bsharpe269

I don't think you have to worry about reinterating your SOP. In your SOP, you probably wrote a few paragraphs max about each research experience. I think the point of the interview is to see if you actually understand the theoretical concepts behind what you did. So basically I think that in the interview you would want to turn the very condensed few paragraphs into a complete explanation. You could also relate what you did to the work the specific professors you are meeting with. For example, you did X to figure out Y but you could maybe propose to use technique X that you are already familiar with and apply to Z, the interest of this particular advisor. If you understand your research well then don't worry.... just go talk about your research. You enjoy it so much that you applied to PhD programs to do if for 5 more years! If you enjoy is that much then you will be able to discuss it for 30 minutes with ease.

I definitely think it is appropriate to ask for more details from your supervisor. Like others have mentioned, you don't need to confront him in a defensive way, like you want to talk him into writing the letter. Everyone has skills that would benefit from improving so I would just ask what he sees as your current weaknesses and what advice he has for improving them.

I think I ended up guessing on at least a few quant questions (maybe even 5ish?) and ended up with a 168

If you want a PhD then definitely apply to PhD programs, not maters. You should have a decent grasp on your intended research area but this can be accomplished by reading relevent literature which you can do now, at your current institution. I am doing a MS also at a school that isnt super highly ranked. The prestige of your MS school does not matter much... I already have two interviews for PhD programs at great schools. Your motivation will determine your sucess in academia, not the name of your university. I am certain that I got interviews because 1) I have been reading as much I possibly can about the field which I am sure shows in my SOP and 2) I have done very well in classes (like >98% when the average is a and put tons of time in research which has led to amazing LORs. I think that doing another masters would be pointless. I would read literature in your field and form a solid grasp of your intended research area. Once you have figured this out then apply to programs with professors who specialize in this area. You will be able to write a solid SOP based on your lit review and can discuss how your previous experience has helped you develop skills that will lead to your sucess in your intended research area.

sigh... none of my programs sent out invites today! I don't expect any more until mid January. Im jealous of all of you guys who already heard back from the majority of your schools! For 4 of my schools, the deadlines haven't even passed yet!

I think that it is very important to discuss this with the student. If I made a big mistake then I would much rather realize it when I was half way out the door than after I already left! If you know a mistake was made then I think it would be unethical to pretend you dont realize it.

My interview is Jan 22-24. I am interested in biophysical modeling, computational approaches to protein structure and folding. I'm not sure how they split up the weekends.

For those who have received UNC BBSP interviews, how did you accept the invitation? There is a link to a form to fill out, which I did a couple days ago, but I haven't heard anything else from the school since filling it out. This makes me wonder if I should actually respond by email to the invitation in addition to filling out the form.

Apply where you want to go... remember, you only need to get into 1 great program! Even though I am in a different field, I say this as someone who went into this process thinking that I would be rejected accross the board. My uGPA is 3.28 and I even have 2 Ds on my undergrad transcript. I have been kicking butt in my MS, trying to make up for it but still thinking that it will hold me back. Guess what!? I already have 2 interviews and I havent even finished applying yet! This is beyond what I think I deserve or what I thought I would get. You have nothing to lose by applying so go for it and see what happens.

Those of us who have been offered interviews are all probably wondering how likely we are to be accepted after interviews. If anyone has any info on the percentage of people admitted relative to those interviewed for particular schools, would you mind posting here so that we can get a feel for our odds? For example, students who interviewed last year may be able to share the number of students at the interview and the number who the school ended up offering admission to last year.

UNC BBSP (bioinformatics focus) inteview!

Thanks for the info! Any idea whether all applications are evaluated together or split up by interests? My SOP specifies that I am interested in the bioinformatics PhD.

Haha im struggling too. I check the results page on here every hour or so. No I haven't... Im into protein structure/dynamics though and don't tend to know much about genomics or systems bio focused programs. I just looked at the site and it looks interesting and different. There are professors doing biomath stuff like infectious disease modeling that you dont normally see in bioinformatics departments. If the professors are doing stuff you like then I dont see any downsides in applying!

I would just try to be patient. I dont think I will ask for application inquiries until the end of January or so.

Some of my schools ask that you bring official transctipts to an interview if you offered one. I guess this is a way to check on fall grades before accepting students. I agree with the above comment though that one C+ isnt going to kill your chances.

I've been thanking them every chance I get pretty much. I was so excited when I got my first interview and emailed them with the news. To this point, I've only thanked them in person and over email. When I am done with the process and make my decision, I intend to get them each a coffee mug or something for the school I choose with a hand written thank you note.

I would encourage you to apply to a few more programs if you can find any with later deadlines that are a good fit. It is difficult for anyone to get into a program with only 3 applications... even with a GPA in the high 3s! I am currently working on my MS In bioinformatics and loving it. I am applying to PhD programs now, mostly biophyics programs since I am interested in protein structure/dynamics. I knew that I wanted to go into research since undergrad too (did lots of biomath research as an undergrad) but I graduate with a 3.28 and science GPA was more like a 3.0. If you end up needing to do a MS first to prove you can handle the course work then dont be disappointed. It was been an amazing expereince for me and I have really been able to focus in my research interests.

I found a typo in my SOP after I already submitted to 6 schools. Like yours, it was pretty minor but still upset me since 5 different people edited it and I reread it a million times. I bet that most resumes/SOPs end up with a typo or two. Its almost impossible to avoid. I have already been offered an interview from one of the schools that I submitted with the typo to. It will definitely not be thrown in the trash for something so silly!

Our profiles are fairly similar... I have a 3.28 uGPA, 3.0 science uGPA, 4.0 MS GPA, 168Q, 162V, 4.0 for GRE. Im also applying with tons of research experience, amazing LORs, and a very focused SOP since I have a great grasp on my intented subfield. We both already got an interview so I think (hope) we will do fine!

Definitely! A reasonable/good PI will encourage you to do this. Your Mental health will suffer if you don't see your family. Many phd students in my program who live on other side of the country or out of the country go home for like 3-4 weeks during the summer even and just send email updates on their work. Edit: I guess I need to add that I do computational work so this is an option but either way, a good PI will encourage you to take time off to see family.

Sending reminders is no big deal, professors usually appreciate it. One of my LOR writers has needed a reminder for just about every deadline. The day before the deadline, I just send a couple line email like "I wanted to reminder you that two of my letters are due tomorrow night. Thank you so much for help with this process." If you just reminded them a week ago though then I think I would wait until the day before the deadline. Since you said they are due the 15th, then I would send an email tomorrow.

Im working on my MS, applying to PhD programs. I currently don't get off for summer, winter break, spring break. I think alot of it has to do with your PI but even more has to do with your personality. If I wanted time off over spring break then no one would comment but "optional" group meetings continue and my PI definitely notices the couple of people who are hard at work. I just got my first PhD interview and I am pretty sure that my PI's LOR is one of the best components of my application. If you end up in a lab that you love, working for a PI who you get along with, then you will probably want to work! I walked out of my last final thinking "yay I can finally focus on the research that I have been neglecting due to studying/classwork!" l have an amazing project that I really enjoy and an amazing PI who has been my main support during the PhD application process. My goal is to end up in a lab like this again for my PhD. If you do then you will be excited to work over break!

I would just call the department and discuss the issue with them. This stuff is fairly common.

I was freaking out too until I got my first interview today. Only 2 of my programs even start sending invites in December... based on previous years, I'm expecting most in January or even February. You have like 2 months before you should start freaking out!

Washington University in St. Louis interview!!!!