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Vollum/OHSU NGP acceptances are rolling out. I absolutely loved the program - will be deciding between there and Columbia within the week.

Interview invite last night via email for the Integrated Program - Cellular Physiology and Biophysics at Columbia University - (Jan 29 - Feb 1) Is anyone else interviewing these days?

I'm a little uncomfortable putting my information out there, but I have found other posts very helpful so I would like to contribute. Undergrad Institution: State's flagship public university Major(s): Biology Minor(s): None GPA in Major: ~3.8 Overall GPA: ~3.4 (significant upward trend) Position in Class: Unknown Type of Student: Domestic Male, non-minority GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 160 V: 161 W: 4.0 MCAT Scores: score (percentile) Composite: 36 (97.1) Verbal Reasoning: 10 (83.3) Physical Sciences: 12 (94.9) Biological Sciences: 14 (99.4) Research Experience: Almost 3 years in one lab. 2 years during undergrad and 1 year as a lab tech. All work has been on independent projects. Current work is of my own conception and design, focusing on protein biophysics. No publications. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Invited guest lecturer for an upper division physiology course. Contributed updates to the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY. Dean's List. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Teaching assistant for Human Physiology and Introductory Biology (1.5 years), Assistant Instructor for Neuroscience Graduate Program "bootcamp" at my University (2 years), organized and led weekly journal club focusing on seminal papers in my field. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Formerly a small business owner and, prior to that, led ECU calibration support for a motorsports company. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Wilderness EMT; Professional Avalanche Rescuer Certification; High-Performance Engine Tuning Certification Applying to Where: UCSF - Tetrad (Rejected) Harvard - BBS (Rejected) Columbia - Neuroscience Columbia - Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics (cautiously optimistic) WUSTL - Neuroscience (Rejected) OHSU - Neuroscience (Interview) University of Utah - Neuroscience UW-Madison - Neuroscience (Rejected) UW-Madison - Biophysics (Interview) Tufts - Biology Given my background in biology and limited coursework in math and physics, I was reluctant to apply to more biophysics programs but I think this was a mistake. My research has primarily involved protein biophysics and it will continue to be a large part of my research interests moving forward. Additionally, my broad education in biology gives me a different perspective than many of the typical Biophysics applicants, and I feel this has been looked upon favorably in my applications. My advice to anyone who may face a similar dilemma would be to focus less on the statistics and numbers of the programs. Instead, apply to programs that best match your current and future research interests. Don't over-think this decision.