peachypie

I'm not sure exactly where you are located and thus if there is a big difference between a flight from Boston to Berkley rather than where you live currently but flying from one interview to another does happen. It is worth asking for, however if you live in like Phoenix and are flying to Berkley it may be difficult to get them to agree to that especially since it means Harvard won't have to fly you home either. May be able to split the difference between the two and buy a one way and get reimbursed or see if they will fly you out. I definitely know of people who did that but more like someone from California who was out on the east coast and just stayed on the east coast instead of flying home to fly back out east.

Typically anyone you interview with will be given the opportunity to decide your admission. They will likely have only so many spots for each track in an effort to make sure they don't have 15 entering interested in one track and only 4 faculty in that track that are able to take students. These decisions will likely be made with all tracks in consideration with representatives from each. They try to keep a balance when admitting. I would pick 6/7 from your first track of interest and then select from others. Obviously select people you are interested in and not just randoms. They will likely try to accommodate you but you are honestly going to interview with probably 6 people. I'd guess they'll try to schedule you with at least 1/2 from your first track but you will have to get others.

It might be too late for them to accommodate you. There is a budget and maybe they slotted all their spots and can't change it. I wouldn't take too much from it.

I really don't think so, it is a personal preference at most. Most of my schools automatically put me in a hotel but I know of people who opted to stay with a student at other interviews. Hotels you either get paired off with another student or you get a room to yourself but it is nice to have someone around as you are going and doing things. It is also nice to escape to a hotel room and just de-stress and relax when you get a minute.

haha you will be. By the end of the interview time I just wanted to be home and done with it all for a few weeks. It isn't terrible it just becomes getting home in time to get a few things settled and go into work (or school) before bouncing off again. Didn't get a ton of time to see friends during the time since most of my weekends were spent out of town.

I think that it doesn't really matter, whatever makes you feel more comfortable.

Do you not have an option to schedule an alternative interview?

I would feel comfortable waiting until Monday or Tuesday. I'd aim to let them know by end of business day on Tuesday so they have time to schedule you. I am aware that it is a difficult time for applicants but the programs also are running on budgets and timelines as well and it is important to be cordial to them as it affects the program and any potential applicant that may want to interview there. The sooner you allow them to open or close that spot the sooner it is known for another applicant. Being mindful of others in this process is important to remember since you are all in the same boat. If you all held on to spots without letting people know youd essentially screw others over.

Sorry to hear that. Rejections typically go out after invites/acceptances. Some schools will do them nearly all at once others wait until april to let you know. At some point people figure out their situation regardless but the "limbo" life is not fun.

This will be definitely dependent on your other school situations. For one have you received any other invites at this time or is Delaware your only invite standing? Do you know when your other programs are holding interviews and do any of your top picks hold interviews on January 29th? If so, contact those admins and express that you are very interested in their program and wanted to find out either 1. when interviews would be or 2. when invites would go out for interviews since you have received responses from some schools that are requesting responses immediately and you did not want to confirm before knowing the situation at their program....etc. At a minimum they'll give you a general timeline which you can go back and say to Delaware, can I wait until December 22nd to confirm or something if that is the date given to you by the other school. If otehr schools have said invites went out then you know you can proceed with Delaware. I really don't like that a school would put pressure on you to commit immediately especially knowing this is a very busy time for applicants. It looks poorly on them to try to "lock you in" early for a very popular interview date. However they do want to do this to make sure they get their spots filled too and that they can book your travel. When were you emailed by the program? I'd generally try to get back to them within 5 business days for scheduling in general, so if its getting close to that I'd recommend trying to figure it out today.

I received my invite last year on 12/19 via e-mail. I'd hold your horses a few days on calling. No use in buggering them. P.S. I didn't end up going there but I was torn between my current program and UM MiCaB, would highly recommend.

Are they scheduling your flights or are you doing it and getting reimbursed? I don't think that should be an issue but I'm not sure if (assuming) Yale would want you to split the cost with Wisconsin for flight there since it saves Wisconsin money but again, they probably don't care. Shouldn't be more expensive to fly from conneticut to madison than back to california for Yale regardless.

Yes you can. If it is significantly different in cost they may offer to reimburse you the amount it would take to fly you home as opposed to cross country if that is the case and have you select your own return flight. Depends on the differences in location like if you were flying from new york to virginia to get home but now would go new york to arizona...that may not get fully changed. Also it saves the other school having to fly you out so I'm not sure how that all works. Can you give us the locations?

