James Holmes University of Illinois Application package

7/31/2019 James Holmes University of Illinois Application package

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APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

TO THE GRADUATE COLLEGE

University of Illinois Identification Number (UIN)*: Application Type:

Program Information:

Proposed Program: Degree:

Term: Faculty Member:

Concentration/Specialization: Other Specialization:

I intend to continue for the doctoral degree:

Applicant Information

Last Name: Middle Name:

First Name: Nick Name:

Previous Name: Gender: Date of Birth:

Birth City: Birth State: Birth Country:

Country of Citizenship: Dual Citizenship Country:

Country of Legal Permanent Residence:

Citizenship Type: Resident Alien Number:

Ethnicity Identification: Race Identification(s):

Native Language:

Contact Information E-mail Address:

Current Address Permanent Address

2: 2:

3: 3:

City: City:

County: County:

State: State:

Province: Province:

Zip: Zip:

Country: Country:

Phone (U.S): Phone (U.S):

Phone (International): Phone (International):

* The University of Illinois Identification Number is used for internal tracking purposes and is assigned post-application submission.

1

United Statof America

Holmes Eagan

12/13/1987

CASan Diego

James

Male

United States of America


U.S. Citizen

Not Hispanic or Latino

White

San Diego

CA

92129


San Diego

CA

92129


Neuroscience--PHD

Fall 2011

Cognitive NeuroscienceNone

Not Applic

Neuroscience--PHD

Domestic


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Application for Admission to the Graduate College

Illinois Residency Information

Will you have lived in Illinois (for non-educational purposes) for at least 12 months preceding the term for which you are

applying?

Has at least one of your parents maintained a permanent residence in Illinois for 1 year or more?

Parent First Name: Parent Last Name:

Address Line 1: Address Line 2:City: County:

State: Zip:

Application Fee Waiver Information

Employee Type: Designated Program:

Allied Agency: Allied Agency Phone:

Financial Aid Information

I wish to receive financial aid:

Teaching Assistantship: Research Assistantship:

Fellowship: Tuition Waiver Only:

I must receive financial aid:

Educational History Information

Institution 1: Institution 2:

City: City:

State: State:

Country: Country:

Degree: Degree:

Degree Translation: Degree Translation:

Attended From: Attended From:

Attended To: Attended To:

Degree Awarded/Expected: Degree Awarded/Expected:

Major: Major:

Other Major: Other Major:Minor/Concentration: Minor/Concentration:

Honors: Honors:

GPA: GPA:

Major GPA: Major GPA:

GPA Scale: GPA Scale:

Non-Numerical GPA Scale: Non-Numerical GPA Scale:

2

N

N

Illinois

Y

3rd Choice

4th Choice2nd Choice

1st Choice

N

Univ of Cal Riverside

Riverside

California


Bachelor of Science

09/2006

06/2010

06/15/2010

Neuroscience

Phi Beta Kappa

3.94

3.85

4.0


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City: City:

State: State:

Country: Country:

Degree: Degree:





Major: Major:

Other Major: Other Major:

Minor/Concentration: Minor/Concentration:

Honors: Honors:GPA: GPA:



Non-Numerical GPA Scale: Non-Numerical GPA Scale:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


City: City:

State: State:

Country: Country:

Degree: Degree:





Major: Major:

Other Major: Other Major:

Minor/Concentration: Minor/Concentration:Honors: Honors:

GPA: GPA:



Non-Numerical GPA Scale: Non-Numerical GPA Scale:

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Test Score Information

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRE General: Verbal: ____ ____ % Analytical: ____ ____ %

Registration #: Quantitative: ____ ____ % Analytical Writing: ____ ____ %_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRE Subject: Subject:

Registration #: Score: ____ ____ %_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRE Writing Assessment: Score:

Registration #:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________

GMAT: Verbal: ____ ____ % Analytical: ____ ____ %

Registration #: Quantitative: ____ ____ % Total Score: ____ ____ %_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MAT: Raw Score: Overall %: % for Intended Major: %_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MCAT Verbal Reasoning: Physical Sciences:

Writing Sample: Biological Sciences:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOEFL: Registration #: Paper-Based Test Score:Appointment #: Computer-Based Test Score:

TWE Score:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOEFL iBT: Total Score:

Registration #: Listening: Reading:

Writing: Speaking:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Language Ability Information

Chinese: Russian:

French: Spanish:

Hindi: Korean:

Other: Other:

Recommendation Information

First Name: First Name: First Name:

Last Name: Last Name: Last Name:

Phone: Phone: Phone:

Email: Email: Email:

Title: Title: Title:

Employer: Employer: Employer:

Relation: Relation: Relation:

Right to review waived? Right to review waived? Right to review waived?

