bmeupscotty

Officially accepted UPenn's offer! Super excited!

I've now heard from all of my schools, but I'm still waiting to hear about a fellowship program at one that I'm like 98% sure I would choose. But without the fellowship I'm significantly less excited about the school (the curriculum and the way you choose a research lab) and way more conflicted about my choices. It's so frustrating to be done waiting but STILL be waiting!

Also see this post re: safety schools For the record, this person was rejected from everywhere they applied last year and was responding to someone who told them they'd be rejected everywhere again. They've gotten at least one acceptance and an additional interview this year. There's not anything wrong with applying to fewer programs if you're sure those are the ones with research and professors and resources that you want to work with. On the other hand, don't restrict yourself to only "top" schools if there are others that are doing what you want to do, as those might actually be better for the subfield you're interested in or just be a better fit for you.

Besides industry jobs, you can also look for Research Assistant positions at labs that fit your interests at universities or hospitals (many hospitals are associated with med schools and have professors doing research, plus a lot of BME programs collaborate closely with med schools). This is what I've been doing for the last year and a half before I applied to grad school. Many places will be glad to have someone with the technical experience being BME gives you. For example, I work in an imaging research lab and I've gotten great use out of my coding skills and understanding of image/signal processing. My position also gave me more connections, including two of my recommenders who are professors that I work with closely, and helped me gain a better idea of what I wanted to study in grad school. Overall, I think it made me a more competitive applicant.

Accepted to WashU! Also rejected from Oxford this morning, but knew it was a long-shot anyway.

@thaibear Thanks for the info! That makes me feel much better about the math questions. I'll definitely ask about funding-- that's always been a big maybe with applying there. I'd LOVE to go, but I've known from the start it might very well not be possible. I don't know yet who I'll be interviewing with, but I'll post again once I know!

I got an interview with Oxford for their Biomedical Imaging program! @thaibear Do you have any info about the interview or best ways to prepare? In the email they sent me, they say it'll include "some questions designed to test your confidence and ability in mathematics"... it's been a number of years since I was in a pure math class so this is making me nervous!

Hi! Yes, I got a separate email from the department inviting me. Details were in an attached letter from the Director of Graduate Studies.

Got an interview invite from UPenn! Hope everyone is checking their spam folders because that's where this one went for me

UPenn has three interview weekends: February 8-10, February 22-24, and March 1-3

UNC/NCSU recruitment: February 22-23 (arrive late in the day on the 21st)

Thanks! I hadn't heard anything from them till I got an email today. It looks like they're another one that sends them out over multiple days. It also cc'd professors I had mentioned in my application to connect me with them directly, which was nice! On another note, are the emails from UPenn about their student chat driving anyone else crazy? My heart starts pounding whenever I see an email from them before I realize that it's not anything related to an interview!

Georgia Tech/Emory recruitment days are March 8-10.

Thanks so much! My field is imaging, so fingers crossed those interview invites are still in progress!

Anyone know if JHU sends out interview invites over multiple days or just one? Also, those who got an invite today, do you mind sharing what your research area/specialization is?