ghostoverground

Hi all,
 
I'm having a very hard time choosing between 2 graduate schools at the moment and I was hoping for some input. I recognize that this is a question that every person will have a different answer to but I'm still interested in hearing people's opinions.
 
What factors would you say are most important when selecting a graduates school?
 
*Name/prestige
*Number of labs I am interested in at the school
*How established the graduate program is (i.e. how old it is/whether it has worked out all of its kinks)
*Preference for location of the graduate school
*Financial circumstances (i.e. stipend, cost of living in the area, extra financial perks, etc.)
 
Both of the institutions that I am interested in are well-known. However, one is more well-known/prestigious overall, whereas the other is more well-known in regards to cancer research specifically. The latter is also a newer graduate program so less well-known/established. However, I think I MAY be interested in more labs at the newer institution. But I wonder whether mentoring would be better at the more established graduate program? I also prefer the location of the newer institution...I'm all over the place! 
 
What are people's thoughts?

First admit! What a relief!

Since Santa Cruz is in a housing crisis right now, I've heard from many locals that the only way to find decent housing is to know people personally. Try visiting the area, ask your friends if they have friends there, and get in contact with student groups that you have interest in.

You can use Craigslist and other online postings, but I've heard that each Craigslist post gets tons and tons of responses, so it's rare to be the one they pick if you don't have connections.

Just make sure you're writing detailed emails to craigslist ads to show how you're a great applicant and make you competitive. This is true if you're trying to find housing anywhere, but especially when housing is scarce, sending a one line "hey can I move in thx" email won't cut it.

I offically accepted my offer from MIT. It's such a big relief to know where I'll be for the next few years. Best of luck to everyone else. Are any of my future classmates here?

I feel like it shouldn't be among the most influential of things, but I'm going to attempt to pay off a chunk of my unsubsidized student loan debt each year so it mattered to me.
 
First, this got me nervous: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj6978-102a even though the stipends mentioned in the article feel lower than than any I've heard of (except the ecology stipends are believable)
 
I used this extensively http://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/ to compare stipends, as well as other stuff (air quality, crime, stuff). There are a lot of calculators out there but I found this one to be the most comprehensive.
 
And this is also a good tool, but it didn't tell me much (other than that all of my stipends were above the "living wage"): http://livingwage.mit.edu/
For Los Angeles county, it says that a "living wage" is $23640 (before taxes), but that's based on an average $943 monthly rent. 

You've just inspired me to start that unpleasant process haha. I'm 99% sure my decision will be between two schools so might as well start, right?

Just began declining offers, this is so hard. I know the schools are used to it, but I still feel awful having to do it (especially when I have to do personal emails) 

EEEEEEE! First acceptance! I'm going to get a phd!

As an alternative PSA, I'd encourage people with multiple offers to be patient, make sure the full offer is in, and don't rush deciding where your best fit for the next 5-7 years of your life will be.

Well I can see why you haven't been accepted anywhere...

eteshoe, at least turn down SOME of those acceptances.  It's not polite to hold onto so many when others might want in.

I think its a bit selfish to suggest this. Considering they worked just as hard as anyone else to get those acceptances, they should have the time they need. 

It's hard to turn down an offer before weighing every option, and it's too early for a lot of people. Many programs have not even made funding decisions yet. Choosing a graduate program is a huge decision and I think it's fair for someone to take as much time as necessary deciding.

Programs are used to having people decline (even really good ones with amazing funding packages). Just tell them that you appreciate their offer, but you won't be accepting it. You can give more details about why, but you shouldn't feel obligated to do so. A polite, short email is fine. 

I agree with this in general, but most of the time I was specifically asked if I have any questions about the program, much more often than I was asked if I "have any questions" in general (which could mean about the professor's research, etc.). In this case, I think it's important to have a few questions in mind, because it's often hard to produce these kinds of questions on the spot with the pressure of the interview, and you run the risk of looking unprepared or uninterested in the program if you don't have anything to ask.

This wasn't my experience either (I've had 2 official interviews so far, plus a post-acceptance visit). 
 
Most started with "tell me about yourself," or asking some question about my background. I talked for a couple of minutes about my education and research experiences, and then I found that it went in a few directions.
 
Some professors went straight into talking about their research. But, when this happened, I didn't really feel like I had the opportunity to ask them questions about their research, as some people have said--the way they were talking, it would have felt like I was interrupting. I mostly just nodded or said other small things to show I was listening or that I understood, or maybe asked a tiny question about something small. Maybe this was just me being overly worried about interrupting and I actually should have been asking more insightful questions, but it didn't feel like that was what they wanted to me.
 
