Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology?

[newhere]

Hi.  I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge or experience with this program.  I applied to a few programs this year and was lucky to get a few interviews, but this is the only program that accepted me.  (There were two that I never heard from but I am assuming that's a default rejection.)  My acceptance was through Pitt.

 

I did like the program when I visited, but I had to go on an off-weekend because I was busy the normal interview weekend.  I'm just trying to do my research before I accept the offer.  I've read the website inside and out, and I plan to talk to a student contact there, but I'm looking for all opinions/thoughts I can find.

 

In particular, I'm wondering if there's a division between the CMU enrolled students and the Pitt enrolled student?  I know they try to make it as seamless as possible, but does that really happen?  I noticed that there's a discussion on LinkedIn that says something about the difference being "tricky" and that made me curious (and maybe a little concerned).  Any thoughts?

 

Is it true that it's possible (easy?) to transfer between the programs based on thesis advisor selection?  Does anyone know if it's really that easy?  (My undergrad degree is Computer Science with a Biology minor, so I could see maybe being a better fit at CMU; however, they matched me with Pitt - they said - because of my statement of interest.)

 

I am really excited about this program, but I want to make sure I go in with full understanding.  I am right out of undergrad with just a couple years of research (in a related but not exactly the same field I hope to study), so I actually thought I might do a masters first depending on what happened with my applications.

 

So I'm not sure if there's anyone out there with any knowledge of this program (it seemed like there were more applicants in prior years), but I'm open to any thoughts... Thanks!

[sqxz]

I visited this program during the Pitt interview weekend this year, so I can share what current Pitt students told me. My general sense is that there is some definite extra red tape that comes with having the program split across two universities. The advice I got was that this red tape is manageable, but you should take matters into your own hands and be persistent when you need to get something administrative done. You should not assume that everything will work out, even if you put it in the hands of the proper people. The example they gave was that it can be very difficult for Pitt students to get into popular CMU classes and vice versa. You should have no problem with the required curriculum, but electives can be more challenging.

 

You may also want to read one of my previous posts where I discussed some other differences between the CMU and Pitt sides of the program. (As I note in the original post, some of the differences can be found in the student handbook, but others cannot.) The post can be found Of particular interest may be the following quote:

 

The thesis lab selection process is also different for CMU and Pitt students. Pitt students may either elect to start working in a lab right away if they know for sure who they want to work with, or they have the option of doing three four-week rotations in the first semester. Conversely, I believe CMU students are required to listen to talks given by each faculty member in the program who is taking students. After this is done, each student submits a summary of his or her research interests and PIs he or she is interested in working with, and the PIs submit lists of students that they are interested in working with. Students are matched with PIs based on this information.

 

So, while it is definitely possible to switch from the Pitt side to the CMU side (according to the student handbook), you may or may not find it challenging to become matched with a CMU advisor due to the difference in advisor matching procedures. That is to say that some CMU professors may not participate in the rotation program through Pitt. (I think this is unlikely, but it is a definite possibility you should ask about if you are worried about it.)

 

As the program has already told you, students are admitted to one school or the other based on their stated interests and the professors they have stated they are interested in working for, not based on their background. The students and professors on both sides of the program come from a variety of backgrounds/departments, so it's not like the CMU students/professors work on computer science research while the Pitt students/professors work on physical science research. Consequently, I don't think it's fair to say you think you might have a better fit on the CMU side due to your undergraduate training in computer science. I think the only way you can judge where you belong is by looking at the research being done by the faculty on both sides of the program.

 

My advice to you is to go through each of the faculty member's lab pages, get a quick gist of what their research is all about, quickly eliminate those professors whose research doesn't interest you at all, read further into the pages of the professors whose research sounds most interesting, maybe read some of their recent publications, and get a list together of who you are most interested in working for. Once you have done this, start emailing those professors you are most interested in working for to see if they expect to be able to take on new students in the fall and/or are able/willing to take you on as a rotation student. I think only then will you be able to judge whether you were admitted to the wrong side and be able to judge whether or not this will be a problem. I suspect you will find that you were matched to the correct school.

 

In addition to talking to current students, I think you should feel free to contact the program directors with any questions you may have. The Pitt director has repeatedly said that I should contact him if I have any questions. They obviously know the program inside and out, and they will be able to give you a unique and truthful (albeit biased) opinion/answer to some of your questions and concerns. Consider also talking to the coordinators, as they will have another different perspective and area of expertise.

 

Hope you found this helpful! Let me know if there's anything else you want me to comment on.

[bsharpe269]

Just wanted to pop in here and ask what your interests are? This is one of my type choice schools and will be applying next season.

 

From what I hear it is a really great program! I am really excited about all of the research going on there.

[newhere]

@sqxz - Thank you for the thoughtful and thought-provoking response!!  I will definitely take your suggestions and reach out to the program directors and some faculty.  My concern is that I have multiple areas of interest that I hope to refine in the first year and don't want to be locked out of any options.

 

@bsharpe - I am primarily interested in genomics and bioinformatics.  However, as you mention, there is a lot of exciting research going on at CMU-Pitt!