gliaful

Keep watching the results and see if they continue to trickle in the next couple days. I heard some schools do "area based admissions", where applicants are sorted by research interest and subcommittees evaluate the groups individually. Perhaps those that got interviews were in a different group. Don't lose hope just yet! THANK YOU!! I was starting to feel really down and inadequate, like I wasn't going to get an interview anywhere.

Just got my first interview invite...! Iowa, January 29-31.

Just got an interview at Iowa! Jan 29-31.

That's another good idea! I wonder if those things are inexpensive enough for her to justify buying one for interviews. Actually, it sounds like a healthier option overall...but I imagine that's controversial. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

I hear contradictory ideas about applying early to rolling admissions programs. Applying early might put your application in line next to competitive applicants (who may apply early). I think around December 20th would still be early-ish (nearly a month before the deadline), but like GradSecretary said, some schools take a break from reviewing applications for the holidays. I wouldn't stress about it and just apply in your own time. It would be better to wait and feel satisfied with your SOP than to hurry and submit something less than your best work.

I see a WUSTL Neuroscience interview on the results page...who's the lucky applicant?

You should aim for whatever programs are strong in the research areas that appeal to you. I think that your profile is ideal and I'm not sure what you are concerned about -- although we're all a bit anxious here. The only thing holding you back is yourself (sorry for being cheesy but I think it's true).

As a bulletpoint in the award section of your CV, you could put: 20XX Departmental Award in English, nominee Nominated for Departmental Award in English, 20XX (Or whatever the official title of the award is - I just needed a title to work with for my purposes) Of course, if you get more awards through your years in school, you may not feel the need to include it at all. But for now, one of the above bullets is how I would phrase it.

Include it in your CV. What do you mean by "Would you include that?" Put it somewhere, yes. Writing skills are important, and another CV bulletpoint can't hurt.

You can look at all of the results ever recorded by searching for a specific program in the search box. For instance, type in "University of Miami Biomedical" and see what happens. I did this for each of my schools to gauge when I might hear back.

Cracked me up. The emails are always so flattering but also concerning. UAB sent me a dozen, Princeton sent me a few (after their deadline had passed, haha), and Pratt's english literature program has sent me 2 emails each week since August -- which is probably the most confusing one.

I did the 2 practice tests from ETS (the free Powerpack software) and used the Magoosh free online vocab flashcards. I'm a math teacher so I didn't feel the need to review for the quant section. Taking practice tests under testing conditions (and especially practice tests from the makers of the GRE) will really help you get a feel for the endurance that the test requires. Other thing to know: ALL of the essay questions are available on the ETS website. Search for "issue pool" and "argument pool" on the ETS website. I looked through the issue list and practiced writing a few essays during the few days left before the test (I had an emergency -- long story -- and only had 6 days to study before the test). It's hard to write a quality essay in 30 minutes, but seeing the possible topics beforehand and practicing definitely eased my mind. It's important to feel comfortable during the essay section because it precedes the rest of the test. If you feel horrible about it, you'll struggle in the following sections.

Woohoo!

Neuroscience (NGP). So don't worry!

Thank you for this! I was born and raised in Washington/Oregon, but am currently living in Idaho. The farthest east I've ever traveled is Denver, so I really have no clue what the east coast is like. I always picture streets congested with taxis and tall buildings swallowing the sky, but maybe that's just in the movies.

I understand. I only applied to places I wanted to go, but I started off with the naive view that it wouldn't be that difficult to get in to a school. I picked programs based on my research interests and used the NIH Reporter (seriously great tool: http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm) to find faculty/institutions working in these areas. I like your attitude about the process! I do like my programs for the "right reasons" (I hope!), but I'm concerned about location, too. For instance, I've never been to Boston (Brandeis), Iowa City, or Pittsburgh. I don't know why I'm so hung up on this, but perhaps it's because I do not like the place that I am currently living.

I don't know of a list, but that's probably because the essays don't differ that much from one another. There's the basic Statement of Purpose, and some universities call it the Personal Statement -- and yes, there are some minor differences between the two. Some schools ask you to divide this same pool of information into two essays -- one specifying your interest in the program, and another describing your research experience. But at the heart of it all is information about you, your background, and where you want to be in 5 years.

If you don't want them to know, you could put a mix of schools both above and below them on your list...umm, this might get into dishonest territory, but the question asks what schools you are APPLYING to, right? Not already applied to? Because, you know, you could have started applications to lower schools but didn't submit them?

I just died of laughter. Before I joined gradcafe, I had only planned to apply to 4; I, too, was under the impression that 4-8 was standard. I think being on these forums made me anxious and I picked up 4 more. Your application profile looks solid to me! Welcome to the waiting game.

I agree with Vene. I also think it that it shows something about the specificity of your interests, but I guess it depends on how much they read into it. If you apply to five programs that are all well known for their research in the area X, this might demonstrate the applicant's unequivocal commitment to studying X.

Yeah, I'm glad somebody said it. I've been an anxious wreck since December 1st passed. Based on past years, 2 of my programs (UW, Pittsburgh) are projected to send out interview invites this week (12/8 - 12/12), 4 programs (OHSU, Vanderbilt, Iowa, UC Denver) the next week (12/15-12/19), and the remaining 2 (Brandeis, Utah) in early January (1/5-1/9). Mapping shit out gives me some relief. It's out of my hands now. I heard Vanderbilt IGP has already began sending out invites, but I applied to their NGP track.

Agreed! I looked through the "results" and tabulated when schools are most likely to respond by looking at the last few years of interview results. This yields some interesting information, as some schools send out all interview invites on the same day (or within 2 days of each other) such as UW, while other send out invites within the span of a week or two (Pittsburgh, Utah). I think this would probably be a beneficial approach to accepting and scheduling (if more than one choice) potential interviews. For instance, if you got an invite from a school that is lower on your list, but you knew your top choice might be sending invites two days later, you could tactfully wait and ensure that the dates you choose do not overlap.

Thanks Ramus! She's gotten 2 interview invites so far and has resolved to buy patches and use those.

UGH THIS IS MY LIFE. hahahahaha. I am on here all the time, and sometimes I post responses to things just in the hopes that it will alert others and then they'll get on and post stuff and I won't be so lonely.

Congrats!!! So exciting!