Adenine_Monarch

Hey, how are you guys responding to requests from rejected universities that you let them know where you are attending in the fall? I've just been straight up in letting them know, but...thoughts? Is any one not doing this and if so, why?

So did I! I'm finally done with all this. Hello, my fellow Houston-ites!!! Message me if you want to talk about Houston, moving, school or anything else. Where are you other Houston-ers thinking of moving in the area?

Alright, my season is officially over as well! It's been quite the ride and now I know I'm headed to Baylor College of Medicine's IMBS program! Here are my stats once more: Undergrad Institution: Large, private university Major(s): Biological Sciences Minor(s): Psychology GPA in Major: ~3.6 Overall GPA: 3.78 Position in Class: Graduated magna cum laude Type of Student: Female, US citizen, mixed race, non-traditional (I'm a bit old!) GRE Scores (revised version): Q: 160 (78%) V: 162 (89%) W: 5 (93%) Biology: 690 (58%) Research Experience: 8 years as a technician and researcher in a gene therapy lab, 1 year working in an invertebrate zoology lab. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List, magna cum laude Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked at an animal hospital and humane society (originally wanted to be a veterinarian); also spent a month working on a conservation project in Costa Rica. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nothing in particular I can think of. Been in the lab a long time so I know my way around it. That's probably the main thing. Had one 2nd author paper and 5 middle author ones. Also some abstracts and posters. Advice for those new to the process: Definitely start early. Especially with essays. That was probably the most stressful part of the application to me. To write well, you just need a lot of time to edit and mull over your words. Even if you're a good writer, you still need a minimum of time (especially since there will inevitably be days where you don't feel like writing and would benefit from standing back from your essay anyway), so don't wait till the last minute! Definitely give your letter writers plenty of notice (and a convenient dossier full of information they can refer back to) and definitely start early when researching programs. In hindsight, I probably applied to a handful of places I had no business applying to because the research fit just wasn't really there. But I didn't really realize this until I was putting the finishing touches on those applications. Basically I knew which schools were probably going to be rejects before I even pushed submit (not finding too many faculty you're interested in is a BIG clue!!!). Had I started a little earlier and had a better understanding of the program, I could have saved myself the trouble of a few apps and kept the total number to under 10 (not that I think you have to do this - apply to the schools you want to apply to and don't worry about what anyone else says about what "a good number" is) but...time is money, you know. Don't stress too much about interviews. You will need to be conversant about your research and it certainly helps if you can articulate well and ask insightful questions. But most of my interviews were very much like friendly, low key chats, so just don't worry too much and be yourself. And don't forget to interview them/the program as well! Ask lots of questions and be polite. Try not to be shy - you just don't have time for it. The interviews really fly by and are over before you know it, even the 45 minute ones. Use recruitment weekend time wisely and get as much information as you can. Record conversations, write diaries about your experiences (particularly about your impressions of faculty), and take pictures. I went on 8 interviews and over such a long and tiring stretch, you forget about stuff if you haven't written it down or otherwise stored the memories in some way. Also, make sure to go to all of the activities (even staying out later at the bars and other "optional" gigs), even if you're tired and don't feel like it. The reason I suggest this is because, for me, I realized after a couple of interviews that it just seemed to take a certain amount of time before I (and the others around me) felt more relaxed. It takes a bit of time (around 48 hours for me) for the visit to "sink in," if that makes sense. If you want the most accurate impression of a place and the people, you've got to give yourself as much exposure as possible. I would arrive feeling a bit awkward and out of place, then after most of the time was up, I'd start feeling that "click" of what a place/school was like. You want to get to that "click," if at all possible, before you have to go home. Also....8 interviews was tiring as hell and I can't believe I did it. However, I didn't have a job or school to worry about, so I managed it. But even still it was a challenge. I don't recommend it if you're in your final year or something. If you are going on lots of interviews, just make sure to take care of yourself and pack light but smart! Also, you really have to be organized, especially if you're applying to a lot of places. There will be so many details and emails to keep up with, so come up with an organizational scheme early. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! If you think you'll remember it, you won't. I used a lot of spreadsheets. For example, an excel file that had a tab for each school and all of it's relevant application/program info. A simple way to do these is to use a snip program (there's one that comes with Windows) to capture info from websites and paste into the tabs so that you don't have to re-type (and screw up) information. Come interview time, I needed another spreadsheet just to keep up with contact info of program coordinators and travel/airline reservations and itineraries. I used yet another to keep up with deadlines, files and test/letter info I had submitted, and dates of interview weekends for every school. Oh yeah....and just don't worry about the subject test! Unless you're ug school/program is unknown/untested, you were a non-biology major, the application requires it, or you're just bad ass that way, I think it's not worth it. I spent a lot of time studying for it and ended up screwing myself because even though I knew the material pretty well, I went too slow and only did about half the questions. But even though I only got 58%, I was still interviewed by top programs and to some schools, I didn't even bother submitting the score (the ones that didn't require it anyway) and was also still interviewed. It's definitely not a deal breaker, so just save your time and money. If you do do it, like I said, don't dawdle. It's a lot of material and my experience was that the real test was harder than the ETS practice one they give you. Haha...and on that note, be prepared for the expense! This process is EXPENSIVE! Test score reports, study aids, transcripts, plane tickets (reimbursed when the school feels like it), interview clothing, etc., the cost can really ramp up. And lastly...I have loved the support and invaluable information I have received on grad cafe but, for the love of God....don't hang around on this site TOO much. Don't get nerdy about it. Don't refresh your email zillions of times, don't agonize over every single detail. Don't worry about whether to call/email the department/faculty/letter writer for too long. Either do it or don't. In short, don't let this process consume you. I know it's like trying to ignore a log in your eye, but do try to get away and remember that this is something that is just a PART of your life. That being said, however, I do recommend trying to get as much enjoyment out of the process as you can, especially with interviews. For many people, it is basically a once in a lifetime thing. Even if you go through this two or three times, it's still not a forever thing.You will see so many places and meet so many cool people...try not to let the stress and fatigue ruin it for you. Just do your best and RELAX! If it truly is your ambition, you will end up in grad school one way or another. You might as well make it fun...especially since the actual grad school itself will suck the life out of you....ok, ok. I'll stop now. Thank you so much, everyone!!! If any future hopefuls would like my help, feel free to message me. I would like to try to stay present on this site and help out where I can.

