Jump to content

BostonBio153

Members
  • Posts

    71
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by BostonBio153

  1. They sent an offer letter via email, and said that we will receive the official acceptance letter from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sometime in March. They said that the official acceptance letter (snail mail) would have instructions on how to "officially" accept the offer.
  2. Congrats!! I wish I could upvote you but I reached my quota for the day
  3. Just accepted the offer from Harvard BBS! Looks like I'll be staying in Boston for a while
  4. You can probably apply to some umbrella programs (like Harvard BBS), where there are concentrations in specific areas like Biochemistry. However, I would think that for most straight Biochemistry grad programs, you would need to have taken a certain amount of chemistry/biochemistry classes. For example, I found this on the Tufts Biochem PhD program admissions page: Prospective students must have completed a minimum of one year of college level biology, mathematics and inorganic and organic chemistry. Although not required, successful completion of courses in biochemistry, cell biology and genetics are considered assets for graduate studies in biomedical science. But I would look into the programs you're specifically interested in and see what there requirements are for applicants. Good luck!
  5. Thanks! I decided not to go to the second visit since it's not my top choice
  6. The E line isn't too bad, since it's sectioned off in the middle of the street (although it still has to follow traffic lights, unlike the red/orange/blue lines). I used to live on the E line and it's definitely convenient if you want to go to the MFA. It's actually free on Wednesdays after 4 PM in case you didn't know. Also, I think that Crucial BBQ offers some good tips about the Green line, as it can be pretty unreliable (just yesterday I waited 25 minutes for a train to come while 5 trains going the opposite way drove by). Unfortunately I think they mixed up the D line with the B line. The B line is the line you want to avoid, as it ends at BC and runs past BU. It runs right in the middle of the road (with no divider), and is usually packed with college kids. Also, the stops are so close together that you don't really move anywhere quickly. The C line and E line are better than the B because while they're still "in the road", they're sectioned off so they don't have to compete for space with cars. The D line is actually by far the best line, since it's completely off road and therefore moves much faster than the others. Also, while it's true that the Green line is very unreliable, the buses are pretty reliable, and you can easily check online (or using various apps) to see when the buses are scheduled to arrive at a specific spot. While the buses can sometimes be delayed, it's still fairly accurate and not that unreliable. The majority of them run on schedule and are easy to plan around. In addition, I've never heard of any buses in Boston that run 24/7. Public transportation basically shuts down around 12-1 AM, which is a major hassle on the weekends. But I know that the MBTA is going to do a trial run soon and keep the T open for a few more hours on the weekend nights to see whether they should extend their hours. Hopefully it proves successful! That all being said, public transportation in Boston isn't perfect, but it really isn't that terrible either. The buses are fairly reliable and every line except for the Green line is pretty good. The only two major downsides are the Green line and the fact that public transportation shuts down so early. Other than that, it's definitely manageable!
  7. I'm going! Have you found out who you're interviewing with yet? I wonder when we'll find out, especially since it starts tomorrow!
  8. Did anyone here go to the first MIT Biology interview weekend? How was it?
  9. I wouldn't worry! I talked with a person on the BBS adcom and he said that the majority of the acceptances (from people who visited the first weekend) are sent out after both interview weekends are over.
  10. I went to the first interview weekend and heard back on Tuesday, Feb 11.
  11. Which one did you like more when you visited? What did the students say about the curriculum and their rotations? Are there specific professors you'd be interested in working with at either school? I think that overall both programs are great, but it really depends on how you felt when you visited and which program you feel like you'd excel in. For me, the most important factors are: how many PIs I could see myself rotating/working with, general atmosphere of the school, flexibility in the curriculum, and how well the students are supported during their 4-7ish years in the program. You may have different factors that are more important to you, so I would first figure out what you're looking for and then see how each school measures up. Good luck! And congrats
  12. I think that you could send a thank you note a week later, but instead of just saying thank you, you'd have to have some sort of follow-up (e.g. you talked about some paper they had recently published and read it and had some comments/questions). Also, Science_Nerd makes a good point about the responses of the interviews as a way to gauge how well you did!
  13. Here's a sample one that I've written: Dear ________ (usually first name of PI), Thank you so much for taking the time yesterday to meet with me and discuss the _______ program. I had a great time visiting the program and am excited about the opportunity to do innovative and clinically relevant research, especially in the field of _______! I really enjoyed chatting with you about your research on ________ and about my research on __________. Thank you also for taking the time to answer my questions about the program in general, especially in regards to the ____________. Hope you have a great weekend/week/day! Sincerely, BostonBio
  14. Are you going to do rotations or do you have to pick a lab before you start?
  15. Everyone had 4 faculty interviews, ranging from 30-45 min each. They were pretty informal and relaxed... on the schedule it actually said "meetings" instead of "interviews", and none of mine felt like interviews!
  16. I took 2 years off to work as a tech before applying to grad school this year, and am really happy with that decision! I think that they are a great way to gain experience, explore research in a different enivornment/context than undergrad research, and develop skills in science writing. As far as strengthening your application, you would have the opportunity to get a strong LOR from your postbac experience, assuming that it's a good experience for you. I'm not sure whether it can "make up" for a mediocre GPA, but I don't think it could hurt your chances at all! Plus you'll gain lots of research experience and be better prepared to jump into grad school The only cons I can think of are that you'll be older when you graduate your PhD program and it might be a slight adjustment to have to take classes again.
  17. I don't think that thank you emails are necessary, and they won't impact your chances at all. Most of the PIs are asked to fill out your interview evaluations pretty soon after they talk with you, so by the time they get your thank you email the next day, they've already submitted their eval of you. I sent emails to PIs who I would be interested in rotating with, but other than that, it's not necessary and shouldn't have any effect on your acceptance chances.
  18. BBS students. But I'm sure it varies year-by-year, probably just an approximate number.
  19. Not sure about the exact %, but I know that BBS (at least for domestic applicants) accepts ~80% of interviewees. As for PENN CAMB, I'd go with what username1824 says. I've only heard numbers for BBS through word-of-mouth, but the Columbia % was on a sheet they gave us during the interview weekend.
  20. FYI for those applying to Biological Sciences PhD programs at Columbia, the post-interview acceptance rate is ~50%, based on last year's numbers.
  21. I spoke with some students and we won't know who we're interviewing with until we receive an interview packet from our host student on Thursday night.
  22. I emailed them and they said that the new application system is not yet bug-free, so the rejection email was an accident. Not sure how many people it's been sent to though....
  23. The Hopkins interview was great! There were about 30 applicants there and almost the same number of grad students who spent time with us. The first day was interviews, then a happy hour and dinner at the top of the world trade center with students and professors (which was a ton of fun)! Next day was a talk then poster session, then a tour and dinner. The students were all super nice and the faculty were pretty informal at all the events. They gave me a check for the plane tickets (which I bought in December) when I got there, and gave me an envelope to send my other expenses back to them (taxi ride, shuttle from hotel to airport)
  24. Thanks! I'll definitely be sticking around here for a while, even after I go to grad school
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use