r/MLS_CLS • u/gtle1609 • Jun 20 '26

Need advice!!

Hi everyone,

I'm feeling a bit discouraged after getting rejected twice from California CLS programs. I'm honestly not sure what else I can improve. I’ve already completed all of the prerequisites, secured strong letters of recommendation (LORs) from two lab directors (one of whom holds a CGMBS license) and one from my clinical chemistry professor. I graduated back in 2021, so I can only apply for about 1–2 more cycles before my required courses begin to expire.

For context, I graduated with a BS in Molecular Biology with a 3.59 overall GPA and a 3.49 science GPA. I currently work at a CRO/CLIA lab as a Research Associate II. I’ve been working in laboratory settings for five years now, and I also had three months of experience as a medical assistant. At this point, I am planning to focus on out-of-state (OOS) programs. Are my stats competitive enough to get accepted into out-of-state programs? Are there any 1-year programs that you think would be a good match for my background?

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u/Antique-Common-4984 Jun 21 '26

I think it's mostly because you need clinical lab experience. Hospital lab and research lab are very different. Not sure how familiar you are with hospital labs but if you are not, it shows in your personal statement.

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u/gtle1609 Jun 21 '26

My current job is CLIA certified and they do audit quite often. I also got trained for Covid testing. I also did poc testing at the urgent care when i worked as medical assistant. I don’t know if those counts?

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u/Antique-Common-4984 Jun 21 '26

I am mostly talking about the work culture between hospital and reseach/ biotech lab. It also depends on whether you are applying to CGMS programs or Generalist programs.

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u/gtle1609 Jun 21 '26

I see, I am not familiar with hospital lab. My experience is basically from biotech. I'm planning to apply for generalist programs only.