Bryan

What are you guys doing about the schools that have accepted you? Are you ignoring them until you hear back?

The PI with whom I work with now explicitly told me that when I have an admissions result in hand and I'm waiting for more schools, tell the other schools so they can at least hurry up or maybe even realize you're more competitive than they originally thought.

Whatever you put on your application is fair game. Just be ready to talk about your experiences. Other than that... the questions are pretty random. I'm so used to telling people what I do in my lab, that all I did was create a more interactive and thorough way of telling it to the professors - usually I tried to incorporate pictures to show that I'm good at demonstrating things. But yeah, it's really random.

To future applicants - or to those who want to look back with regret - I think the only book worth buying for graduate SOP statements is Donald Ashner's Graduate Admissions Essays: Writing your way into the grad school of your choice. It was impossible to find in bookstores, but you can easily find it on amazon.

I'm planning on wearing a blazer with a puffy winter jacket on top and a scarf, some gloves, and a beanie. My plan is to just move as fast as possible to wherever I need to be. I'm hoping it's not super freezing there. When it comes to cold weather, fashion goes out the window for me. I also don't own snow boots, so I can't give you an opinion there... I take it you're female and talking about those Ugg things, or are you just really well equipped for snowy weather?

I was snooping around collegeconfidential and noticed that you said Mich was your first choice. Is the dual degree your primary reason?

I was thinking about these dual degree programs too...although I was looking at the MBA and JD ones (although merely out of curiosity than true interest). I work for the government now through an internship program. I think a public policy degree on top of a PhD would actually be really helpful. I've noticed that a lot of doctors have a hard time getting out of technical offices and into the more regulatory ones. Although, it's possible that most of them just enjoy their jobs more than I give them credit.

@tellmealready Have you gotten any information back from them yet? So far all I have is my trip itinerary. By the way, which concentration were you looking at?

Of course. Also the fact that some schools are notorious grade inflaters and others are deflaters. I'm sure when it comes to admissions decisions the adcomms take this in their assessment. However, a lot of people just do a general apples to apples comparison of GPAs...it makes it feel like a movie star rating where people look at the stars without reading the review. For instance, the EPA has an engineering internship. In order to be elligible, you need to have a GPA of 3.7 or something ridiculous. Or in order to be a GS-7 instead of a GS-4 with the agency, one needs to have scholastic achievement. This is completely determined on if your GPA is above a 3.0. It doesn't matter what school, or what your grades mean, it just is what it is. I think the non-academic reviewers of one's GPA are a little more stringent even though they don't try to be.

On the other hand, the typical grading system (at least in my school) which utilizes the A, A-, B+, B, etc... system tends to have a huge divide between 3.7 and 3.2. I noticed that when I applied to Duke, they ask you to calculate your GPA based on their own grading system (Which I didn't realize until after I submitted my transcript and application). They had it shifted so that the + grades were at N.5. ...Needless to say I was envious...

I'm curious, has anyone else received any information through their application website? I compulsively check this along with a group of other things I watch, and I'm curious to know if it's even worth my time to check. Do they ever put anything up on there aside from a receipt notification of your materials (albeit very later)? What kind of information do they put up there? Is this entire purpose of the site to tell you that you were rejected a month after decision time?

I'm considering disabling the F5 button on my keyboard as well as getting rid of any refresh abilities on my webbrowser. I have a habit of constantly pressing it until something new pops up....reminds me of getting into undergrad when I was waiting to get my results.

To give you an example, I believe Michigan's PIBS as well as JHU PMS (Hah) both pay their grad students off of a large training grant (I know JHU has a big NIH grant just for grad students...at least that's what their website makes it sound like) and doesn't require anyone to TA (I don't know about RA). Here is an exact quote from Mich's Immunology handbook they sent me a week ago:

The GF will be transferring to wherever I end up. However, the ideal situation would involve me going to school where she already is.

I'll probably run around hyperactive-ly outside for a few minutes, then immediately start obsessing about the programs I got in to.

I've noticed quite a few schools (all of them) have a zero tolerance policy in regards to moonlighting. I currently have an internship where i'd like to continue working throughout graduate school...plus I'd get three times the pay as well as better benefits. Does anyone know about this? I've read that some people have worked in graduate school by doing lab work for free in the summer for two months, then working one month to make up for the rest.

Depending on which bathroom I use, Steve Coll's Ghost Wars, Crossley Holland's The Norse Myth, and a children's picture book called D'Aulaires' book of Norse Mythology. I finally bought that last book, but for a while I was reading it online. The pictures are reallllly entertaining. Here's a link to those interested: http://books.google.com/books?id=TzMqpL66DDYC&dq=D%27Aulaires%27+Book+of+Norse+Myths+-+Ingri+D%27Aulaire&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=BHDwTKskzs&sig=vMfvrCcr_N4D_JDNBaICYSK_TDY&hl=en&ei=rlMbS9f6JcrglAf-pNXyCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

I have a strong desire to withhold this information from everybody until they ask.

I recall while I was preparing my application, I mentioned to my professor that I wanted to get my applications in about a week or two early. She rebutted, telling me that when the deadline roles around, they probably won't look at it until a week or two afterward. Especially schools with December deadlines (like bio programs...i know you masters and engineers have unusual deadlines) since that's finals season for most schools. Perhaps this is the case for her experience, i'm sure it doesn't speak for all school...but I felt that this was a realistic assessment.

This isn't really related or anything. But SNPCracklePop you have a cool user name. It reminds me: When people ask what I'm applying to, I always tell them it's a totipotent phd program. Sadly no one has laughed.......

I'm applying to PIBS with an interest in Pharmacology and immunology, so I don't know if this will be different for you. I'm also a domestic student. But they called me on 12/17. It was unusually early.

Unfortunately, I've never been to Berkeley, and the last time I've been to Cali was when I was 2. However, I have heard pleasant things about Berkeley, and mixing culture + safety is always a good thing for me. I've spent the last 4 years in a culture-less but safe college, so I'm looking forward to having ethnic food available. In the mean time, I guess I can do google street view until the end of Jan.

Hopefully that weekend will be available. I'll be missing a week of school because of it (as job stuff). I haven't been to Ann Arbor before. Have you? I really don't know what to expect...I have heard bad things about Detroit, but I don't want to associate the two in order to keep my hopes up that it's as pleasant as the program is good.

It might do you some good for your personality, but from what I understand, prestige is everything. This is why they always tell you that even if you work in a lab where you deal almost completely with a grad student but never the primary investigator (PI), still get the PI to do it just because they have some credibility. I assume this person is not an academic professor you happened to run with, nor is he your supervisor nor someone, nor a researcher? Just someone random? If this is the case, and you really want to include it in your application, I would recommend having him as an extra LoR on top of three stronger LoR. I recall reading in Donald Asher's grad school essays about one girl applying to law school and she included a LoR written by her 2 year old sister in crayon asking adcomms to let her in. Apparently she got denied everywhere (although it's plausible that she had a poor application). If this is someone with prestige on the other hand, I would be less apprehensive.