NWFreeheel11

Hey everyone, I know the waiting can be painful. As someone who just went through this last year, I feel ya. I just want to say one thing. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LET YOUR WAITING ANXIETY TAKE YOU AWAY FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS DURING THE HOLIDAYS. The applications will be there, so on Xmas eve, Xmas day, and new years, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and put away your computer and phones and dont let the waiting pull you away from family. They will help you forget about the wait, so enjoy them all you can!!!!!

I did it multiple times when I was applying. It really helps to have a day extra to explore, so they will understand. I agree with whats been said though, just tell them you want an extra day to explore the area for your decision purposes.

Honestly, the age old answer stands, it depends. Most PhD programs require interviews, but not all. If others are getting interview offers, then I would write to the program coordinator or whoever can help and ask about an update on your application. They can tell you if you are still under review or rejected. That would be the fastest way to piece of mind. Its still December though, so I wouldnt be getting worried just yet.

Hey Emma, I am actually writing advisor in my graduate department. I can help you with your statement, but the link to the file doesnt work. Let me know if you want some feedback.

Hi Everyone, I am a PhD student in biomedical data science and wanted to give you all some food for thought during this stressful time of applications. If you are applying to graduate school, you most likely have never truly failed anything in your life. Yes, a course may have turned out poorly, you were rejected from X school, or your GRE/MCAT didnt turn out as well as you would have liked. But, in reality you have never TRULY failed. This, my friends, should be the most encouraging thought you can have. If you apply to reasonable schools for your profile, YOU WILL GET IN SOMEWHERE. Applying to graduate school is a crap shoot sometimes, but one or many schools will accept you and you will find a great program to go to. When I was applying, I was rejected from most of the "safety" schools I applied for and was accepted to one of the best schools in my field. Like I said, a total crap shoot, but IT WILL WORK OUT. Interviews SHOULD BE FUN. If your interviews aren't fun, you're doing it wrong. Use them as a time for travel, to talk to smart people about topics you're excited about, and to meet dozens of people who share your interests. Laugh, learn, and just have fun. Just remember to stay professional while you do it. The easier you are to interview, the more the interviewer will like you. Have patience, have confidence, and know that you have never truly failed anything in your life. Grad school applications will be no different. You will learn, succeed, and thrive. Merry Christmas and safe travels to your interviews!

I went to a small (< 2750 students) liberal arts school and have degrees in Biology and Biochemistry and am now a PhD student in biomedical data science. Your stats are close to mine, so I have to think it all about how you frame your essay. You need to show you have the technical chops to handle the course work. If you can prove that, then somewhere will definitely let you in.

My step mother is an SLP and went to a state school that is decent but not fancy shiny and she has never been without work. There is a high demand for sure. In a field that doesn't pay heaps and heaps, taking loans that will leave you strapped for years is not that advisable. Here is how I see it: You can either a. Take the fancy one with more debt and get a slightly better first job, but you will spend more time paying off debt and not having freedom from finances. OR b. Go to the better funded school and take a job right after that may be one rung down the career ladder. If you are good at what you do, in a year or two you will be easily qualified for the same job you MAY have been able to take right out of the shiny school, but you are two years closer to paying off your already lower debt. In both scenarios, you would realistically get to the same career level of paid off debt and job title, but the first keeps you strapped for cash longer and the second allows you to enjoy your life sooner in your career. Happiness and financial stability is worth its weight and will help you be better at your job with that stresser gone. I would take "b". Not all those things that shine are made of gold. ;-)

I am starting my PhD in Quantitative Biomedical Science in the fall (Bioinformatics/biostats).

I can answer definitively yes to this. I worked at Stanford for two years with a professor I was very close with. He told me that if there are two candidates who are equal in research and publications, they will always hire the person with the better pedigree because it makes the school look better and helps them be more competitive for nearly everything. Of course, if there is someone who has better research/publications, they will always win because all that REALLY matters is research performance. But all else considered equal, the better name degree wins.

No because they ate no expenses directly related to you gaining education. They ate once removed and just considered spending.

For anyone wondering, BU committee meets on Monday and send intivtes on tuesday.

Has anyone heard anything about the UIC neuroscience program, or been invited for an interview?

I was wondering what the Grad Cafe thought about how many people a school will most likely admit if they are wanting to matriculate 4 people. Do you think that they would most likely admit 8 people? I read somewhere that schools tend to expect about 50% matriculation from those that they admit. Does this seem correct?

Has anyone heard from the University of Minnesota yet?

I would like to ask everyone in this topic, and this forum for that matter, one question. This is not meant to be facetious at all, only reassuring. Its actually something that I ask myself quite often when I am stressed about something. So, lets set the premise: everyone here is applying to graduate school. Mostly PhDs, but definitely a mixture of other things as well. So we all share high aspirations and motivation, and that is what has been pushing us to want to pursue DOCTORAL degrees in our respective fields. When was the last time you failed at anything? Seriously...anything at all? And if you have, what are the lasting repercussions of that failure? I mean actually failed, as in, you were completely and totally unable to do something after trial and error/practice/repetition. Given the people who are here, I would assume that the answer to the above questions(s) is NEVER/NONE. No matter how much work needs to be done, you have always finished it, you have always succeeded with it, and you have moved on to the next greater challenge. The majority of you have > 3.5 GPA, which means your academic average is > 87% perfect. The remaining < 13% has all been what has made you try harder and aspire for more. So I would kindly suggest to breathe, relax, and remember that it is more than likely that you have NEVER failed at anything you have EVER attempted; there is NO reason to believe graduate school will be ANY DIFFERENT. Cheers!