[MCB Dartmouth]

Hey Jen,

We already know each other, one amusing evening at a party in Vermont! :-) x

Hey!

I am happy to hear you accepted your offer to Dartmouth MCB. I have accepted also. I was an intern last summer here as part of the SURF program and was hired back in January. so I have been here a while. I am living in Lebanon, NH right now which is the town over from Hanover. Do you know where you will be staying? There are a few options for Graduate housing here. If you already know what you are going to do, ignore the following...1. You can stay at whats called "North Park". This is where first years usually go. It is kind of like living in unisex dorm apartments. It is beneficial for someone who doesnt know the area or have any friends/family in the area bc you get to live with other MCB students. It is also within walking distance to the school (not the hospital though). 2. You can live in "Sachem Village" which pretty much like a graduate student housing "village" about 2mi away from the school. I will prob move here my second year. 3. you can look on Craigslist and just rent any apartment available in the area. There are buses that run during the week that will take you pretty much anywhere you want in the area and a Dartmouth Coach bus system that will take you to Boston and NY also I believe. The only downside is that buses don't run on the weekends so if you are doing a rotation or something at thew hospital you will have to take a cab or ride a bike if your motivated to.

I did have interviews. It was really fun. They are really laid back here. It is a small town and there is not really a lot to do in Hanover. There are a few good places to eat/drink on Main St and there are more places in Lebanon. I like Dartmouth because it is surrounded by nature and there are a lot of places to camp/hike etc. It gets really cold in the winter though. People think because i am from the area that I like the cold and the snow and what not. I don't like it I am just used to it by now.

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Jen

[University of Toronto]

Nancy, Chicago is misspelled in your signature and it's driving me crazy.

I hadn't even noticed that I typed it wrong, thanks!

[Dartmouth College]

They have this big first year graduate housing complex, it houses like 100 people split up into apartments of 4 I think. I was considering it because I'm from the UK so can't visit to look for somewhere to live, I'd hate to sign up for an apartment and realise it's actually a lot further away from school and food than I thought (I can't drive yet either), and I think I like the idea of moving into a place and instantly having 100 neighbours in the same boat as you, especially cos of moving away. However, it's just a thought, so I dunno yet!

They have a page on the website about it, it's called North Park.

What are other people thinking about doing?

[Are there any Geology folks this application season?]

Seriously no others. hmmm

I used to be Geo, but switched to the Bio dark side...

[F1 visa: Costs and financial evidence]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone had some extra info about applying for visas to the US.

I have heard from some other students here who've applied for shorter term visas that they had to provide evidence of finances to support themselves for a given amount of time, in the form of bank statements that show that amount of money for at least a few months.

Does anyone now if this is the case for PhD offers? Do you have to show a certain amount of financial solvency?

Also, what can it cost to apply for one?

Any help or experience would be really appreciated!

[MCB Dartmouth]

Hey, that's great about other people accepting offers, I'm really excited about moving there from the UK and getting to meet you all in person.

What are everyone elses summer plans? I think I'm going to stay in the UK, both to say goodbye to my home but also getting a visa sorted is going to take a lot of time.

Nice to meet you all, and congrats on accepting

[Grad School + Relationship]

I really feel for your situation, and massively respect you've made your relationship go this far (the application process killed mine). I think these kinds of decisions are always awful, how do you choose between your career and another person, or ask them to do the same?

Saying that, I think he has to face up to what he's actually asking. Long distance only works in my opinion if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, which I'm guessing being together in grad school was for you. The fact you applied to the same schools (and my word, got into Berkeley no less, so massive congrats for that ) shows you both want this to work. If he can't give you what you need him to, then he should take responsibility for that. Don't feel like you're being unreasonable when he's considering going back on his word for the last five years.

I suggest you sit him down and have the serious talk; Both think about the choices to be made here and all the outcomes.

I wish you all the best with making this really rubbish decision

[Opinions on UK schools? Bristol, East Anglia, University of London]

I'm just finishing up my undergrad in Bristol, and I've loved every second of living here. It's a beautiful and really exciting city, full of great clubs, pubs, food places and independent shops.

The uni itself does have a really good reputation, and is a good stepping stone for both UK and international postgrad study. As for the fees, I'm not sure about the one year thing, do check that (I have a friend who's been resident for longer and doesn't qualify for PhD funding, so just be sure that's true before you relocate!).

All in all, Bristol is fab, and definitely worth considering. If there's any more specific info you think you would like (I still have internal web access so could possibly find out more about courses/costs/living etc), let me know!

Good luck choosing

[What do you do when you get an email from a school you applied to]

Cos I live in the UK, I'm at least spared obsessive mail checking, but my email refreshing has been out of control! I got a rejection email and an acceptance a few days apart. The rejection had "Admissions Decision" in the subject, and was a very generic copy and paste list of reasons why I wasn't picked. The acceptance had the name of the school in the title, and said "Please find enclosed your offer for admission 2010" with a pdf of the letter attached.

Massive freaking out followed, as well as re-reading the letter a zillion times to make sure it was an acceptance!

Also, try waiting on decisions with a massive time difference, checking your emails from 8a.m until the early hours of the morning (just in case someones up far away!) is a killer.

