berba9

Thanks a lot, I got really late in replying because of my exams and presentations... I've seen quite a few ads for Belmont on the international house mailing list and will try for that. From what I remember, 9th street pretty much had everything so I don't mind being confined to that area...Other than that I guess I'll have to make do with DATA buses whenever they come around!

I'm an international student and I'm going to be attending Duke. I spent a summer at Duke itself 2 years ago (staying in University Apartments) so I have a vague idea of the area but not much detail...I had a couple of questions: 1. I'm not going to own a car and all the research labs I'm interested are on the edge of West Campus (Science drive/Research drive). So I thought it would be best to stay near there. Does anyone have any tips about apartments in that area? I've talked to a few people and googled a bit and narrowed it down to 4 places: Heights La Salle, Erwin Terrace, Trinity Commons, and Belmont.Is there anything I should know about any of these 4? My main concern is safety, then cleanliness (no bedbugs please!). I don't mind noise, and the 'stupider' amenities (swimming pools, etc) I don't care about. I'm willing to spend upto 800 if forced to. 2. Erwin Mill and Station 9 (near East Campus), and Erwin Terrace all seem to be favoured by undergrads. I've read a lot of complaints about the noise and dirt in undergrad housing -- is it as bad as the hype? And, if I choose these places will I be the only grad student there or is there a small number already there? 3. I'm guessing none of these places are furnished...so how do people generally go about moving in? And to what level do we have to buy our own? Mattress? The solid bed itself? Stove? Or is this all variable? 4. Any other tips (housing/living in Durham/anything!) will be much appreciated

This was recently published and is quite horrifying, but talks about events quite a while ago. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/18/i-was-an-animal-experimenter/

Same thing from me. I came to genetics/systems biology from chemistry via molecular biology. I am interested in any systems biology work that also has some evolutionary implications. Not sure where I will end up on the theoretical/modeling vs experimental spectrum. (As an international student, all interviews were on skype) Undergrad Institution: Indian university, quite famous but not for biology. Major(s): Chemistry Minor(s): Biosciences Overall GPA: 8.61/10.0 Position in Class: Top 15% Type of Student: International male GRE Scores (revised version): Q: 170 V: 170 W: 4.0 Chemistry Subject: 860 (90%) TOEFL: 115/120 Research Experience: 3.5 years -- computational chemistry/molecular modeling (docking, virtual screening, molecular dynamics, etc.) 2nd author paper, 2 posters. 0.5 years -- wet-lab biology work (transfection, etc.) 1 summer at a US private university -- computational chemistry Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Institute Academic Prize (twice), a couple of standard scholarships. Random: TA for freshman biology course My program was an undergraduate program where I would finish in 5 years with a masters degree (no idea if this made any difference) --Results -- Rejected outright : UCSF TETRAD (23rd Feb) MIT Biology (15th Jan) U Wisconsin Madison Genetics (7th April) U Chicago Mol Biosciences (GGSB) (13th Feb) Harvard MCO (6th March) Columbia Biological Sciences (23rd March) Interviews: Duke Genetics and Genomics (Invite:12th Dec, interview: 18th Dec) UNC Chapel Hill (Invite: 14th Jan, interview: 10th March) Cornell BMCB (Invite: 25th Jan, interviews in Feb and March) Stony Brook Genetics (Invite: 12th Feb, interviews in March) USC - Molecular and Computational Biology (Invite: 12th Feb, interview: 17th Feb) NYU Biology (Genomics and systems biology) (Invite: 18th Feb, interview 23rd Feb) Acceptances: Duke Genetics and Genomics (26th Feb) Cornell BMCB (Status changed on website, no email notification) Stony Brook Genetics (11th March) Wait Listed: UNC Chapel Hill (no idea what happened eventually, I'm assuming I was rejected) Attending: Duke University: Mainly because of the sheer variety of professors doing stuff I'm interested in. The research fit was great and I heard nice things about the program and the labs I was interested in. Stony Brook I felt I had a great research fit with 2 professors but not much beyond that, but it became a really hard choice by the end. I ended up applying to the wrong field in Cornell (BMCB not GGDv) but anyway on email it didn't look like it would work out with the labs I was interested in working for in either program. Random tips: I made a pretty conventional reach/backup type list but as an international student that goes quite haywire. Most of the U California schools are very very selective for internationals, and there are even variations within the same university for different programs (Wisconsin Genetics vs Wisconsin Chemistry, as far as I know) As a general rule, private is easier for international applicants. (For skype interviews): not too hard at all and can be quite fun if they're one-on-one with a professor you're interested in. It majorly helps to be well-prepared and sure about your own research, and to have a few intelligent questions to ask them. On the lab homepage of a Chicago professor, I saw that the program advises us to contact labs before the application process starts, and that without a faculty member 'sponsoring' you, admission in unlikely. I saw this in mid-Jan, long after the information was useful. http://pondside.uchicago.edu/~feder/trainees.htm I guess that it would be a prudent thing to do generally, not much harm can come from it and you might get a potential sponsor for your application. The worse that can happen (in general) is that the prof will tell you s/he isn't taking students next year but that would probably be the case regardless of whether you contact him/her or not. Rants: I was unofficially told by someone in Wisconsin that they were done reviewing applications by the end of Jan, but my official reject came only on 7th April. Similar thing from Chicago but a much smaller gap. Harvard is super-inaccessible while MIT replied quickly. USC has not got back to me (or, judging by the results page, anyone else) after the interview. No idea what happened there. NYU I had a 10 minute skype talk with some professor from the committee where I felt I had answered all his questions decently, the talk ended abruptly and one week later I was rejected with no explanations given. Again, no idea what happened there.

