agalaapple

I'm still waiting! I'm waiting for a decision from the Berkeley MCB program.

I am patiently waiting for an admissions decision to one PhD program (UC Berkeley MCB) as a re-admit applicant. Undergraduate Institution: Large public university Major: Biology GPA in Major: 3.20 Overall GPA: 3.12 GRE Scores (old version): Q: 780 V: 580 W: 5.5 Graduate Institution: UC-Berkeley Major: Environmental science GPA in Major: 3.80 Research Experience: 4 years experience Awards/Honors/Recognitions: NSF Honorable Mention Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 2 first-author publications Advice for those new to the process: Stay relaxed and carefree

I am still waiting to hear back from the molecular and cell biology PhD program at Berkeley. I am a re-admit applicant. Is anyone else waiting to hear back as well??

Thank you so much for your responses. I think I am rather normal, but I also think the typical hyper-capitalistic, American livelihood that I loathe is the actual abnormality to human nature. My "unnatural" livelihood is being rejected, so the status quo calls me depressed. Thus, people say that I need to take some medication so that I can fit back in line.

I apologize in advance for such a depressing post. Yet another unsuccessful round of graduate school applications has exacerbated my apathy (in other words, I am more apathetic). I am apathetic about having a career, spouse, home, children, etc. I have no career ambitions. I do not feel like dating because dating requires too much exertion of effort. I am not motivated by anything because I am very content with everything. For instance, I am not interested in improving my 5k time nor am I motivated in ever making a high salary. I am happy with the way things are. I do not feel the need to get better at anything. Thus, perhaps the graduate programs that I applied to could tell that I was putting up a facade that I actually care about pursuing a PhD. I do not care about learning new job-related skills or meeting new people. I never go out to social functions. I always decline invitations to go snowboarding, go to bars, etc. because I hate these social settings. There is a standard, normal way to have a small-talk conversation, but this socially-constructed way to have such a conversation is so unbearable ("What do you do? Where are you from? How long have you lived here?"). I would much rather talk about interesting things, such as "What is the last great book that you read?" or "How weird are you?" I know it is not "normal" for one to be apathetic about so many things, but I prefer living life from an existential perspective, i.e. I live in a way where above all else I simply exist, and I live in such a way where I alone find meaning in my own little world, but often this way of life is atypical from others. I feel like I am simply waiting for life to pass me by. Life moves so quickly, and while I observe this, I do nothing to "seize the day." If it is nice outside, I don't really care because it will be nice outside another day in the future. On the weekends, I usually lay awake in my bed for several hours before getting up for the day because all I want to do is hear my thoughts and listen to the birds outside. I do have hobbies, such as exercise, listening to the Beatles, learning languages, reading literature, and star-gazing; however, I hate having to work, and I feel that if I pursue a career in any of my interests, then I will quickly lose interest because such work requires exertion of effort and mastery of a skill. It is way more appealing to pursue these interests on a part-time basis (a few hours per week will suffice) and never become too talented in any one activity. I think my current job is so meaningless, and I do not care about doing a good job. Everyone knows that I am lazy (Although some days I work 14 hours a day, I am super lazy at work because I am apathetic about my career). I hate having to sell myself for an hourly wage just so I can fit into the working American livelihood. Money doesn't really do anything for me other than allowing me to buy Chipotle. I frequently quit things. I dropped out of graduate school. I quit a job. I got another job a few months later, and I'd like to quit yet another job. I do not know why I am posting this rant other than to describe to you how someone else in America thinks. I know "what I am supposed to be doing," but that way of life is so dull to me. I am getting older by the second, and I don't really care.

Don't live in East Baltimore.

Thank you so much for your response. This is my ideal plan.

I think UCSF is a great choice. Plus you get to live in San Francisco!!

Yes, they do care.

Thank you so much for your response. There are a few reasons that I applied to only two schools. I felt that these two schools provided excellent fits for my research interests. I am interested in UVA's and Berkeley's commitment to public higher education. Charlottesville and Berkeley are both cool places. I may have been overconfident in that I didn't think I needed to apply to more schools. Historically, it has been relatively easy for students to transfer into different departments within Berkeley. I have other reasons, but they are irrelevant at this point. I suppose that I could work for a different company, but securing another position and going through the interview process would require a great exertion of effort on my part. I am also hoping to re-enter academia since I am no longer motivated to work in industry and not inspired by wealth.

Hi everyone, I haven't had much luck this application season. I applied to two PhD programs (UVA and Berkeley), but I will likely not be accepted. I got into Berkeley two years ago and enrolled there in the 2012-2013 school year, but after two semesters, I withdrew from my PhD program because I wanted to do research in a different scientific field. I am working at a biotech company now, but seeing as how I also didn't get in to any of the PhD programs I applied to last year, I can't fathom having to wait another six months before re-applying, securing letters of recommendation, etc. The company I currently work for does not have a bright future. I understand that I took a risk by working for a startup company, but I envisioned that I would be back in graduate school again by this upcoming fall. Things do not always go as planned, but I am now at a loss for what to do. I do not see the merit in pursuing a Masters degree (unnecessary debt). I do not see the merit in staying with my current company because I hate the company's innate motivation to earn millions of dollars while putting on a facade that they care about cancer patients. I do not see the merit in re-applying to PhD programs because I apparently do not offer a strong application (people also make misinformed judgments based upon the fact that I dropped out of Berkeley). I have attempted to get in touch with other research labs of interest to me in order to see if they have any open positions, but none of them have openings. Not everyone is cut out for a PhD. I believe that I am, but I would rather eschew the pursuit to gain admission until graduate programs do not dismiss me based upon a manufactured illusion of my lack of ability.

I attended Berkeley as a PhD student (I didn't graduate), and there are several misconceptions about UC Berkeley in this thread. In the interest of time, here are two misconceptions that I will address: 1) Berkeley has a lot of wealthy students. Berkeley has a lot of wealthy undergrads, but they also have plenty of undergrads who are from the middle- and lower-class. Berkeley's graduate students are an eclectic bunch on the family income spectrum. If any graduate students come from a wealthy background, they sure don't live like it. 2) Berkeley's departments are ripping off applicants with such high application fees. I agree that the application fees are high, but at Berkeley, every professor is so busy that the admissions committees need a good way to limit and deter so many graduate school applications. These departments are also suffering when it comes to finances, so the application fees help with their bottom lines.

You are mistaken if you think Berkeley is "vastly overrated." Berkeley is one of the world's most elite institutions of higher learning.

GO BEARS! In all seriousness, Berkeley is a great school, and I am sorry if they offend anyone with their supposedly cold rejection letters.

Plenty of programs in the US allow you to (and even recommend that you) develop a rapport with a PI. Doing so helped me get into Berkeley because the PI lobbied on my behalf even when my grades were below average.