yaybrains

From what you have described, I would think you have just as good a chance as anyone to be accepted. On paper (assuming you do well on the GRE) your GPA is your weakest point. However, you have 3.5 years of research experience, which will definitely work in your favor. Letters of recommendation are important, so make sure you have good ones! Really put time into the written portions of your application - they are what will help a committee decide whether they want to interview you or not. Numbers are important, but what you write in your application and what your recommenders say about you are probably more important. Finally, make sure you prepare for your interviews when the time comes! The interviews are your chance to make up for any shortcomings, and to show that your strengths and accomplishments are as great as they seem on paper. Good luck!

Congratulations!! That's great news!

Nice topic! I interviewed with and was accepted to three schools for Cell/Molecular PhD programs this past application season - Baylor College of Medicine, University of Maryland, and University of South Florida. My area of interest is Cancer Biology; only USF has a program entirely dedicated to cancer, but the other two have Cancer Bio tracks and many great researchers studying what I want to study.

I really found that my interviews resembled conversations more than they resembled a typical job interview. I was never asked "What is your greatest weakness?" or anything like that (though I prepared answers for those types of things, just in case). Generally, when I walked in the room, the interviewer would start off the conversation by making a friendly comment on where I was from or where I did my undergrad, and then they would ask me to tell me about myself. I talked for about 3 minutes or so about my major, my lab work, and how I became interested in cancer biology - this length of time seemed to work very well, and they would ask questions so it wasn't just me rambling. After this, the conversation could take a number of turns. I had a few interviewers who wanted to know about my research in great detail, so I explained exactly what my project entailed, drew some diagrams, etc. More often than not, though, the interviewer would talk about their own research for at least half the interview (I had a couple of interviewers who launched into explaining their own projects without even asking me about myself). I was a little worried that maybe I wasn't giving them enough information about myself since they were just talking about their own research, but people really do love talking about their own interests. If you can get your interviewer talking about their own research, they will remember your interview positively, even if you don't use the full 30 minutes to talk about how awesome you are. When they are explaining their research, take notes, act interested, and ask an intelligent question or two at the opportune moment.

All that said, there were a couple of questions that I got quite a bit:
1. Why do you want to be in this program? Not a hard one, but make sure you do your homework. Pay attention to what the program directors emphasize about the program as well - chances are, these are the reasons they want you to like their school, and it won't hurt to mention some of those things that particularly stand out to you.
2. What other schools have you applied to? As far as I can tell, they are trying to decide whether you will actually attend their program. Be honest; they know you're applying to more than one program, but it's unnecessary to mention schools you have been rejected from or are no longer considering. The interviewer will probably ask a question or make a comment about your answer, after which point you can re-state the reasons why THEIR program is such a great fit for you.
3. Why were your grades so terrible during this particular semester? If you have a weak point in your application, be prepared to explain it. When they ask about this weak point, they are not out to get you - they want you to have a good, reasonable explanation, and if you have an interview chances are you have the explanation.
4. Do you have any questions for me? Always have questions! Remember, you are trying to evaluate the program as much as they are trying to evaluate you. You may end up asking the same questions toward the end of the day, but you may also get different answers.