Me too -- anybody has plans/info for housing?

Thanks for all your advice I've chosen Duke, mostly the deciding factor was that I found a 3rd professor whose research was very exciting there.

Thanks When I googled backstop I ended up with some consulting company website! Anyway, the link is both good and bad news (POI won't take me if he doesn't get a grant) I guess.

Yup, Ken Dill was a prescribed textbook for our UG coursework and it was a revelation to see his name in the flesh, so to speak. As an international student, I didn't visit but had skype interviews- I guess I marginally preferred the conversation with the Stony Brook professor to Duke, but marginally. I've not heard yet from all the students I've written to but so far everything has been positive. I'll try and find out stuff about rent costs at SB. Gut says Duke, but rationally I haven't found an answer. Even my LOR writers whom I asked for help are divided. I'm guessing I'll go with my gut if it remains like this... Thanks so much for your help btw

Yup, in terms of stipends it's advantage Durham, they pay slightly* more and the area seems much cheaper. On the other hand my POI at SB seemed very secure about funding... Every time I think I found a reason to choose one over the other, some counter comes up. In my head, Duke would be more prestigious than SB. Is this impression accurate (especially since I know nothing about the reputation of the Laufer Center), and how much should I bother about prestige of the institute? EDIT: Just read the fine print, all told it's ~12% less, quite a lot I guess.

I was told this: What exactly does that mean (backstop)? As far as I had understood, the program funds students for the 1st 2 years (which seems to be confirmed here) and after that only professors who have grant funding take students since we're supposed to get our stipends from them (if we don't get fellowships). Any ideas what this mail means???

For Duke in particular they list very detailed statistics for all their programs - it varies heavily from program to program. https://gradschool.duke.edu/about/program-statistics In Wisconsin too it varies by program- their genetics program is (as I learnt) really tough for internationals but I know their chemistry program isn't as hard. I couldn't find any officially listed stats, but there was this about it. Another no-go area (in general, may vary for specific programs) is the University of California system. Someone posted that UCSF Tetrad would interview 2 and accept 1 international student this year. I think Berkeley is similar. Chapel Hill also told me that they have limited international funding but I think the situation is better than Wisconsin. In summary (though not as a hard rule), private colleges will have more funding for internationals than state colleges. Btw, glancing through your stats- they're quite strong, if you're very interested in any of the restrictive places you could ask a professor there before applying- I think you'll have a shot.

So I'm right down to the deadline, and this is my situation: I'm basically choosing between Duke (Genetics and Genomics) and Stony Brook (Genetics) I've spoken to the professors I'm interested in at both places and really enjoyed the interviews, I've got great feedback about the profs from their students, and they seem to want a student next year. The work at both places is quite exciting. I have a few more options at Duke in terms of professors while the funding situation seems a little more secure at SB. According to these (http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-/124733/), the genetics program at Duke has a great ranking while SB isn't far back. (The professors I am interested in at SB are affiliated to the Laufer Center, in case that is relevant) I'd really appreciate any help/advice.

I understand all of that, but I don't see how within 12 mins "fit" could be judged, especially given that (in my opinion) I answered the questions in those 12 mins quite OK, and that I was being judged not by my POI but a different professor. The sign off from the interviewer was "ok i think that's enough, looking forward to seeing you." It struck me as weird to say "that's enough" having not asked much, but that last phrase gave me quite a lot of hope too... The rejection letter was super generic (which bothers me still) but it sort-of hinted at funding, so maybe that's it.

The complete opposite, in a way, happened to me. I had a skype interview 1 on 1 with a random faculty member (not my POI). I answered the preliminary questions about my own research experience and future interests competently enough and was then told to ask questions about the program. After a single question from me (again nothing out of the ordinary) I was told by the prof "ok i think thats enough" and the interview was wrapped up. Within 12 mins! (for the record most of my other interviews have been 25-30 mins) Today I got a rejection with no explanations at all. I'm quite pissed, and wondering if I should mail the program asking them why, and whom I should mail within the program...I really really liked the work of 1 of the profs there. (I realise it's obvious which univ this is by looking at my signature)

So, my Duke interview was on Dec 18th and I was told I'll hear back 'shortly.' I got an acceptance this week Not sure how relevant it is to Columbia, (I was later told by Duke that I should wait for a short while after the final interview weekend - which was last weekend, so find out if they have another weekend, they may delay their decisions till then)

I don't know how relevant this is for you: I'm a chemistry major applying to genetics/genomics/systems biology type labs. If i was applying to biochemistry I would say my major overlaps with my PhD research but the kind of stuff I've learnt in my undergrad and what I'm interested in is quite different. I do have decent research experience but it's in computational chemistry and a little wet lab work in bio labs. Again, different from what I'm planning. For me during my interviews the fact that I was a chem major was brought up a few times but not a lot and definitely not as a big problem. Far more important I think was the fact that I had some research experience at all- and I think that's the part of your app that could hurt you, not your major. A's in relevant courses should be good for most programs, I think. Again, I'm not really sure about most of this.

