aba1984

Yeah, I feel ya. I had to cancel one too even though there were 2 profs with amazing research. UAB was fun - if you're into translational/clinical research, you'll get a ton of that at UAB. I met a lot of profs who were trying to turn their research into the process of drug development. And everyone is funded, something I am not used to. Once you add it all up, there really are about 6 interview dates that are out there, forcing us to miss some great schools. Bummer

Oooh that's exciting. Let me know how it goes so I know what to expect for my interview. When is your UAB interview, I had one there recently.

I went to an interview this past weekend and two of the girls who interviewed with me are currently at Vandy - one for for undergrad and one for MS. We were talking about schools and they just went into this discussion of aggressive budget cuts and I was like, ok, good to know I guess...then I looked it up and it turns out that last year they had a goal to cut $250 million, or 1,000 jobs. http://www.thelayoff.com/vanderbilt Curious what kind of vibe you guys get at your IGP interviews since IGP is part of the school of medicine...

For those of you going to Vanderbilt interviews, make sure to pay attention to who runs the things around there. Apparently, they had huge budget cuts and let go a ton of their administrative staff, so make sure there would be someone to take care of your paperwork besides an assistant professor you have to hunt down.

Ad-MIT, really? That's so cheesy. Ahhh, us scientists...

I'll be there Feb 13. Sure, shoot me a pm for a heads up before yours.

Congrats. We get to barbecue on the beach, so it should be quite an interview.

Yes, please. Love that idea!

Yeah, I figured. I'm still honored though, it is a major reach school for me

Got an email from WuSTL saying that they are still reviewing apps including mine and that they will finish in the next 2 weeks. Ummmm, interviews have already started...they must've gotten a ton of applications since they can't get to everyone in time for the interviews (kinda not fair), or maybe I'm rejected but they just don't want to tell me.

Guys, what is a pre-interview? My current institution wants to do one and I'm not sure what to think of it.

Aberrant, do you remember the names of the people at Vanderbilt you send your emails to? I sent my emails to the IGP director and administrator, but maybe there is someone else I should be emailing?

If I've learned anything this interview season, it's that...the words "research fit" are no cliche. What I wanted in my SOP is exactly the kind of schools I was invited to. I wrote about biomedical research and was invited to schools with strong medical schools with high rankings very early in the process, schools I thought would laugh when they saw my application. I didn't talk about academia and wasn't invited to the more classically academic schools with lower rankings that I was sure I was going to get into.

If I've learned anything this interview season, it's that...<fill in your answer>... Let's keep this rolling please. Maybe someone learns something next year.

I did. I got this two days ago: Pretty much stuff we already know. I just emailed them because I can only do one more interview because of my classes and was trying to plan for it, but we will see...I still have four schools to hear from.

Don't you just hate those schools that don't even bother to send proper rejections but just tell you if you don't hear back, you're rejected?

Meanwhile, for those of us who neither got interviews nor rejections from WuSTL yet, how can we be classified?

I'm gonna ask them: How many dissertation proposals end up getting grants and how well they prepare students for grant writing, How active the PI is in the lab during the summer vs. the rest of the year, How PI approaches training for new students - who is responsible, How PI feels about students traveling frequently to present (some don't like this believe it or not, they consider it an absence/extra cost), The work schedule - do you have to show up at 9 am sharp or whenever works for you, How I go about filling out paperwork to transfer classes from my MS so I don't retake them, etc. etc. etc.

In regards to not hearing back, I do think that some programs are just taking their sweet time while we think we are already rejected. Today was my first day in class this semester and I went to talk to my professor who happens to be the director of the program just to explain that I have interviews and have to miss a few classes. She seemed shocked that I had already gotten four interviews. And then she said, since I applied at my current school too, "Yeah, I know you applied, I saw your name in the piles, I just didn't look at it." Meanwhile, somewhere else in the universe some poor applicant is already assuming they got rejections when these professors are doing the busy work that we know they have to take care of. My PI is the director of MS admissions and I see applications on his office floor all the time. So, instead of assuming rejection, just assume that your application is on someone's carpeted floor right now. Haha!

Good thing for anonymity on these forums. That question would send chills down every department chair's spine but yeah, what 1824 said...

I really don't understand how this works. When do they expect to offer those interviews if they meet in late January? Mid-March or something?

Yeah, you just never know what's going on behind closed doors. Vanderbilt and WuSTL have been very odd for me - not a single peep. Sometimes a rejection is better because at least you know what's going on. My problem is that I can maybe do one or maybe barely two more interviews tops because of my classes next semester. I will wait till Friday and just accept the interview at the other school and then call it quits at 4 interviews before my grades start suffering.

Vanderbilt doesn't do March interviews anymore? I'm going to UMiami on 2/14 and the interview invite I got today happens to be for 2/27...I guess there is no correct way to go about this - accept the 2/27 interview at a #90-100ish ranked school just in case or keep the slot open in case Vanderbilt invites me? UGH!

For those of you who got Vanderbilt invites, what were the interview dates listed? I got another interview from a mid-tier, but afraid to accept it as I'm still holding out for most of my schools.

Baylor interview invite. On a side note, UTHealth is still reviewing apps for those who applied. I look forward to the interviews, but not too crazy about having to miss 3 classes. One of my classes you just can't make up things. One more interview and that's it. Hopefully Vanderbilt IGP or WuSTL DBBS pull through as I only have one interview weekend left that I can make up in school. We shall see - who knew there was this much to worry about with interviews?