alltheclusters

Sloan Kettering isn't primarily a comp bio program, even though the comp bio faculty we have here is excellent and so is the student support (small class size, subsidized housing for your entire PhD, great insurance, etc.). I'm not sure about Columbia, but other comp bio programs in NYC that you can consider are Tri-i CBM (mostly computational) and Weill Cornell PBSB (which might fit well for you considering your interest in structural biology).

GSK student here - campus visit and interviews are scheduled to start next Tuesday, so I doubt they'll be sending any more invites for that. Sorry!

If you want to move towards a computational biology PhD from an experimental background, I would highly recommend applying to umbrella programs then choosing to rotate and do your thesis in computational labs under those programs - e.g. applying to Harvard BBS instead of Harvard Comp Bio, Weill Cornell PBSB/BCMB instead of Tri-i CBM. This would be a less competitive way to get into those labs, given that your background isn't extensively computational but is very strong in other aspects . Comp bio programs generally look for people who want to build novel methods and have lots of computational experience and/or formal training in math/CS/statistics, so your experiences, though amazing, would not stand out as much to these programs.

Hi everyone, I'm very lucky to get accepted to my first two choices, even though now I'm faced with a tough decision to make. I'm interested in applying computational tools to biological problems, particularly in developmental bio (and slowly getting into cancer as well). Weill Cornell PBSB and GSK share a lot in common and have tons of available resources for PhD students, but there are still some distinct differences between them that matter to me: *Pros: GSK: 'leaner' curriculum that's completed within the first year, shorter rotations, smaller class size, better stipend and financial support Weill Cornell: more faculty members I can see myself working with (like 8-10 people compared to 4-5 at GSK), connection with Cornell Tech so I can take more technical courses *Cons: GSK: fewer labs that I'm super excited about (the computational bio there is great, don't get me wrong, and the 4-5 labs there that do work I'm interested in are also amazing) Weill Cornell: larger class size, financial support not as competitive as GSK, curriculum (I've heard) is biophysics-heavy and more spread out, long rotations If anyone is currently in these programs or know them well and could offer any insights that would help with my decisions, please let me know! I'm particularly interested in what people see as the biggest setback of the programs/what they could change if they were able to. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm very lucky to get accepted to my first two choices this early and want to start thinking about where to go, since I know it'll be a tough decision. I'm interested in applying computational tools to biological problems, particularly in developmental bio (and slowly getting into cancer as well). Weill Cornell PBSB and GSK share a lot in common and have tons of available resources for PhD students, but there are still some distinct differences between them that matter to me: *Pros: GSK: 'leaner' curriculum that's completed within the first year, shorter rotations, smaller class size, better stipend and financial support Weill Cornell: more faculty members I can see myself working with (like 8-10 people compared to 4-5 at GSK), connection with Cornell Tech so I can take more technical courses *Cons: GSK: fewer labs that I'm super excited about (the computational bio there is great, don't get me wrong, and the 4-5 labs there that do work I'm interested in are also amazing) Weill Cornell: larger class size, financial support not as competitive as GSK, curriculum (I've heard) is biophysics-heavy and more spread out, long rotations If anyone is currently in these programs or know them well and could offer any insights that would help with my decisions, please let me know! I'm particularly interested in what people see as the biggest setback of the programs/what they could change if they were able to. Thank you in advance!

I heard from PBSB last Thursday (the email came at midnight, oddly enough). If you haven't heard from them at all, I think Matt Cipriano did say you should email their office and they'll let you know?

I'm in a similar position as you are - in undergrad, I majored in biology and minored in computer science, with some coursework in math and statistics as well. I had ~3 years in a developmental bio lab doing benchwork in undergrad, and currently wrapping up my 2-year master's program where I do purely computational stuff in R/Python. I applied to mostly umbrella bio programs (system/quantitative bio track where applicable) and some pure sysbio programs this round. As of now I have received offers for basically all the umbrella bio programs and rejections for all the sysbio/computational bio programs I applied to. When I talked to the program director of the sysbio track in one of the umbrella programs I applied to (he happened to run the computational bio program at the same school, which I was rejected from), he said that the focuses of the programs are different: the sysbio track in pure bio programs look for people interested in using quantitative tools to solve biological problems, while the computational bio/bioinformatics programs look for people interested in developing those tools. Since my research interests obviously lean more to the first side (plus my limited programming/math skills compared to people with degrees in CS/math/stats/engineering), I'm not a good candidate for pure computational programs. Since your background and interest seem similar to mine, and if you're still thinking of doing more biology than method development for your PhD, I think you would be better off applying for umbrella bio programs with quantitative or computational tracks (e.g. Yale BQBS, Weill Cornell PBSB) instead of biostats/comp bio programs. Being in umbrella bio programs doesn't mean you'll have to do wet lab work - there are usually computational labs that don't do any benchwork in these programs so you wouldn't ever have to touch a pipette again if that's not your thing.

Just curious, did you hear anything from them today?

Anyone interviewed at Weill Cornell last weekend still waiting for their decisions?

