myhairtiebroke

It's way earlier in the thread. Here's a direct link:

Accepted into UW-Madison's MDTP (top choice!) I did ask about the political+funding situation during my interview. The program (microbio department in general) is well insulated from funding cuts (they even increased the stipend this year), and professors that would have left have mostly done so by now - but it doesn't hurt to ask the ones you are particularly interested in. This is not the case for every department, so if Madison is on your radar then be sure to ask - the information was practically volunteered by a few people.

Thanks @charmquarkz and @SysEvo. It's the interview schedule, so I'll wait.

I travel tomorrow and start interviews on Friday, but I still haven't received an itinerary. I already emailed an administrator, but they haven't replied. Should I be worried, or be more patient?

I'm waiting too. There is already a submission on the results page from today, saying that it was an email invitation. Hopefully they're still sending out invites.

Lol, I'm holding onto the same though tbh. However, the past couple years seem to only have these unofficial phone invitations. Additionally, Berkeley's microbio interview dates are Jan 19-22 (from the application) - which seems fairly short notice for a Jan 3 official invitation. I'm inclined to think the phone calls are for the sake of logistics and planning. But what do I know. We won't know for sure until early Jan. @Epigenetics I applied to Microbiology, but I'm sure what you said applies.

Berkeley, and Cornell. I haven't heard from Berkeley, and there's a couple entries on the results search so I'm guessing I didn't get it. I did get an invite from Madison, so I'll still visit. Is there an elegant way to ask about the financial situation? On an individual level, I doubt the program or a professor will take on more students than they can fund, but I am worried about the education quality declining if professors are leaving.

Really? Madison is my top choice right now (Microbiology) so that's disheartening to hear.

No harm in asking. I'm sure they have experience with situations like yours.

Did you mention this sentiment in your SOPs? Because that seems like a boner killer for adcoms. Additionally, expecting your program/lab to generate, or already have, data for you is an incredibly entitled mindset.

It still feels early in the application season, so I wouldn't be too down yet. However, I completely understand your feelings - this is my third time trying! I don't know what you're situation is, but if you qualify (graduated undergrad in the last two years), I would definitely look into postbac positions at the NIH. Or anywhere, but I went through the NIH fellowship and recommend it if you don't get in, or don't feel ready for grad school.

How long after receiving an invite can we wait before replying? Historically, I'm expecting two of my programs to conflict, so I'm trying to wait and hear back from both before scheduling with the one I've already heard from.

No, that wasn't me. I think that was an east coaster.

I received an email from them last night, around 8PM PST. The interview dates are Jan 26-28 or Feb 16-18. Idk if they're still sending out, but good luck!

What's the dress code for interviews? I've been told "not a tshirt and not jeans" by most people in real life and I see similar advice online. I'm still worried, because "not jeans" is quite a range - though I'm assuming a suit and/or tie is unnecessary. Sneakers? Chinos? Any collared shirt (assuming it doesn't have a guady print or distracting color)? For guys that have already gone through interviews, what did you wear? Or, if you're not a guy, what did you observe the male interviewees wearing?