sighsdeeply

I am an international student in a Biosciences PhD program in the US. Just received grades for my first semester classes and one of them is a C, while the rest are A-s and B+s. The course I received a C on has been really whopping me all semester and though I thought I did well enough in the final test to scrape a B-, the grade on it was still too low. It's one of the required courses for my program and is definitely relevant for all Bioscience students. I talked to my department and they said I'll be placed on an Academic probation next semester and as long as I don't get another C, I'll be fine. But my question is, how will this affect me long term? I'm still rotating and have just picked a lab where the PI is also interested in hiring me, but I'm afraid this would make them reconsider. That lab has a history of all their grad students getting their own funding (like, NRSA grants) after passing qualifiers so are low grades in the first semester going to be a big disadvantage for when I try? Worried and depressed.

For the TA position, they have said it'll be my primary source of funding for 4 semesters, and then, if the professor is amenable, I can switch over to RA after my candidacy exam. If it is research that I should primarily focus on in making my choice, I'm personally leaning towards Cincinnati. I just wanted an insight into how big a role ranking plays in the end. Thank you for the reply!

I have received five acceptances so far in various Biological sciences PhD programs (international student, very excited!) I have narrowed down my options to two based on various factors but I'm having trouble making the final choice - U of Cincinnati or U of Maryland CP. The Cincinnati offer has a whole program geared towards my research interests, is offering me full tuition + RA funding and health insurance benefits. The Maryland CP offer has a diverse and general program but some amazing faculty research in my area of interest, is offering me the same level of funding/tuition/health insurance, except it's from a TA position, not RA. Based purely on ranking/reputation, the Maryland CP offer seems like the way to go. However, I am not sure a TA position is a good choice for me. Student placements, faculty research and publication standards seem comparable for both programs as well. Anyone can share their two cents on how I can approach the decision-making process, especially as an international who's never been to the US and is making choices based purely on college websites/faculty profiles/rankings? How much does the ranking of the PhD-granting institute matter in the end, so long as I manage to find a good research mentor/ dissertation work? Does a higher ranking mean more resources available to me for research or is that not a factor considering both are large public research universities? Thank you!

Thank you! I considered asking for an extension, but as I say, the B program is a dream school, and frankly a "reach" place for me, hence the highest likelihood is I get rejected there and will end up going to A. I did not want to make it seem as though A is a second choice. I have already declined two other offers I definitely did not plan to take up, but this one is a etiquette back and forth. Thanks for the reply!

Hi. I hope you all can give me some advice. I have received an amazing offer from one of my top choice programs, let's call it A. Literally at any other time, I'd have jumped at the bit to accept it and I would be very happy to go there. But the university I consider my dream school has emailed me that I'm very high on their final post-interview consideration list and they will let me know soon, let's say they're B. University A has told me to indicate accept or decline of their offer within 15 days. I have waited 2 weeks for University B and they say they are still considering applications and that I will know within a week. Can I enroll at A now and then later back out if B works out? Or are enrollments binding? Please help! ETA: They have stated that I just indicate preliminary acceptance on their website, but that the admission is only official when I make the deposit and sign the offer letter before April 15th.

That's what I figured. I should explain, I said I'd be most comfortable with a specific date and time, but also mentioned I could make a similar time work any day of the week if more convenient for the department. Thank you!

Hi. These doubts are probably rather silly I suppose, so bear with me I got my first interview offer (intense elation + anxiety) from the program co-ordinator of the department. It was a pretty generic e-mail and he offered me a Skype interview (I'm an international student) for second week of February and asked me for my availability. I replied back two days later (after ensuring my schedule) and named a specific date and time that would work for me, then inquired about if the department will disclose who is going to interview me, ahead of time. This was four days ago and I haven't heard back from them since, and I know its a long weekend for the US now so Monday will be no-go as well. Should I e-mail them again on Tuesday and ask for a follow-up confirmation? Or should I just wait another week before pestering them? Just your two cents would be great!