I'm an international student wrapping up my MSc in Canada -- have had some success this season with an offer from GSK as well as interviews at Weill Cornell and NYU. I have ~5 years total of research experience in both wet and dry lab, a few manuscripts in preparation, one second-author submitted paper, and LoRs from research advisors who are quite well-known in their fields. My grad and undergrad GPAs are ~3.9/4.0. To be honest I think it's a combination of research fit (lots of PIs doing what I wanted to do in all schools I applied to), LoRs and some luck that got me this far. Don't be disheartened yet! I've heard it's been a very competitive season so far for all programs and sometimes whether you get invited for interviews or not boiled down to luck. You can still ace your UConn interview, and in the worst case, a few more years as a tech/RA to learn new techniques and get published will help you tremendously when you apply later. Even though many programs have limited funding for int'l students (the UCs for example), some others don't really care about our citizenship status (e.g. most NYC schools), so you do have options. Best of luck!

I'm an international student currently at U of T MoGen -- from what I gather, usually when the sponsoring prof gave you the thumbs up, then your admission is pretty likely already. They do take forever to mail out acceptance letters though - I actually never received mine and had to chase down the program coordinator to get a scanned version before the deadline to respond was up. If you're worried, shoot the grad coordinator an email and I'm sure they would be happy to update you.

Any international students not living in the US heard from Yale BBS yet? (BSBQ track specifically). Thanks!

Congrats! Do you happen to know if they’re done sending invites?

There are a couple of interview invites from Yale BBS in the Results section -- anyone knows if they're done sending invites?

Hi -- reposting this as I would love any feedback on my application and school choices. I'm limiting the schools I'm applying to around the NYC/Boston area because my family is there and I would like to stay close to them during my PhD years.

Undergrad Institution: NYU Abu Dhabi (the UAE portal campus of NYU, we boast a 2% acceptance rate every year so it's quite competitive. Some science faculty members have labs in both NY and AD so the Bio research is quite strong and productive)Major(s): BiologyMinor(s): Sociology, Computer ScienceGPA in Major: 3.9Overall GPA: 3.92Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?) graduated with honors so top 10% probablyType of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?) international female Grad institution: University of Toronto (MSc) Major: Computational Biology GPA: 4.0/4.0GRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 160V: 162W: 5.5B: didn't takeResearch Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...) 1 year at a start-up cancer research lab (freshman year), 1 poster, no pub (the PI later got fired so not much materialized from this) 3 years at a developmental bio lab, where I also did my honor thesis. Famous PI, very well known in his field. 1 poster at an international conference, 1 first author manuscript in preparation but this won't be submitted anytime soon because of some delay in follow-up experiments. 1 year (2 by the time I graduate) at a computational bio lab for my MSc thesis. Also pretty well-known PI. 1 poster at a departmental event, 1 3rd author manuscript just submitted (aim for Cell Theory) and shooting for another 1 first author method paper by the time I graduate.Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?) Full scholarship for my undergrad education Multiple undergraduate research and travel grants for my thesis research Ontario Trillium Scholarship (a prestigious entrance award for international PhD recruits to universities in Ontario. I was selected for the award but later turned it down because I realized I didn't want to pursue my PhD in Toronto) A merit scholarship from the Faculty of Medicine at U of T Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...) 1 year of TA for a molecular bio lab course at my undergrad institution Various volunteer positions in science festivals at New York, Abu Dhabi and TorontoAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: tutoring/mentoring experiences for younger students and demonstrated commitment to writing (I wrote for the school newspaper for a few years, served as a writing tutor and have published a few non-fiction pieces in various magazines). Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...) both my undergrad and MSc thesis mentors are well-known and know me well. 3rd letter will be from PI of a collaborating lab for my MSc project - I'm less close to him but he's also quite well-known and would probably write a good letter.Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: this is my 2nd time applying to PhD programs in the US - the last time I applied, I was able to get into some good programs (Mt Sinai, NYU Sackler, BU PiBS, etc.) but decided to come to Canada mostly because of the messy U.S. political landscape. However, due to some personal circumstances, I'll have to finish up my MSc in Canada and move back to the US for my PhD instead of doing my PhD in Canada as intended. 2 questions: 1. will this decision be viewed negatively by admissions committees? and 2. are there any disadvantages if I re-apply to the same schools I got into but didn't come the first time?Applying to Where: mostly biomedical/biological science program in the NY/Boston area. I'm interested in using computational tools to find new biological insights, particularly in developmental biology, as well as developing computational methods for the analysis of large-scale biological data. I still want to maintain a pretty strong biological component in my research, hence applying to mostly BBS umbrella programs rather than computational bio-specific programs. Yale BBS Harvard BBS Gertsner Sloan Kettering Weill Cornell/Tri-institutional Computational Biology NYU Sackler Mt Sinai

Hi everyone! This is a bit specific (and also early to ask), but I figure I'd put it out there anyway for anyone who has similar experience. My significant other will start his PhD (in a social science field) next year at a prestigious Ivy school, and I'll wrap up my master's degree in Toronto and apply next year to PhD programs in biology in the US. It would be ideal to attend the same school with him, though I do have a number of options for programs that are a bit further away but still convenient to get to. My question is, should I mention my relationship anywhere in my application for the Ivy school that my SO attends? The program is top-notch and there are many PIs I want to work with there, so it's already a very appealing program for me and my SO is an extra reason, not the only one, that makes me want to go there. I definitely don't plan on elaborating on my personal relationship in my SOP, but would it help or hurt my chances to mention it elsewhere in the application?

@sivis, did Icahn SOM send out invitations already?