kokobanana

Just to give interviewees some more information... The number of offers that Harvard sends out every year depends on a lot of factors (including historical acceptance rates, which differ among the programs) but it also heavily depends on Harvard's budget across all the graduate programs in the sciences. Each year, the different programs are given a budget that dictates how many offers they can hand out. The acceptance rate also differs by international students and domestic students, so program administrators adjust the number of invites based on this as well (international students historically are much more likely to accept an offer). For neuroscience, the historical acceptance rate is about 66%. So if they are aiming for a class of about 20 students (based on their budget for that year), they will invite 30 or so.

I didn't realize that my previous comment regarding makeup was so controversial. I would like to clarify - I made my comment was made incorrectly assuming that the poster wanted to know what kind of makeup to wear. Wearing make up is COMPLETELY optional - heck, I only do it half the time. I would still recommend avoiding anything over-the-top because it is an interview. First impressions do count. And while that sucks because people can easily make quick judgements about you before getting to know you - this is an interview weekend and you will see many people only once. Therefore, I would still recommend presenting yourself with this in mind. Interview weekend is not just a formality, there will be people invited to interview but not offered a spot later on. As someone that went to multiple interview weekends, there was a wide range of interpretations of "business casual". I saw suits on some, jeans and sneakers on others, and rarely, someone who looked like they rolled out of bed in their bar clothes from the previous night. @4eyes I agree that most PIs probably wouldn't even notice how you are dressed, but there are some that might. And ultimately, you are at your interviews to get a chance to know the program, and the program to get to know you. I want all the interviewees to be remembered for their awesome research, their unique experiences, and their general awesomeness. So my advice (and again, this is just advice from someone that went through the process): dress comfortably for your interviews. Dress in a way that makes you feel confident. But if I were you, and my admission to the program was not set in stone, I'd play it safe.

I think you have the right idea - A suit would probably be overkill. I saw one person at my Columbia and OHSU interviews wear a suit. If it makes you feel more confident and comfortable, I think you could wear one, but you would probably be the only person wearing one. Most of the guys wore slacks and a button down shirt, no tie. A few guys wore dark colored jeans. One guy wore sneakers, and I thought he looked out of place. One guy wore bow ties all weekend at my Harvard interview, which was fun and memorable! If you are worried, as someone earlier suggested on this thread, you could bring a backpack with extra clothes or a tie. You will have breaks and would have time to change if you felt under or over dressed. And usually they will have a place you can drop off your bag, either in an administrative office or a lab with your student host.

Oh its definitely not required. I assumed (incorrectly) that you wanted to wear really heavy makeup, and that is not recommended at interviews. I think it woukd be completely fine if you didn't wear makeup.

For interviews, I'd keep makeup natural and simple. Basically, you don't want to be remembered as the girl that wore crazy lipstick or over the top anything. So if you think it could be considered sexy, I'd definitely avoid it. Similarly, avoid anything low cut on top and anything short on bottom (keep skirts below the finger tips). Remember, you want people to remember you for your brain, not your looks.

Anything casual but still nice - non interview days are usually full of activities like hosting tours, museums, visiting the campus, etc. I wold avoid anything "distressed". A nice blouse / shirt and pants would be fine. Keep in mind that some places with nicer weather (california) do more outdoor activities, so you'll want to bring something that you can participate in the activities. For example, we went sea kayaking on one interview, and you really needed a swimsuit under your clothes because everyone was soaked. Sun screen is also a good idea to bring to california, even during February/March.

Definitely avoid heels, unless you are prepared to freeze the tops of your feet and bleed from walking on uneven streets in the northeast. I'd recommend black booties (short boots) that can work for casual and more business outfits. Wedges are good too, but your feet will still freeze. If you get leather or suede, you can spray them with a water repellent spray for about $10, it will help keep them clean but it won't make them waterproof. Tights underneath dress pants works really wellc to help keep you warm. I packed a collapsible umbrella for all my interviews, and kept it in my tote/ purse. If you do this, you can get way with a wool coat or something down-filled. Cardigans also work great if you want to layer and don't want to buy a blazer. A lot of clothes are on sale right now, so it's a great time to buy an outfit or two. Suggested locations (for women): Ann Taylor Loft, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Gap, uniqlo For men: Gap, uniqlo, banana republic

Depends if you have the free time and money. If you aren't working or in school, it's not a bad idea. I know international students that spend two months moving from one interview to another, and staying with friends if possible in between. Just don't expect the programs to pay for any extra hotel nights or food... that's asking for too much.

Yeah, no. Please don't do that if you want to have a good interview. Assume that your interview read your personal statement (more than half probably will, especially if they are interested in you). Some of your interviewers will be on the admissions committee - they will probably ask you to explain your research experiences. Expect to answer their questions. And, equally important, ask them questions about their work too!

