sys88

It so is! Once you have a face to say no to it becomes so difficult! Plus there are things I like at one more than the other and it sucks to think about closing that door. Gah!

Accepted to UC Denver with an additional fellowship nomination. I should feel happy but now I feel torn and terrible that I have to say no to someone.

I was at the third UNC Chapel Hill BBSP weekend and no news here, either. I did, however, receive an acceptance notification from OHSU PMCB last Thursday!

Officially rejected off the waitlist of UCSF:( At least it means that I have one fewer interview to worry about.

I've heard of "safety schools" rejecting "ivy candidates" because it wasn't worth the effort to recruit the candidate when they clearly were qualified/going to accept an offer elsewhere. I have no idea how real that is.

This program had a late deadline (which is why the late response) but I just got an interview invitation to Cedars Sinai:) Apparently my boss (who works there) knew last week!

Haha, probably. Thanks for the reassurance:)

Got my North Carolina itinerary. I didn't get interviews with my top two POIs. The ones I did get are tangentially related to my research interests (they're cardiac, I'm interesting in musculoskeletal dev). One is completely different (cancer), but I'm assuming they're on the adcom? Is it common for an assistant prof to be on the adcom? Considering I was pretty explicit in my interests in my SOP, how should I approach the cardiac interviewers? I don't want to come off as uninterested, but unfortunately the people I'm meeting with are not my top POIs and I think that shows with the descrepancy in my SOP versus their work. Finally, there are six scheduled interview slots but I only got a list of five interviewers. Is this common? Will I get a mystery person day-of, or just skip a slot? Thanks a bunch, guys! Also, if anyone else is going to UNC this weekend, shoutout to you! Hope to meet you there!

Finally got my official UW MCB rejection. Glad to have it official rather than up in the air still. I wish they would have been a bit more timely with their notification.

Thanks for the update. I wonder if I'll get mine soon. I'd just like closure at this point.

For those still waiting on UW MCB - someone posted in the search: "still hadn't heard anything from them, so I called - was told everyone has already been contacted for interviews" Bummerrrrrr:(

Does anyone know when UW MCB is going to be sending out invites/rejects?

UC Denver hands-down the worst. OHSU is a close second. I thought that UNC and UW's interface were pretty user-friendly.

You could mention something about medical problems (no specifics) hurting your grades but that since getting it treated your grades have improved (you must have a clear trend upwards for this). Quick, simple, and truthful. No one should be asking for specifics, but if they do you can just say it was private. No one is entitled to your medical history.

OHSU Interview! Feb 12-15 or 19-22. I really hope I get the first weekend as I really can't make the second due to UC Denver.

This was exactly my experience. I made it clear that I intended to go back to school and my PI told me he wanted a two year committment. Two years is a good amount of time. I've been here three years now and feel really good about the experience I've gained here.

About a week and a half for my two so far.

Binary - was the UW Micro?

They said that if you get an interview you should hear by Jan 10th. I haven't heard anything, either!

In all fairness, the applicants seeking out Grad Cafe and posting their stats are more likely to have better stats than those who don't seek out the forum or post their stats:)

Deva multivitamins are great. For B12 make sure to get a sublingual. I take a Vit D2 (for winter), B12, and multi. Omega-3 sometimes. B12 is the only one that is absolutely non-negotiable. You MUST take a B12 vitamin. Even vegetarians should be taking B12 if they don't consume that much dairy (eggs have terrible bioavailability). Eating fewer calories will help you lose weight. Some people find it easier to consume fewer calories on a vegan diet, but it's really a matter of calories in - calories out. Learn to cook. It will make sticking to the lifestyle sooooo much easier. Crock pots make delicious food for days and are great for a busy lifestyle. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

You haven't done your research. There's actually quite a bit of evidence that GRE scores can be predictive. GRE scores can predict success in classes (GPA) but also drop-out rates. Here's a link to ETS's list of resources. Here's a case-study report. This source claims that GRE scores do not predict landing a job, but that first-year scores do. However, if you follow other sources you'll find that GRE scores can predict first-year scores, meaning that there is possibly a correlation between GRE scores and finding a job post-graduation. Of course, I'm sure some of these correlations are more field- and program-dependent than others, but the fact stands that the GRE scores are not a completely useless metric. You could also argue that GPA is not a good indicator due to grade inflation and differences in rigor (undergraduate institution prestige). Should GPA cutoffs be lowered or removed? I am not a fan of standardized testing myself, and feel that GRE should be a factor but not a cutoff. On the other hand, I've never had to parse over a thousand applications so perhaps it is reasonable to use it as a cutoff in situations like that. It is fine to debate the current system but let's not get silly and completely discount potentially useful metrics. GRE scores can be useful in context of a complete application.

Nope. Still says "under review".

I think DSCB already went out. I got a notification that I was waitlisted, which tells me that they're all out.

I don't know if anyone else was waitlisted for UCSF DSCB but Lisa told me that the waitlist is small (around 5 people) and unranked.