Ferroportin

I'm hoping for an invite from Stanford and UCLA but their dates fall on the March and Feb dates respectively...so I have to either drop TSRI, Stanford, or UCLA. I'll probably just bite the bullet and go for the Feb date and hope I get a Stanford interview in March...

For those that received TSRI invites to the California campus, have you already committed to an interview date? I'm hesitant since one of the dates overlaps with Stanford and we probably won't hear back until the deadline...

In the same boat. I emailed the program coordinator and she said that they keep a running list of students interested in Skype interviews. She'll contact everyone on the list if/when the adcom decides to allow for Skype interviews. So here's to hoping there's enough of us with scheduling conflicts!

Got an interview for Scripps via email! But both interview dates are conflicting

Just got an interview invite for UCI CMB but both their interview dates conflict with other schools I've already committed to... Has anyone had to deal with this before and what options do I have? Is it appropriate to ask for yet another date or maybe a Skype interview? Or do I just have to turn the interview invite down entirely?

The invite I got was via a phone call from a POI. He said that the official email invite won't go out until early January but was just calling to give some good news before the holidays. I'm sure they didn't call every invited applicant otherwise they might as well have just sent the email instead. I wouldn't worry about it until January rolls around.

Glad someone brought this up...I was staring at my calendar last night and realized that I won't have a free weekend for 6+ weeks...

I got a phone call for UC Berkeley from a POI. He said the email invitations won't go out until Jan, but the dates are Jan 31-Feb 2 and Feb 21-23. UCSD Biological was an email. Their dates are Jan 29-30 and Feb 9-10.

Congrats!! I just got UCSD Biological sciences too! For UC Berkeley I'll probably do the first January weekend since UCLA will fall on Feb 19th (if I do ever hear back from them...)

Just got a phone call to interview with UC Berkeley MCB!

Thanks! Tissue/Organ Biology and Endocrinology was my 1st choice track

Just got an email invite for UCSF BMS!

@pcc2129 I applied with Physiology as my primary and Endocrinology as my secondary.

Also this 'waiting for interview phone calls' process has made me immensely more annoyed at telemarketers and phone surveys....

I think they just probably got confused. UCSD offers two separate programs: a Biomedical Sciences (BMS) program as well as a Biological Sciences program.

I think you have a decent shot at getting interviews at most of your schools. I applied to many of the same schools as you did with a higher GPA/GRE but your UG research experience seems much better than mine is (which I think weighs pretty heavily). I think you probably won't run into much trouble with UCI, UCR, and UCSB with your stats but UCLA, Cal, and TSRI may be more difficult.

Just got an email from UCLA MCIP that said my application is complete and will be sent for faculty review. For those that have gotten interviews - did you already get this email before your interview invites went out and I'm just late in the game?

The interview invite I got via phone followed up with a more detailed email. I'm pretty sure all programs will send an email since you still need to coordinate flights and interview dates with them, which is harder to do over the phone.

Yeah I'm realizing that scheduling is going to be a big problem now that I've laid out the interview dates for my programs...

Thanks! Just what I was looking for

This is only tangentially relevant to this thread, but does anyone have some helpful resources/links on how to prepare for interviews? Just things like dress code, typical interview questions, etc.

Just wanted to add that when I first started reading through this thread back in July/August, I was SO discouraged by the amazing stats that everyone had posted. I think it's easier to agree that applicants with 3.8+ GPAs, 1st author pubs, etc etc stand solid chances when applying to top tier schools. That being said, I think one of the most important things to take away from reading through this forum is the fact that GPA is not the end all be all factor in the admissions process. Letters of recommendation, research experience, and statement of purpose (including extenuating circumstances or challenges) ARE huge factors that come into play. And this sentiment has been reiterated over and over again in this thread... Applicants with stellar stats may be easier sells to top tier schools, but that doesn't mean that you don't stand a chance if you have a 3.2 or 3.4 GPA. Duh, it's obviously more difficult - but to just shoot down an individual's profile solely on GPA is not something any of us are qualified to do. The overall process of graduate school applications is nerve wracking and depressing at times - we should be supporting each other rather than dealing out "reality".

Thanks! I applied with Physiology as my primary track.

Got an email interview invite from USC PIBBS!

Just got an interview for UCSD BMS!