peachypie

what you need to do is be so ready for that weekend that you blow them out of the water. They don't give everything away after the first round but again you can only help yourself by going first. I think I was on a second weekend for one of my interviews and still got in. Grad schools want to interview people they think they can get that they really want first. Sometimes if a candidate is really promising they are worried they'll go to a "better school" and sometimes those people don't get the first invite weekend or may not get an interview at all. Its a game of inviting people you want but also people you think will come if given a spot. What you all don't realize is the politics involved in numbers and invited applicants. A school doesn't want to get 15 spots for interviews and only get 4 applicants out of that group. It makes it harder for that program to get 15 spots the next year among the graduate school since they were a less demanded program.

Ah this may explain some more to the story....they may be concerned that your SOP and your LOR letter sounded oddly similar.

I only have one example of this so take this with a grain of salt: one of my classmate's LOR was contacted after her interview before she was extended an acceptance to the program and it was definitely a "we aren't totally sure" kind of feel to it. Needless to say she got into the program and she is doing really well. I haven't heard of anyone being contacted prior to the invite to interview simply because they have others they can pull from but I'd say it is better that they are investigating than not if anything. It means they see something they don't want to just pass up but they may have some concerns that they feel can be clarified. From what I have heard Stanford interview is pretty comprehensive and so they may take their invites more seriously. I think it is a generally longer and more involved interview than most schools so maybe they are scrutinizing more beforehand. Best of luck, you have some great schools on your list of interviews.

I got into plenty of schools without talking to/contacting a professor beforehand. Although a nice tough I don't think it puts you in either category of "definitely not admitted if you didn't" or "definitely interviewed if you did". What is done is done, move on and concentrate on your upcoming interviews; right now those are WAY more important than waiting to be invited.

It seems a bit early already to be declining an interivew when you are so close to the application deadline. I'm curious how you know you are interested in a school when a few weeks ago you were applying. I'd be careful in rejecting a school this early unless you have like 8-10 interview invites already and this was seriously just a second though (again why though). I'd do this: either ask to schedule an alternate date if its conflicting a program that you are currently more interested in (things do change on the interview trail) or say "I appreciate your offer to interview but at this time I have decided to interview/accept another school and will be unable to attend, thank you in taking the time to consider my application". But in all honesty how can you already be declining interviews without even asking to reschedule, what the hell changed that quickly?

Always want to go to the first if it is a top pick for you. Here is the thing, acceptances after interview go out shortly after a visit. This means that if a place has multiple weekends they put their top recruits in the first set and will extend invites often before the next set. If you have to do a makeup or alternate weekend it is BY NO MEANS a death sentence, but trust me you want to hit your top picks as early as you can or as close to the official invite so that when the committee meets to make decisions you are on the short list.

Depends on the programs. Some programs at school have interviews over the same weekend and others are totally different.

Re-watch the office. Anything that is funny and has lots of episodes.

If you have schools you are still waiting to hear about and they are of higher interest to you, I think it is fair to contact an admin to find out 1. if results will be available prior to the 30th and/or when possible interview dates are since you are very interested in their program and are trying to avoid scheduling another interview but have received offers. If this is your top pick then say yes. Schools know 1. who their competition is and 2. when their competition interviews.

Typically you shouldn't agree to go and then call them back and ask to reschedule. My policy was I wouldn't accept unless I knew there wasn't a conflict or if of the two potential conflicts there were this is the one I'd prefer to interview at their primary date. It is usually not considered "good form" to call a place back and essentially tell them a better offer came along and one that as of right now you are more interested in. It may make you also look less likely to take a spot if offered. They'll usually accommodate but I would recommend that you figure out which weekends your programs are hosting applicants, if any conflict make a ranking of which one you'd prefer to go to the primary interview for, and then decide accordingly.

I applied and was accepted at Case Western. I declined their offer. I would say they are weak for microbiology (IMO) and none of the students seemed super happy. Wasn't impressed with the university, they are kind of in a transitional situation. You would have no issue in getting in there with your stats.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have regarding Emory. I think typically you upload a CV but it all depends on what you have to put in it. Many people when they are starting out early in their research careers there isn't much of a difference between a CV and a resume in terms of breadth and length. Over time your CV grows. If you have relevant items to add then do so, and don't worry about length. Obviously if you start to tailor a longer CV make sure to remove the items that are not related to your field, i.e. difference between resume and CV would be not putting in miscellaneous jobs you held years ago. Hope this helps.

