synapticcat

Has anyone had any luck with using the career center type places at your home institution? I scheduled an appointment today for next week (first interview next weekend!) at my PI's request, but I'm not sure how useful they'll be as PhD recruitment weekends are rather different from standard job interviews. Either way, I'm hoping they have some good advice! Also, does anyone have tips for someone who is too chatty/talkative? I'm terrified I'm going to get excited talking about my research and ramble on way too long. Every mock interview I've had, I've gotten very positive feedback, but everyone tells me that I should focus on talking slower and a bit less frequently . The upside, I'm told, is that I come across as very enthusiastic and excited about my work, and if I can tone it down just a *little* it would be just right. However, it's really hard to police your speaking while in the middle of explaining complex science stuff!

No problem! I was too. It's my first interview so I was getting nervous! I actually called because I was anxious they hadn't gotten my information or something haha. What department are you interviewing with? If it's biochem you might end up hanging out with one of my friends who's a current student! See you there! Ann Arbor is a fun place for an interview weekend.

For anyone interviewing with UMich PIBS (1/25-1/27), I just talked to the graduate office and interview itineraries will be sent out on Friday

It can't hurt to ask, IMO. Depending on the program, they can sometimes be accommodating with alternate visit dates, or perhaps will offer a Skype interview or something similar instead. Best of luck

Aw man, that's a bummer I had a feeling they might be. Oh well! Can't get them all, haha. Best of luck to you!

Oh, awesome! Thanks so much for the info! I'm sorry to hear that I saw a crap-load of M3D rejections on the results page not too long ago. Curious if anyone else who applied to University of Washington GPN (neuro) is still waiting to hear back too? I've seen some people who have interviews but otherwise haven't heard anything.

Also waiting on UNC BBSP (but with a primary interest in neuroscience), I'm beginning to think that no positive news is coming on that front Someone last month said that everyone was going to hear back by the week of the 22nd or something, but there's been nothing but complete silence as far as I can tell. At least Northwestern had the courtesy to reject me formally I could be wrong, maybe they are still sending more invites! I haven't heard anything from my remaining 3 schools, and all of my interview invites came before Christmas (UVM email 12/12, UMich PIBS call from neuro dept on 12/15, official email on 12/18, CWRU BSTP email on 12/18). Feeling bummed out that I might not be hearing back from the remaining schools, but I'm still tentatively hopeful! Wishing you the best of luck

My general opinion is that once you've gotten the interview, you're academically qualified to attend the school and that everything is more or less on your interviews and evaluations. Though I imagine that if you have a POI who you've corresponded with immensely that could put you at an advantage. As far as post-interview acceptances go, I've been told for PIBS by a friend of mine who's a current student that "an interview almost guarantees acceptance". I find this very hard to believe, though. I've heard from others it's more like 2/3 - 3/4 of interviewees get an offer, depending on the department, which seems more likely. I don't know anything about Case, but I have a specific area of research interest that makes me a good fit for their program, and CWRU tends to like students from my undergrad institution. Vermont I'm not too worried about due to prior connections and a positive LOR from a PI in the program. The way I've been thinking about this is that based on statistics alone, I have a good shot of admittance at any of these programs if I have a good interview/visit. I think I panicked about this last night, but after reflecting on it I don't think I'm going to try to submit any more apps. I think it's partially just seeing people on here with like 132498239904 interviews that made me nervous! I'll be back in the lab in a few days and I'll definitely bring it up with my PI, who almost always has sound advice on these things. I'm going to focus on prepping for the interviews I do have I've been told the same thing, more or less. I was so convinced I wasn't going to get in anywhere that like a week after I submitted my applications I was in lab meeting looking up "plan B" lab tech jobs hahaha. I agree, and right now my interview schedule is working out perfectly, with my last interview being the weekend before my spring semester starts, which is obviously not the most important thing but is super convenient! Like I said above, I was kinda panicking about this last night and I've realized I should spend my time focusing on the interviews I do have, which seems the most level-headed approach I can come up with. Thanks for assuaging some of my fears haha - good luck with your interviews!

Hmmmm. Not a man, but I would suggest maybe earmuffs if you're worried about your hair. Plenty of men also wear hats (dark-colored beanies, for example), and I suppose you could always carry a comb or hairbrush in your bag/briefcase if you're so inclined (I know personally as a woman, I carry a hairbrush in my purse). I personally won't wear any hats on my interviews, but I also have long hair and am used to the temperatures. However, I also think that you could be just fine without a hat on interviews if you're worried about your hair, especially if you have a nice scarf to keep you warm. My opinion may be biased given that I'm a woman who's grown up in the midwest, but that's my take! Personally, I feel that a beanie in cold weather, even with a suit/dress coat for the outdoors would be acceptable and not at all outside of what I'm used to seeing here in Michigan/Ohio. My dad and brother are sitting here next to me, and they both agree! Best of luck!

