arrxing

I am currently waitlisted for the BU BME PhD program and have an offer for the MS program. Unfortunately, since I live in CA, I can't afford to take a trip to Boston to visit the school (since the school will not fund me to visit). I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or impressions from the visit that they could share, to help give me a sense of the environment. I have a few specific questions: 1. Do most graduate students get to work with their first choice faculty? (This is very important to me) 2. How does the campus feel (is it a small campus)? What are some nearby things to do? 3. What housing options are there for graduate students? 4. Did the graduate students seem happy? Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated as well! I would just like to get a sense of the campus community to help me make a decision on my plans for next year. Thank you!

Does anyone know what QC1 means? One reviewer wrote "This applicant presents a relatively strong case, which is borderline QC1."

Does anyone have suggestions for traveling between Tufts University and Boston University? I am hoping to visit both campuses during my short visit to Boston. I don't have a car and I would like a fast, inexpensive way to get between the two schools.

I just got waitlisted to BU (my top choice). Has anyone gotten accepted but don't plan on attending? Also, in general, waitlisted people don't get a paid visit to the school, is this correct? Ideally, I would want to visit BU if I get off the waitlist before making a final decision. However, I live on the west coast, so a visit would be relatively expensive for me. For anyone who went to the visit weekend, what were your impressions of the school and faculty?

I am applying for bioengineering PhD programs this fall. A few of the programs I am applying to only require two LOR but allow an additional third letter of recommendation if you want to send one in. I know two of my letters are strong, but my third is not as strong. Would it be best for me to simply submit 2 LOR? Will I be at a disadvantage compared to other students with 3 LORs?

Hi everyone, I am planning on applying for PhD programs in bioengineering this year. I asked my research PI for a letter of recommendation. When I asked how positive the letter would be and he said that he thinks I am a good scientist etc., but he is bothered by the fact that I left the lab abruptly and that he will mention it in the letter, although he will focus more on my ability to do well in grad school. The reason I left was I got into a summer research program that put me into a different lab for the summer. I decided that I liked the new lab environment better so I ended up staying in the new lab. While I understand his frustration, I am afraid it will reflect poorly on me. I was wondering if anyone knows how badly this might hurt my application. I expect my two other recommendations to be strong, but my GPA and GRE are not amazing so I was counting on 3 really strong letters to boost my application. I have one back up letter writer, the advisor for my major (who is a professor) and who I took one class with and recieved an A. I have known her since the beginning of my freshman year, but I probably only talked to her a few times a year. I have also heard that not getting a letter from a PI you did research with is a bad sign to most grad schools. Would you advise that I choose my PI or my back up?