kimmibeans

I got mine this morning! thanks!

Got my official Harvard BBS GSAS letter and package today, it details how to formally accept the offer

My new favorite is from someone who was rejected from Harvard's English Phd: "It was a perfect fit, with two really great POIs. But apparently they didn't think so. 0a/12r. This is my second shut-out two years in a row. Maybe I should channel my rage into law school, become a DC hack and defund the arts out of spite."
 

Hey,
So most interview weekends are asking for a short list of faculty that you want to meet with. Is it a good/bad idea to email these people with an introduction/to let them know you listed them as people to meet with?
I was thinking a short "Hi I'm____, small intro about me, I requested you as faculty to meet with, short this why I did that, thank you"

I'm going with this, your answer is what I am leaning towards. I've emailed one person so far, and received a quick response, and a confirmation that I will be meeting with them. None of the schools I am interviewing at specifically advised against it.
thanks everyone

Hey, 1500 is def. doable in Columbia. It is very hot there in the summer and the campus is pretty hilly, there is a ton of housing within a mile or two of campus, which is where you'll most likely live. 
I was an undergrad there for a year, so I can't really speak to where grad students hang out. Things to check out: the Fall is super fun there, starts cooling down and the football games are great. I'm not even really into sports but there is nothing like tailgating/the atmosphere at the games. 
There is also a decent music scene and the campus radio station is really really awesome.

What did you screw up question wise?

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own!
Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own!
Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own!
Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

Call girl

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own!
Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

Another update: the lab I joined with plans of leaving May 2017 has now changed to my staying in the phd program. Yay!

That's really dumb. GRE scores shouldn't matter at all by this stage. Actually, that test is a scam and should be thrown out altogether.
 

Focus on your research and try to publish and go to conferences. Showing that you are dedicated to research and are able to follow through is key.

Focus on your research and try to publish and go to conferences. Showing that you are dedicated to research and are able to follow through is key.

Rampant tribalism.  I remember a day when you could disagree with someone's politics/religion/morality and still like and associate with them as a person.
Bacon.
Valentines day- It's so shallow and consumeristic... and yet I still bought my students candy because we will be in class Tuesday night.

I can't stand "Cash me ousside, howbow dah" memes.  I mean, really, how did that become a thing?  

The Twilight Saga and 50 Shades of Grey 

I don't think you need that much research experience for a Master's program, so I think you will be okay for getting into a Master's program, but I don't know about UMass Boston specifically (mostly because I know nothing about this school). Diversify your application and apply to a few more schools, and I think you may stand a chance. Also, when looking at stats it is more important to look at what type of applicants the accept rather than how many. They should have the class profile or FAQ with relevant information up on their website, so I recommend taking a look at that seeing what the average GPA is and how many of their accepted applicants have sustained research experience. That will give you a much better estimation of your chances than acceptance rates alone.
Edited To Add:
So I looked at the UMass Biology MS requirements, and it sounds like they don't expect you to have any research experience, just a really strong academic background. You can also contact the department and ask for the information I mentioned.

First of all, leave your parents out of it. They aren't the ones who have to go this school, you are. This isn't undergraduate where the school name recognition means something, Now it's your PI's name that matters, not the school. Secondly, don't judge by name recognition. While yes, some higher tier schools attract professors who have better output, there are a lot of excellent PIs at "lower tier" schools because they like the environment there better.
Now that we got that out of the way, look at the list of schools you are considering. Which schools did you only look at because your parents wanted you to go to? Did you actually like those programs, or did you make yourself like them because you knew your parents would like them? If you can't find at least 2 labs with research you can see yourself being excited about and enjoying for the next 6 years, eliminate them. Do this for every school on that list. Then look at the peripherals, like student life. Do you think you will like being at that school or in that area for the next 6 years? Keep the schools where you have multiple labs with research you can honestly say you can see yourself doing and where you think you might be happy.

I'm going to be honest with you, your GPA is really low for most of those schools. When translated to a 4.0 scale, it comes out to just under a 3.0. You have a lot of good research and great test scores, but your GPA is going to hurt you. I would diversify. Don't limit yourself to just big name schools, because you are doing yourself a disservice. Actually, go to pub med, and search for the topics that you are interested in studying. What labs are producing the most papers in the highest impact journals? What labs are looking at something really novel? Ask people in your field what schools they would recommend. Talk to the PI you're working for, ask him his opinion. Don't apply to a school just for name recognition, because at this level it can only do so much for you.

Unless you are a total asshole in person, you should have your pick of schools. Your profile makes me incredibly jealous!

First of all, leave your parents out of it. They aren't the ones who have to go this school, you are. This isn't undergraduate where the school name recognition means something, Now it's your PI's name that matters, not the school. Secondly, don't judge by name recognition. While yes, some higher tier schools attract professors who have better output, there are a lot of excellent PIs at "lower tier" schools because they like the environment there better.
Now that we got that out of the way, look at the list of schools you are considering. Which schools did you only look at because your parents wanted you to go to? Did you actually like those programs, or did you make yourself like them because you knew your parents would like them? If you can't find at least 2 labs with research you can see yourself being excited about and enjoying for the next 6 years, eliminate them. Do this for every school on that list. Then look at the peripherals, like student life. Do you think you will like being at that school or in that area for the next 6 years? Keep the schools where you have multiple labs with research you can honestly say you can see yourself doing and where you think you might be happy.

I'm going to be honest with you, your GPA is really low for most of those schools. When translated to a 4.0 scale, it comes out to just under a 3.0. You have a lot of good research and great test scores, but your GPA is going to hurt you. I would diversify. Don't limit yourself to just big name schools, because you are doing yourself a disservice. Actually, go to pub med, and search for the topics that you are interested in studying. What labs are producing the most papers in the highest impact journals? What labs are looking at something really novel? Ask people in your field what schools they would recommend. Talk to the PI you're working for, ask him his opinion. Don't apply to a school just for name recognition, because at this level it can only do so much for you.

I'd say find at least 5 people you want to work with.

You have a good mix of schools that you are applying to, and your stats and experience are great. You don't need a publication to competitive, so don't worry about it. You are very competitive applicant. With that being said, it's always good to apply to safety, just make sure it's a place where you can still do good research and be happy. Good luck!