It is not necessary to send a thank you at this time. Just be timely and polite in any of your responses to the program. If you'd like you can add into any administrative emails such as coordinating flights etc and simply say "looking forward to learning more about the program and XXXXX university." as acknowledging your interest. I'd' send thank you to people or PIs following an interview but not before one.

Don't bother people by calling them the week before university holiday and breaks. These people have enough to do already, unless you have a pressing concern or whatever don't do it. It really causes more work for them, it is unnecessary and no grad school likes a bothersome student. If you haven't received an official rejection you may still be in consideration. They may have a list of people in case people don't accept invites, they may interview and not like the applicants and want to interview more. Just let it be and stop obsessing over ONE school. If that is the only school you care about you should remove yourself from the other interviews and apply again next year. It would be a shame if your invited school program's knew how much you are caring about this instead of being excited about your opportunity at their school.

if you have programs that you are way more interested in than the ones you have invites to already I would contact an admin in those programs and explain that you are very interested in their program but are receiving offers from other programs and wanted to make sure that if you accept you do not overlap with their program dates and inquire about their dates of interview or when they will notify. It is much better to wait a few days to give a response to a school than to make an acceptance and have to rescind (which I would highly suggest you not to do).

If they are a PhD I say Dr. until they sign their email or I have reason to believe they'd prefer to be called something else.

I submitted later than a lot of people (like closer to the deadlines in general) got into all the schools. Also NEVER go back and read, you'll cringe and hate yourself. I turn in a grant (don't go back to read) turn in a pub (dont go back and read). just send it out and revel in ignorance.

1. I can't speak to it since I don't know of any examples but I myself got into at least top 20 schools without prior contact. 2. I think that it is fair that people with good research matches get interviews, for the obvious reasons. People who don't have good research fits in general aren't going to get an interview regardless of talking to others. Again, this is beyond what is going on right now. All you need is ONE school. You have interviews and that is more than a lot of people can say at this point. You also, I would assume, have interviews at schools you would be happy to go with. There is no golden rule to getting into grad school otehr than taking the time to research a school and find a good fit that is right for you, applying, and doing well in the application process. I went to schools that literally told me they'd be meeting the days after the interview and extending invites. I received formal acceptances before the next weekend and they had two more weekend invites. I was told at some schools that being in the first weekend meant they were most interested in us. All schools are different but they do FOR a fact, accept and offer prior to interviewing everyone. Best of luck, please let me know if you have any more questions would be happy to give my two cents from the other side.

If those of you are interested there is an off-site grad chat that is used by people who were here when we had a chat that has been discontinued. If you are interested in joining a chat with current grad students as well as each other you can do so--usually a few people are in! link: https://client00.chat.mibbit.com/ For the Connect select: Rizon Select your nickname Channel: #gradchat

yes. They clearly gave you the information why. I also stated in a later reply that available faculty that are appropriate to that applicant are also one reason you may be given a different weekend. If they specifically address a certain weekend for you for those reasons it is quite obvious to do that. It means they want to make sure you get to talk to people of interest to you and those who may be interested in you rather than a weekend where you don't get to talk to someone with research that draws you in. In hese cases it is very clear what you should do. In cases where they say nothing about that, I'd recommend you go to the first one.

Say in 2014 a program was slotted by the overarching grad program to get 10 spots for their next class. They select lets say 15 (based on previous ratios of interview to acceptance to enroll to get an expected 10 enrollees). But for whatever reason they offered admission and only enrolled 7 (students went to higher ranked programs, poor fit, unavailable PIs etc). then in 2015 the slots for that program may suddenly go to 8 since the program couldn't fill the 10 the previous year whereas another program maxed out. There is a lot of money, budget, and bigger politics that affect the programs. It is why a tier 2 may be hesitant to interview a solid tier 1 applicant for fear that they are a backup school and that the applicant is unlikely to take an acceptance since they will go to a tier 1 school.

that is assuming they do it all at once, which in programs with multiple weekends is rarely the case. Committees typically meet the monday or tuesday after the interview weekend. Not like 1 month later.

i mean, plenty of LORs have secretaries write letters for them and sign it. It will be ok. just relax and let it be! side question: are you a virologist?

If a school has multiple weekends it is rarely a "first come first serve, fill up as needed situation". But I do agree that an interview means they are interested and an invite this early is a good sign. for all you know the profs you are interested in aren't available on the first weekend so they are electing to present you the second weekend too. there are so many possibilities but you need to not focus on that right now.