4

09/18/2009

454413054

710

800

98

94 4.0

Read

Yes Yes Yes


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Fee Payment Information

Payment Type:

Payment Amount:

Payment Status:

Payment Transaction Date:

Applicant Signature and Confirmation of Information

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all members of the

University community. As part of this commitment, the University requires applicants who are under current indictment or

have been convicted of a crime (other than a routine traffic offense or in a juvenile proceeding) to disclose this information

as a mandatory step in the application process. A previous conviction or current indictment does not automatically bar

admission to the University, but does require review. Complete information must be sent by certified mail at the time of

application for admission to: Review Committee, 300 Turner Student Services Building, 610 East John Street, Champaign,

Illinois 61820 USA. Applicants are responsible for verifying receipt by the University and for maintaining a copy of the

receipt certifying submission. Information to be submitted includes a brief explanation, location (city, state, country) ofconviction or current indictment, dates, and court disposition, in English. This statement must include a grant of permission

to the University for complete access to criminal records, if any. For further information on this requirement, call (217) 333-

0050.

I understand that withholding pertinent information requested on this application or giving false information will make me

ineligible for admission to the University or subject to dismissal. With this in mind, I certify that the statements are correct

and complete, including a report of all criminal history as described above. Furthermore, I agree that if I am employed by th

University of Illinois, I will adhere to and be bound by the University of Illinois Statutes, the General Rules Concerning

University Organization and Procedure adopted by the Board of Trustees, and any and all other applicable rules and

regulations of the University and its Board of Trustees.

Signature: _____________________________________________________ Date:

Submitted:

CHECK WITH YOUR PROPOSED PROGRAM OF STUDY OFFICE FOR

ADDITIONAL APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE REFER TO THE

PROGRAM LISTING FOR CONTACT INFORMATION.

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Credit Card

10/25/2010 12:17:51 AM

70

James Holmes 10/25/2010 12:19:00 AM

10/25/2010 12:19:00 AM


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James HolmesAspiring Scientist

HomeHome AddressJames Holmes

San Diego, CA 92129

OBJECTIVE

To obtain a position as a neuroscience graduate student

EDUCATION

2006 - 2010, University of California, Riverside Graduated with B.S. in Neuroscience Dean's Fellow Regent's Scholar

Phi Beta Kappa Society

SKILLS

Dissection, buffer preparation and staining Fluorescence microscopy, dissection microscopy, cell counts Proficient using computer software including Microsoft Office Adaptable to work environment; problem solver

RELATED EXPERIENCE

UCR, Department of Cellular Biology & Neuroscience Riverside, CA 92521 December 2007 - September 2009Laboratory Assistant

Digitization of mice with mitochondrial rich muscle Fluorescence microscopy of neuronal mapping of the Zebra Finch Dissection, staining and photography of hummingbird and Passeriforme flight muscles Comparison of motor end plate stains of flight muscles

Camp Max Straus 6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 600 June 2008 - August 2008Camp Counselor

Provided leadership and guidance to underprivileged children. Took an active stance as a positive role model. Assisted children in achieving their potential. Facilitated excellence in mentoring.

UCR, Department of Chemistry Riverside, CA 92521 December 2006 - June 2007Laboratory Assistant

Analyzed mass spectrometry and HPLC data, graphs and principles Performed redox titrations, chromatography, ultra violet spectroscopy, etc.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA 92037 June 2006 - August 2006Student Intern

Designed a computer program to illustrate temporal perceptions of causality Executed procedures (pipeting, gel electrophoresis, conceptual modeling, etc.) Programmed a flicker fusion utility, which notes differences in contrast between monitors.

Experience James Holm49203

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Rational people act based on incentives for self-fulfillment, including fulfilling needs

of self-development and needs of feeling useful and helpful to others. I look forward to

fulfilling my quest to advance my knowledge and I plan to use my critical thinking skills

by studying the subject I am passionate about, neuroscience.

I desire to attend graduate study at the University of Illinois, a leader and innovator inscientific research, because the university will provide opportunities to pursue my

foremost passions, the science of learning, cognition and memory. I have always been

fascinated by the complexities of a long lost thought seemingly arising out of nowhere

into a stream of awareness. These fascinations likely stemmed from my interest in

puzzles and paradoxes as an adolescent and continued through my curiosity in academic

research.

Making new discoveries in neuroscience is intrinsically rewarding in its own right. I

have an unquenchable curiosity, a strong desire to know and explore the unknown, and a

need to persist against the odds. Graduate study at the University of Illinois will provide a

focus for me to perform and achieve through neuroscience research.

