synapticcat

Thanks so much! Looks like you'll have plenty of options too, I can't wait to see where everyone ends up! I'm just wrapping up the fist week of my senior spring semester, and I am definitely celebrating. Drinks tonight, then cooking a breakfast-for-dinner feast and celebrating with close friends later this weekend!

Accepted at University of Vermont NGP!!! That's a wrap, folks!!! Can't thank you guys enough for the support of this forum as I spent the past several months freaking out. Looking forward to making my decision

Hey! Congrats on your interviews - I don't know much about FSU, but Cinci is a fantastic school and I know a current neuro grad there (formerly in the neuro dept with me at my undergrad institution) and she is very happy! Per your questions about UMich, I am fairly confident that their interview weekend is in March according to my PI, but do not know if they've sent out invites yet - pretty sure it's only one weekend though. Sometimes on the results page I can't tell if people who selected "4-year Neuroscience" mean the NGP, or PIBS, because there's also a "4-year Neuroscience (PIBS)" one. It looks like a few people received rejections - so maybe they're still deliberating? On the other hand, I can't find a straight NGP interview reported, they all say PIBS as far as I can tell. I know they only just notified accepted students who applied through PIBS, because I just found out yesterday. I would say maybe reach out to the department and ask what's up?

Yes! Is there one? Two days ago I was sulking about having no acceptances but now I'm freaking out about making my official decision! I think I know which to go with, but my PI/lab mates/family have been encouraging me to give myself a few weeks to decide.

Thank you so much!!! Congrats on your acceptances, too! Yes, I am over the moon excited and relieved! I'm going to give myself a few weeks to think about it, but I'm done with interviews and am thinking I will likely accept UMich's offer.

Accepted to University of Michigan PIBS - Neuroscience!!!!!

Thanks so much, both of you!

Accepted to Case Western BSTP!!! I know I was just on here posting worried about not getting in anywhere....so if you're reading this, sometimes really great things happen when you least expect them to! In my case, it was in the middle of grocery shopping. The rest of the produce section was not nearly as thrilled as I was. I interviewed 2/1-2/3 and got a call today from an admissions committee member (who I sat next to at dinner one night lmao - cool guy) saying that the committee met today and that they are definitely extending me an offer, official stuff to follow in the next few days. Woohoo! I can now delete the lab tech jobs I bookmarked today as a plan B and sit back and wait to hear from my other top choice, but I would be equally as happy to attend here

I hope your interviewers say the same! I'm the complete opposite - all three of mine happened already, and now I'm just waiting. Thanks so much for the encouragement, I hope you get fantastic news too I just had my ~beginning of the semester~ meeting with my PI and I'm feeling a bit more relaxed now. Also spent the past 2 hours pipetting fish - sounds infuriating, but methodical work like that is super calming for me. I know for this program specifically they accepted almost 80% of their interviewees. Someone just told me that no one has heard from neuroscience yet, so I guess I can put off my freak-out for a bit longer! Thanks so much for the positive words and congrats on your acceptances

Oh, thank god haha. I've been shitting bricks I'm so nervous. I mean, not thank god that you're nervous of course! But at least it's no bad news for any of us yet

Thanks so much for the kind reply! This did make me feel a little better. I had 3 faculty tell me that they would be "thrilled" to see me there in the fall, and two tell me explicitly they thought I would be a great fit for the program. So....I would be pretty bummed if I wasn't at least wait-listed haha. The good news is I liked my other top choice just as much and would be thrilled to attend either school, and at that interview weekend I was told by the faculty and students that unless you had a MAJOR red flag or fucked up big time in your interviews you were getting an offer (they accept >90% of the people they interview). I will certainly update you guys with the news when I hear! And congrats again!

Congrats both of you! I am not sure if you guys would, but do you happen to know if anyone who interviewed with PIBS via Neuroscience have heard anything? I received really positive responses from the faculty I interviewed with, but have not heard back on my application yet. I know neuro has a direct admittance program which could affect when they make offers....but I'm really, really nervous. I guess they have until Friday?

Has anyone who interviewed with U-M PIBS through the neuro program heard anything yet? I know people who interviewed with other departments have heard, but I haven't heard anything from anyone who interviewed through neuro. Starting to get worried, although I know they have until Friday to get back to us and according to previous years people still received acceptances around that time.

Haha thank you very much for the support! I stopped by to chat with my PI and he agrees I should go ahead and go. Currently drinking some chamomile tea and will get to bed early tonight and sleep in tomorrow. Good tip on the ginger and lemon! I will have to try.

Hey lmao random question here - has anyone gotten sick before an interview? I have my third interview weekend coming up, and I'm supposed to leave tomorrow evening to get down to the campus (I live a bit over 1 hr away but they were nice enough to put me up in a hotel), but I have a bit of a cold as of this morning. I haven't been sick since back in June, so I guess I got unlucky and all the stress finally made me susceptible. I'm 99.9% sure I don't have the flu, and feel pretty okay besides a stuffy nose/a little bit of a scratchy throat. This is (I think) the only interview weekend left and I have everything set up already and am meeting with some faculty I'm highly interested in. Do you guys think I'll be okay toughing it out with some Dayquil and going? Has anyone been in this position before? I guess I'll bring some tissues and hand sanitizer and hope for the best haha.

Thanks, both of you! I was 99.9% sure that was the case. Not too hurt since they weren't a top choice for my interests looking back. Best of luck on your interviews!!!

