolved systems are organized. We also aim to leverage our understanding of these relationships to make new biological systems (molecules to organisms) for a variety of purposes. Our training particularly emphasizes the development and application of formal ideas from mathematics, statistics and computer science as well as the innovation of experimental techniques to acquire new kinds of quantitative data at scale. We don't focus on a particular field of biology, instead we focus on novel approaches to biology through experimental methods development, modeling and computation.

Our core faculty are listed on our website, and we encourage you to explore their lab pages and papers to see if your interests strongly align with any of them.

Other [HILS programs](https://gsas.harvard.edu/office/harvard-integrated-life-sciences) focus more on training in cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics and genomics with less of an integrative focus.

 



 

 

 



###    Can I apply to multiple programs in Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS)?  expand\_more  

Yes! Please refer to the [Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) website](https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs/life-sciences).

 



 

 

 



###    What are my odds of admission?  expand\_more  

The admission rates of the program vary from year to year so we cannot provide a specific odds/percent.