pcsteak

I'd say you have more than enough in terms of skill and experience to shoot for those top schools. Don't worry about publications, most undergraduate students don't have those upon graduation (though it's a plus if it's in a journal like say, in Nature or something). My only suggestion is that you round out your application pool. Don't apply to all "Top Ten" institutions, because the chances you'll get into each of those separately, are already slim. I'd find the schools that you interested in first, then go by prestige after. I applied to eight programs, and only got accepted at one. Sometimes that's the way it is...some people don't get into any. That's the gamble you make when you apply to grad programs in the US. So ultimately, my suggestion is to apply to a couple "A" schools and "B" schools and "safety" schools where you think you'll get in regardless.

I believe we have a winner! Alternatively: trifectase.

Thanks, yeah I've looked into the Mt. Vernon area, it's nice around there. I've also been looking at the crime maps, but like everyone always tells me, there are pockets of good and bad there. Knowing where the bad pockets are will be my biggest challenge until I actually live there. I haven't yet looked into the circulator or shuttle routes, I'll check that out next, thanks for the idea. As for a roommate, I won't really know until I get into better contact with the department to see if anyone is in need of a roommate... so for now I'm just looking at one bedroom or studio places.

I accepted an offer from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the interview gave me at least two days to look around the city... but other than that, I don't know much about it. Looking up info on the internet is difficult because it doesn't give you the true feel of the city. I really liked it while I was there, but I don't know enough about the neighborhoods or where I should be looking to live. In general, there are places that offer utilities included with the rent payments which are nice... but could I save money finding a cheaper place and paying utilities myself? Anyone have some advice?

Yeah, I got the same email today too.. I wonder how many they put on the waitlist compared to applicants they invited for interviews?

Hey! I go to USF and I major in Biology! I think because the application deadline is a little later than most programs... that you can probably expect to hear back from them in March instead of this month... but that's just my 2 cents.

Thanks, my hope is that people actually heed the warnings of ice on the road on Wednesday, so cars aren't abandoned on the freeway on Thursday lol.... either way, my gut tells me it's gonna be a longer trip than expected

I was lucky enough to get a flight into Atlanta through Delta early in the morning on Thursday (after having a cancelled flight rescheduled), hopefully the storm is out of there by then and conditions are safe enough for a landing. Also, the roads will be icy and snowy... so I'm really unsure if I'll be able to get a shuttle to take me to Athens. The worst case scenario is that my flight gets cancelled or delayed again and I don't get into the airport in Atlanta until midnight. I spoke with a professor at UGA who said they might be able to buy a hotel room nearby the airport for the night and I could catch the earliest shuttle the next morning and not miss orientation. If you get stuck at an airport, my suggestion would be to call the admissions coordinator and see if they can accommodate you for the next day.

Best: Washington University DBBS had a really seamless application, I also liked UT Southwestern's. The applyweb applications (like UNC) were okay, but not great. Worst: University of Michigan, although it went through applyweb, it was super difficult to navigate between certain sections of the app; you had to move through each section before you could get to the one you wanted. I also disliked the University of Maryland's application simply because you were required to pay before you could fill anything out, and it had a separate (confusing) supplemental app for the desired department.

When I looked it up on Petersons it says an acceptance rate of 9% from the applicant pool which was 181. I think the numbers are probably from either last year, or the year before, but hopefully that helps

Anyone know when to expect a letter from the University of Maryland (BISI program)? Also, anyone going to the Johns Hopkins Pharmacology interview this week?