expandyourmind

I got kinda weird vibes from the people at NU. Most of the grad students seemed disconnected and didn't know anyone else in the other years (even though it was a pretty small class size) even at the party afterward it seemed a little "clique-y" to me. most of the other applicants seemed a little socially awkward, but maybe i just didn't push myself to meet other people or had a quiet table for lunch/dinners. I feel bad because the faculty is amazing and there are so many powerhouses in their fields, but i didn't really have a good time with the other interviewees and grad students. for my other interviews i had a blast, so it just stood out to me that i just got an awkward and weird vibe throughout the interview process.

Hey Everyone!
 
I was hoping to get some advice from all of you guys. I'm pretty torn between two schools - UChicago or Northwestern (I'm hoping to stay in the midwest). UChicago has a better ranking as far as graduate programs, with a few faculty that I would be really happy rotating with. Most of these faculty I'm interested in does very basic developmental biology, but with some really interesting techniques. I had a blast when it came to the interview weekend and felt like it was a perfect fit for a graduate program. It's kind of a bitch to get to from the city (where I live) so the location is somewhat of a downside but the campus is absolutely gorgeous.
 
NU just a powerhouse of a PI that wants me to work with her, she's changed NIH research standards and just pumps out insane papers all the time. She's discovered some groundbreaking stuff on human embryos and has a very clinical perspective in her research (as opposed to very basic developmental bio) But other than her, I don't really have any interest in most other PIs at the school and it's not nearly as good of a school with as focused of a curriculum as the other. I also didn't enjoy the interview weekend as much as the first, although the location of the campus is awesome and in downtown chicago. 
 
Hoping you guys can give me some good perspectives! And good luck in all of your interviews 
 
 

I was a 2017 Ford Fellow winner and I checked my portal every day. One of the days I noticed that instead of the application page, that it said FELLOW MODULE but it didn't say anything about me winning. A few hours later I got an e-mail saying I got the fellowship. From I gleaned about freaking out over the change in website is that they set up the site in stages and wait until they sent out the acceptances for you to actually access the portal. I'm wishing all you guys luck!!!

I was a 2017 Ford Fellow winner and I checked my portal every day. One of the days I noticed that instead of the application page, that it said FELLOW MODULE but it didn't say anything about me winning. A few hours later I got an e-mail saying I got the fellowship. From I gleaned about freaking out over the change in website is that they set up the site in stages and wait until they sent out the acceptances for you to actually access the portal. I'm wishing all you guys luck!!!

I was a 2017 Ford Fellow winner and I checked my portal every day. One of the days I noticed that instead of the application page, that it said FELLOW MODULE but it didn't say anything about me winning. A few hours later I got an e-mail saying I got the fellowship. From I gleaned about freaking out over the change in website is that they set up the site in stages and wait until they sent out the acceptances for you to actually access the portal. I'm wishing all you guys luck!!!

I was a 2017 Ford Fellow winner and I checked my portal every day. One of the days I noticed that instead of the application page, that it said FELLOW MODULE but it didn't say anything about me winning. A few hours later I got an e-mail saying I got the fellowship. From I gleaned about freaking out over the change in website is that they set up the site in stages and wait until they sent out the acceptances for you to actually access the portal. I'm wishing all you guys luck!!!

Just heard back too and I got it! 

Just heard back too and I got it! 

Just heard back too and I got it! 

chicagos like any city - theres going to be violence. you can swap out Chicago with New York, LA, any other big city and itd be the same thing. generally these outbreaks are in concentrated areas, usually in the southside were there's a lot of gang action (but i could be wrong). but chicago is a huge city so i dont think you should worry. 

im also attending UChicago, it is on the south side, but hyde park is relatively a bubble compared to even a few blocks west or south (i mean, Obama's house is there stuffed with tons of secret service). hyde park and bronzeville are pretty nice areas surrounded by a lot of sketchy parts. but UChicago has its own police force thats filled with chicago police that patrols the entire area - so its pretty safe. i think the areas of concern are more south-west of the city where you get out of the university areas and more into gang territory. generally the more you stay along the lakefront the safer you are, so once you get further west it starts going downhill. it looks like you're coming from New York, so i think if you have the street smarts necessary for NYC - chicago will be easy and you have nothing to worry about. the numbers of shootings and outbreaks is always daunting when you look at the stark data, but you can say the same about NYC, too. i hope that helps!

