JustHopefulMe

Wow! Thanks for the heads-up! May I ask you an off-topic question? I see that you have been accepted at great schools other than Cincinnati. Why did you decide to go with UC? I apologize if that question was too personal. You may choose not to answer, of course. I am just curious about how people decide where to go. I was accepted at two schools and UC was the better of the two (in terms of facilities and research options). School #2 was great too but there was only one PI I felt could see myself working with. So that's how I made my decision.

Hi! I'm moving to study at UC in the fall too Does anyone have an opinion about their on-campus housing options? I got an e-mail from the Office of Graduate and Family Housing with links to look at their apartments. Would anyone recommend living there?

Congrats to all those who received acceptances! I am really happy that some of us are finally relieved Has anyone heard from FSU or Cincinnati post-interview? It has been a month and I'm starting to get worried...

Thank you! I wish you best of luck too!

I just got an interview invitation from MUSC! And they have accepted people before at it seems from the results page. So never lose hope! As for Michigan, I have seen both interviews and rejections on the results page, so it's pretty much the same situation as yours and Maryland. They sent out their interview invitations around Dec. 15 and rejections around January 22. I have nothing but to stay hopeful!

I'm in the same situation for two other schools, UMich and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). I know that the interview weekend for Michigan is in March, so maybe I still have time to hope, but I was surprised to know that MUSC is already starting to send out acceptances! I'm getting very nervous and I'm afraid to call the program only to get a rejection I know this doesn't answer your question, but I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. Hang in there!

Congratulations! That is such good news. At least you know now what you'll be doing next year

Has anyone heard from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)? What about Drexel?

Thanks! Glad to know that I'm not alone

On another note, I heard that it is good etiquette to send a "thank you" e-mail to those who interviewed you. I didn't know that was a thing (oops! ) Do you think it would be a good idea to send one now (a week after the interview) or should I just forget about it?

Thanks for your reply! I really hope they are still deliberating as you said and that I would get an invitation soon. UMich is one of my top choices and would love to hear a positive reply from them. As for Cincinnati, I loved it too! The facilities are really fancy compared to my current institution and the people were very nice. I hope my interviews went well over there. Thanks for the info and congratulations on receiving the invitation! I hope everything turns out well with you. I think I will stay hopeful since I haven't received a rejection yet and there still is a month until the interview weekend?

HI everyone! Glad that I found this thread. I got interviewed at Florida State University on 1/26 and at the University of Cincinnati on 2/1. Haven't heard from either yet. I have been rejected from the University of Minnesota (without an interview). I still haven't heard anything from the University of Michigan, though. I applied directly to the NGP (not through the PIBS), and have seen people post interviews and rejections on the results page. Do they do multiple rounds of interviews? Or should I just wait for my rejection letter at this point? Good luck to all!

Thank you! That makes sense. The skills are actually transferrable, as the two fields are somewhat related. I will try to reach out to him, and perhaps sending him a copy of my updated CV would help

Hi everyone! So I'm trying to choose the people who are going to write me recommendation letters. One is my current master's advisor, another is a professor with whom I worked as a research assistant, but I'm stuck on the third. Should I ask my first master's degree advisor who supervised my thesis research almost 10 years ago (yes, I'm currently doing a second master's degree) or a professor with whom I have taken a class just a year ago (I got A in the class, but have never worked with him in a research environment)? I have very good relationships with both. The first is from a foreign country/institution while the second is from the same country I intend to apply for a PhD in. Any insight would be appreciated. Good luck to all!

You are right. There is no such obligation. However, since I am interested in a few labs in the department, I don't want to apply to the program if these labs are not planning on taking any students. Also, I have been told that sometimes contacting PIs beforehand may increase an applicant's chances of admission if there appears to be a mutual interest in working together (but this probably does not apply in the case described above because such correspondence should have been taken place a long time ago). Edit: be careful, though. Depending on the field of study, Some programs DO require that applicants contact PIs or at least have a list of potential faculty members with whom they would like to work. Some even demand that the PI has actually agreed to be your mentor before you apply in order to be accepted in the program. So be sure to understand the requirements of the particular programs to which you are applying!

I did They said they don't mind. lol I won't

Hello people! Quick question: I happened to stumble upon the profile of a professor whose work seems particularly interesting to me. I checked out the application deadline for the graduate program with which she is affiliated and it happens to be Jan. 15 (in a couple of days). Do you think it would be a good idea to submit a last-minute application to this school? Should I contact the professor first? I'm afraid that if I do, I'll give the impression of being disorganized and also presumptuous . But I am genuinely interested in her research and I don't want to wait for a whole application season to apply to the program. There are a couple other professors whose research is also good, but I'm just afraid that contacting one of them so late in the process will hurt my chances of being accepted at all. Any thoughts?