It really depends on the fellowship. If, like you said, you are referring to most external grants/fellowships, this simply reduces the amount your PI has to pay. I am referring to the sorts of "smallish" fellowships that departments seem to offer (over and above the stipend amount) to incoming students as a way of incentivizing their most favored (or wavering) candidates. Although "smallish" is relative, I suppose. I've been offered everything from a one-time 1000 extra bucks, to larger awards over a few years (that are confirmed in addition to the normal stipend and usually disbursed in a lump sum at the beginning of the year). Plus, there are times when the school will give you a small amount over and above your stipend as a reward for drawing a larger fellowship (one that is NOT over and above, as is the case in your other post above) to the program. So it gets really confusing, I think. We know the departments out there have a little extra cash for "recruitment purposes," and it is mainly to this cash that I'm referring.

Which program?

Learned response

I am also interested in the Houston area. It seems like there are a few of you Houston-ites out there. Can you guys tell me anything about Sugar Land? It seems a bit far (maybe about 30 min w/o traffic?), but the low rent for big houses is really alluring....and it seems to be a great neighborhood. Any comments would be appreciated.

So, I know a while back there was some discussion on negotiating pay. I agree with whoever it was that said that stipends are rather fixed and that if you're going to negotiate anything, it ought to be about whether or not you can get any extra fellowship money thrown on top. What I was wondering was whether or not anyone else has been getting offers for fellowships this late in the game. I got one from one school about a week ago and just today, they upped it again to a pretty incredible offer. I am, however, frustrated that the top two schools I'm looking most closely at have not offered me anything (one of them hasn't even yet replied to my email of simply seeking extra info about something!), even though I've been hinting at how I'm rather torn between the two options. I feel like if one of them was to give me a fellowship, that would probably make the decision right there. So who thinks I should just take more direct action and ask about the possibility of fellowship offers? Seems like it is still possible to get something, especially since others must still be rejecting offers (and fellowships) even now. Makes me wonder about those who took offers earlier in the cycle. Maybe if they'd waited, they would have gotten more money? For me, everything I was offered came out of the blue. But I feel bad for people on the wait list and I don't want to drag this out too long if I can help it. Do you guys think it is worth it to wait longer or should I just make a decision with what I've got?

Good for you! I, on the other hand, got an offer from Baylor and was wait listed (indefinitely) at UTSW...even though I am interested in the same things as you. Weird how all that works out, huh?

Hunger Games

May I ask what program you are?

Btw, everyone. The new 2015 US News and World Report ranking of grad schools has come out....I was wondering if anyone had any information regarding it?

Wow, why do they want an answer so soon? Are they offering you money to accept?

Sorry...I don't wanna go back and gather quotes ::lazy right now:: To address some of the recent posts: I'm still stuck on the UTSW black hole wait list also and I kinda doubt I'm gonna get off of it. I will probably have made a decision before they ever get back to me. Caltech finally put me out of my misery today (they at least sent a nice, though generic, email). That was such a weird school to apply to. To the person that commented on Irvine...a prof actually told you they think you won't get in?!?! That just does it for me with that school. They seem just overall weird and kind of rude... I'm sorry that happened to you. Congratulations to everyone that is getting in and finally done with this process!!!....I am still agonizing over my options.... I also would like to offer my encouragement to the few of you for whom things did not work out so well. Especially if you are just coming out of undergrad, do not lose hope! An MS or another year or two of experience will make all the difference, I am sure. Stay positive and apply again next year! You will have a much better handle on things the second time around and I am sure it will work out. You should also consider that in another year or two YOU will be in a different place and you might find that doing the whole applying/starting school thing actually worked out better for you by waiting. Had you gone this year, it might not have turned out so well, so there is that, too. Also, there was someone that made a comment about being forthright and honest during this whole process.... I totally feel you. I'm an honest sort of person and I do feel that there have been a couple of small times where my honesty has not been rewarded and on a moral level this really kind of distresses me. I don't want to NOT be the person that I am during grad school!!.... All I can say is, try not to think of it that way and realize that you are playing the game of grad school admissions (and, later, the game of grad school). There is an element of secrecy involved in most games and you just can't naively tip your hand too much, even if it seems like the right thing to do.... Has anyone heard back yet from Stanford Immuno? I know one person did early last week but I'm wondering if the rest of us are still waiting....

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