I see this a lot from people who are not familiar with Chicago. First of all, Chicago being a dangerous city is seriously hyped up by the press. Violence sells papers and I am not sure if it is Chicago's size and its place as a Midwest city or what, but it gets picked on.
 
That being Chicago has crime. Its a large city, it has crime. But per capita, it does even crack a lot of lists. It is not on the FBI's most dangerous cities (http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/the-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html/?a=viewall), not in the top 30 highest murder rates per city (http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/top-lists/highest-murder-rate-cities/) and what is dangerous is limited to pockets of Chicago, mostly south and west side neighborhoods, but not all of them. For instance, U Chicago is in Hyde Park on the south side, but it is very safe.
 
So treat Chicago like a city. Don't take a bus or train after midnight or one - take a cab instead. Carry pepper spray if you are walking late at night, stay on well-lit streets and do not walk home at night with ear buds in. If you need to use the phone, don't lose track of your surroundings. These are not extreme safety checks, its common sense. Stay out of unsafe neighborhoods, don't want home alone drunk, stuff life that. I promise, you will be safe and have fun.

im also attending UChicago, it is on the south side, but hyde park is relatively a bubble compared to even a few blocks west or south (i mean, Obama's house is there stuffed with tons of secret service). hyde park and bronzeville are pretty nice areas surrounded by a lot of sketchy parts. but UChicago has its own police force thats filled with chicago police that patrols the entire area - so its pretty safe. i think the areas of concern are more south-west of the city where you get out of the university areas and more into gang territory. generally the more you stay along the lakefront the safer you are, so once you get further west it starts going downhill. it looks like you're coming from New York, so i think if you have the street smarts necessary for NYC - chicago will be easy and you have nothing to worry about. the numbers of shootings and outbreaks is always daunting when you look at the stark data, but you can say the same about NYC, too. i hope that helps!

chicagos like any city - theres going to be violence. you can swap out Chicago with New York, LA, any other big city and itd be the same thing. generally these outbreaks are in concentrated areas, usually in the southside were there's a lot of gang action (but i could be wrong). but chicago is a huge city so i dont think you should worry. 

chicagos like any city - theres going to be violence. you can swap out Chicago with New York, LA, any other big city and itd be the same thing. generally these outbreaks are in concentrated areas, usually in the southside were there's a lot of gang action (but i could be wrong). but chicago is a huge city so i dont think you should worry. 

i'm sorry acetlcholine, i may get a lot flak for what i'm about to say... from your stats it seems like you have a fine application but the problem seems a little bit deeper than just the GRE scores and good GPA. i've kinda been following your history on the other pages, too. i'm not sure what a top 200 university means honestly, but it seems like a little humility would help some. since this is your second round applying, i would really look past your honestly great stats (a lot better than i have to be completely honest with you) and look at yourself as an applicant to see how you can improve yourself overall. 
 
i don't say this to be mean AT ALL, i only want to help you out. improving your research probably be the best thing for your application. i think it might be helpful to take a masters or a job as a research tech not only to improve your research abilities but just improve on your maturity as a scientist. it just seems to me that for the powerhouse programs you are applying to, you may not have a strong research background for some of these places (but i could be wrong). three semesters is a bit on the shorter side in my opinion. i would really suggest getting more research experience and focusing on your statement of purpose. make sure you have an impeccable narrative of your research background and where you want to go in the future. make yourself stand out! anyone can get good grades, a publishing, and good LORs. 
 
i did the master's route because i didn't get into a phd program. i'm glad i did. looking back i was a total little shit who had no real knowledge about anything. but the past 2 years has definitely let me come into my own as a scientist and a person. i feel more well rounded and prepared for graduate life, with a little more direction. coming into interviews and looking at the undergraduate students its amazing how much more mature i feel and prepared for the long road ahead. i'm so glad i originally failed at getting into a phd program! in the end this master's program really improved my CV and SoP  and i've had adcoms tell me that my application has definitely stood out because of it. i feel more sound in describing my research and more confident in what i want to study as i go through my interviews, which may be what you need. i guess all i'm saying is that you should look past the stats and make yourself stand out, because you deserve it!
 
if you need to talk or vent about the application season, please feel free to PM me. i'm glad to help!