I've had quite a few interviews so far... Anyone else heard back from Duke Genetics or Cornell BMCB (NOT the BCMB at Weill Cornell)? On the results page there are 2 results from Cornell but I was told all decisions will only be made after the final interview weekend (which is this weekend)...

4th interview call Stony Brook. No accepts yet but I'm finally getting optimistic about my chances

Also, both places I have interviewed at have told me that I wil know the decision after ALL interviews (domestic student weekeneds and international students on skype) are done.

Thanks a lot for the advice... at least I didn't repeat the same mistakes this time. Again the bulk of the questioning was about my research experience so far. Then about my research interest in graduate studies, which maybe I could have answered better. Also why I want a PhD, why this univ, etc. Thanks to gradcafe when it was my turn to ask about the program I didn't mess it up. Then there were 2 random questions - my strengths (what you will bring to the program) and what you think the greatest challenge would be during your PhD. I sort of salvaged the strengths one but was clueless about challenges, and I think I ended up contradicting myself betweeen these 2 answers

By seeing the outcome I obviously did underestimate. In UCSF, I had heard about the crazy international numbers for my program and knew there was no chance in hell. But it was my dream school, from where I had read a TON of papers, so... Even if you do rank Wis Mad > UCSF as a program, for internationals, UCSF is probably the single hardest place to get into. This year, 2 international students were interviewed and 1 got accepted into the whole Tetrad (genetics, biochem+mol bio, dev bio, cell bio) program . Even among domestic applicants, the gradcafe results page of UCSF was a graveyard of really impressive CVs. Very very honestly speaking, and acknowledging that there is no way for me to judge an application merely by the stats, it's inevitable that I would judge anyway based on the stuff on the results page...And given the stats of some of those who had got interviewed, I thought I had just enough to get an interview as well... Another point is that I'm a chemistry major, and people from the chemistry department of my university with similar applications in terms of everything (Research experience, GPA, GRE, subject GRE) have been getting accepts at Madison for years (including this year). I was thus encouraged by my professors, and history, and a POI whose work I was smitten with, to apply there. So it could be a genetics dept thing (that old thread was for UW Madison genetics as well) (Pretty much all the relevant stats are posted as my signature btw) On a side note, I completely sympathise with the view that state univs cater first to state students and national students - that is a fair return on people's tax, etc. I still thought given the stats of the domestic students interviewed, I had a shot at an interview. Anyway, I would never have been so upset had the POI's work not appealed so much. And yes, I'm relieved I got interviews as well...another one today

Effectively rejected by my top 3 progams - UCSF, MIT (no surprises in either), and Wisconsin-Madison I really thought my stats were good enough for Wisconsin, and I really really liked the work of my POI there, but I should've maybe listened to that other thread...

Thanks I thought I had a really good shot there.

Has anyone heard from Chicago- Molecular Biosciences - committee on genetics, genomics and systems biology, yet? Do the invites come out separately for each committee or does the entire molecular biosciences cluster send the mail at the same time? I've seen quite a few on the results page, both domestic and international, for mol biosciences - biochemistry and molecular biology but none for this. They do rolling admissions so the earlier you apply the better the chances of an admit, and obviously a much higher chance of hearing back quicker. I've seen one entry on the results page (a domestic applicant though). I applied on the deadline day though I had almost eveything ready :/

So, I have had an interview about a month ago and am about to have another one soon. I had some questions: 1. I haven't heard for a month after the interview. Does it mean I'm rejected? I thought I answered the technical questions well but messed up where I was supposed to ask them questions about the program. The committee told me they will get back very soon, and my POI was among them. However, I do know that the interview weekend for domestic applicants is in February. Is that when I should expect to hear back? 2. If it's possible (especially for any students admitted through a skype interview), can you describe what you asked the committee? The fact is, I knew about the university a fair bit since I had spent a summer there (in a different department), and thus knew about the city, so nothing to talk about on that front...I asked about lab size, but phrased it horribly, and about courses, which I could've found out online, but I thought one question seemed too little and my mind went blank for better questions. 3. In general, do interviews follow this format? Asking about my research experience first, then talking about the univ and inviting me to ask questions. I heard from a friend (in an engineering department) that she had a very different type of interview, almost like a HR job interview. (how can you work as part of a team, etc) 4. Also, how do I put across that the program is very high on my priority list (though not 1st)? In my list, a few bigger name univs were below the univ where I was interviewing. The committee referred indirectly to the big names I was applying to, and all I did was laugh awkwardly. 5. Lastly, about what time do interview invites stop going out? I'm aware that some programs that I'm applying to review and interview all domestic applicants first and only then look at internationals. Any approximate timeframe? Someone please reply and make me a little less of an uncertain nervous wreck!