Thank you! This is very, very helpful I think the best way is to be candid about why I want to be in a particular lab. There is nothing wrong trying to learn new things after all. I spoke to one my professors yesterday and he told me just that. He said any lab experience, no matter how irrelevant, is better than no lab experience at all, and that showing the desire to learn is actually a good thing that can work for my advantage even when applying to other schools. I'm thinking the same way too. One of my other goals besides gaining research experience is networking. I really feel the need for a group of people support me and guide me in my in academic/research pursuit. They may not necessarily be LOR writers, but if all goes well, this can be a plus. I am going to meet with someone from the Career Services Center at my current place to discuss these issues with them. Hopefully, they could give me some helpful advice as well. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and reply

Hi everyone. Hope you are all doing well with your applications I am a non-degree seeking student at this Research University looking for research positions. I actually started a PhD program last fall at this same institution but had to take medical leave (then eventually got kicked out because my condition didn't imporove within the timeframe they gave me. True story). I decided to buy time by applying to the MS program at this same university, only to be told by the program director that if I don't find a research lab wiling to take me into their group, he will not be able to offer me admission to the MS program either. My plan is now just to leave the place and look for somewhere else and start fresh. However, given my credentials (I have 2 really bad grades on my transcript, to which my medical condition has contributed a lot. All other grades are either an A or A-, though), I cannot guarantee that I'll be accepted at a new place. To improve my CV and possibly my chances of admission, I decided to volunteer in any lab at my current institution to gain some more research experience and also prove myself to the faculty here, so that If I don't get accepted at another university, I can discuss the potential of me staying here as an officially admitted MS (or hopefully PhD) student. The problem is all the labs I'm interested have said they don't have any positions, and for some reason, I cannot get myself to write an e-mail asking for a volunteering position in just any other lab. I'm finding it very hard to show/express interest in someone's research when I'm really not that enthusiastic about it. Sure, it is related to my field of interest, and if I had no other option in the world, I wouldn't mind studying that topic at all. Also, the techniques I could potentially learn can be applied to study things I'm interested in. But at this point, I just hard for me to say I'm interested in XYZ when I'm really not. All I want is some research experience. That's all. I thought maybe I could just speak in general terms: I'm interested in (insert name of broad field that includes my interests and the potential PI's), but that makes me look clueless, not serious enough, and probably even insincere. Also, I don't know how to identify myself: former PhD student? Prospective MS student? Wouldn't that on its own raise question marks and make the PI even more reluctant to give a positive response? I don't know. I'm just lost and confused and would appreciate any input.

@fuzzylogician @TakeruK Thank you so much for your help. Yes exactly. I don't want to mislead them. I just want to be as objective as possible, because after all, like you said, these problems my not be major issues for them at all!

Thanks! Although my dad has a PhD (in a completely different field), I find talking to him very frustrating sometimes. He keeps comparing the process now with what it was like about 30 years ago, and just doesn't get why I am so nervous Good luck everyone!

I think sharing your what you feel on this forum helps a lot I also used to read blogs by other students applying to grad school. I believe that online interaction with people in the same boat as you is very comforting because it makes you feel you're not alone. You will be surprised to know that most people have the exact same feelings/worries/hopes, even regardless of their academic field. You can also learn from their experiences and strategies not just regarding stress management during this period of time but also about the application process and beyond. This is especially helpful if you don't have "real life" friends who are also applying to grad school and therefore will not exactly understand what you're going through. I'm not saying that the support of friends and family is not important. It is very helpful to have them by your side and spend some time with them because that takes your mind off the application process for sometime, since thinking and worrying about it 24/7 won't help. You did your best and now it's time to sit back and wait. Also, if they are close enough, they will be more than happy to listen to you just vent, even if they can't exactly relate. Take care of your self, exercise, read, or practice your hobbies (music, painting, coloring, cooking, baking, knitting/crocheting, etc). Just have fun during this time, and hopefully everything will turn out to be just fine. Hope that helps

lol thank you people for your reply. I got the message Side note: a new rotation student emailed me asking me for my opinion about this lab. I'm not sure how to respond in a diplomatic way. I will not lie and say it was amazing or anything, but at the same time I don't feel comfortable saying anything too negative either, especially that it's an email (these things live forever). Any thoughts?

