Ragneo

Yes, you should tell them! Try asking the coordinator if they can make arrangements to bring your translator along (and ask your translator too!) You want to be comfortable when you go to these interviews. Plus, if you're going to be interviewing with any future PIs, you want to be as upfront with them as possible. Best of luck! Also, if anybody discriminates you for being deaf, is that really a place where you want to be? Just something to think about. I know discrimination happens everywhere, but there are good people out there!

Aww mannn. I have another one scheduled that weekend too. I was actually very excited about some of the faculty there: I might PM you about them though! Thanks!

At what point does "clearly more qualified" translate to being worthy to spend more money on this student? It's difficult because nobody can directly quantify how well one is going to do in grad school; all of these variables--GPA, GRE score, publications, etc. are just proxies for future achievement, and none of it is guaranteed. And unless the committee is absolutely certain that this student will do wonders in their program, they're not going to risk investing so much money into someone that could fail. Obviously, this is the case only some times. And I disagree, it is not very likely that there will be an international applicant that is clear cut better than one of the 12 domestics. More qualified? Sure. But so qualified that the money invested in them is worth it--probably not. This is partially the reason why it is so hard for international applicants to get accepted. This seriously happens everywhere else.

Woke up and got an invite from Penn State BMMB! Interview is on Feb. 12-14, which conflicts with another interview I already accepted. I only have one more [interview] decision to anticipate! Hopefully it's good news!

As far as I know, Jan. 30th and Feb. 6th are two of the weekends for Vanderbilt IGP. I'm unsure of anymore!

I received an invite but I haven't received anything official e-mail wise. The guy on the phone said that if you need an alternate date then you should designate it on the form or whatever. He also said that you may be able to work out sharing an interview weekend with other UC schools or a Skype interview.

I got an interview from Wisconsin IPiB! So far I'm six for six... Currently waiting for UCSF though (two weeks waiting though...) and Penn State. I'll probably decline Penn State and UC Davis interviews though. Did anybody from Vanderbilt IGP get an interview for the February 6th or February 20th weekend? I'm trying to move my January 30th interview to those weekends.

Woke up and got an interview from BCMB Johns Hopkins! I'll probably be heading there for the Feb. 26-28th weekend. I have a question: How important is it to make it to the first interview weekend? I know UCSF CCB has their interview Feb. 28th- March 2, and a second one on March 8th - 9th. UCSF is technically my first choice, and I feel like I should reserve that weekend for UCSF. But at the same time, I don't want to decline an interview at Johns Hopkins. Also, I haven't heard from UCSF yet, so I don't know if I'll even get an interview.

Just got an interview from Yale BBSB! Whoop whoop. I'll be going from Feb 12-15.

Just got an interview from UC Davis BCMB! EDIT: I got a phone call later not just five minutes from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor inviting me to their interview weekend!

You don't happen to know when UCSF CCB is sending out their invites, do you?

Yeah, I just want to know if I got accepted/rejected! Finals is over and now I have nothing to distract me. I've been seeing some of my schools popping up on the results submission and I'm getting worried that I haven't gotten anything yet.

Ugh, sounds awful.

I got an interview invite at Vanderbilt IGP-BBS! I applied the day before the deadline.

Question for the guys: Are suits absolutely necessary? Or would a dress shirt, tie, slacks, and nice shoes work? And what about more casual wear--what would you suggest for cold or warmer places? My wardrobe is very t-shirt/jeans based and I'd like to minimize the spending as much as I can (although I realize some nice clothes is a good investment).

Hey guys, so I got my Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology subject test back. My Biochem subscores were pretty decent (80%+) but everything else was pretty abysmal (below 50% for the cell bio subscore and a little better for molecular bio). Should I even bother even submitting my scores? I am applying to Biochemistry/Chemical Biology programs anyway. I guess I'm worried that they'll look at my overall score before my subscore.

Yes. This. Professors are busy people and having all those extra little e-mails gets REALLY annoying. Like bsharpe said, trust your application: if you're a good fit, you will get your interview, and that's when you should start asking the questions you may have.

Thanks for the reassurance. I guess I'm feeling this way because I remember reading a post that said most successful applicants at the top notch schools had 3 or more years of research, and I know I have had significantly less. Also, I think I can get into at least one of my schools that I am applying to: or should I be worried? I realize I'm a solid applicant, so should I really be worried that I won't get into any, considering that I am applying to 10 of them? Nonetheless, if you have any suggestions for safety schools that have great Biochemistry departments, I'm willing to hear them!

Guess I thought I'd stop lurking and post since I'm now going through this taxing process. Undergrad Institution: Big State, Flagship Research University Major(s): Biochemistry Minor(s): None GPA in Major: 3.81 Overall GPA: 3.81 Position in Class: At least top 10-20% Type of Student: Domestic male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 166 (92%) V: 161 (87%) W: 4.5 (80%) B: Waiting on scores Research Experience: By the time I graduate, I'll have 1.5 years in the Biochem lab I'm currently in, and one summer in an introductory research program at my university. No publications, poster talks, or presentations. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: University Honors, Fellowship for Undergrad Research Pertinent Activities or Jobs: ACS Leadership position, TA for Gen Chem for 3 semesters so far Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: My PI went to my top choice of school (and might have connections), another recommendation writer (whose graduate class I'm taking) won the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry and worked under a famous biochemist, my last writer is the undergraduate dean of the college. In the Grad Class we had to submit NSF-GRFP applications, and one of my writers said I had written a proposal that was better than most of the graduate students. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: As you noticed, I don't have much research experience at all. I was kind of late in the game and I didn't know what I really wanted to do until Junior year. I'm asking my LoR writers to address this weakness. I'm trying to make this up by presenting at the NCRC and poster session held at my univeristy in the Spring, as well as applying to a research internship at a National Lab this summer. I'm hoping I can mention this in the interview if it comes up--however, my worry is that I won't get interviews for this exact reason. Applying to Where: Biochem Grad Programs UCSF - CCB Vanderbilt - IGP Michigan - PIBS Yale - BBS Washington - Biochem Johns Hopkins - BCMB Rice - BCB Wisconsin - IPiB Illinois - MCB UCSD - Biochem My top choice is UCSF - Chemistry and Chemical Biology program, and I hate myself for getting so excited about this program with its PIs and research when it has such a low admission rate. I know that the other schools I'm applying to have really good Biochemistry programs, but I know I'm definitely going to feel it if/when I don't get an interview/admission offer from UCSF.