Dedi, I do agree that one person's score doesn't mean anything, thus also why I said MAY raise some flags. It by no means, would mean that you are going to struggle or it will cause to you to be a disadvantage. I wanted to note that the scores were good and that the only one that I would care to imrpove upon would be the writing one, and even then I said if you don't think you can raise it then the scores are fine as is. I still stand by that 3.0 is mediocre, by the actual grade itself it is considered to be 15th percentile per the GRE ETS website. That means that only 15 people score lower than a 3.0. If you want to stand out, and you often do in applications especially when facing the increased hurdle of international students often do, the 3.0 would be something you would consider to try to improve upon.

I don't know what your post really wants to achieve, you want people to validate your complaints? My thoughts are this, you either put up with it for the cheaper cost of living that you BENEFIT from or you move out. Those are the two things you can control in this situation. It sounds to me like you are fed up with the situation, so go ahead and find a new place. I don't think your roommate has any mental issues, nor do I think you need to spend any time figuring it out. I don't know how you call yourself his friend when you do nothing but demean him ("big baby", anal-retentive) you didn't say one nice thing about the guy in your whole lengthy post other than that he can be social/outgoing when you do what he wants (i.e. passive-aggressive compliments). What I read here is someone who wants the beauty of the low cost of rent but hates the person providing it for him. It is his house, so if you want the situation to change your only option is to leave or attempt to have a conversation with him about it to make things work for you. But in all honesty it doesn't sound like you like this person so much so I don't know why you'd want to try to make it work.

You should always apply since you never know. My first question to you is, did you graduate from an UG in the US and are hoping to pursue a PhD here or did you graduate from a school in your country of citizenship? Sometimes it helps to have graduated from a US institution, or at least had some experience there. If you did, what was the type of school you attended? Private, public? nationally known? Nationally known for the degree/speciality you are seeking? I.e. is your school a well known microbiology school? What are some of the schools/programs you are interested in? it is much easier for us to give feedback when we know you've selected some idea of schools. Also, you DEFINITELY need to spend time looking into programs to find a good research fit. this is not like UG, this is less about a number and more about interests aligning and going to a school that aligns well with the research you want. Who are some fo the professors you'd love to work with? Where are they located? Where are people doing research you want to go into yourself, not just viruses but the particular aspect of viral work. Your GRE quant/reading are good, your writing could be improved, however if it is not something you think you can do it will have to suffice. If you are an international student who's first language is not English then a 3.0 may not be looked at with too much scrutiny. 3.0 is mediocre, and may raise some flags for a native engllish speaker trying to get into sciences where you have to write grants, read a lot, and write publications. Your lack of an MS is not an issue, most people in a PhD program in the sciences do not have an MS. It does happen, but it is infrequent. All of my cohort have a BS. Some took time off and worked, others are direct from UG but no one has an MS. It is also ok not to have publications, most applicants don't. It is awesome if you do. Can I ask why you are not staying in the immunology lab when your interest is in viruses, and host pathogen interactions? To me, you'll get more relevant work experience there as well as have more time to work on a project. Starting a new job in July and having to write most of yoru SOPs by December will mean a very short turnaround to say you've accomplished a lot in your new research. Again, since PhD programs are about fit a lot, I can't comment on to what is your safety or non-safety school. This is not a numbers game, this is fit. Some school's wont interview/offer students they know will go somewhere else because they have such a strong application that it will take the space of a legitimate candidte that they may get. They spend money interviewing so they want to select who they most think will succeed but also attend. So even a safety school cannot be looked at as a backup. Just because you get into Harvard or Yale would not mean that any school with a lesser ranking would admit you. I really dislike the idea of a safety school in PhD programs, you need to do your research and find a good fit more than anything. Treating it like an UG application may work for some, but its in my opinion, a bad way of looking at your upcoming application season. If you'd like to list some of your potential schools, I as well as many others here would love to give you feedback. Best of luck!