Sorry i have to COMPLETELY disagree. Yes, there are areas that have homeless and are a little run down, but this is a HUGE city. you have to be street smart and be able to live in an urban area like Chicago, NYC, LA, etc.
I moved from a small town in Wisconsin to Evanston, then Evanston to the edge of wicker park/humbolt park and i LOVED the area. Wicker Park/Bucktown is a great hipster area with a lot of great restaurants.
i'm now headed down to Hyde Park and I honestly couldn't be more excited. today I went to look around the area and found some really nice places around UChicago campus.
 
I have friends at UIC, UChicago, NU, Columbia, etc. They live in uptown, wrigley, belmont, streeterville, lincoln park, south loop, hyde park, chinatown, jesus you name it - I've loved every area and have felt completely safe in every one of these areas. Chicago is a big city and like any big city there is going to be homeless. but I really think you have to be smart about where you live and the crime around that area. if you find yourself in a bad area, of course its going to be mentally tough. but each of the neighborhoods has a totally different feel so i think it really depends on where you feel most comfortable. you have to be smart about where you end up living. do your research on the different neighborhoods because like any big city there's going to be rougher areas. but i dont even know where to begin on how amazing of a city Chicago is!

I guess it somewhat depends on your age, whether you have lived in a large city, and if you are a sensitive person. (I am not being facetious here.) If you live in one of the dangerous areas, such as Uptown, South Side, or Western Chicago (some areas of Humboldt Park and anywhere west of that border), the daily grind could really affect your mental wellbeing. I moved from out of state and I am now on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to the extreme poverty/misery, and degenerates I'm surrounded by every day.
 
Sorry! To (try to) answer your question: I am not super familiar with the UIC area, but I just did some research and it seems Pilsen is close to that area. I have heard it's hip there, and I'm not aware of it being too dangerous. I would also recommend Edgewater and Rogers Park for very affordable rent, but those two areas are about an hour away by CTA to your school. (However, such a commute is relatively common here.) I'm sorry. I'm probably not being very helpful. I guess it would be best to hear from a UIC student. Feel free to PM about specific questions.
 
I don't mean to sound like a downer. I know UIC is an excellent school, so the move here would be worth it to attend that U. However, no one should ever move to Chicago to attend just a medicore university, in my opion.

Well comrades, it's over. Or maybe I should say it's just beginning...
I've accepted an offer - Biological Physics, Structure, and Design at the University of Washington in Seattle !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They rejected me (without interview) two years ago - but I'm back, baby. 

Have. Never. Been. More. Excited. About. Anything. In. My. Life. 

 

RESULTS ARE UP.
 
didn't get it, but my reviews are excellent. i'm pretty proud of myself - i wrote my application with no guidance and a day before the deadline. i keep reading the reviews and theyre so good. its a bummer i didn't get it but hey science grant writing is a process 

acetylcholine, you have all around better stats than i did in your application, so something must be deeper. i dont think it has anything to do with weight or being introverted. in these interviews you really have to make a connection and be passionate about your research. so if you are introverted, you can still come across as loving science without being an over the top kind of person. when you say you are more easily exhaustible than average for social shit - that seems like a bad way to enter these interviews.  granted these interviews are SO tiring that even for me, a pretty social person, i felt brain dead afterward. these people are trying to see if they find a connection with a person to see if the program fits with their personality. so if someone comes across as not introverted and shy, but possibly standoffish (which can be confused with introvertedness) it might be a bad sign and they might go for someone that they really click with. when it comes down to it there must have been something at the interview stage. you're getting interviews so on paper you come across well, you just have to follow through with your interview! theyre not trying to fuck you over at all - theyre trying to see if you live up to the hype from your application and to see the person they read on paper. so if you can come across as passionate and make a special connection with the adcoms - you're golden. i think of it like speed dating. you have one chance to put yourself out there and make a special connection and in the end, hopefully you get the girl!
 