To prepare myself for graduate study at the University of Illinois, I soughtinvolvement in a general array of academic research. My first summer internship, at the

Salk Institute of Biological Studies, was done while I was still in high school. Working in

Terrence Sejnowsky's computational neurobiology lab, I had little experience in

computer programming and the work was challenging to say the least. Nonetheless, I

taught myself how to program in Flash and then constructed a cross-temporal calibration

model. The purpose of this model was to show an illusion between cause and effect

relationships. In this illusion, the mind is actually tricked into believing an action

precedes the event that caused it. Completing the project and presenting my model at the

end of the internship was exhilarating and I believe graduate study at the University of

Illinois will provide commensurate opportunities for a satisfying neuroscience research

experience.

Another laboratory I worked in was within the department of chemistry at the

University of California, Riverside. Having previously been exposed to a computational

approach, I wanted to explore the facets of chemical analysis. Beginning by making

buffer solutions, I soon advanced into more complicated techniques. These included

performing high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and ultra violet

spectroscopy on a modified twelve mer dna sequence. With the end product we

bombarded the dna with ultra violet rays to observe cancerous effects. Although I don't

plan on curing cancer in graduate school I believe this research experience is worthwhile

and relevant to my goals of contributing to neuroscience. Only with a multidisciplinary

perspective to the specialized field of neuroscience can we hope to fully understand the

brain.

The most recent laboratory I worked in was the Flight Lab in the department of

cellular biology and neuroscience. Working in this lab enabled me to distinguish

structural and quantitative differences in neural systems at a lower level of functional

analysis. I dissected various flight muscles of Passeriformes and then stained their motor

end plates. With these stained muscles, I compared their arrangements to the stained

muscles of hummingbirds, which have a unique motor end plate pattern. In the future my

Personal Statement James Holm49203

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goal is to analyze and study higher neural functional levels of analysis such as learning

and memory.

Researching learning and memory interests me because these are the very cognitive

processes which enable us to acquire information and retain it. They are at the core of

what distinguishes us as people. Due to the seemingly infinite vastness of indefinite

knowledge we must be selective in our pursuits of knowledge. This is why I have chosento study the primary source of all things, our own minds.

Ultimately, I aspire to become a cognitive neuroscientist. I intend to continue

performing research after graduate school in either academic or public sectors. My life-

long goal is to increase the efficiency of how human beings learn and remember.

Personal Statement James Holm49203

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Letter of Reference

Submitted Date:

Applicant Information Term of Application:

First Name:

Last Name:

E-Mail:

Proposed Program of Study:

Degree:

Recommender Information

First Name:

Last Name:

Institution / Organization:

Position / Title:

E-Mail:

To what extent do you recommend this applicant for admission as a graduate student in their proposed field of study?

Please describe how long you have known the applicant and under what circumstances you have known the applicant:

Please evaluate the applicant in comparison with others you have known during your professional career. Describe the

comparison group you are using:

Please submit a statement of recommendation addressing the applicants abilities to pursue graduate studies and research.

Please address the following as applicable: the applicants ability to work with peers, supervisors and subordinates;

teaching potential; any outstanding abilities, talents, liabilities and weaknesses; and oral and written communication skills

Thank you for your thoughtful assessment of this applicant. Your responses will provide the Admissions Committee with

information needed to make a thorough evaluation of the applicant. Please send comments or concerns to Illinois

Graduate and Professional Admissions at [email protected].

Letter of Recommendation University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1

10/26/2010 4:30:00 PM

James

Holmes

Neuroscience

Neuroscience--PHD

I strongly recommend this applicant

I have known James for four years through his participation in .

I am comparing James to other senior undergraduates in his major.


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October 15, 2010

Dear Graduate School Selection Committee:

I am writing this letter in support of the graduate school application of Mr. James Holmes. I have known James

for the past years through. The Program consists of accelerated courses and the completion of

quarterly required learning contracts. Students must successfully complete a learning contract that includes acore set of Honors courses, maintaining a minimum grade point average, attending academic workshops, and

completing at least 10 hours of community service and 10 hours of personal growth. The Program is

rigorous and rewarding for students.

James is among the top 1% of Honors students and is self-motivated, intelligent, and driven. As a neuroscience

major in the Honors Program, James maintains a 3.949 cumulative grade point average and has been named tothe Deans Honors and Chancellors Honors Lists for his academic excellence. He has also received

recognition at the annual Honors Convocation for his scholarly endeavors. This past June, James graduatedfrom the University with highest honors, Summa Cum Laude. James is an extraordinarily gifted student who is

very dedicated to his academic pursuits. He takes an active role in his education, and brings a great amount ofintellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom. He is passionate about a career in science and seeks out

opportunities to learn as much as possible about his chosen field of interest, and how he can positivelycontribute to the world.