Hi everyone! So I was in this general biomedical sciences program last fall. I did a few lab rotations but then took medical leave for some health issues. Now I want to return to the program and am looking for labs again. The only lab I could say I kind of liked has a few issues. The research topic was interesting, although not my top interest. However, I am willing to accept that due to lack of labs that are a better fit. The real problem though, is that the lab is horribly disorganized. The PI is around 9-5, and she MUST leave at 5 pm to pick up her small kids from school. She sometimes brings them back to with her to the lab if she really has something important to come back for. She takes a very long time to reply to emails, and keeps telling us to remind her of the things that need to be done. If we don't, she does tend to forget (twice she even forgot to show up to classes she was supposed to teach). The lab is very heavily dependent on the one and only postdoc who works there (he actually works in two labs simultaneously). He does a lot of the bookkeeping, a lot of the planning, a lot of the reminding, and a lot of reproofing other lab members (basically a soon-to-graduate MS student and 2 rotating PhD students) because he thinks we are all not professional enough. And he has a point, because so much money and time gets wasted in the lab because of the carelessness of lab members. There was a post-bac trainee who just left one day and never showed up again. There were two other PhD students who also left "unexpectedly" (according to the PI) and due to mental health issues (according to the MS student). The PI is actually aware of these shortcomings. She explicitly told me that her lab is going through a hard time due to lack of members, and that it is not usually that way. She said that if I am interested, I could rotate again in the lab when things have been sorted out. Almost a year after, according to the MS student, things have not been sorted out. I must say that when she is around, she is a very good mentor and trainer too. She seems to be very passionate about her job and very dedicated. She spent about 2-3 hours with me and the other rotating student on our first day to explain her topic and research methods and techniques. She also spent a good amount of time showing us how to perform some of the experiments herself. She has the reputation of being a very tough committee member and that she grills the students about every last detail. I had to leave the program myself for my own issues, but still kept this lab in mind as an option. One professor from a different department but a related field told me to stay away from that lab because he knows how dysfunctional it is and about its failure in retaining students. I described the situation to a postdoc I know from a different field, and he also advised me to stay away. The director of the biomedical sciences program, however, told me that only I can decide. If I see that the lab is a good fit for me, then I should go for it. He said he has nothing against the PI as a researcher or mentor. He also told me that when he was looking for a lab, he ended up in a place everyone advised him against, but now thinks that he couldn't have made a better decision. Sorry guys for the long post, but I am really lost and need some advice. If I don't join this lab, I am thinking of moving to other universities where perhaps I can find a lab that better matches my research interests and doesn't have so many issues. But what if I fall into the same problem again? What if the labs I'm interested in turn out to be not so great IRL? Or what if I don't get along with the PI for whatever reason? I would be grateful for any input

Hi Anonta! I just wanted to say I'm rooting for you. I'm going through rough times as well and trying to make the tough decision of whether to move or not (I'm not in a lab yet, however). I've been struggling with mental health issues for years (and am going through a breakup after 5 years), and joining this PhD program only made things worse. I, too, ignored the worsening of my symptoms, and called them off as normal homesickness and the stress of moving and loneliness etc. The program I joined turned out to be very disappointing. It is supposed to be kind of like an "umbrella" or integrated program that combines many disciplines, one of which is my area of interest. However, I feel the main focus here seems to be towards certain areas and not others, both in teaching and research. Very few labs are doing research that truly excites me, and I don't know whether the difficulty I'm facing in finding something that grabs my interest is just a symptom of depression. The lab I was considering to join turned out to be not so great either. In theory, their research topic is good and their techniques are state-of-the-art, but it is a horribly disorganized lab with very few members (exactly 2, and one is leaving soon). A lot of money is being wasted just because bad planning of the experiments and/or carelessness of people. Predictably, my mental health only got worse with time, and that also affected my academic performance (in classes), so badly that the program director suggested I take a medical leave. I am much better now, but I am considering leaving the institution and looking for another place. I don't know whether the move will be worth it. If I move, I am risking starting all over again in a new place. I may also end up not liking any of the labs (and here I am not just talking about the topic, which I can easily look-up online, but also the general environment of the lab and how well I get along with the PI, which are very important factors to me). I'm afraid all this may have a bad impact on my mental well-being and throw me back to square one. Also, applying to new institutions is going to cost a lot of money, let aside the cost of moving if I do get accepted. I also need to retake my GREs to apply because my scores have just expired. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to say that I do understand what you're going through, and that I wish you all the best whatever your decision may be. At the end, health (both physical and mental) is very precious. We do need to take care of it because if it's compromised, it will be very hard for us to function no matter where we are located. Good luck!