Gram Positive

@biosci and @Gram Positive well at least it means there's some movement from U-M's end. I'm hoping we all hear back soon!

@biosci, U-Michigan PIBS!
I hope they call back and/or send a followup email soon so I know what's up haha. Like what if they called for something mundane and I'm getting my hopes up for nothing..

Wow.  I applied there too so I will keep my fingers crossed for both of us

Interview from Columbia!!! It is in the Nutritional and Metabolic Biology PhD program though, so I am not sure if this is happening now for the other programs

Congrats! Hope we both hear from Wisconsin (MDTP) next week

Have been reading/obsessing over these forums for a couple weeks but now that i am hearing back i figured id chime in to give hope to those with similar middling stats ?
Undergrad Institution: Big ten 
Major(s): Microbiology & Genetics
Minor(s): Biotechnology
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 3.3
Position in Class: N/A

Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164
V: 168
W: 5.0


Research Experience: 2.5 years in a bacterial genetics lab, no pubs , 1 year partcipation in an HHMI project

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: not really

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

Special Bonus Points: Excellent recommendations from all 3 professors 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 

Applying to Where:
Johns Hopkins MMI
WashU DBBS  
Duke MGM
U Penn Virology
UW Microbiology
UW-Madison MDTP
Ohio State Microbiology
Chicago Microbiology
UC Davis Microbiology
 
so far have received an interview invitation from Duke and WashU both of which i am definitely attending as they are some of my top choices. Was not at all confident that i would be a competitive candidate but on top of the world since getting the calls!

Got an email interview invite from USC PIBBS!

I haven't seen any other Case Western / Cleveland Clinic Molecular Medicine applicants - but I got an interview today so they're working through them!!

Just got a University of Rochester IMV invite! YES!!! Big relief, heh  

Dude.  You're speaking kinda out of your butt.  I think it's horrible to tell the people that they should go for a masters instead of a phd for something such as GPA.  I mean, I'll always encourage people to apply widely because you hardly know what will come through in your applications, but what you said about that person's GPA was mean.  If I remember correctly, they had held a research job all the way through undergrad.  I mean when I first read through it I missed that and thought that maybe their record wouldn't show the aptitude for grad school, but it really does.  Maybe no one else will agree with me, but I think you're trying to make yourself feel better by saying this stuff about other people.  Go look at the results board; people get rejected from all kinds of schools with a 3.9.

Just got an interview from UNC-BBSP! So damn happy

Got one for Mt. Sinai - excited! Thank god they didn't call me and try to ask me questions, I was commuting to work and would have been totally brain dead

Most schools that I applied to will be sending out interview invites during my finals week.

Hi guys! 3rd year PhD student in Molecular Bio, here. I lurk this thread each year to add my 2 cents or help out when you guys get lost or are freaking out.

What Azia said is very true. I'm lucky to be in a place where there are several graduate institutions close together, so I get to see not only students that come into my own program, but also those that come into other programs. GPA and GRE are important, but only to a degree. The things that seem to be most important these days are your ability to show that you know what you're in for in a research PhD (aka, you've done real research for more than 6 months), that you're a good person, and that you have people who can vouch for all of this and that like you (letter writers are possibly the MOST important). There is rumor that some adcoms which remove the school names, and gender/other identifying information from applications before they submit to the committee, though I haven't seen evidence of that with my own eyes. I think it is a positive step for the future of science that they're focusing more on you rather than your numbers; some people don't test well, but you put them in the lab and they solve huge problems.
I've seen students, and actually interviewed with some of them, that had beautiful applications as far as the numbers go, but when they interviewed, the person in their personal statement didn't match with the person. They were not good fits as they essentially lied, and I wouldn't have wanted to be in a program with students like that. When I got here, they were not. Then there are applicants with mediocre scores who accidentally gave a muted version of themselves in their personal statement, but their letter writers gave them their due credit. Then when they interview, you see how amazing they really are, and they get in. They go on to do wonderful science.

