velli

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.

Go for it if you're 100% sure your opinion of the other programs won't change. Is there any reason you have to accept the offer early? You could always wait and see with your last few interviews. If you accept the offer, you should probably decline the other interviews.

If you're sure that research is for you, you should apply anyway. The only reason to actively decide to take a gap year is if you need to figure things out for yourself; otherwise, it's a backup plan in the case that you aren't admitted to a program (that you like, I guess, since you're looking for prestige). I applied this cycle with the mindset that I'd throw stuff at the wall and see what happened (I applied to seven programs and one postbacc research position). I think I'm one year removed from a similar position to yours -- this time last year, I had strong academics but a lacking science background. My science research thus far is entirely contained in one REU last summer and I have a pure math and premed background otherwise. (To make a long story short, I attend a rigorous institution where it's rather difficult to join a lab while enrolling in a full undergraduate course load.) Here is my advice, mostly addressing your point that you're strong academically. My academics are the highlights of my applications (3.94 GPA, 170/170/4.5 GRE, 42 MCAT). I'm also a good writer and I know I have three good letters (two of which contributed to my previous REU applications and the third actually mentioned during one of my interviews), so I was able to communicate my intentions and qualifications very clearly. If you know faculty that can write strong letters for your case and you know that research is what you want to do, you will be a successful applicant. Get help with your writing if that's not your forte. I think if you're super concerned with prestige, you already know/have the numbers you need. You should apply to your top choices (no safeties) and also consider postbacc/gap year programs as alternates in case you need to reapply. This is probably irresponsible advice, but if you don't want to settle for anything other than a top 10 school, that's what you should do.

You have less to worry about if it's not your interviews that are bothering you. The program director wasn't the only person evaluating you, and at the end of the day, one ambivalent review for your case (that doesn't even really matter) shouldn't break your application. A good research match going forward is probably the most important thing here. If your potential advisors and classmates liked you, you're fine. It gets easier to just go with the flow when you realize that getting rejected means there's something major you need to fix (or can't fix). You're not getting rejected for something that minor. Not to be a negative Nancy, but if you get rejected, there's a much bigger problem at play. Good luck though. Hope it turns out well.

If you had a great time, your interviewers and hosts probably saw that and contributed to it. Unless you interviewed for a program known for a low post-interview admission rate, you should be fine. Edit: I actually just got invited to join a program (Duke biochem) for which I interviewed very poorly, mostly because I was paired with several interviewers whose interests were entirely different from mine. I didn't have a good time at all, but I guess I'm a nice person or something. Take that for what you will, but I guess it's possible to be admitted even with bad interviews. You're probably a shoe-in if you felt good about yours.

I will be going into biophysics with almost no physics or biology background (mostly pure math, with computational biology/bioinformatics research). I think you'll be absolutely fine going from biology to neuroscience (an infinitely more "traditional" transition). You have (former) PI's who have suggested that you look into grad school. Without knowing you at all, I would think you got some great recommendations. I highly doubt a PI would encourage you to look into PhD programs if s/he didn't think you could succeed in one. Maybe you're selling yourself (hey, it's the internet after all, right?), but you look like you're the complete package with one gaping hole that is your GPA (two holes if you count the fact that you're a big meanie and would probably blow all of your interviews). If you get a 4.0 in a masters program, you'd be an exceptional applicant. Based on your academic record so far, you should be realistic about the grades you'll be able to manage in a masters program. If you're not going to be able to get a masters GPA that can reassure graduate programs that you'll pass all of your courses, you shouldn't bother. That being said, your GPA is a major red flag even for masters programs. If this is your dream, you're going to have to pay for it (you're not going to get any grants with that GPA).

Thanks for your input. I talked to my current PI as well, and he said that he prefers that prospective students withdraw their applications (at any point in the process) if they don't have the intention to enroll.

Hi. Sorry to sidetrack the current conversation. I have a question about interview etiquette, however. Is it bad form to cancel an interview if I've been accepted to my top choice? I applied to a short list of schools and I know the programs very well through various REUs, meetings with faculty members and recruitment events prior to this application cycle. My first interviews are with my top choice programs, and I would want to pass on interviews with schools that I don't like as much if accepted to one of my top choices. I feel like I would be wasting their time if I were to follow through with the interviews, but they've already paid for my flights and I would feel bad about canceling. My moral compass says that I should follow through, but I can't rationalize that decision logically or financially, especially I can't quite afford all of the days I will have to take off to attend the interviews (I need to make rent T_T). I accepted each of the interview invitations as they came in because I was oblivious as to how everything would turn out. I know this is a really good problem to have, but I just wanted to ask the advice of other seasoned interviewees who have gone through similar circumstances. Thanks in advance.

