ss2player

That brutal moment when you email a program you're waiting to hear from and they respond right back with a rejection email.

If you got 9 interviews and 7 acceptances, you're what I would call an "all-star"! So I'm not surprised you're being recruited by the one place, plus being notified a few days after means you are a top pick for them. It depends on if you want opportunity that you may have to seize yourself (the first place), or more of a sense of camaraderie and support (the second place). Every program has different personalities (see the Harvard BBS v. MIT talk in this thread). What do you value more in a grad program?

If there's no clear cut winner in topic, like you said, go for the one with the best ROI. No need to waste time on a test that you might not do well on if it's not worth more weight than a subject you would almost certainly do well in.

I'd say take the one most related to what field you want to study for PhD. Since you're in a master's and have lots of research, your undergrad grades become less important, especially since they're in a tangentially related field. If you feel you can ace the biochem, I say take it!

Yay, casual racism! Keeping it classy around here. :-/

Stealing this format, if y'all don't mind: HS grad: 255 End of sophomore year: 155 UG grad: 195 Current: 225 I've been all over the place as you can see. I actually enjoy exercise, but as they say "you lose weight in the kitchen, not the gym", and I just love the kitchen too much! But I'm usually thinner during summer, aiming to get down to ~205.

Ugh, my current PI is the worst procrastinator so stuff like this is a constant occurrence, I feel your pain. He's a great guy in many other ways, but frustrating to work for. I'm thankful for his support and guidance but also glad to be leaving in 4 months. We also have a visiting student, but he does the opposite: asks no questions, spends most of the time on the computer/his phone, and the few times he observes me doing experiments just takes pictures with his phone rather than attempting things himself. Like, why even bother seeking funding to come here? Dummy.

That's MORE than justified, what a terrible, spiteful show. For me: Football Running Yoga (at least if they mention chakras) Dubstep Salted caramel flavor

Awesome, great place! A friend of a friend went to med school there, enjoyed it very much. Congrats! And so much love for anything Futurama related.

Location often becomes a decider in these situations, I hear ya. As a fellow East Coaster, welcome to the Atlantic!

Congrats, dude! I don't put much worth in rankings, but they certainly have the resources there and if you fit with the professors, GIT R' DONE!

That's one way to do it! *bow chicka WOW WOW*

Awesome, thanks for the info! They just had their last interview weekend, so that makes a lot of sense.

I have heard nothing. If I don't hear anything this week, I will likely call next week. I have an acceptance already so I'd like to hear from my 3 other schools so I can make a decision!

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Your family sends you money for free? Can I be adopted by you guys?!

Good choice! Any Philly questions, send 'em my way.

Arizona rejects me post-interview 6 weeks later. Whatever, they were bottom of my list anyway!

This feels pretty accurate to me. It takes a while for the dust to settle as they have to wait for these top people to decide on someplace and then they can start hitting the mythical "waitlist" to fill out their class for the year. It'll be a crazy month!

1. feedback from existing students which include information about how the PIs help students with their future placements in industry or as post doc - You'll be working with your PI for 5 years at least. Choose wisely in terms of mentoring style and past student success. 2. connections of the faculty - Collaborations and networking are a boon in science. 3. project of interest - Projects change all the time. As long as it's mildly interesting to you, you'll be fine. Can always change as a postdoc. 4. brand of the school - Not important at all, especially in science sub-fields. Let your work speak for itself.

First acceptance: University of Miami! Such a load off. Not my top choice, but I think I could do good work there.

Not all of mine did, and one school where most of them responded I ended up being rejected post-interview! I believe it has no bearing other than goodwill, your admission is much more complex than that.

Me! I know there's plenty of us out there. It's gonna be a LONGGGGG month waiting for admissions to settle.

I'm thirding this (though I do have the one post-interview rejection). Just got back from Miami, was a nice break from the cold. Liked the school, not my top choice, but would attend if it came down to it. 6 weekends in a row was exhausting, but fun and very informative. Hope to get some acceptances soon!

Philly has the city wide special: 5 bucks for a PBR and shot of bourbon. Being on an academia salary, I often went with this when going out with friends. Plus my undergrad was always Keystone Light, so I needed something to make me forget about those times. I enjoy craft beer and we have some cool spots for that, but paying $7-8 a drink makes my brain hurt. My palate can't fully appreciate the difference anyway, so it's a "once in a while" type of outing.