After that, or sometimes first thing, some professors just asked if I had any questions. Depending on the interview, I asked them to tell me about their research if they hadn't already, or I asked them questions about the programs. Mine were mostly along the lines of, "What drew you to University X?"  "Does everyone get along/does it feel collaborative or competitive?" "Do your graduates tend to go into academia, industry, government, or a mix?" ....But I really like some of the questions people have posted here, about mentoring philosophy, etc. If it was a professor I was interested in potentially working with, I sometimes asked about the structure of their lab--numbers of postdocs to grad students to techs, how new students learn or are mentored (from more senior grad students? post docs? research techs? the professor directly? just on their own?)-- and what their current projects were. Since I'm at a small liberal arts college, I asked about that background--if it was common, if they thought I'd be at a disadvantage, etc. I definitely got asked if I had any questions about the program more times than I can count. I was also asked what my specific research interests are--that was a big one, since they are slightly different from my current research. That sometimes led into a conversation about that field in general.
 
Some of my interviews were way more informal than this. I've had a few that mostly consisted of a casual chat about the state of the field or how exciting things are right now. I also had a fair amount of professors trying to "sell" me the program, even at schools that were a pre-acceptance interview. 
 
Other questions I've thought about asking but haven't had the chance to are things like, is the program expanding/shrinking/stable, what is the stability of the faculty (many retiring soon or many in a temporary position?). 
 
One more thing: I actually didn't even have time to prepare for my most recent interview--all I did was skim the websites of one or two of my interviewers, and the rest I didn't even really read at all, and this turned out to be totally fine. I have no idea if I just got lucky or seemed more knowledgeable than I am, or what. But most professors just talked about their research without asking me anything about it, and they started from a place that seemed to assume I was unfamiliar with it. I haven't had an interviewer yet that felt like they assumed or expected that I knew something about their research. I'm curious if anyone else has had this experience. 

It's one thing to be nervous (understandably) for your first interview but don't put yourself down like that - if you were invited then the department decided that are a qualified potential student. The interview process is just to help them decide whether you are a good fit. You cannot tell whether you are a less "qualified" applicant based solely on your scholastic aptitude, at this level your research experience and potential will be better indicators of your ability to succeed in the program. It's good to have a backup but until you have a confirmed rejection - don't start putting yourself down. Good luck this application season. 

I often read this thread for some amusement (I probably shouldn't, have to have a program up and running by tomorrow), but I have a general comment: if you are playing a game of inches you are stressing out too much.  Don't change who you are just to try and get into a graduate program. If a thank you note stops you from getting into graduate school, you aren't missing anything from that program. I know thats easy to say from the inside looking out, and much harder to feel that way from the outside looking in. 
 
Remember, PI's are human. Graduate coordinators are human. Heads of departments are human. They have personalities they like, and don't like, but its hard to know what those are. Its important to be yourself no matter what, because gaming your way into a program could set you up for failure, which will have far more consequences for your life than simply being rejected from a program or two (or all). Failing in graduate school is often the kiss of death for your academic career. 
 
TLDR: Be yourself, get into the program that is right for you, not the other way around. 

I actually just came back from the first Columbia CMBS interview weekend! They have another interview weekend in about two weeks during Jan 29-Feb 1. They told us that they would notify us of our acceptance or rejection in about two weeks from our interview date and that we should let them know as soon as possible whether we will be attending Columbia or not so that they can give our spots to other applicants who have been interviewed. In your case, there is still hope as they told us that there were two main interview weekends and possibly other smaller interviews depending on what their interviewees decide to do but no exact dates. They also told us that about 50% of the people that are interviewed will be accepted and there were about 47 applicants in this interview weekend. They expected about 80 interviewees for the next weekend since it will be a combination of CMBS and the other Columbia programs. In my opinion, people that receive interview invites should definitely try to make the first interview weekend as it appears that a smaller pool of interviewees will be present during that weekend and it will allow you to stand out and get to know the admissions people, faculty, and graduate students more intimately.
 
 
Regarding the other questions about interview attire, drinking, socializing etc.. I will give you guys my perspective of what I experienced during the interview. I wore a full suit with a tie because I like having an excuse to dress fancy   but in general the majority of the male applicants did not wear ties and only had slacks and buttoned up shirts. There were maybe three other people with suits on but it was not the norm. My advice is wear slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie as it is better to look presentable than sloppy. You can always take the tie off if you see that other applicants aren't wearing one and it makes you uncomfortable but plan ahead and adapt to the situation. I have my Baylor interview this week and the letter they sent us said to dress at our own discretion and they suggested no jeans for the Thursday dinner and interviews which means slacks, dress shirt, and maybe tie! The rest of the events say to dress comfortably so it is fine to wear jeans. For my Columbia weekend I only dressed up for my interviews and the dinner the day of the interviews, the other time I was covered in layers as New York was freezing those days!
 