Hi all, I don't want to ~reactivate~ this thread, but now that it's approaching mid-January and I haven't seen any traction on any of my other applications, I'm left wondering if the three interviews I have are a decent enough chance of admission that I shouldn't apply to other programs? The logical part of me is saying, statistically, I stand a good chance of getting admitted. But, the anxious part of me is saying that maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to attempt to apply to some of the later app deadlines (1/15), or even to Masters programs with similar deadlines.

I agree with @StemCellFan, though I suppose it depends on what kind of programs you're applying to. If your programs have you pick a lab based on rotations during your first year, you are likely not expected to contact faculty/POIs prior to interview, unless you have a prior connection (i.e., I'm interviewing with a program at a university I have previously worked at and maintain regular correspondence with my PI there).

I'm in a really similar position. I'm interviewing at a program I completed an REU with last summer, and while I was there I really hit it off with my PI and the rest of the lab members. While the work they do is cool, it's not what I'm interested in studying in grad school (no matter what I do, I'm never gonna be an e-phys kinda girl, haha). It's a bummer, because that lab's culture/work environment is perfect for me otherwise! My PI from there was one of my letter writers, so I find it unlikely they would want me to interview with him. I would be surprised if there was any kind of obligation or expectation for you to interview with them. In my case, several of the people I interacted with while I was working there are involved in admissions, so I'm guessing I'll see my fair share of familiar faces. I think it's totally acceptable for you to reach out to the PIs who do the work you are most interested in pursuing. In my (limited) experience, my former PI was definitely not offended that I was interested in other labs in their program - on the contrary, he was happy I had liked my experience there enough to apply!

Thanks so much! This is very helpful. Cheers!

That's definitely a good way of putting it! I've had 3.9 and 4.0 semesters in the past, so it's not that much better than anything already on my transcript. I went from a 3.71 to a 3.74 cumulative, which was nice but not too crazy. I was only considering it because I'm still waiting to hear from 3 places, and got my first rejection today so I guess I'm getting nervous! Here's some other factors that made me lean in favor of emailing: I took 3 high-level courses this semester relevant to my desired field of graduate study - an advanced biochem course, neuroimmunology lab (I took the lecture part of the course last spring), and an upper-level molecular biology course My success in one of these courses bumped up my major GPA (my degree is in neuroscience), effectively raising it from a 3.71 to a 3.83 I think I may send a nice email, because hey, if I'm going to be rejected from those programs anyways, I figure this can't hurt. I've never had to contact a school about this kind of thing before - does anyone have any advice on wording the email?

Yep, me as well . Oh well, their loss!

What is the standard for how good your grades should be to consider updating your app? I also had a particularly good semester (3.90) in courses related to work I want to pursue in grad school. Not sure if it would be worth it to ask to update my app, but for some that I haven't heard back from I guess it couldn't hurt?

Is this for BBSP?

Secretly I'm too chicken to reach out and ask, but I might send an email because I'm just so curious haha. Invites seem to be coming out very sporadically and at random, so I don't quite know what's going on. Last I saw on the results page, someone got one on the 26th. Last year, someone reported that all interview invites were sent by the 13th of January, with formal rejections sent the following week. Hopefully this helps a bit. This program was one of my top interests, so I'm a bit bummed. And if anyone knows anything more concrete please share!

Thanks for the tip! I will likely just get a retainer for the piercing so I can keep it but I won't have an jewelry showing. I was leaning towards this (sadly getting rid of the blue dipped ends of my hair for a more professional look too), but wanted some advice from someone who isn't my mom haha.

Jumping on this thread with an outfit/presentation related question for interview weekends that I don't think I've seen asked yet. What is the general consensus on facial piercings during interviews? I've had my nose pierced for awhile and keep a small gold hoop in it, but wasn't sure if it would be unprofessional or bad to have during interviews. I can switch it to a little stud or I can just take it out, but obviously if you look close enough at my face you'll be able to tell there's a hole in my nose, haha. I'm probably overthinking this but was just curious! Thanks!

Oh boy, haha. With the way I've scheduled my interviews I guess that means I might know if I'm in at one before I go interview at the other. Yikes! Still, good to know. Thank you!

