Infinito

Congratulations to everyone who has already locked in their respective school. Finally done for the season, waiting for the last result, and the NSF GRFP!

I went the the February 18th interview weekend. Even though it was Immuno-specific for MCGD, I was like one of the few neuro weekend that couldn't make the previous weekend.

Official Harvard rejection e-mail/letter. FINALLY.

Oo, I'm interviewing with Dr. Heiman next week. I've heard awesome things about her work and lab. I also have Tonegawa on that list. Not intimidated at all. But, back to @raisinbrain; going into the interview season I was all starry-eyed and looking at the big names, but then I realized that a lot of them are now heavily admins, very busy to be effective PhD mentors, or are not even taking students anymore. I would not recommend picking a school based on the availability of those people. Them being present at those schools reflects the caliber of research that goes on there, and hopefully opportunities to thrive and collaborate. Though, there are some exceptions to that (schools which will not be named) where PIs are poached because they have/will win fancy awards that the university can claim on their info sheets. That being said, you should pick the schools based on the programs, availability of other labs you may be interested in, and then where you want to live. Rockefeller will be the cheapest housing you ever have in Manhattan, for instance, if you wanted to live in NYC in your late 20s. My own personal choice of school will mostly come down to where I will see myself happy and the external-to-lab opportunities available after all things are considered equal.

Congratulations, @Microburritology! Just got the acceptance notification as well for MCGD Was quite surprised actually considering which of my friends didn't get in and I did O_O But I still have MIT to visit. And then I'd have to heavily weigh the pros/cons of Yale vs UCSF (assuming I don't like MIT or don't get in). #Struggles

I already kind of have what I'm looking for in mind; nonetheless, I reply by thanking them, telling them what I liked about the interview, and I end off telling them that while I am in the middle of interviews still, I will reach out with questions and logistics to help me make the right decision by April 15th. Done. No questions asked. Some schools might then try to butter you up by adding some sort of internal fellowship to the mix with an earlier date that you need to accept, but you should take that with a grain of salt. Top programs shouldn't need to use those tactics to bait people; they would offer them if you come, with no date recruited to commit by.

Just received my unofficial acceptance e-mail to Duke (DSCB). Apparently the rejections went out a week ago, and they just finished with the acceptances.

Only a few schools actually ask about that sort of status; the majority of them do not, and you would need to self-identify (sometimes at your peril if you get a curmudgeon personal statement reader). I didn't have it in my PS, but I did note a related activity in my C.V. Anyway, I'll help out in this thread after I'm done with the current season. You can look forward to it ™ <3

Looks like instead of To Catch a Predator, we now have To Catch a Troll.

Ditto! Got it while I was interviewing at another place. So happy to have one of my top choices!

There are examples a few pages back. Please have a look. This has been addressed ad nauseam.

I did. I just emphasize that I enjoyed our interview, that I'm interested in their area and will keep up with it, and will consider contact in the future for a collaboration or post graduation opportunities. Just keep it short and sweet.

So I received my first post-interview rejection while at one of my interviews. So that totally changed my drive, haha. Was obviously disappointed, even more so when I inquired how to improve for the future, and they said I was unengaged/seemed disinterested about the program; which was ironic since it was my one of my top choices at the time. When I told some of the grad student interviewers, they were like WTF? So, just a friendly reminder to BEWARE OF RESTING BITCH FACE. Cuz clearly you don't realize how bad it is till you get a rejection over it. And to not feel too bad about rejections because they really can be a crapshoot.

Honestly, you just answered your own questions. If you don't feel comfortable enough to wear something else or less, then wear the suit. Our opinions and insight clearly won't help with the clothing anxiety.

Lol, now that I've had two interviews that were multiday, I for sure know not to take the clothing aspect too seriously. As long as you look clean, you're fine. And this also went along with what other candidates were wearing. Like people with really dark jeans were a thing. Flats/boat shoes/hipster boots are a thing. Pea coats over T-shirts are a thing. Everyone that wore a suit knew the next day not to (or for their next interview not to bother). I'll post my standard uniform later but it's pretty much boat shoes, chinos, a button down and a cardigan for interview days, and jeans and hoodie for non-interview sessions.

Thank you, thank you. I live for all of you <3 Many thanks, bud

1. Depends on the interviewer, but in 20 minutes they most likely just want to see your background and still try to answer your questions about the program. 2. Even 30 minutes is not long enough. The conversation will probably be organic. Ask about the professor, why they like where they are, collaborations, etc. You might not even get to it, honestly.

Just received my first official acceptance. Yay for knowing that I'll be going to graduate school

What @biochemgirl67 said was pretty much the basic answer, and obviously it's really hard to get a sense for all the schools until you see them all. That being said, gut reactions are really important. My grad interview buddy stressed the "fit" aspect, how just because one program might be higher ranked doesn't mean it's better for you, for what you want to do, and for your mental health for the next 5-6 years. That allowed her to cut some choices off her list after interviewing, leaving her to two gut-wrenching decisions. She then literally had to flip a coin at that point, and she's really happy to be where she is now.

Had my first interview and this wasn't asked specifically for me by my interviewing PIs. They all had access to my app (I saw on their computer screens they had the information). They concentrated on recruiting and selling the program to me. Only one director asked me the question, in a way that sounded like "would you really come here?" The obvious answer is a resounding Yes, the program fits me and all, but I'm keeping an open mind as I still have more places at which to interview. From my understanding, the reason they ask this is because they can assume based on your stats that you most likely will interview elsewhere as well. During dinner and other talks, I would usually answer the question by being more geographical or program specific than naming actual schools. That is, until one chill grad student lovingly told me over drinks to be real so I named them all, and she actually gave me great inside into how her process of ultimately picking the school went down - it was quite helpful. Either way, I don't think one needs to be nervous about this.

This was also addressed multiple times under the Biology section.

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=Boston+University+MCBB&t=a&o=&pp=25 Looks like they send it out later in the month.

That moment when your interview itinerary doesn't have a single PI you recognize or selected to talk to .

Ditto. Good to hear, finally, lol. Every year is a "record-breaking" year in which you aren't admitted

The search function is an amazing thing, as this has been answered a few times in the current 2016 admissions topic. Short answers: a. No difference. b. Some schools will indicate that a professor might only be available at one date or another, or a specific week (like for an umbrella program) has an emphasis on a different field. c. Very few schools actually make these two rolling in such a way that if you don't attend the first date, you have less of a chance to being admitted. Because they wouldn't waste money on a second date if they were gonna fill up spots on the first.