Congrats to all those who made it, and good luck to those still waiting

[MCB Dartmouth]

Thanks! My fingers are crossed at any rate. Yes, I did get to see some of the labs at both the Medical School(on the main campus) and at the Dartmouth Medical Center(about a 10 minute drive away). Most PIs seem to have small labs(<10 members), mainly with graduate students though there are some post docs there as well. I had 6 interviews while I was there and all my interviewers seemed nice and pretty laid back.

bb9931

When did you hear about your acceptance? I am starting to really worry...

Were the labs really far apart? I ask cos I can't drive!

[Dartmouth College]

Hi all,

I'll be starting there this Fall too, in the Mathematics PhD program.

Hey, nice to see another person too

[MCB Dartmouth]

Hey,

I did my integrated masters at Bristol University, in Palaeontology. I work on the molecular aspects of Palaeobiology, molecular clock dates of animal lineage divergence, and at the moment I'm researching whole genome duplication events and gene paralogy group splits in the evolutionary history of the vertebrates. I'm really interested in working with Kevin Peterson, but I really want that year to work with a variety of people and make sure I'm doing the right thing for my doctorate!

As for North Park, there's forms on the website where you can apply as soon as you've decided.

It's nice to get to know more about another MCB person!

[University of Toronto]

Hey,

I got an email notification a couple of weeks back saying they had entered all details into their system and were now reviewing applications (This was for Evolutionary Bio). That's all I've heard so far.

[3 rejections, the rest silent, feeling devastated]

As hard as it is, do try and hang in there with the waiting. I'm from the UK, and found the whole process baffling, and was giving up hope all through Feb, and had started applying to UK masters so I could pad out my CV some more. But then I got an acceptance to the place I wanted the most, so it can still happen (I still haven't heard a word back from the others, with the exception of one rejection).

I guess what I'm saying is try and stick it out, there is still time for everything to work out, and if not, take that year and go have a great time!

Best of luck

[Dartmouth College]

Yes almost definitely! So have you only done a Bachelor's degree or a Master's as well? I read your post about being really young and joining the graduate program; don't worry, I'm also turning just 22 this June

I've done an MSci degree, which is a Bachelors and Masters rolled into one. Yay to being young too, did you do a Masters?

[MCB Dartmouth]

So what happens after you accept? Do they send the forms that you need to get your student visa and things?

I accepted and they said that they will mail me some stuff soon, as well as an email of info about being international and orientation in early April. My interview was with the chair of the program Barbara Conradt. What sort of area do you work on, and who would you like to work with out there?

I'm definitely going to apply to live in North Park, I'd prefer to live with lots of people while I get to know the college and America. Also it seems like a really easy option and a good idea as I can't go visit Hanover before I move there cos I just can't afford the flights!

Good luck on hearing back from Northwestern too

Nancy

[MCB Dartmouth]

Hi Nancy,

I am the one to whom this forum has been pointed out

I'm from India, got into the MCB program too, and am almost definitely accepting it.

I was interviewed by phone in February; it was pretty informal.

How nice to meet someone else in MCB already!

Hey, I replied to your meet and greet post cos I saw it first! I had a phone interview, which was very informal as well. Who did your interview? I've accepted the offer already, it was the program I really wanted so I'm very happy.

I hope you accept, it would be great to know someone sort of before going!

[Dartmouth College]

I've been accepted at the Dartmouth MCB program too! How exciting.

Congrats!!!! Are you going to take the offer? Hope so!

[did I screw up?]

Hey, don't even worry about it. It's so easy to pick apart everything you said after a phone interview, and mine always left me wanting more (so to speak... ). Don't worry about it, it sounds like the interview went really well, and I'm sure they read your comment as only to do with the stress of applying.

Massive good luck for hearing back!

[MCB Dartmouth]

Hey all,

Did anyone apply for Dartmouth's MCB program? If so, have you heard back, and will you be attending?

I got the acceptance last Thursday and will definitely be taking the offer. I'm a student from the UK, does anyone know anything more about the program and the college than the website says? Anyone go visit for their interview, and if so, what was it like?

I'll stop with the questions now, but I'd love to hear back from anyone who applied/considered it.

[If you get in next year, how old will you be when you start your PhD?]

I'll be 22 when I start my PhD in the Fall, having done a 4 year undergrad degree in the UK. I'm a little worried about being so young, does anyone else feel like this?

[Opinion about Oxbridge education]

Hmmm. I'd really appreciate some input on a conundrum I have:

An offer of a five year fully-funded ($20K+ stipend each year) position in a top 3-4 public US college (dept ranking in the twenties)

vs.

offers from Oxford, Cambridge and LSE for one year M.Sc programs.

I've always wanted to study in the UK, but the US offer is pretty hard to beat in the current economic climate.

I won't find out whether I get funding as an international student in the UK until May or June, but I need to let the US school know by April 15.

It's possible that if I do the year-long masters in the UK, when I apply to PhD programs a year later, my chances of getting in to a top-ranked university may be improved.

On the other hand, if I don't get funded in the UK, I will have kissed goodbye a meaty five year scholarship.

I'm in the social sciences.

I'd be really grateful for any thoughts you might have.

Glucklich.

Hey,

I'd seriously consider taking the PhD place, I'm from the UK and finding postgrad funding is becoming more and more difficult in the current economic situation. I can totally see the temptation of having the year studying over here, it would be a great experience, but a fully funded PhD is a fully funded PhD, and I wouldn't turn it down without completely guaranteed funding for your masters.

Good luck! :)

[Dartmouth College]

Hey,

I'll be starting there this Fall too, in the Molecular and cellular biology PhD program.