Really, I think that is about it. If I think of any other questions I was asked, I will add those. However, I would like to add a few interview tips that I could have used coming in:
1. You have control over your interview. This is huge. It really is a conversation, and you can steer that conversation in whatever way you want. Obviously, don't sidestep a pointed question, but focus on the things you want to talk about. Come in with some things you want to say about yourself, and say them. You don't have to wait for the interviewer to ask a particular question, because they probably won't. Work it into the conversation.
2. Elaborate on the things you are interested in. This kind of ties in with my first point. From speaking to other interviewees, I learned that one interviewer could be very difficult for one person but another person would find the same interviewer to be easygoing and kind. The difference was usually a matter of perspective. Those who had trouble generally answered the question, shut up, and waited for the interviewer to fire another one at them. Those who actually enjoyed the interview saw it as more of a back-and-forth. If you talk about the things you know and are interested in, the interviewer gets to see that you are smart and knowledgeable, and you can prevent the interview from becoming a grill session where you may be asked about things you are not as knowledgeable about. Caveat: don't ramble. If you're done talking, you're done talking, and if you keep talking just to fill silence, you are likely to say something dumb.
3. Get them to talk about their research. Takes pressure off you, they enjoy talking about themselves, and you get to gain more perspective on the program.
4. Prepare, but don't overprepare. I think a good thing to do is to take a sheet of paper for every interviewer and write a few short bullet points about them - what they're doing, where they got their PhD, specific questions you want to ask them. Then, take the sheets to the interviews and use them to take notes. At least for my interviews, it was overkill to read papers by every single interviewer. If you are very interested in working with a particular professor, by all means read a paper or two and ask them about it. Otherwise, keep it simple and don't stress about it too much.
5. Know your research. Be able to explain it inside out. If your current research is in a field other than what you want to get your PhD in (as mine is) then know how to explain it to someone outside the field. Interestingly, I found it was not as important to be well-versed in what I want to work on at the PhD level. In fact, I was told by several interviewers that many students' interests change after the first year and that having your whole PhD planned out was not that important. This may depend on the school, though.
6. Relax! Your interviews will be fine. Your interviewers want to like you. Be engaging, be interested, be excited to meet your interviewers. If something goes wrong during your interview, brush it off and recover. During one particular interview, I was convinced that I had made the biggest idiot of myself and that the interview had gone just terribly. I later found out that my interviewers recommended me unanimously for admission - so it can't have gone too badly!

I hope this helped! I know it's quite long, but I was so nervous before my first interview that I was reading as much advice as I could get my hands on... so maybe some of you made it through. Cheers, and good luck!

Not sure about your schools specifically, but when I was planning to do the back to back interview thing, I was told that the events at night on the second day were not required (hanging out with the grad students and some faculty, etc.). I was going to fly overnight from the west coast (10:30ish PM) and arrive on the east coast around 10:30 the next morning. Of the interviews I have scheduled, most don't begin the first day until the afternoon, so if that's the case for yours then the primary issue would be where you're flying to and from, and if you can get a flight that will get you where you need to be in time. You may not have to miss any required events, but if the social events at night are really important to you or if the second interview starts earlier in the day, then it's going to be harder. I hope this helps! Good luck!
You could call whoever contacted you from Yale. Let them know that you already have an interview scheduled, but that you would still really like to interview. Hopefully they can work something out with you! Good luck!

Not sure about your schools specifically, but when I was planning to do the back to back interview thing, I was told that the events at night on the second day were not required (hanging out with the grad students and some faculty, etc.). I was going to fly overnight from the west coast (10:30ish PM) and arrive on the east coast around 10:30 the next morning. Of the interviews I have scheduled, most don't begin the first day until the afternoon, so if that's the case for yours then the primary issue would be where you're flying to and from, and if you can get a flight that will get you where you need to be in time. You may not have to miss any required events, but if the social events at night are really important to you or if the second interview starts earlier in the day, then it's going to be harder. I hope this helps! Good luck!
You could call whoever contacted you from Yale. Let them know that you already have an interview scheduled, but that you would still really like to interview. Hopefully they can work something out with you! Good luck!

I am reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It's pretty good so far (I'm about half-way through). I guess it counts as historical fiction. It follows two main story lines, which I think are supposed to converge at some point. One follows a blind French girl and the other follows a German boy, before and during World War II.

