bicsy

I'm choosing between Harvard and some other programs as well. I'm torn because the other programs I'm considering are also top 5 in my field, and I think I fit better with these other programs than I do at Harvard's. But everyone I've talked to is so awestruck at Harvard that it makes me feel like I'll make the wrong decision by turning it down. Fortunately I also have avoided announcing anything about my admissions on social media, and am only planning on posting something when I finally commit to a program.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I didn't expect this post to lead to discussion about food costs, but I definitely gained something useful from all your replies! I've decided to just write everything that I think is important about each program using pen and paper, along with any extra comments I have, and judge based on what I've written down. The first few replies about using a holistic approach without really letting any programs 'win' with a couple of extremes really made sense. I'd love for this post to stay alive so people can continue to add their own approaches to making their decisions, because it really is a daunting process.

Rejuvenating this thread to ask about housing in Berkeley! I'm thinking of accepting my PhD offer, and trying to consider cost of living. How easy is it to find a place within walking distance (20 mins or less) from UC Berkeley for $1,100 or less per month? I would of course have one or more roommates in a 2+ BR house or apartment. Going off of that, can anyone provide rent ranges for the different areas in and around Berkeley?

I'm in the midst of deciding, but I'm leaning toward Berkeley.

So of course, I'm having a difficult time deciding between my programs. My qualitative experiences at my interview visits didn't make one school stand out above the rest, so I want to use a ranking system with different categories to help make my decision. For those who are doing/have done something similar, what method did you use? (e.g. weighted categorical rankings/scores, analytical hierarchy process) Also, what categories are you prioritizing? (e.g. stipend, # of PI's, etc.)

I've done 6 out of my 7 interviews so far. If I were to start over, I would have applied to fewer schools. Applying to 10 schools and some fellowships took a lot out of me, and interviewing has taken a lot out of me (even though they are generally very fun). My advice to OP: get some insight from your department about the competitiveness of your application. Email a couple people from the schools on your list, send them your CV, transcript, and research interests (in brief). If they get a chance to reply, they may give you an indication of your chances of getting in. With that said, emailing profs at your prospective programs probably won't help your application all that much, if at all. Good luck!

Currently at an interview, and just saw that I was accepted to my top choice program! I'm so happy, and I can finally relax after ~5 months of stress and worry. Congrats to everyone else who has received acceptances so far, and good luck to everyone still awaiting interviews and acceptances!

Aw, darn. Looks like I can say yes to Scripps now though!

But they JUST started coming out! give it till the end of the night at least

I read a few pages ago that Stanford Cancer Bio finished reviewing applications on the 5th... WHERE ARE THE INVITES

The way I'm going about it is, if I've already committed to the interview, then I am not going to cancel, even if I hear about more interviews later on. Most of what I've read about interviews says it's bad form to cancel after committing. Obviously it's worse to cancel after flights have been arranged, as the schools lose money by canceling flights. I've already declined one interview, and may be declining another depending on if I hear back from my last program. Even so, I feel like I have too many interviews as well, but I'll get through it somehow. Plus I'm looking forward to seeing all these schools even though I already know which ones I would prefer to attend.

I'm in a similar situation. This Jupiter campus interview conflicts with one of my committed interviews, and the La Jolla interview conflicts with Stanford's. I'm waiting until Friday to respond to TSRI. If I get an invite to Stanford before then, I'll decline TSRI.

What do you mean by this? I spent a few months doing research at Caltech recently, and although it is a very small school, I think the faculty make an effort to ensure that their graduate students have positive experiences, both in research and in grad life in general. Caltech hosts a ton of educational and cultural events including seminars on a variety of topics, dance lessons, concerts (eg. MUSE/IQUE), and lots of poster sessions. Caltech has a beautiful campus, and a lot of really cool buildings with exhibits that are open to the public. If you want to leave campus, there is a ton to do in Pasadena: lots of bars, shopping, great restaurants. The nearby mountains offer hiking and scenic views. I can't speak as much for graduate academics at Caltech, as I am not a grad student there. But based on my interactions with my PI and other grad students at Caltech, I can tell that the faculty want their students to succeed in their research. IMO, more of a focus seems to be placed on research than on courses, but take that statement with a grain of salt. Good luck!

Received an interview invite today that I will be declining. This professor put a lot of work into reviewing applications, including personally Skype interviewing a few dozen applicants before extending invitations. So I feel pretty crappy about declining his offer, and am obsessing (unnecessarily) over the email I am sending in response to the invitation. Definitely not the worst problem to have, but it still sucks.

Welp, since I originally started this thread, I got a few more invites. I am now facing FIVE back-to-back interviews.. Given the replies above, I think I can handle it, but I will probably want to crawl into a hole after they're over.

I had a Skype interview earlier this month, but it was more of a screening interview to decide who would be flown in for the actual interview in January. It wasn't very formal; it was mostly the professor telling me about the program. He didn't even ask me about my research, but he did ask me why I chose to apply. I also told him a little about my post-PhD career plans. The whole thing lasted ~40 minutes, but it probably would have gone longer if he didn't have a meeting to attend right after the interview. I'm sure you know this already, but be familiar with the program website, curriculum, style of rotations, types of research going on, etc. And write down 2 or more questions, because you will be asked if you have any questions. Going off of that, if a new question arises as the interviewer is speaking, feel free to ask as long as it's relevant to what the person just told you. If your 'interview' will be anything like mine was, it will feel more like a conversation than an interview. I've read the same thing from other people who did Skype interviews with professors. Anticipate technical difficulties with the Skype interview. For the first 2-3 minutes, my video wasn't showing up on his end, but he could hear me fine. Do a practice Skype call with a friend or relative to make sure you know the correct settings to choose/buttons to click, and to make sure the other person can see and hear you well. Wear a nice button down shirt, tucked into a nice pair of khakis/slacks (assuming you're a guy; if you're a girl, wear whatever girls wear for an interview). Some people think it's okay to wear jeans/sweats/whatever as bottoms for a Skype interview, but what if you need to stand up to adjust something? Also, looking good from head to toe will make you feel more confident, even if the other person doesn't see what you're wearing below the field of view. Good luck!

I'd be lying if I said I'm going to stay off this forum for a full 24 hours..

Harvard applicants/interviewees: Are you putting your fall 2015 grades into the application? I'm thinking about not adding mine since my application has already been reviewed and I've been offered an interview (stupid 2 A-'s -- insignificant I know, but they bring my GPA down ever so slightly).

That's great news! I emailed Harvard about my conflict but I'm not really expecting to hear back until Jan. 4th when their offices reopen.

I was too. For a few weeks I was kicking myself for not applying to lower tier schools. I had no idea how competitive my application really was, and one of my recommenders told me that I would have "a couple" choices to make, which made it seem like I would only get 2-3 interviews!

I wish they would just let us pick which date works well for us, like a lot of other programs do. But I guess this problem is to be expected when we apply to 10+ schools

Thank you @biosci! I am too! Unfortunately their recruitment date conflicts with Michigan's, so I'm really hoping Harvard can move me to their alternate weekend. Thank you as well, @SpartanNerd1021! Definitely a reach for me as well; this was a very pleasant surprise. I hope you hear back from them soon!

HARVARD MCO INVITE awe yeahhhh

Person/professor of interest. Not a stupid question at all!

@YouCantBcereus HA I knew it. C. elegant would make a great profile picture for your gradcafe account