blinchik

Nope, I did that for every program that invited me.

There are other weekends - I was able to reschedule for January 22-24, but you should contact them directly and ask. Best of luck!

Interview at UAB that conflicts with Chapel Hill, which I already had to reschedule haha. Let's see what to do!

I had the exact conflict occur to me - I would wager many competitive programs have only one weekend available, especially if they don't list alternate weekends. It will complicate things, I can tell you that!

Thanks and congrats on the Harvard interview! I have a feeling you're going to have a very busy season.

Also I don't know if anyone else applied to Harvard Virology, but they already sent out all of their interviews. Oh well!

I am not sure if all the CAMB invitations have already been sent out, or if they are coming in waves, because I received mine Monday.

@pasteltomato, yep, me neither! Thankfully they have an alternate weekend available I know I shouldn't be complaining, but my other conflict has yet to be resolved. Let's hope I get in somewhere!

Just received a UNC-BBSP interview that conflicts with Emory -.-

@pasteltomato, I am right there with you. I know to some people, conflicting interviews may sound like a petty thing to complain about in the context of the whole process, but the frustrating thing is that an interview offer does not constitute a guaranteed acceptance, so none of the cards are in our hands as applicants. I, for one, never anticipated that I would already be getting interviews and having to manage conflicts. My theme for applications was apparently go big or go home, and I was expecting (hopefully) 1-2 interviews and not this many so soon, so this is really difficult for me as well.

@glow_gene, thank you for your invaluable help. I'm going through the same thing right now.

Received a Yale BBS interview! Unfortunately, it conflicts with the Duke MGM interview I received today...

@expandyourmind, if they call and they can't reach you or even if they can, they should always follow up with an email invitation.

Duke MGM Interviews just went out!

The only way to know for sure is to contact the coordinator of the program and ask - they vary widely, from maybe 20% to 90% or higher.

@bhammerson, some programs do - many, in fact, may be starting now, but will continue to be sending invites through January if not later. Don't freak out unless the coordinator lets you know that all invites have already been sent out!

Just got an interview to Penn CAMB! So stoked!

@molecularmagic, only a few programs have already sent them out, and I doubt they have already sent out all of them. My understanding is that depending on the program, they could come anywhere from now until the end of January for programs that are interviewing students earlier next year, and even later than January for those programs that accept on a rolling basis.

I had a professor in the department call me and let me know that the selection process was competitive, my application was selected, and that they would love me to come for an interview. He gave me the dates and told me a bit about the recruitment/interview weekend, and told me that the specific professors that I had mentioned in my SOP would be shortly informed that I was coming to visit. He also told me how long I have to respond to the interview offer, so no, I don't imagine anyone would make you confirm that on the spot!

Just got invited to an interview (!) for Emory MMG via phone call from a professor, so I guess it's time to stop lurking and start posting... Undergrad Institution: Private Research University Major(s): Biomedical Sciences Minor(s): Russian Language + Culture GPA in Major: 3.75 Overall GPA: 3.81 Position in Class: Top 5% or better Type of Student: Female US citizen GRE Scores (revised version): Q: 158 (71%) V: 165 (95%) W: 5.5 (98%) B: Did not take Research Experience: 3 summers at a lab (formerly at NIH, now FDA) studying hepatitis C virus pathogenesis + possible immunotherapies 2+ years at a microbiological lab at my undergrad institution studying infectious diseases - my mentor is trying to get a publication with my name on it out before I graduate, but I am unsure if that will get published in time. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honors College member (top 5% of student body), multiple university merit scholarships (top 5% of student body), Dean's List Recipient, and a few other smaller things. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: NA Special Bonus Points: I am interested in HIV/viral hepatitis research, and have conducted research that is directly relevant to maybe 1/3-1/2 of the faculty members that I have contacted. I have received confirmation from at least one faculty member of interest at every program that I have applied to that they are looking for students next year and would be willing to consider me. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am graduating a year early - this could hurt or benefit me. Two of my professors mentioned it in my letters as a positive attribute. All let me read the letters after they had confirmed that all the letters had been submitted, and they are definitely positive! My quant score is lower than I would like it to be - if any future applicants are reading this, I ​strongly recommend that you study for the GREs. I took two practice exams as the extent of my preparation, and my actual GRE had more geometry than I was expecting. I did contact an admissions program director at a top 10 program, and he said my GREs are more than fine, so there's that, at least. Applying to Where: Emory MMG Duke MGM Harvard Virology Stanford Biosciences - Microbiology Home Program UNC Chapel Hill BBSP UAB GBS - Microbiology Penn CAMB Yale BBS - Microbiology

@rabbitlocks, you seem like a competitive applicant to me - I understand your rationale for applying to so many schools, but seeing as you already have one interview lined up at a competitive program, I would not apply to more programs unless you really REALLY want to and there are many faculty members at that program whose interests line up with yours. I decided where to apply based on post-PhD placement rates, supervisor/mentor advice, and looking at which institutions consistently do the sort of research that I am interested in. I would recommend using a more research-targeted approach for your remaining program applications if that's not what you have been doing already.

It's just the processing time - I had the same thing happen to me. The graduate office will compile all the materials into your file, but may not update it for a few days to weeks.

Yes, I also did some research and asked advisors, and they said anything that is major-specific and required for the major (e.g. calculus, stats, biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) goes into the major GPA.

Just to add a different opinion - a lot of the programs that I am applying to have either stated that faculty contact/approval is a requirement for admission or have provided a spot like the one mentioned above where you are supposed to list the names of professors that you have contacted. In those cases, I think faculty contact is a very good idea, even at this stage in your application process. Furthermore, both of my faculty mentors have said that while it is not required to contact faculty members unless otherwise specified, it can't hurt, and often can help differentiate you from other applicants. I can see how some professors could be annoyed by the emails, but I don't see how you could know whether someone is taking students otherwise, especially when program and lab websites are often not updated for years. My experience with contacting faculty has led to me saving money and time by not applying to a program where all of my prospective PIs were not taking students and has allowed me to build a good rapport with some faculty. That being said, I can see the rationale for not contacting faculty as well - I would discuss this with your mentor(s) (if any) and go from there.

I would recommend emailing/calling the department and clarifying the issue since you are unsure. While I can hazard a guess that a post-doc who is working at an academic research institution should count as an academic reference, only the admissions department can ascertain that guess for you.