No Coffee Plz

Last year they sent out the decision Nov 22.

As you'd know, biology research is very broad, and runs the whole gamut from 100% wet labs to entirely computational labs.That being said, someone who is thoroughly versed in both benchwork and quantitative analysis is not too common, and if I were on the admissions team I would be highly impressed. Whether you should minor or major in math, that is your judgement call, and I think you should think about what you ultimately want to do with the mathematical training. I am not sure what grad schools will think about the 5th year (I remember at one interview the professor mentioning that she was impressed that I was graduating on time with good grades), but at the same time I believe they'll not see it as an handicap if you explain your situation in your SoP.

That seems like a bizarre way to handle applicants from outside the U.S. I mean, if money is the problem, they could just cap the reimbursement at the rate of domestic students, which is what a lot of the schools did.

Ah, I see what you're saying.

Well Spike, while it seems unfair, it's actually not. A typical grad student costs roughly $70k-80k per year. If that is funded a NSF funding grant, which a lot of programs opt to do, that means that the money is coming directly from the U.S. taxpayers. Did your parents pay for that money? The parents of U.S. citizens did. My parents did not, and the tougher application game was the price I had to pay to study in this country.

The problem here is international-student specific, and it's difficult for domestic students to understand the woes of navigating the hellish application process as an outsider. I think the OP is indignant for a pretty good reason: they could have been more clear about their international student policy. In retrospect, I really respect what schools like UCSD-BMS did. UCSD required all international applicants to fill out a pre-application with only GPA, GRE, and short research experience, and only after the pre-application was approved was one able to file the real application. Although I was initially incredulous when they denied my pre-app (my stats aren't bad), I later understood what they did was right, not taking advantage of my application money or wasting my time. I think UWM could have handled this a little differently. That being said, OP did you try contacting their offices before applying? It should have been expected that different programs have different international student policies, and that state schools would generally be more stingy. So when the policy was not clearly stated on their websites, I contacted the offices individually, and they were all surprisingly open about their funding for internationals and how it would affect admissions. Some told me that they have plenty of external funding, that x% of the current students are international, and that I should definitely apply. Others told me that the program has very limited funding for internationals, and pretty much straight-up told me that I would I have an extremely slim chance at admissions.

Might be easier if people post and add the new schools bolded to the list: Scripps Research Institute - All programs University of Utah - Molecular Biology Vanderbilt University - All programs Washington University in St. Louis (WashU/WUSTL) - not sure which programs (at least DBBS and immunology)

Same here. We already have a student panel here! Wow haha. Please feel free to PM me for all questions. With almost nobody around me applying to grad school, this forum was the one place that I could come and "meet" and talk to my fellow applicants. Even with the application process complete, I find myself frequenting this site, simply out of habit. I am also an international student, and I know very well that the application game is often much more fierce for us. So my best of luck for international students out there! Ask me specific questions for it as well. And oh, my program is MIT Biology, FYI.

Hi alanfv91. You just met our forum's resident troll: SciencePerson101!!! He's usually a bit grouchy because nobody really likes him, online or real-life, but you'll get used to his presence after a while.

Nationwide doctoral program attrition rate stands at about 40-50%, with the humanities having more drop-outs. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/college-inc/2010/04/nearly_half_of_doctorates_neve.html The actual report http://www.fgereport.org/rsc/pdf/ExecSum_PathForward.pdf

Hmm. Well the international I met during the second weekend was admitted after the third interview date (I think there were 3 internationals the entire weekend)... But regardless, if what you're saying is true that's a little surprising. Anyways, the science at Stanford and MIT is both cutting-edge, and you'll have an awesome time there I'm sure! I even think we might cross paths in the science field in the future... who knows right haha.

Hi Orims. How sure are you about MIT Biology international applicants being put at a disadvantage if they attend the third interview weekend? It is irrational for the program and unfair for the students to have all the acceptances handed before everyone has been interviewed... and I am pretty sure they waited after Mar 10 to send out the bulk of the acceptances. Not trying to stir an argument, but I want this thread to be accurate as possible so that it benefits everyone who reads it next year (just like how we all have benefited from last year's thread). Have a good time at Stanford by the way! I have also interviewed at MIT and Stanford, but I have been accepted to MIT Biology only and not Stanford haha.