it might be scary but you should open up to these people and show that you're human, that you want to learn and grow as a person and that you're not set in stone. grad school is a process of growing- they dont want someone who thinks they know everything they want in life, etc.  i really think you have great interests and a good application, but maybe need to grow as a scientist. 3 semesters of research is very little and even after that it seems like you are dead set on what you want to do. i've been in research for 5 years and have changed my mind at least 4-5 times. be open minded, science is such a fluid area that you should be open to new things and new possibilities. 
 
also a lot of the people i interviewed with went to colleges that I had never heard of. probably in the top 250 in what you were saying. honestly this doesn't matter as much. yes, going to a top tier research institution will pull some weight, but in the end its how you present yourself in your application AND in your interview. how did you enter this round of interviews? were you still thinking about last year or more nervous?going through one cycle without any acceptances must be so hard. but hopefully you brushed that off and didn't let that affect you this time around? 
 
if you're in a very niche field consider looking at UChicago (i might be biased lol). Cliff Ragsdale does a lot of evolutionary development in squid and comparative development of the neocortex in birds/mice/turtles etc (if thats what youre into) but he does some cool stuff that might interest you. you can find plenty of evo-devo bio programs everywhere that have your niche interests. i know its still an up and coming field, but there are tons of labs that can cater to your interests. but also be flexible. if you're too set in stone with what you want to study they might not think you are a good fit.
 
good luck! i'm rooting for you! 

now that april 15 is fast approaching its so exciting to see where people are ending up ^.^
 
good luck choosing everyone! 

I never limit the amount I eat, but I do stick to minimally processed plant-based meals, and 95% of my meals are homemade so I know exactly what goes into them. My diet is based around whole grains, vegetables, and legumes; within that, there are endless variations if you have a pantry well-stocked with various staples and seasonings and learn to make some good sauces/dressings, etc. I don't buy much snack food; instead, I eat things like fruit, trail mix, or hummus with pita and veggies between meals. I never get bored or feel deprived because I get full on foods that are nutritious and hearty, and I've cooked for myself enough to know how to make things I like, without an undue investment of time. I also aim for making large enough batches that I have leftovers throughout the week, and proportion them out into meal-size containers so that it's easy to grab my day's lunch as I'm headed out the door, which means I'm less tempted to eat out (plus I save money that way). It requires a little extra forethought and an investment of time in experimenting to figure out what you like, but it's really a very simple method and works well for me. 

I have accepted my offer to join the immunology training program at the University of Washington-Seattle!

i used to be a div1 athlete but kinda let myself go a little bit. the past month ive been hell bent on losing some pounds. i joined crossfit (which is actually very similar to my old practice regimen) and have been going 3-4 times a week. i love it. definitely see the crazy crossfitters in there which is intimidating haha. i just know that if i went to the gym myself i would slack off after running 15 minutes and call it a day! this really forces me to push myself and having the other crazy crossfitters is motivating, even if i can barely lift 1/3 of what they do. it's only an hour but its very rewarding and nice to follow a routine. 
 
i've also cut out 80% of my processed carb intake. i definitely think i was addicted to anything carbs. so instead of eating bread or cereal or chips (ugh my favorite things in the world) i try and eat as many veggies as I can and just cook healthier. even after a month of this shit i feel slimmer and less bloated from all of the processed foods ive been eating (but i treat myself every saturday to a donut heh). I'm already around 10 pounds down and i'm going to try and see how far i can take it. ive never felt this healthy in a long time! 
I've been following this website which has delicious recipes that are low carb and sort of paleo diet-y http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/