Midwest_newbie

Another update: joined the lab!!! 

Another update: joined the lab!!! 

Another update: joined the lab!!! 

Another update: joined the lab!!! 

Wow. I don't think I could keep my mouth shut if I heard that. Or I'd just walk out immediately.

Another update: joined the lab!!! 

Thanks for all the comments. 
Just to update: I found a lab to rotate in and it is going great!! It's a lot of awesome signaling heavy stuff which is exactly what I wanted! 

Thanks for all the comments. 
Just to update: I found a lab to rotate in and it is going great!! It's a lot of awesome signaling heavy stuff which is exactly what I wanted! 

Also, their website was garbage when I was there and it doesn't appear to have changed any at all.

Hi, I used to work there but not in the immunology department. I will say that BCM culture of the school/department was not a place I enjoyed working (my department was great but the other departments I interacted with had some really bad, sometimes unethical things occurring, from individual PIs or researchers). The work they do is amazing but individuals who work there don't seem to be very happy (probably because pay is total sh*t except for the lucky few). I left a few years ago (to go to grad school elsewhere) and they were talking about changing up some things, so I can't really comment on the current program (sorry). I do know other prospective students who interviewed there and were turned off by the departmental culture. 

The work they do there is interesting and good, but I also know a few grad students that are taking an extra year or two to finish than they originally anticipated, and I THINK that may be due to their individual PI's (not the department) but I'm not really sure. 

I don't think there's any kind of teaching requirement either (maybe there is now??) but if you are interested in teaching that is something to be aware of. There are a lot of universities nearby though so you may be able to set up some kind of teaching arrangement through them (I know of a postdoc who did this, but not about any grad students). 

Thanks for all the comments. 
Just to update: I found a lab to rotate in and it is going great!! It's a lot of awesome signaling heavy stuff which is exactly what I wanted! 

Hi, 
 
As part of the preparation for my first year of graduate school, I recently came across the book of Robert L. Peters on Amazon titled 'Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning A Master's or Ph.D'. I read the introductory part of the book and I discovered that it is a must read for prospective graduate students. However, It will be difficult for me to purchase the book at the moment due to some stringent financial constraints. For those who have read the book or have a PDF copy of the book, can you please assist me by forwarding the book to my e-mail (REDACTED). Thanks in advance  

I would hope prospective graduate students would be more understanding of copyright law. Locking this thread.

I had a similar feeling when I transferred from community college to my undergrad university. I was an A student in community college, but I was worried that I didn't really belong at a top university and that I would perform poorly. Admittedly, I struggled to adjust at first but I eventually realized that I was at or near the same academic level as most of my classmates. I believe in the idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you are inferior you will perform at an inferior level, but if you believe you belong at your school you will live up to your true potential. 
 
I think you will settle in nicely and eventually find your academic groove in grad school. 
 
Best of luck! 

I think the important thing to keep in mind is that you would never be admitted if you did not have a very good chance of succeeding in a program. No matter how crappy you feel about yourself, at some point someone has recognised your potential, even if you may not have recognised it yourself.

We all want in grad school and we want to save our own hide first.  Is that such a bad thing?

I think you need to keep asking for specific feedback from programs and contact people to know why you weren't accepted. I don't know if you did this last year, but as others have said, if you didn't get accepted anywhere after 6 interviews, then there must be some sort of red flag, either in your general application or in the manner you came across to interviewers/others.

I agree with this point. Every single interview I went to had at least one interviewer who had not read my application before they met me. I assume this was done on purpose (not b/c the professor was too lazy) but after you get to the interview, no one cares about your paper stats, but rather who you are as a person and your passion/enthusiasm for not only being AT the school you're interviewing at, but also for the field in general.
 
Addressing acetycholine directly, I remember a thread earlier in the season where you rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and from that thread I formed an impression that you're very self-centered. Your first impression to the people you interviewed with may have come across in a negative light and it could be something to work on. As someone recommended earlier in the thread, it may be a good idea to schedule a mock interview with someone you don't know personally and get feedback from them. If you've been through 6 interviews and haven't gotten a single acceptance, then there is something about the interview that rubbed adcoms the wrong way.

Honestly, if you will be paying for these classes either way, then if go for a masters instead, even if you have to do it at a low ranked school because of bad undergrad transcripts.