I was hoping to get some advice/opinions. I have two interviews currently scheduled so that one is Tuesday-Wednesday and the other is Thursday-Saturday, and I can't reschedule them. The first school is on the west coast and the second is on the east coast, so I would have to fly overnight on that Wednesday. It seems crazy to me to give up the opportunity to interview at both (you only get this chance once!), but most of the "real adults" I've talked to have thought I was a little crazy for thinking I could do both. I do prefer the second program, and they argue that I won't perform as well at the interviews because they think I'll be tired from the first set of interviews and the overnight flight. What do you guys think? Based on your experiences, is back-to-back interviews across the country doable? Should I give up the first interview and put all of my effort into the second (preferred) one, or should I give both schools a chance, even if this may affect my performance at the second interview?

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Just thought I'd share this haiku:
Oh Columbia,
My anxiety abounds!
Please email me now.

Doable? Yes. I've done some of those myself. Fun? No. Worth it? Not that you can ever really tell, but for me, definitely yes. 
You'll want to find ways of taking care of yourself. That may mean sleeping in if you can get your schedule to allow it, or paying to sit in the airport lounge if you have a long layover, paying a bit more for a taxi rather than schlepping in multiple buses/trains, or upgrading to a better seat that will allow you to sleep more comfortably on the plane (even if the school will only pay for a cheaper coach ticket). Also, it means making sure you have food (maybe energy bars) and that you actively ask for breaks when you need them, or make sure to work them into your schedule. You'll want to prep for both interviews ahead of time -- so no last-minute reading up on POIs, browsing websites, etc. No getting very drunk, be smart about going out late with local graduate students, things like that. 
For what it's worth, there is (good) advice out there that if you have multiple interviews, you don't want your preferred one first. You want to have a chance to get some experience with interviews first, so you're comfortable with the process by the time you get to the one you really want. I think that's very true, though obviously back-to-back interviews isn't ideal. But it's not like it's necessarily going to seal your fate. You'll just want to prep for both ahead of time, and be smart about it. You can rest after it's done.  

Just got a call from an unknown San Diego number and with absurd enthusiasm ran out of the library (#finals) to answer. It was a telemarketer. Hang in there, pals. 

I posted this on another thread, but I think it is important to read now before too many invites get sent out.
First off, congrats to everyone getting their first invites!
Just as a reminder  - if you get an invite, resist the urge to accept it right away until you are ABSOLUTELY sure that it will not conflict with any other potential interview dates. You don't want to get stuck in the situation where you accept an invite and have to cancel it later. This looks bad on you and more importantly, could take away another student's spot. Same goes for accepting interviews knowing that you are not going to attend that program - many schools keep wait lists, and if you know school "A" isn't for you, give someone on the wait list (who thinks school "A" is their dream school) a chance to interview instead.
Some schools will allow you to interview at an alternative time, but I would strongly recommend only doing this if it is your only option. It's tough for both you and the faculty to get a sense of each other, and you likely won't be able to attend any talks/dinners/social events.
Be realistic about the number of interviews you will be attending. I know some people that interviewed at 10+ places - sounds great, right? From personal experience, after about the 4th interview, you will be exhausted. Traveling that many weekends in a row will take it's toll on your work/ school. And if you can't narrow your interviews down to less than 10, I would think that you didn't look deeply into each program. Yes, it's hard to say no to an interview, but you will have plenty of opportunities in the future to visit (for example, postdoc interviews or conferences).
For those of you waiting for invites, do not freak out if you haven't heard anything yet. Some schools send invites out in batches, others send them out all at once. At this point, it's all out of your hands, and you can relax!
And remember, there is some "randomness" in this process. I've met people that were accepted into MIT and Harvard, but didn't get interviews at less prestigious schools. The reviewers are human, and each committee looks for slightly different things.

UPenn NGG has started sending out interviews. I got an invitation by email this morning. Good luck to everyone who applied!

UPenn NGG has started sending out interviews. I got an invitation by email this morning. Good luck to everyone who applied!

UPenn NGG has started sending out interviews. I got an invitation by email this morning. Good luck to everyone who applied!

UPenn NGG has started sending out interviews. I got an invitation by email this morning. Good luck to everyone who applied!

UPenn NGG has started sending out interviews. I got an invitation by email this morning. Good luck to everyone who applied!