friscokid89

Hey, Still trying to make a decision on which biosciences my PhD, so any constructive feedback is certainly appreciated. My interests are mostly in host/pathogen interactions, but I'm also really interested in immune modulation of cell signaling pathways. I have 5 acceptances: UCSF biomed, UCB MCB, UCSB, MCDB, UCD Immunology, U of Washington Immunology. I felt like my interviews went well, but I'm having a tough time making a decision. I'm not a super-assertive type, and a couple people who know me have advised me that I might be better in a smaller program where I'd receive more individual attention. However, the person who advised my undergrad research thinks Berkeley is a clear choice for me. In some ways, UCSF seems like an obvious choice for what I want to do, but I felt like my interactions with the faculty there weren't as positive as the other schools i interviewed at. Also, at Berkeley they kept emphasizing that Berkeley is more grad student focused than UCSF, and even my advisor thinks I should go to Berkeley, since they have strong basic science emphasis. However, I feel like both programs could be relatively high stress, and I am the sort of person who does well under periods of stress, but not constant stress. The other positives about UCSF, UCSB and UCB is the programs are not strictly focused on immunology/host pathogen, so I have a broader array of classmates and also more interdisciplinary connections, so I don't become too narrowly focused. UCSB probably had the least amount of research specifically in my area, but I dd really like the campus and the people I met there! Davis, in contrast, had a lot of interesting research, but I don't really like the area that well. I have had several very favorable email conversations with professors at University of Washington, UCD and UCSB who seem to want me to attend. I guess I'm less concerned about the specific research professors are doing, as I found stuff of interest at all schools. However, I'm a bit more worried at a small program that I will have fewer choices for rotations and eventual labs to pick.

No need to answer the first part, as a couple hours after I wrote this post, I got an acceptance email from Berkeley. Pretty stoked about that. As for UCSF, yes I interviewed 2nd weekend there, but haven't heard back. Felt like I had a "better fit" at Berkeley, so it wouldn't surprise me if UCSF says no.

Undergrad/Grad Institution: University of California (UC)-one of the top three schools (BS/MS) Major(s): Biochemistry and Cell Biology Minor(s): Economics GPA in Major: 3.36 (BS), 4.0 (MS) Overall GPA: 3.36 (BS), 4.0 (MS) Position in Class: above average...average dept graduating gpa is 2.95) Type of Student: Domestic male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 162 (86%) V: 167 (97%) W: 5.0 (92%) B: Research Experience: 2.5 years in well-respected immunology lab (4 months as UG, 2 years full-time as Master's student), one third-author paper submitted to high impact journal for translational research Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Award for best Master's research at Dept Research Conference last year Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA'd 9 times for upper division UC biology classes, including lab classes and classes relevant to my field Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Wrote and defended Master's thesis (Immunology) a couple of months ago, have letters of rec from 2 people on my thesis committee Special Bonus Points: 4 strong letters of rec Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: GPA was very good during last year of my undergrad (taking relevant coursework) and in grad school. Have quite a few A+ grades. Strong improvement from first two years. Applying to Where: UCB- MCB - Immunology and Pathogenesis UCSF-Biosciences-Immunology UCD Immunology UCSB-MCDB-Microbiology Stanford-Biosciences-Immunology U of Washington-Immunology Interviews: 5/6 UCSF, UCB, UCD, UCSB, UW Rejected: 1/6 Stanford Acceptances: 2/6 UW, UCSB Has any domestic non-fellowship applicant who interviewed with Berkeley heard back yet? I interviewed 2/4-2/6 and they're keeping me in suspense! I emailed two POI shortly after the interview and received prompt replies from both saying that they really enjoyed meeting me and had gotten a lot of positive feedback from others I interviewed with. They said wait a few weeks till the second interview weekend is over. I have a bad feeling that UCs are admitting fewer people this year because research funding is down so much from last year.