katpillow

Ah, well it's a fantastic trajectory to be on. Good luck with your apps!

That's a heck of a story you've got there.

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny glad to be of service. Glad you like physics, too, as it's not my cup of tea academically!

Hey now, last time I checked, we were still looking to flesh out the "why" of gravity, it's that we've got good modeling and math to describe how it "behaves". Maybe being a little bit of a smart ass?, though you've got oodles more physics education than myself, as I am simply a materials engineer by way of classroom. I can get behind the electricity bit, though!

Considering how much meat you've got on the rest of your app, I don't think the GRE score will be that big a deal to them. If you don't get an offer, it's unlikely to do with your stats, and more how the reviewers might think you'd fit in with the program. GRE tends to have more weight when you're dealing with a GPA on the lower end, that's my opinion at least.

@123hardasABC assuming I get anymore interviews... 1. Ribs and beer on Sunday-special at a pub near my apartment if things go well. 2. Heated up frozen veggies and frozen chicken breast if things aren't so great. I anticipate doing well though, should I get other chances.

I've had orange chicken 6 times in the past 2 weeks... that's as close as it gets

I know exactly how you feel about applying to a large number of programs while working a full week. I'm so glad that part is over... but now I keep feeling like there is something I'm supposed to be doing in my downtime. The restlessness is strong.

Words well written, and words I can identify with. Determination and motivation are definitely part of the common stock on this site.

Takes 75-100 cups of coffee for an adult to overdose (150-200 mg/kg of body mass), I wish you good luck on this endeavor. Also that's pretty fantastic and it's great that you are passionate in such a way. I love the freedom of the academic research climate, myself. Industry has its advantages, but you get tired of the 'one track' path that a lot of the work is designed to be. Also, I should have figured that Backstreet would echo with my title... worse things have happened.

In an effort to kill boredom on a slow day at the lab, and to get a glimpse of the perspectives of all you interesting people... I ask one question: why are you pursuing the path of graduate school? And I don't want that "it feels like the next step I need to take" nonsense, I want palpable responses with depth, allure, and pizzazz. I hope that no one else has asked this, otherwise I'll feel redundant. I'll start off with myself: I initially was inspired in the direction of medical science by the passing of an infant sibling who was born with a congenital heart defect. I was too young to really feel the impact, but it left a lasting impact on my parents, which in turn impacted me. I went to a great research university, got a 'real' taste of lab work, and then moved on to work in the industry for the past 2.5 years. My research experiences combined with my initial inspiration have pushed my interests towards microbiology and immunology, specifically drug-resistant bacteria, cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune disease, and transplant immunology. Like I said, I'd love to hear what some of you guys are pushing for, regardless of your area of study!

I gotta give Rockefeller credit. They really are reliable about sending their invites and rejections on the same days of the same week of January every year. Sure, I'm disappointed at the rejection, but man do I love it when a school sticks to a schedule on these things.

Some universities are pretty open about their leanings... some not so much. My alma prided itself on having a 'neutral' stance, though the students tended to be fairly right-leaning libertarian in nature, I would say.

Yeah, you're right about that. Though my school's got a bit of a rep for being notoriously brutal if you're in engineering/sciences. Then again, we're no Ivy garbage, so inflation isn't really our thing.

Well I can at least say with some pride that I went to one of the 'top 10' (though I think we only just made it to #10 this year- when I was there it was more like #14). All of my assumed rejections are mostly based on seeing invites on the survey page. I am dead certain of Rockefeller, as they have a strong pattern of inviting on the Wednesday of this week, and then rejecting on Friday, so at least I'll probably be able to confirm that one... Either way, anyone who decides to invite me will have to take the time to look beyond GPA and be a little open minded in that regard. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@aichan93 I haven't heard back from Sinai yet. It's got me all nervous and wondering if I'll be hearing back at all . My best friend from UG is a current BMS student there and the research has me jonesing for an interview. Finishing the apps was a marathon. By the time I got done, I didn't know what to do with my life... Luckily research tends to keep idle hands busy.

Hang in there, you've always got a shot. If it doesn't pan out right now, that doesn't mean it won't pan out in a year or two. From personal experience, you'd be all the more ready to kick ass and take names if you end up working in a research role after UG, if nothing else. Not getting in right now is not failing by any means. You will succeed!

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny, I certainly hope so. Part of the reason for 22 was a need to play a numbers game, though. My UG GPA is legendarily low (2.4, affected by domestic factors + engineering curric) so I figure many of my schools will throw me to the dogs without much hesitation, nevermind my ~4 years of research experience, recs, GRE, publications, etc. I wish I could say we live in a world where GPA isn't everything at some institutions, but they've got to find some way to help sift through the hundreds of applicants. I don't blame them. (Doing my best to uphold the 'whine' portion of the thread) I do love your enthusiasm, though. So I'll be borrowing a bit.

Thanks for the encouragement, it certainly helps. The application process was definitely a second job on top of what I'm already doing- I feel the need to make things count, though- I'm 27 and really don't want to delay this any further. It really helps that I don't have to deal with school right now, though. Just industry research life . Luckily working on apps provides an ample excuse to avoid relatives on holiday weekends...

In an effort to overcome anxiety, I have come to vent. Some of my earlier apps (Dec. 1st) have sent their invites already, and I'm assuming that since I've heard nothing from them, that I'm likely on the short end of the stick with them. Not terribly surprising, considering that some of them are fairly competitive. I'm just frustrated because at least some of them have had the courtesy of sending out rejections in a timely manner. I don't want to hold out on hope from those ones I've not heard from, as it just causes further anxiety. On the plus side, I've already been on the one interview I have obtained, and I won't be hearing the final response on that until March most likely. I need a big bottle of of Pinot noir in my life... but alas, I have to go in to work tomorrow.