Thanks for providing perspective as a guy - as a women, I can only give advice about how men dress based on what I saw at interviews. I think jeans could work, but I saw slacks / dress pants much more other than jeans. And jeans can range in appearance of *neatness*. Sure, a dark pair could probably work (and dressing down probably won't affect your admissions), but from my experience, those that wore jeans were in the minority, and I think it's better to play on the safe side of things.

Just to chime in - as a student in the neuroscience program, we have access to a large number of labs too. I can't speak to the breadth of labs that students in other departments have access to. However, the labs neuro students are "allowed" to rotate in must be affiliated with the neurobiology department (there are about 100+ labs). I don't know what the exact procedure would be to rotate in a non-neuro affiliated lab and that's likely because any lab that does anything neuro related would be affiliated with the department already. I would like to also echo @immuno91 that the departments are generally very flexible.

I saw a couple of posts asking about what to wear for interviews. Here's my take on things, based on my interviews last year: Do's: Dress for the weather. You'll be miserable if you wear a skirt on the east coast this time of year. Wear comfortable, but nice shoes. Girls - avoid heels. You'll probably walk around a lot. At Columbia, I was walking blocks between interviews, and there was snow on the ground. Bring a bag or folder of some kind to hold a note pad or paper / pens in and a water bottle. Some schools give you some, others don't. Bring water, you'll be talking a lot! For Women - dress pants and a blouse plus blazer work great. Business suit was not needed at any interview I went to. I would personally avoid skirts - it's one more thing you have to hassle with and I've even heard that dressing too "femininely/sexy" (high heels, skirts) can make some interviewers uncomfortable. So dress like your clothes make you look neat, but aren't the reason why you are remembered (they should remember you for your awesomeness instead). For Men - dress pants / slacks, a button down shirt, or a nice sweater if it is cold. If you wear a suit, just note that you'll probably be the only one! Don't: Wear tennis shoes or anything ratty to your interviews. Wear jeans to interviews (it's business casual, but not that casual). At most, you'll probably need only two "interview outfits" per weekend. Bring some more casual clothes too for recruitment events and traveling. Don't be afraid to re-wear your interview outfits. I bought two and wore them to all my interviews. **And for recruitment events, some college town bar don't accept out of state licenses for people under 25, so bring your passport (if you have one).** And lastly, just remember that you want the interviewers to remember YOU, not what you were wearing that day. So if you think it's not interview appropriate, play it safe.

Honestly, I was so nervous for my interview. But it was completely unnecessary! Interviews are actually really fun! I would say that 90% of your interviewers are laid back and just want to hear you talk about your previous work. They might ask you a few questions for clarification, but it's really just a conversation and not a quiz. The other 10% might ask you more questions, just to get an idea about how knowledgeable you really are, but even then, they are still really nice. This advice is applicable to all of you interviews BTW I don't know exactly why people are not offered admission, but I have a few strong suspicions (based on what I've heard from faculty) 1) You don't match up to what you seem like on paper. 2) It's not a good fit (both ways). This could mean that they don't think your research interests line up with enough faculty at that institution or that it's not a great fit for other reasons. Remember: The interviews work BOTH ways - you need to ask yourself if this program is a good fit for you too. 3) You got totally wasted at interviews and didn't show up. Tips: 1) Interview with faculty that you actually want to talk to. Spend time checking out their lab websites. You don't have to read every paper they ever wrote, but you should at least know what they are currently working on and can ask a few questions. 2) Consider interviewing with faculty that you would consider having as a PI. This allows you to get a better sense of the program. 3) Don't worry about bringing slides or data, just be able to comfortably talk about your previous work. Remember, they already think you look good on paper, so you've passed the first big hurdle. 4) Have fun - get to know the students, faculty, etc. Ask yourself - is this a place I could see myself living for 5 years? This is probably the most important aspect of the interview! *And I'd like to mention again, don't accept an invite until you are sure that there are no conflicts with other potential interviews and that you actually want to go. If you decline an interview, some schools keep wait lists and will invite someone else. And be strategic! 10 interviews may sound fun, but I promise that after the 4th, it's really exhausting.*

I guess it depends what program you are in and which campus you work at - if you're at Longwood, we've probably run into each other already!

For those coming to interview at Harvard, I'm so excited to meet some of you guys! I remember last year, I "met" some gradcafe posters in real life. I knew their usernames and that they were invited to interview at the same programs, but I never really figured out who they were (you can't just go up to people and say "hi, my name is kokobanana"). But it is really fun to meet other applicants - and something that you will quickly notice is that you'll see the same group of people over and over again. And the best part - a lot of them will become your peers!