I would strongly encourage your SO to look at fit and possible professors, that is actually really important in her career development and in getting into a school. She also, if located near any of these programs, should reach out to a faculty member, maybe a director of a graduate program or someone who may sit on the committee for admissions of the department she is interested in (this is often posted somewhere on their website). She can very honestly sit down and talk to one of the members if she can arrange it and explain her interests as well as her profile and see if the member considers her a good fit or if they can give her feedback on her chances. I say this mainly because having a list of schoos is great, but its more about the program and the faculty available. A lot of these are great schools, but I couldn't figure out what her interest was because each program has specialities that it may be best at. I couldn't figure out the theme of these other than major metro areas and nationally well known science schools. For example, if Boston area is of improtance, what about Tufts? thats a great micro school and its located in the same area? this is what academics call a 2-body problem. Unfortunately its a time that may require someone to make a sacrifice if the relationship must continue in the same location, which is often the case. Maybe both of you should focus on your applications with some overlap but also with areas that aren't, but may be a great school for either one of you. The situation may never come down to that but it can't hurt to go after a dream school. Decisions can be made in spring when there is a clearer understanding of options. Maybe long distance isn't ideal but its certainly not terrible.

You got to give us a bit more information to really have a conversation here. But I'd strongly encourage your SO to apply to competitive programs, though the GPA is low the experience and pubs are huge as well. Also really actual strong LORs (ie. from well known virologists or immunologists that carry national reputations) will be huge. Mind in giving information about the locations and/or potential programs that you may want to apply to or that your SO would be appllying to?

I've heard of it occurring to others. I'd encourage you to reach out to those schools at this point. I would assume it is a rejection at this point unfortunately, but if you are looking for closure or feedback this would be a good opportunity for it.

If there is no tab for "current" and you have to do previous than I guess note the latest date like today's.

there is certainly no reason not to try to apply for a funded masters if you can find an appropriate one that you feel suits you. At the same time there is no reason you can't at the same time or as you approach the end of your undergraduate career, look into applying for jobs. This does not have to be one or the other approach, you can pursue both and see what ends up. Masters programs will likely want to know in late spring or mid summer (I'm not really sure on MS timelines), if you plan on enrolling. After applying no one says you have to take a job or a program offer unless you want to.

Thats truly unfortunate that your director thinks a gap year is problematic. She is doing a disservice to you by giving that implication. In fact, most directors of graduate programs seek applicants with experience since it lends itself very highly to success in graduate school. Often the people who struggle most in the programs are those who came directly from undergrad. As others have mentioned, during my application cycle I often found majority of applicants had at least a year or two of real-world experience, in some cases that was almost the full interview pool at a school. I'd strongly suggest you take time to work and gain experience, hone your interests and this will help you in writing a SOP and showing maturity and ability to succeed in a full time laboratory environment.

Sounds to me like a masters unless in neurobiology, which I don't think I've seen a lot is not really what you should be doing. I'd suggest taking a year or two to do research-related to neurbiology and apply to a PhD program if that is your goal. If you spend a year doing neuro research and hate it then it gives you a reason to explore other options, if you still are interested in it, then apply away. Personally, I don't understand the point of getting a masters if your intent is to get a PhD, sounds like a waste of resources (time and money). The most important item for your PhD application will be gaining research experience and general understanding of what it means to do research full-time. They are looking for maturity and knowledge. Spending a year or two working full-time gives you that credibility that nothing in undergrad speaks to.

No but one of the applicant's this year had left a PhD program and everyone knew about it. This came up in that discussion.

Do a talk. It'll help you get better at presenting, which is really important to be enthusiastic and capable of communicating why your research is important (AKA like a grant!). Not to mention a talk always looks better than a poster on a CV.

I've had profs tell me that leaving a program, if not for like a medical reason or huge family reason is "the kiss of death" for trying to reapply. I would highly advise against this. You'll be fighting an uphill battle about what is going on. They'll be really hesitant to take you as you are considered a risk since you bailed on one program, so not a great record to start with.