I am not a big drinker but the majority of the events had alcohol so I said what the heck and joined in on the fun . After our Friday dinner they took us to a bar and the majority of the applicants came for about 1 hour and then the majority left. Two other applicants and I stayed with the graduate students until about 3 am and they joked around that since we were the last ones standing that we were admitted... who knows if this will turn out to be true, but I do know that it was to my benefit to talk with the graduate students about their rotations, faculty, the research environment, etc... it shows interest and the graduate students remember you the next day and sorta make you one of their own. Drink a lot of water if you are going to be drinking so you don't regret it the next morning during brunch like I did
 
For those of you that will be exhausted after your interviews take a quick power nap since there will probably be time between your interviews and dinner. You will need this extra energy for the activities after dinner and I highly recommend that you attend these events. If you are sorta antisocial just try to ask about the research of the graduate students as there is probably someone there that is doing what you are interested in and conversation will naturally follow with this interest. The graduate students, if they are doing a good job, will ask you about your interviews and what you think about the school. This is your time to clear any doubts or get answers to any lingering questions you might have. Remember you got to the interview stage so at this point they are trying to woo you.
 
My last observation is directed more towards the behavior of the interviewees. They come in all forms from shy to outgoing and a critical moment in this whole experience is when you are all gathered in the hotel lobby just before your interviews. I would advice to be there early before the meeting time and get to know the other interviewees as they come one by one, a simple hi is enough to start the conversation. Its hard to break the ice, and if you are the one who is being active and engaged in this role, then you are more than likely to find other interviewees that interest you. I recommend that you interact with other people because by Saturday a lot of the other applicants have already formed groups that they are comfortable with and they will usually stick together. I saw a couple of people who were sort of ostracized and i'm almost sure they did not enjoy the experience as well as the other applicants. If you are one of those shy people, then I would recommend you interact with the other shy people as you already have a mutual trait that will allow you to bond together. The important part of this whole experience is to have fun and to interact with as many people as possible since these will be your future colleagues  
 
Oops I lied one more thing! The majority of the interviewees had already graduated from their undergrad and were lab techs. I was one of those few that were still in undergrad so definitely your research experience plays a huge role in these graduate school applications!

Wear the suit!  I wore a suit for mine (I'm a woman). I wore reasonable heels, I treated it like a job interview.  I neve felt out of place.  When I wanted to be a bit more casual during the day (lunch with students etc) I would take my coat off and just wear the blouse with pants and heels.  I loved it and I wore it to all my interviews and thought nothing of it.  It is totally ok and there will be others dressed like that as well. 
 
For non-interview days I would wear a nice pair of pants (not jeans or khakis but a cotton or blend) and a sweater or blouse (sometimes an oxford under a sweater)...more business casual if you will.  If it was a social gathering and/or just a grad student thing I would wear jeans and a nice sweater with boots. 
 
Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and screw the people who say don't wear a suit, most of them have no idea what they are talking about.  Even if you are interviewing for a job and the president of the united states is wearing a sweatsuit does that mean you should wear a sweat suit to the interview?  No...you wear the clothes that you want a job for and you always dress up (thats my opinion).  Grad school is a relaxed world when you are a student but it doesn't mean being a slob is to be expected.
 
As a matter of fact I can tell you in my program the faculty are fairly casual in everyday wear (as most programs are) but when they were trying to woo some faculty to come, they all got dressed up and a lot more suits were being worn.  Just saying...

I wondered about this when scoping out faculty at the beginning of this process. Would you think that MD/PhDs who are faculty would be even more likely to have prioritized research over clinical work? At the time, I tended to think they would be even busier people than the average busy faculty member because I assumed they all balanced both jobs.
 
Totally unrelated PS: Anyone and everyone, take this waste-of-time "What kind of protein are you?" quiz, just because:
http://www.cellsignal.com/contents/resources/what-kind-of-protein-are-you/protein-personality-quiz
Also, it can waste even more of your anxiety-laden time if you treat it like a puzzle by taking it additional times and trying to work out what answers would correspond to each possible result.

womp womp Rockefeller rejection
 
at this point my interview list is finalized. best of luck for everyone still waiting on interview invites! 
 
Has anyone had any interviews yet? Slash any tips on what to expect or questions they might throw at us? 

Take an updated transcript when you go to your interview weekend. Beyond that I wouldn't worry unless you're directly asked by admissions.

Nah. If programs 'expect' applicants to send an updated version, they should say so explicitly. Of all the schools I applied to only Yale mentions an updated transcript, and they makes it very clear that even such a version is completely optional. I just came back from an interview and nobody mentioned grades or transcripts at all.

No worries, looking at results from previous years they are kind of late in sending out interview notifications. 
 
Congrats on all your interviews! Looks like you have a busy couple of months ahead.