IggAb

Dear Prospective Student, After carefully reviewing this year's applications, we regret to inform you that your application has been DENIED. This should in no way be a negative reflection on your skills and abilities as a student. Rather, we believe that you would be a poor fit in our department, as we currently do not have any professors specializing in the field of FAIL. Enclosed is an application form for the McDONALDS nearest your location, where our committee believes you will be best suited to continue your post-graduate education. Best of luck in all your future endeavors (you'll need it). Sincerely, Dean of Graduate Studies

I'm about to start my PhD in molecular biology (which I love), but if I could do it all over again... these are the "could-have been" careers I sometimes fantasize about: -computer programmer -particle physicist -astronaut -traveling writer -national geographic photographer -elementary school teacher .... I know, an eclectic mix!

An update: Heard back from some grad students, and it seems my POI is an good advisor, if a bit demanding. I also found someone else in the department willing to take me on, so if it doesn't work out, I have a backup. I don't really have any other comparable offers on the table, so I will likely take the plunge and accept the school's offer.

It's OK, I've +'ed it back to zero! Thanks for the advice everyone. I will email her my questions and try to set up a call or something. Here's hoping she's just socially awkward and not a terrible person...

Thanks for the reply SHA! You're right, there are rotations during 1st year and there are a couple of other profs whose research is somewhat close my interests. However, the department is very small and I'm afraid the offer was made with the understanding I would end up with my POI (that's how it seemed during the interview). I'm also worried switching advisors in a small department might cause tension among the faculty.

I got an offer from my top choice, but my interactions with my prof of interest has been quite awkward/strange. Although she is well known in her field and I'm interested in her research, she was quite unenthusiastic during the interview and never stated she was interested in taking me on. I even got the feeling she did NOT want me to attend that school. However, the rest of the department were wonderful and very friendly. I was surprised to get the offer after the interview, but I'm afraid if I accept, I may be stuck with an unenthusiastic/don't care advisor who never wanted me in the first place. I've tried to contact her current grad students for their opinions (they weren't at the interview day), but have no reply for two weeks! My last resort is to contact the prof directly and ask explicitly: "do you want me in your lab?". Should I go ahead with this? I like the grad program there and the school's offer is really a once-in-your-life opportunity (I never expected to even get interviewed). But I don't want to be miserable for 5 years.

I feel the same way, but not so much about the choices but what happens after I commit to one. I feel worse knowing I'm going to grad school than just waiting, and I've been really depressed and anxious lately. What if the program is not right for me after all? Will I be able to get a job afterwards? What if I dislike the city I'm moving to? What if my advisor hates me? What if I really am an Impostor and flunk out??? I feel terrible, even though I know this is a good opportunity and there are others who would kill be in my position...

Aha, as I suspected... from a lit student!

Sounds like one of those "unofficial" interviews with a prof who's interested in your work. As with any interview, be prepared and professional. This may be a prof who can move your application to the next step. Don't worry about the babbling, I think they sort of expect you to be nervous at first. I was babbling for the first 10 minutes of my phone interviews before I settled down

Thanks for the advice everyone. I actually like both schools, and I want to have acceptances from both before I make the big decision. Last year I was only accepted to one school and it turned out not to be a good fit, so I was left with no choice but to decline. That being said, school B does seem to have a better program, so it will probably be my first choice unless something at the interview visit convinces me otherwise. As for your questions, katalytic, in my experience the interviewers like to ask about your past experiences and future interests to determine your "fit". Basically, they want to know if what you want to do is related to their strengths as a department. For these questions, try to "spin" your answers so that you emphasize these aspects when you are discussing your past research/future intended research, even if they are not perfectly in line with what that school does. I have never encountered a "if we give you a spot, will you come here" situation, and I really don't think that's a fair question to ask on their part. I think it is expected for prospective students to apply to more than one school and be given a chance to look at all options. I would be wary of any school that puts you on the spot like that.

I have already had 1 interview and have another coming up in a couple weeks. I am wondering if it is acceptable to mention the other places I applied to during the interview. I know interviewers like to ask "where else have you applied?", but how much detail should I go into? Specifically, my situation is this: at School A, I was interviewed by Professor X who pretty much told me he would accept me into his lab as a grad student. At my upcoming interview at School B, I will likely encounter Profs. Y and Z, who happen to be close colleagues of Prof. X. Should I bring up Prof. X during the interview with Profs. Y and Z? I was thinking it may be a good conversation topic, especially if I am running out of things in common to talk about. I am not particularly interested in working with Profs. Y and Z (their work is too theoretical), but rather with another prof at School B. Hence, I'm not trying to impress them or anything like that (of course I will want them to like me). I'm just wondering if it's OK to bring up Prof. X in the course of conversation. Thanks for any ideas.