cleverfool

Excellent! Can't wait. I know! I've been out for five...I'm confident in my research abilities, but slightly scared of getting back into the swing of coursework.

Just pulled the trigger and accepted the Wisconsin IPiB offer. So excited to be done with this, and to start thinking about going back to school!

This you absolutely can overcome. I applied to biochem programs with a 3.08, and some Cs in science classes (and a terrible major GPA, if anyone had bothered to calculate it). I have several acceptances. You just have to work really hard to make the rest of your application stellar, so they don't even look at the GPA as important.

While it is true that most people do not going into academia, I have run into a few professors who have told me that they feel like failures if their students don't go into academia (or, that this is the prevailing feeling of the program). I have also had interviews where PIs have been pretty snarky about the quality of work going on in industry and the people who end up there - which is awkward because I currently work in pharma. However, I've also had the opposite - professors who say the like it when students have goals other than academia, because most people will not be able to go that route. Point being that this prejudice is probably pretty rare anymore, but it definitely still exists. I would be upfront about your goals, only because that way your adviser can help you figure out what experiences would be most beneficial in helping you get the job you want. And, if you do find one of those people who isn't as supportive of your career goals, you'll want to know as early as possible so you can either switch advisers, or find other guidance within the department.

A Confederacy of Dunces. Also, listening to the Chronicles of Amber on audiobook (I've been doing a lot of driving lately).

Officially done with interviews and visits. So, so happy. Now, just have to make the decision...

Yes! I still have one interview left, but I ended up not loving what I thought would be my first choice, and really loving a few places I didn't think I would, including a school I almost didn't apply to. So ready to be done with this process.

Congrats, MicroB! It must be such a relief to have made the official choice.

Congrats, chemaholic!

I interviewed with Kiessling, Denu, Raines, Coon, Keck, and Rayment. I lean more toward the chemistry side of things. Do you know who you'll be talking to? Also, I just got a call (since my last post) to say that I was accepted! So, I am feeling extra positive about the program right now. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the interviews.

Congrats! I was just there last weekend...great program, and everyone was really friendly.

28 here. I wish some of you other older applicants were at my interviews! I was unprepared by how old I would feel. Most other attendees were still in school. At work, I am the youngest in the department by several years, but I keep feeling like some crazy old person on these visits because I have a spouse and a mortgage, and because I don't want to go out drinking the night before the interview. Also, I find myself pretty excited at the idea of taking classes again, whereas most of the others are still so burnt out from undergrad (and I definitely sympathize - I was too, at that point) that they complained quite a bit about coursework requirements, while I was busy reading class descriptions and asking about elective options.

You will get an email when your online app. status changes to admitted. Mine came on the same day as the official admit from the graduate school. Nothing to worry about yet.

Accepted to UMich! My first post-interview acceptance; I was beginning to get worried because they took a bit longer than they had said they would, getting decisions out. Congrats to the IBiS folks, as well! Evanston's a great area, and with easy access to the best city ever (no, I'm not biased, what? ;o)

It took two weeks from my "contingent on approval from the Graduate School" email to get the official nod from the Graduate School itself, for Purdue. I wouldn't worry yet. Since then, they have sent a ton of emails, though. Today, I even got a congratulatory e-card, which was little strange.

The biochem/molecular genetics track has sent out at least some invites already; the first interview day is next week.

I'll be there. I was planning on wearing a suit, just because that is my fall-back if there isn't a specified dress code.

Congrats! How did you like the visit? I am going later this month. Am currently at the airport waiting for my flight to MI, and it seems like half the flights on the board are cancelled. Did anybody have their interview trips affected by the storm?

I am currently working in big pharma, and the majority of the people I work with, PhD and otherwise, did not come from top 10 schools. Some do, and I'm sure that helps, but getting your foot in the door in this industry is as much about who you know as it is about what you know. Wherever you study, you should be going to conferences and keeping in touch with industry people you meet, as well as staying in touch with anyone from your lab/department that ends up in pharma. It's a rough industry to get into right now, and I'm not sure it's going to get any better, but it definitely isn't an Ivy-only game.

I got general funding info about the dept., but nothing specific. I love Purdue, but I am biased, as it is my alma mater. It has a strong focus on research, so it's probably a little better from a graduate perspective - you could feel a little lost as an undergrad. The area gets a bad rap, but the W. Lafayette/Lafayette cities are pretty fun, with a lot to do for smallish towns. They are in the middle of nowhere, though. An hour or so to Indy, and two to Chicago. Downside: It's rough being a Boilermaker athletics fan - they break your heart regularly.

Accepted to Purdue Chemistry! (I applied under the Chemical Biology specialization). I am now wishing I had found more chemistry programs to apply to...I am liking this whole admit-without-interview thing.

First official rejection (though at this point, I have many assumed) - Brandeis biochem, through email. This one stung, because I really liked the program, and I thought I had an excellent research fit, so...boo on them. I think I'd rather get the rest of the rejections in the actual mail, though, that way they wouldn't surprise me when I go to look up a tracking number and am not even thinking about grad school apps.

Good luck, and stay warm! Which program are you interviewing with? I'll be there at the end of Feb. Let us know how it goes!

Nebube, I can't speak to the first part, though I think it would be strange for them to let you know day-of for an interview, but as far as this goes: I wouldn't necessarily read too much into it. All my interview requests so far have asked for a list of potential POIs, even when I included one in my SoP/application. Just be honest, and list as many as you can without going completely out of your area of interest.

Congratulations! That's awesome!