Le prospective grad

Thank you that was very helpful!

I had a very hard time choosing between UCLA and UCSD. Since both schools have fantastic research, it really came down to which school I think I would be happier at, since I will be spending the rest of my 20's at grad school. I liked UCLA a lot since it was much more personal of an experience, and I feel like the graduate students there gave off a happier vibe. I also felt that the labs at UCLA are more graduate student driven, and I think that as graduate students we really need the attention of the PI in order to get the necessary training. I think UCSD would be a place that I'd be more interested in when I am looking for post-doc positions.

I went on the weekend of January 23rd, and they emailed me with the decision on Feb 4th.

You can start with the biological sciences rankings from us new and world report. It seems like you applied to only schools ranked in the top 50. When I started applying last fall I had absolutely no idea how I ranked among other students so I applied to a huge spread of schools (that i didn't list below, there were 16 total) just to be safe. The ranking of the schools I applied to ranged from the 70's to the top 20. Given your credentials and background the schools you got interviews at were probably reaches for you. I think you should find a school at the tier that you would be interested in, and try to work 2 yrs there as a research tech. That would significantly boost your chances at those schools if you would not be satisfied applying to schools outside of the top 50.

Does anyone have any information about Keystone/Mentone, Venice/Barry, or Rose Avenue apartments? How are they compared to Weyburn and Hilgard?

I'm not too worried about it since I will most likely only live in the graduate housing for the first year. Afterwards I will probably move out once I've had time to actually look around for better deals. Then again I don't have the burden of student loan debt or car payments so I'm okay with only saving a bit over the course of graduate school.

I had many PI's that I was interested in at both schools, so I knew i couldn't really make a wrong decision in terms of research fit and resources. It really came down to which school I think I would be happier at, since I will be spending the rest of my 20's at grad school. I enjoyed my visit to UCLA a bit more, since it was much more personal, and I feel like the graduate students there gave off a happier vibe. I also felt that the labs at UCLA are more graduate student driven, and I think that as graduate students we really need the attention of the PI in order to get the necessary training. I think UCSD would be a place that I'd be more interested in when I am looking for post-doc positions.

I've finally made my decision to go to UCLA's Molecular Biology IDP program (BBSB home area)! Anyone else also decided to go to UCLA?

I went to the BMS interview weekend first week of February, and the first interview is basically you having a one on one lunch/interview with your faculty host. This was the most unique interview weekend of all the schools I've visited, and it is a very enjoyable experience. They take you to their restaurant of choice, so some people stayed on campus while others went elsewhere. My faculty host actually has his lab at Sanford-Burnham research institute so he drove me to that building and we had lunch at their cafeteria. It was very informal so you probably dont' have to worry about it much!

Got accepted to UCLA molecular biology IDP, UCSD BMD, Northwestern IBis, and University of Michigan PIBS, all in one week! It's been quite a journey!