Completely agree with this sentiment. I will graduate from a fairly well-known midwestern liberal arts school in May (BA in Neuro, minors in Biochemistry and Philosophy), and I was invited into the lab my freshman year. I know all of our department's faculty on a first-name basis, served on our major's committee for 2 years, and am now president of our honors society. I've been working in the same lab for a year now, collaborating with other undergrads to develop our assay from the ground-up, and was involved in the design and execution of my project every step of the way. In my lab (I worked with a young, freshly graduated PI), we really do serve as the undergrads, techs, and grad students, and I work extremely closely with my PI. I sincerely don't know if I'd have ended up where I am now without the support of our faculty, and my current PI was instrumental in helping me through the application process every step of the way. I knew I wanted to study neuroscience, which was helpful in choosing a college, but is not necessary. Personally, looking back, I am certain that I have received some of the best education and training possible as an undergrad in the sciences, and wouldn't pick a different school if I had to do it all over again. I received a lot of positive comments about my undergrad's program when at my first interview weekend too, which was nice. To the OP of this thread, please feel free to PM me if you have any further questions, I do some outreach work on campus focused on getting students involved in the lab here and beyond (REUs, grad school, internships, etc) and would be more than happy to speak to my experience attending a small LAC, both the positives and negatives, and how the training I received and the connections I made here fostered my interest in pursue a career in research science moving forward.

I think it would still be okay! I mean, worst case scenario they don't respond, but I think a lot of people would appreciate you reaching out regardless. But YMMV, and some people might disagree with me. Truthfully this was my first interview and I had no idea what I was doing, just tried to be sincere in all my interactions. I contacted my student host (because I didn't get a chance to say bye/thank you to her in person Friday night during the dinner), and then sent emails to everyone I interviewed with. I think my email might have been longer than the standard short thank you emails (for one I sent follow-up info about a specific viral vector construct he had asked about that I didn't remember off the top of my head, things I specifically liked about the program, highlights of our convo, etc). I know some people will say to not send an in-depth email like that, but they weren't too lengthy, and every reply I've gotten has been very positive and thanking me for a nice message. I imagine they've probably already submitted their reviews of you/I don't think nice emails have bearing on admission, but I still feel that it's a nice touch. I would say go ahead!

Thanks for the response and advice! I sent out some nice emails yesterday afternoon and got very nice, positive and prompt replies from 4 of them, so far. Two actually specifically replied saying they thought I would be a great addition to their program and that they hoped to see me in the fall. So I'm very happy I went ahead and decided to send them! Of course now I'll still be frantically checking my email every day until I hear the official decision haha, trying to not get my hopes up.

Anyone else not heard for an interview or a reject from UWashington neuro? I keep seeing rejections on the results page, and I know people have gotten interviews, but I'm sitting on dead silence. Someone I talked to at my interview last weekend said she had a POI there who told her results and invites were still being sent out in early Feb. but if I remember correctly they have recruitment days in early Feb?

Official rejection from UNC BBSP via email. It was pretty obvious I wasn't getting an interview so I'm in no way surprised. On to the next one!

Whoops, already edited my first post and I guess I can't edit it again? Anyways, I'm thinking personal thank-you emails are a good way to go. Got an email back in response thanking me for the nice note and encouraging me to reach out to him with any questions about the program/school/life in the area. ~Confirmed~ not a bad idea. Also talked to my PI after I sent them and he told me it was a good move.

Currently sending post-interview thank you emails as we speak. Not sure if it's standard, but it's a good gesture and I feel that a nice, sincere email might keep your interview with them fresher in their mind as they're writing their review of you. I reached out to my student host, all of my interviewers, and 1 additional faculty member I had prior connections with. One interviewer asked me a specific question about a promoter we used in our viral vector construct that I couldn't remember, so in my thank-you email I mentioned that I had gone back and done some sleuthing at told him a little more about the vector design. In all of them I talked a little bit about how I had had a very nice visit/specific things about the program I liked, and thanked them for their time. Another interviewer took me into his lab during the interview because I was really into a technique they used, so I thanked him for that opportunity and reiterated how it was cool/etc. One I had a really fantastic interview with and then talked to extensively the next day at the poster session, so I sent him a nice email about that as we had a lot of similar research interests. During our conversation he brought up a certain certificate program he thought would be really perfect for my interests, so I looked it up later and thanked him for mentioning it to me because it seemed like a super cool opportunity. If you want to send a genuine, personal email (i.e. not the same generic email to everyone) about some things you discussed, I really think it couldn't hurt. I think it's a sincere way to convey your interest in their work/the program.

Hey everyone! I just had my first in-person interview weekend and (I think) it went really well. Had really great interviews - hit it off with a few faculty whose interests are right up my alley and who said they hoped to see me in the fall. I would be over the moon to be accepted at this program and now I'm extremely nervous! They said we should hear in 2 weeks by the latest, but from the admissions statistics they gave us it seems like I have an okay chance. I want to send follow-up/thank you emails to the faculty I interviewed with, as well as a couple I communicated with along the way. Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to say? Can I reiterate my interest, or is that too much? I also wasn't sure when to email, as I just saw some of them as recently as today. Was thinking tomorrow or Monday? But I didn't want to bother anyone after a busy weekend. Cheers!!!

Just had first interview over Skype with UVM, I think it went well? Really fun/welcoming faculty and got some great feedback from one of the current students. Seems like a small but supportive program. Heading out to Ann Arbor tomorrow afternoon for PIBS interview weekend. Will I see anyone else there? I've been corresponding with my student host and she's been extremely nice and helpful. And 4 of my 5 faculty interviews are with profs who were very high up on my POI list, so I'm hoping having research interests in common will make the interviews flow well. Getting super nervous and imposter-syndome-y, especially only having 3 interviews with dead silence from all my other apps. This is a weird process and I can't figure out for the life of me why some of these programs have decided I'm worth interviewing vs. someone else equally qualified. Aaaaahh.