Pepperoni

Thanks for the input - I'm not looking for a definitive list - more to formulate some kind top tier, middle tier, picture of how these schools are regarded. Who better than to poll the current and prospective students? This may be shallow of me, but reputation is an important factor to me. Of course that is among the least important factors, for sure, but I would like to know how the community regards these programs. For example, though this is not apples to apples, there is no definitive "ranking" for MBA programs either. But everyone "knows" Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, uchicago, are among the top tier when it comes to the caliber, reputation, and job potential of these programs. I'm trying to form a mental image of a corollary for these programs. Not looking to cause any harm here, at all. Maybe a near pointless exercise but humor me

Where do you guys rank the top 20 PhD program for MCB, and where do WUSTL, UWM, and Emory fall among them? Not an official ranking (because there isn't one), but cite reasons - be it NIH funding, NSF funding, quality of program, students, faculty, nobel laureates, citations, whatever the reason, as long as there are reasons - would like to see a gradcafe compiled unofficial ranking of these programs, if possible. IMO I think momentum is fair to include - declining, on a rise, steady, etc.

great, yea hope to see you guys there in the fall - I will be accepting the offer!

molecular cell biology

waiting to hear from washu dbbs & uw Madison cancer bio... washu was just this past weekend but thought I'd hear from uw Madison by now... :edit: just heard from washu - I've been accepted to the dbbs mcb program!

has anyone heard from wisconsin-madison's cancer bio program yet? i heard the second set of interviews wrapped up last weekend, but haven't heard anything yet.

congrats, I'm in the same boat! have you decided which you're going to?

probably! good luck!

accepted to emory's cancer bio program!

same

2 interviews down, 1 to go, no word from any of the schools otherwise except a reject from NW

It's not to feel better - it's to keep pressing them. I guess I don't understand this whole, coward's approach to inviting and not inviting students for interviews, and being coy about rejections until after interviews are over anyway? I (the one writing) am not even the one who is actually applying - this is a joint account for a friend. Obviously PhD is a different degree, but this process isn't how my master of science in finance, or my MBA worked regarding applications & interviews. Why the secrecy? We had the same no interview, no acceptance policy. But they (WashU & UChicago) didn't beat around the bush about getting an interview or not.

no interview. cancer bio

is there any point in reaching out to ad-com for schools that you have not yet heard from (meaning likely rejected)? If you're not going to make it anyway, there is likely no harm, correct?

rejection letter from northwestern this morning

Not biochem, cancer. haven't received faculty list yet though. got it. honestly though, anything to do at this point, besides quietly understand we've been rejected? Any e-mail to adcom or anything? Frankly if you're not accepted, nothing can hurt at this point right? see you there!

Wisconsin Madison interview down, emory and washu to go. All cancer bio except WashU. Any hope at this point of hearing from Penn, Northwestern, or Chicago? Should I make one last ditch effort e-mail to the ad-coms if not?

yea no idea...I'm international but live and study in the USA, so I'm not sure what I'm considered as for their purposes

ditto - I def did not get any invite, Skype or otherwise, from upenn... sigh. saw you put u Chicago as doomed - did you ever hear from them? So far now, I've been invited to Wisconsin Madison, Emory, and WashU, and never heard a peep from Northwestern, UPenn, and UChicago...

not sure, just somewhere in the u Chicago phd app site that's what I've heard as well according to upenn, applications are still under review. invitations are sent out in December and January. probably a small number if any that are in that secondary batch though I'm guessing?

BTW, on the website for UChicago it says that until you receive a decision from the program, you are still under consideration (even if you haven't received an interview invite, which you'll obviously need to have at some point). Has anyone received an invite AFTER the first round was sent out, and ultimately was accepted that way?

ahh that's heartbreaking

why's that? and i see..

you heard from uchicago-cancer?

when did you get an interview invite??? I still haven't heard from Chicago...