You should do whatever you would do in a normal social context. If it was harmless fun and you're just embarassed, I'm sure everyone understands whether or not you write to apologize. Interviews are stressful. If you did something that's actually worth apologizing over, you should probably write the email. Alternatively, if you're super shy, you can cut your losses and pretend that was a school you wouldn't have gone to anyway. Take my last suggestion with several kilograms of salt.

It's also not always about how much research experience you've had. If you have an interest in the research that is not accessible at your home institution, an REU might be a good fit for you. If you have a compelling reason for applying for the REU, such as a strong interest in some of the research going on as part of the program, you shouldn't have to worry about the school you'll be coming from. You should also understand that selecting students for REUs involves much more than "extending research opportunities to students who wouldn't otherwise have access to them." If you can make a compelling case as to how an REU will help you grow as a scientist, other than providing another prestigious bullet point on your CV, you will have a good shot. Your past experiences in research will not hurt you. Having some experience provides evidence that you will be a strong candidate and likely to succeed in the program. You will have better letters of recommendation and more reasonable expectations that will make your essays much stronger. If anything, it's much harder to express your interest in research and clearly convey a good sense of what you hope gain from the REU as a student coming from a small college at which you have little to no access to research. As GeoDUDE! mentioned above, if you take a closer look at most REUs, students from strong research institutions are actually disproportionately represented in REU programs for many of the reasons mentioned above. The exceptions are programs specifically targeting underrepresented groups. However, you should be able to count those on one hand and they are often exceedingly clear about their interests in students from community college or non-research institutions. A student in your position is perfect for an REU, given a good fit with the programs to which you are applying. You are not at a disadvantage.

Some schools will ask you to bring your official transcripts. You can check with each program about that. If someone is interested in your CV and publications, you can always offer them via email. I don't believe anyone will want them in paper form during your interview.

It's hard to get into any program if your whole heart isn't into research. It's tough to write a strong statement of purpose and interview well if you're not convinced that you want to be a researcher. If you make a strong enough case for why you should pursue a PhD to be invited for interviews and get admitted, you might well reconsider your career goals. And of course if you're able to do so successfully without sincerity, your challenge will be finishing the PhD. Getting a PhD isn't a backup plan. If you're truly interested in doing both, you should look at MD/PhD programs or do some soul searching before committing yourself to a reasonably large chunk of your life in medicine or in research (or both). (Rhetorical "you" -- I'm not addressing you, Catria, in particular.)

I believe interviews went out before Christmas. The only way to get a definitive decision is to email the program.

Email the program administrator for that home program. The general bioscience email seems to give automated responses. Here's the link to the page with all of the contact info. http://biosciences.stanford.edu/contact/home-programs.html I'm in the same boat and it's not fun. ):

@nutellarain: I emailed and got a similar response with no acknowledgement of my home program. I did some more reading and I found that if you applied for more than one home program, all of the home programs you applied to get together to discuss your application and which home program you belong to. That might be a reason why some people have already been invited for interviews while others may have to wait a while longer.

They're likely not done. I had a friend just get an invite for biology.

I know some programs will start reviewing applications after the priority deadline and transition to rolling admissions until the official deadline. I don't know about yours in particular, but I wouldn't ask until a good while after the official deadline.

Someone posted that interview status for UCSF's iPQB is up on the application site. Mine was there as well.

Nice! Looks like you were freaking out over nothing. I wonder how late they're planning to go tonight. It looks like they've gone through less than half of the home programs.

Don't worry about it. They review your application based on your unofficial transcript anyway. I submitted my official transcript and my application status is also listed incomplete for the same reason.

@bsharpe: I think Stanford only offers one interview weekend (according to their website, anyway). From what I've heard, Stanford's interview process is more rigorous, so if I hear good news from Stanford, I'll be trying to reschedule the JHU interview. Unfortunately, that's not exactly good advice. I hope the (re)scheduling works out for you.

Congrats, bsharpe! You might want to hold off on committing to the interview immediately though -- Stanford's interview weekend overlaps with JHU's. Also, for anyone wondering about UCSF's iPQB program, interview invitations won't be out until next week.