dorpedo

I've heard that PI productivity and/or prestige is more important than school prestige...

Hmm. Interesting, didn't know about that syndrome. Thanks for your words of encouragement, and best of luck to you!

Thanks, awesome advice! Very true, both schools are great. I did feel that I fit in more at SD, but maybe that's just because of the subsection of students I met at either school. Tough to say; I wasn't expecting to get into UCSF in the first place because they only accept 8 of 40 interviewees. I didn't want to get rejected from UCSD, but that was mostly because I felt like I could make it in (umbrella program- they accept the majority of their interviewees).

Thanks guys, awesome advice! Mrmolbio, I totally agree- even though the students at SF say they get extra guidance b/c of the no undergrads thing, I also got that vibe that profs didn't really care if I join their lab. Now I just have to decide how much I trust the vibes I got...

Ok, I know the place for this post is in the decision forum, but I wanted some advice from people who know biology: I am deciding between UCSF's DSCB program vs. UCSD's BMS. UCSF is very prestigious, but I got the overwhelming feeling of an elitist environment. I could tell speaking to the grad students that the place is very rigorous, and I can't help but feel that I'll be extra-stressed there. On the other hand, UCSD was very laid back, and the first thing all the grad students brought up was how happy they were. There's great research going on too, but I worry that the name-recognition won't be quite as good. I am equally interested in the research at both places. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys. The thing is, I think I got lucky at UCSF. I happened to be interviewed by a guy that went to my undergrad, and he took a liking to me. I didn't even talk much at the interviews. I am worried that I'll be extra stressed at SF. Thanks for your thoughts, though!

Specifically, I am deciding between UCSF's DSCB program vs. UCSD's BMS. UCSF's program is amazing. Brilliant professors; a true incubator of academic talent. But I got the overwhelming feeling of an elitist environment. I could tell speaking to the grad students that the place is very academically rigorous, and I can't help but fear that I won't be able to keep up with them. On the other hand, UCSD was completely laid back, and the grad students there were relaxed and happy. But I worry that the name-recognition won't be as good, and I might get distracted by the weather and the more laid-back/partying atmosphere. I am equally interested in the research at both places. I'm stuck, and the deadline is next week! Help! *I posted this already in decisions, but then noticed the freak-out forum, and thought it would be more appropriate here. Sorry mods

Specifically, I am deciding between UCSF's DSCB program vs. UCSD's BMS. UCSF's program is amazing. Brilliant professors; a true incubator of academic talent. But I got the overwhelming feeling of an elitist environment. I could tell speaking to the grad students that the place is very academically rigorous, and I can't help but fear that I won't be able to keep up with them. On the other hand, UCSD was completely laid back, and the grad students there were relaxed and happy. But I worry that the name-recognition won't be as good, and I might get distracted by the weather and the more laid-back/partying atmosphere. I am equally interested in the research at both places. I'm stuck, and the deadline is next week! Help!

Thanks for your input- very interesting points. I do have conflicts already, and here's how I approached it: the schools who gave me invitations first I immediately agreed to and put them in my calendar. The schools that offered later, but on a conflicting weekend, I told that I already had a scheduled interview. If you go with this method, it shouldn't be that bad, right? I'm not giving away how interested or not interested I am in each school; I'm simply telling them that their interview invite arrived later. What do you think?

Great advice, thank you so much!

I'm hoping you're right. I have friends in physics where interview trips are branded as 'recruitment days', and pretty much everyone gets in. I also know someone that applied to neuroscience programs last year, got interviews at 10 of them, and only got into one. It'd be really useful to know the actual statistics.

Having applied to 25 schools, I'm anticipating a lot of conflicts on interview dates. How does everyone intend to choose between conflicts? What if I am equally interested in both schools? In this case I want to go to the interview where I have the best chance to be accepted. Would it be a good idea to email the administrator and ask what percentage of interviewees they accept?

Never mind, it seems like the department decided to make applications free for everyone!

by phone

Thanks. Looks like we're both applying to ~24 schools. What a whirlwind, lol. It was through biology@princeton, but with MCB as my first choice. So both, kinda.