I interviewed at another BCM program, but I worked in BCM for a year and I am doing my undergrad in Houston so I can speak pretty well for Houston or BCM in general. To live in Houston, you most likely will need a car. Like all cities built after the automobile revolution (~1950s), Houston is spread out so it is difficult to have an efficient public transit system. That being said, the Medical Center is huge, is located in a very convenient location, with the TMC transit center and the Red Metro Line (light rail) running through it, and has many residential areas close by, so you probably won't need it for commute. Not to mention that the rent is much cheaper than other big cities in the U.S. BCM's research is top-notch, and at the same time BCM is dedicated to its graduate school program. I have committed to another school because I have been literally living across the street from the Texas Med Center for the past 4 years and wish to have a different experience elsewhere (the only region I have lived in the U.S. is the South). But I really have nothing bad to say about Houston or BCM, and this is coming from an insider! Please PM me if you have more questions; hope I can answer them.

I can ask my PI about this too. She's served on the admission committee for several years and gave me countless advice, so she'd know.

I feel you. I have been accepted to five schools, which means I have to say no to four schools... it breaks my heart a little. Especially for some of the smaller programs, it was difficult for me to say that I am not going because of the bonds that I have created with the professors, current students, etc. I felt like they were genuinely interested in me not only as a potential student but as a person. Sucks that I have fallen in love with more than one program. But my decision has been made, and I sent all the necessary emails as to be courteous to the other students and the schools. Feels weird.

My current PI did her PhD at MIT Biology as well. Since she said I should apply to MIT, I asked her what she liked the most about it (I was skeptical about applying at first). She said the best thing about MIT was not its research, program, nor the professors (all of which are already stellar), but its peers. They become your friends for life, she said. The strong community at MIT Biology seems like a tradition that has been handed down the years. BTW, I learned yesterday "The Pit" was named by the students around the time my PI was there... the room was originally in a basement with no windows, and hence came the name. After they built 68, it was relocated to the first floor of 68, but the name stuck. About research fit: if you have about 4-5 professors you can see yourself working with, I think you'll be fine at either schools. I am one of those who is inclined towards research that is clinically relevant, so solely based on research interests I might lean towards other schools with more hospital affiliations. However, I do have 5+ faculty at MIT whose research I find very interesting, and that's all that matters to me. Your research career is most determined by your post-doc work anyways. Also, my impression of Harvard was that it is a bit more competitive and less community based than MIT, 1) due to its bigger size and dispersed nature, and 2) its practice of hiring multiple faculty and making them compete for one tenure spot (MIT only hires one faculty per open slot)... but I can be wrong on this so please correct me if I am misguided. I am biased towards MIT, as I only interviewed there and not at Harvard... can someone please speak for BBS please? Well, you did visit both programs, and I guess it's ultimately up to your gut feeling to decide where you'll be happier. Best of luck!

Alas, 'tis a Sunday indeed. Could well be the calm before the storm, though.

Wait, I think I know who you are!! Check pm plz

From what I heard, this is how it works. They admit the top 1/3 of the interviewees after each weekend. The rest are sent off to "playoffs", and after all interview weekends are done, MIT offers admission to about half of those in this pool. In total, ~two-thirds of the interviwees will be offered admission. Edit: clarification

Thanks, hyung ^^

Admission to MIT Biology!!! (email, 3:13pm CST) Wonderful program!

Usually, they nominate only the best candidates for the university fellowships, so it is a very good sign. And when a fellowship pays less than the standard departmental stipend, it is the norm for the program to match the difference so that you're not discriminated against for having an external funding source.

Yes, Genetics here.

Hey elanorci!!! (won't say your real name on the net, for privacy reasons hahaha) Good luck on your (and my) interview tmr, and I really hope I can see you in Boston this coming fall. Can't believe we're both on GradCafe the day before interview hahaha

Haha I thought those answers would be too simple, but I guess I was overthinking!