I am an example of a student who came from a state school with a mediocre GPA and GRE scores, and I am doing well in my PhD studies. I won't comment on my application essays as I can't ever compare my own work to others. I'm biased. I passed my qual at the end of my first year and will soon have a paper out. I have no doubt that I will graduate. Yes, I came in with 6 years research experience because I worked in labs all of undergrad and MS, but that didn't teach me to survive in a PhD program. Why am I successful? I work hard, just like the other students in my program, which come from varying backgrounds from all types of different schools. Your previous experience may help you a little, but you all start on square one, no matter where you came from, and to me this makes it even more essential to pick a place where you feel comfortable. I did NOT choose my program based on rank. I chose programs to apply to that had research I was interested in and appeared to have an environment I wanted to be in. Some were top 25, some were ranked below 50. For me, rank doesn't matter. I also chose a mentor who doesn't only focus on the success of the research, but also focuses on my career development and my progress as a student. This is important; many a PhD student has gotten lost because their PI can't be there for them when they are needed.
Okay, end rant. Message me or reply to this if you have questions.

For those of you worried about interview notifications. In fall 2012, I got my first invitation and rejection on December 20. Then I didn't hear from anyone else until the second week of January. My last two schools didn't send invites until February. You've got time. Try to relax.

Lol. Assuming there are no good public schools. Good one. 

No..... Just No. I don't know what you consider "larger state schools" but I guarantee you that the 25th percentile of HYP students are NOT 75th percentile at my alma mater UCLA. There are as many  smart people at both schools as there are rich entitled morons. 

I tried and it was a little too depressing. 
 
Now I'm just listening to Ed Sheeran and playing this game... lol AND 2 hours had passed.
 
I talked to people on adcomm and they told me applying to too many schools is actually frown upon.... But they also understand that people want to make sure they are actually getting in somewhere

Adele's 25. Just saying.

Yeah I had the same problem with Pitt and emailed them as well. They took a little longer to get back, probably because so many people are emailing about the same thing.  They should have a disclaimer on their website at the very least.

Also, just a friendly reminder to make sure you check your spam folders. I had an interview invite get sent to my spam the last time I applied and I didn't know until I got a followup phone call a week later asking if I had ever gotten the email. 

First of all, @Gram Positive and @Gram Neutral, I <3 your names. I took microbio last fall, and it was seriously one of my favorite classes ever. 
And thank you all!! I'm finishing UW's app right now (due in ~4.5 hours), and this is helping me procrastinate and feel more confident about my apps! I intend to scour the rest of this thread tomorrow AFTER this app (and my digital controls project) are done.  It's so easy to be super paranoid about all of this, especially as the deadlines loom closer!!
Gah, I sent my scores a week ago..... I'm a procrastinator, and I'm so paranoid they won't get up in time. I'm pretty much hoping for leniency/mercy with that. 

I stopped reading right there. Only top 3% in your class? That just isn't gonna cut it.
Jk. I wouldn't worry about anything in your application as you are probably far ahead most other applicants. You aren't really expected to have already narrowed in on the field you will spend the rest of your life on by age 19. Sometimes being too specific is actually a bad thing.

Yes! They told me that a lot of times it is just a lack of communication between the department which receives the scores and general graduate admissions. They said if it becomes a problem or they don't actually have them I'll get an email. Which is a huge relief!
UPitt is one of my top choices too, I hope we both hear good news from them!

Hey @Gram Positive Thanks so much!! I'm a Michigan native so I am very close  I'm actually trying to get out of state and Case was at the top of my list during undergrad, so I'm definitely trying hard to up my chances for the MM program there  I'm applying to Vanderbilt!! 
Thank you @StrongTackleBacarySagna (hell of a username you've got there!) - honestly your post was really encouraging to me as I've been slogging through my SOP hahah. Appreciate it!!
Hi @adiJ - thank you for the encouragement! I actually repeated your statement about "safety" schools when discussing w/ some people this week... It made a lot of sense to shoot for places with best fit rather than chance (since chance is, as I've seen, pretty unpredictable...) 
I did end up dropping a few schools from the list... but not many. I'm pretty excited about most of the schools so I didn't want to completely give them up. yeah, my bank account won't be happy, but I'm thinking of it as an investment in the future. Gooby pls. 
Thank you @partydon'tstarttillIwalkin ! Lol these usernames make replying so much fun. I've been working on those so it's just fingers crossed very tightly and making sure I don't make any dumb mistakes from here on out!!
I've said thanks many times, but I appreciate all your responses! This is by far the nicest forum I've been on to compare chances haha. Will update in the main thread and contribute as the path continues! ❤️

Your application looks very strong! As an Ohioan, I've got to recommend Case/Cleveland Clinic .  Are you close to there now? 
Have you considered Michigan, UT Southwestern, or UNC? All those places seem like they would be strong in cancer biology.