ghostoverground

We got in touch thanks!

This is nice to know. A few of my schools have umbrella programs, but I applied to their specific programs.
 
I wonder if funding has anything to do with it? A well-funded program can afford to fly more people out, at the very least. Whether they actually do this is unknown to me. 
I've heard that some people ask the program directly (usually following an invitation to interview) what percentage of interviewees is usually accepted. But I've also heard countless times that the key to an interview is to not screw up in some way. Surely this can't account for everyone who gets rejected after an interview, though, so I'll just keep wondering...
 
If anyone has any info about the schools that I'm interviewing at, I would really appreciate it.

Congrats to everyone on interviews!
 
I have a question along the same lines as things that have been asked before, so apologies for bringing this up again. Based on the results search, it seems like there are a bunch of programs that don't send out interview invitations until January, for interview weekends as early as mid February. How am I supposed to balance this with programs that have already invited me to interview weekends in February (and require a response soon)? If I get invitations in January, they are bound to conflict, but I feel helpless to do anything about it since I need to inform these other schools long before the January invitations go out. 
 
Does anyone have advice for dealing with this? I presume I'm just going to have to live with the fact that I'll probably have conflicts if I get invitations in January, but it just feels like a really awkward position to put us in when some schools notify a full month before others. 

Don't worry too much about grades. I found that the highest-achieving students who came straight from undergrad (especially those who were used to As and 4.0s) had the most trouble. Grades in a PhD program really don't matter as much as your rotations/lab work. I personally found grad school MUCH easier class-wise than my undergrad (but my undergrad was insane and I had pretty much already given up on ever achieving straight As. 97.5% and above an A? Come on guys...anyway...) but regardless of how easy the classes are, sometimes you just won't have enough time to study as much as you'd like...and that's OKAY. 
 
Seriously...this caused the most nervous breakdowns and ultimately didn't matter. 
 
Secondly, for those going to do bench work, there will be a learning curve when it comes to doing it full time. This was the second most common pitfall I saw. A year off prepares you for largely unstructured time in a lab where you have to schedule your own time/projects 24/7 in a way that undergrad doesn't. Summer programs where you do lab full-time are some preparation but that year off still helps. 
 
So many people had existential crises because they didn't take to lab like a fish to water. "Imposter Syndrome" seemed more prevalent in straight-from-undergrads. Just take deep breaths and work through it, you're here to learn in lab as well as class. Take lots of notes, ask lots of questions and do your best and your rotations should go fine. 
 
I'm not sure how different that would be for a computational program...but I think the same general themes still apply:
 
-Research > Grades  (Make sure you pass, but don't look at Non-As as failures)
-Be cautious and intentional with your time management 
-Don't sweat the fact that you don't know everything yet. You're not supposed to. 

Here is my bit of advice, it's a job and you should treat it as such. Try to spend at least 8 hours each day on campus. You are likely to have to spend more time at home as well. While on campus your first priority is research. If this means you get lower grades so be it, just don't drop below the minimum. It is far more valuable to establish a good relationship with a PI than to get an A instead of a B+. Although, it is perfectly acceptable to be working on homework or studying while you're doing something like running a gel.
 
Also, you can take time off, with a word of caution. Do not take as much time off as undergrads. If the campus isn't closed you should expect that the lab is open and people will be working. That said, if the PI is away, the campus is closed, and there are no techs or other grad students then there's no need to show up.