James worked for two years as a laboratory assistant in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. He

engaged in biotechnology research, and he approached his research responsibilities with the same level ofmaturity, intellectual curiosity, and critical thinking as he has his other academic pursuits. James has a desire to

contribute to the body of knowledge and understanding of neurobiology including how learning and memoryfunction. He is eager to continue to expand his knowledge and experience in the field. James received

excellent evaluations from the professors and graduate students with whom he worked and was mentored. Hehas received excellent training for the rigor of graduate school, and I strongly recommend him for admission.

I encourage you to consider Mr. James Holmes among your top candidates and thank you for your consideration

of him. If you would like more information, please contact me at or

Sincerely,

Recommendation Essay

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Letter of Reference

Submitted Date:


First Name:

Last Name:

E-Mail:


Degree:


First Name:

Last Name:


Position / Title:

E-Mail:












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11/11/2010 2:09:00 PM

James

Holmes

Neuroscience

Neuroscience--PHD

r

e


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Page 1 of 2

October 16, 2010

Re: James Holmess application to Program

Dear Selection Committee:

I am writing this letter in support of James Holmess application to your Graduate

Program. I have discussed with James his future professional goals on several occasions andI am impressed about his determination to develop his professional career in the field of

neuroscience.

I got to know James

This class. Besides formal lectures

students are required to prepare Power Point presentation of original peer-reviewed paperand participate in debates on specific topics. James did very well earning A. James is also a

student inThis class

. It requires active participation and Jamesexcel at this. Besides his excellent performance on all exams he prepared very well designed

PowerPoint presentation discussing one of the current topics in neuroscience, whichrequired reading original scientific papers, and gave very good presentation. He also has

proved to be very effective group leader working on the group project assignment. Again, hedid excellent earning A. James demonstrated in both classes that he is the top student and

that he has a strong drive towards neuroscience. This performance in both classes speaks tohis intellectual capability and to his motivation.


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Page 2 of 2

James will do well in his future professional training because of his intelligence,motivation and passion towards science. Thus, I am pleased to recommend him to you.

Sincerely,


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Letter of Reference

Submitted Date:


First Name:

Last Name:

E-Mail:


Degree:


First Name:

Last Name:


Position / Title:

E-Mail:












1

12/9/2010 4:17:00 PM

James

Holmes

Neuroscience

Neuroscience--PHD


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December 7, 2010

Dear Member of the Admissions Committee:

I am pleased to recommend James Holmes for admission to your graduate program.

James was a student in my at theUniversity of California, Riverside. I rate James as an excellent student based on his

performance in my course.is . The courseinvolves

The students have to

. Inmany ways, this course is . James good performance in

this course therefore indicates a motivated student with a logical thought process and the ability

to integrate knowledge with advanced concepts and techniques.

My communication with James indicates a quiet, hard-working and professionalindividual. I evaluate his writing skills as excellent based on the papers submitted to fulfill

requirements for my course. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding my

recommendation of James Holmes

Thank you,

Sincerely,


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Neuroscience Program

School of Molecular and Cell Biology

31 8B Morrill Hall

505 S. Goodwin Avenue

Urbana, IL 6 18 01

Phone: 217-33 3-49 71

Email: [email protected]

March 21, 2011

Mr. James Holmes

San Diego, CA 92129

Dear Mr. Holmes:

I am very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a graduate student

into the Neuroscience Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Those who met you at during your interview visit felt that your personal andprofessional qualities are truly outstanding and that you will be an excellent matchfor our program. We are very excited about having you in our program, and wehope you will accept our offer. Please let us know as soon as possible, but no laterthan April 15, once you have come to a decision about accepting our offer ofadmission.

The Neuroscience Program has historically provided support for all graduatestudents who remain in good academic standing. Support will be providedthrough a combination of fellowship, NIH traineeship, teaching assistantship, andresearch assistantship. The starting stipend is currently $22,660 per year pluswaiver of tuition and most fees.

I encourage you to speak further with members of our faculty in whose researchyou are interested, and who might serve as your research advisor. In particular,Drs. Roberto Galvez and Lee Beverly have expressed interest in having you jointheir laboratories.

We hope we will see you here in the fall! If you have any further questions aboutthe program, please feel free to contact our Director, Gene Robinson, ourCoordinator, Sam Beshers, or myself.

Sincerely,

J. Lee Beverly, ProfessorChair, Neuroscience Admissions Committee

James Holmes University of Illinois Application package

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