BiochemMom

Here's my question. Night out on the town with current students, heavily emphasized that it's optional. It's not really optional is it? I'm worried if I don't go they'll think I'm antisocial or something. Edit: On Friday night, dinner with faculty and students. Then return to hotel and head out with current students at 10pm. The 10pm (I'm assuming bar) outing is the optional part.

My most important factors are very different than a more traditional student. In order prior to applying: Location--must be within an hour and a half of either my family or my husband's family. After doing undergrad and an MS without anyone we knew around, and wanting more children which will have to happen during the phd program due to my age, we need the support of family as backup childcare. Location--must be within thirty minutes of a branch of my husbands company so he can transfer his job to a new location same job/benefits Location--must have a private Montessori school for my daughter Research--must have X-ray crystallography equipment and / or protein structure labs that utilize NMR for structural elucidation Funding--my current school is very short on funding and the limits on graduating on time simply due to lack of money is not something I want to deal with again (Thankfully both our families are in metropolitan areas with a vast array of schools in the top 100 for my field) Those were factors for where to apply. Since I only applied to schools that fit that criteria, my factors for deciding in order are: Lab and school culture--will my PI be okay with me needing to leave if my kid gets sick and okay with me coming in super early (4-5 am) to leave by four thirty - five instead of what a lot of people do which is roll in around noon and work til 8 (at least in the phd program at my current school that's what everyone does)? Is the school environment supportive of families? Will I lose stipend if I take six week maternity leave later into the program? Research--how many potential PIs would I have? For example: At Ga Tech there are only two I would want to work for. At UNC Chapel hill, I can list 12 of the top of my head. And that's about it for me.

Curious as to whether anyone else here will be interviewing at UNC for BBSP next weekend. I'm excited for it!

I did. I only had contact because my theis advisor (currently ms student) submitted a letter through the wrong link--when I started the app the website was undergoing maintenance and after a week it came back so I switched and used the pre app but he sent the letter through the initial link to the unsubmitted paid app on accident. Anyway after it got sorted, the dept secretary let me know. I doubt I would've been contacted otherwise.

You could also consider that you could post doc in the field where you want to go. Not sure about neuroscience specifically, but post docs are generally to diversify your research skills and cross train in related fields (for example my PI did his phd on computational protein structure and his post doc on nmr for native protein structure analysis...and I'm aiming for X-ray crystallography protein structure work for phd research and nmr, Raman, and maybe mass spec for post doc) I'd personally take the offer in hand now. It takes long enough to get through a phd without intentionally taking a year off if you had an acceptance--plus you chose to apply there so there must be something that drew you to the program. I vote go for what you have now instead of risking the maybe in the future.

I applied to UNC through BBSP umbrella for biochem or chem and my interview is next week and all interviews have been scheduled (for bbsp not sure if you applied directly to chemistry about that) And Ga Tech sent me this email today: Your application is complete and under review. Offers will be made between now and the 3rd week of March. You will be contacted by email when a decision is reached.

If you really want to compare, look at cost of living. I.e. A 35k stipend in San Diego (or insert any HCOL area) is not going to stretch near as much as say a 25k stipend in Nebraska or somewhere with a LCOL.

I know GA Tech tends to send out notices beginning February all the way through March. I have several friends in that program and none were waitlisted and all received notices in that range. The latest I personally know was 2nd week of March but that doesn't necessarily mean that's the last week obviously.

I get you crucial Bbq. We have to sell our house, put in a transfer for my husbands job, transfer my daughter to a new school system, find a place to live, and apparently we'll have three months to do all this since admissions decisions aren't made very quickly. I'm borderline hyperventilating at this point and I've spent more money paying deposits on a private school for my daughter in every city we may move to than I did on applying. Sigh.

I'm interviewing with UNC Chapel Hill and I had to submit twelve people I'd like to meet with and I will interview with 5-6 of them according to the coordinator.

I'm currently an MS Chemistry student and graduate this May (and I defended last week and was already approved for graduation). I dreamed the director of my department called me in for a meeting and my entire thesis committee was there along with the director and co director of the department. The director told me he'd heard I was rejected from all of the PhD programs to which I applied and that they had decided my thesis defense was strong enough to get a PhD instead of an MS but only under the condition I convince the medical school to buy the department a 900 MHz NMR with a cryocore. I broke down crying because there is no way the med school would buy our department that NMR.