Also a midwesterner born & raised, have had the pleasure of being born in Illinois, growing up in Michigan, and attending undergrad in Ohio. Based on the interviews I have so far, I will likely also end up staying in the area for grad school haha. My plan for interviews is a nice pair of dress slacks, a blouse, and a nice blazer/jacket. For me personally, I handle the cold pretty well, though, and might opt for tights and a skirt or dress with a jacket. One of my good friends at school is from Texas, and she swears by wearing fleece-lined tights under her pants in the winter! She also gets a nice pair when wearing them with a skirt or dress, and says she likes them a lot and she still looks very fashionable in them. Definitely seconding the warm coat. A parka will work and would definitely be acceptable, but I'm going the route of a wool dress coat for my going out to dinner with students etc an for my interviews. I would also personally say you'd be fine without a hat, but bring gloves for sure, and a scarf if you want one. Shoes are definitely the trickiest. Personally I won't be wearing flats, mostly because I think I look weird in them and they are horrible in the snow. Nice ankle booties with fitted pants or tights + skirt are always fashionable. Another option is to bring flats in your bag to the interview (I have a crossbody purse for this purpose + carrying a small notebook etc), and slipping them on for your faculty appointments. For men, the shoe situation is much easier. Get a nice pair of black/brown lace-up boots or something with good traction, make sure they look good with your dress slacks, and you're all set! Someone over on reddit recommended Clarks for good shoes that can handle midwestern weather. Personally women's shoes are so hard to pair for interview situations that I'm about to like go order a pair of men's, haha. My personal opinion is that some kinds of riding boots might be not exactly interview appropriate, but you could definitely make them work with the right skirt/shirt combo. My plan is to use my riding boots for my business casual dinner outfits, with dark pants/jeans and a nice cowl neck sweater or blouse + cardigan. You'll look perfectly nice for any outing with the students/etc, and throw on a nice wool coat, cute scarf/gloves, and a nice purse/bag, and you'll look sharp and comfortable. Another thing about the midwest is PLEASE check the weather before you go. Yes, it will likely be cold and snowy if you're visiting in January/February, but sometimes we get weird freaky weeks of unexpectedly warm weather, especially in later Feb and early March. Nothing says midwest like watching 5 inches of snow melt away because for some reason it decided to be in the mid-50's one week in February, and then promptly receiving another 5 inches the next week. Good luck on your interviews! And enjoy the midwest!

I also haven't heard anything either! I might contact a friend who's a 1st year there and ask if she knows anything......I wouldn't be too worried, as I do think they send things out in january, so it's not totally hopeless. Plenty of schools send out invites well into the new year. Best of luck and happy holidays!

hey! I totally understand that, kudos to you for sticking to your guns with your programs and reconciling with all of that, it sounds like you know what you're doing! Well at least, totally more than me, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off since like November. Wishing you the best of luck! I've heard fairly good post-interview acceptance rates for PIBS, generally around 2/3+ are accepted from what I've been told. A friend of mine is a 5th year student in the Biological Chemistry dept, and when I mentioned my interview he said that an invite "almost guarantees" acceptance. However, I think he was exaggerating a bit because he was excited for me . I imagine it might also depend on the program you intend to join if you matriculate, and how many spots they need to fill, etc. I know for example that a higher number of applicants than usual applied for MCB, and therefore there were more rejections on that front. I applied with neuro being my priority interest, and I was called by the assistant program director on 12/15 before invites were sent out on 12/18. His other advice/insight was mostly this (some of which was also echoed by commenters here) - the admissions committee takes the opinions of the faculty you interview with, and the student hosts you have, into consideration. I believe they write reports on you which are then forwarded to admissions. I've been told the interview weekends can be pretty overwhelming (~100 people interviewing for PIBS, and UMich is a big school with a large campus regardless). I was told to make sure I'm engaged and interested the whole time, and to not mention other schools as being your first choice, etc. They want to sell you their program just as much as they want to make sure you're a good fit, as they're already paying money to get you up to Ann Arbor and hosting you all weekend. From what I can tell, they'll email you your ~personal itinerary~ 1-2 weeks before the interview, with the names of the 5 faculty you're interviewing with. My plan is to make sure I dedicate some time to researching each one and making a list of questions/things I would like to bring up with them in interviews. I have a little notebook I might dedicate to this purpose, worst case scenario I look like I've done my research, ya know? The other thing I would say is dress warmly and comfortably! Not sure where you're from, but I'm a Michigan native, and it can be pretty damn awful in the winters. Wear good shoes and bring a warm coat, and check the weather before you pack. Act like yourself and have a good time, but also be on your best behavior during department lunch/dinner outings, don't get drunk or do anything like that haha. I have a few friends who were accepted through PIBS last cycle who I plan to reach out to soon, and my PI got his PhD through their neuro program - he's a pretty young guy and might have some interview advice specific to UMich that could be useful. Once I'm back on campus he'll be helping me do some interview prep and I'll make sure to thoroughly interrogate him and report back haha. Overall I think the best thing you can do is enjoy yourself and have a good time while making sure you're engaged and clearly conveying your interest to faculty during your one-on-one appointments. Best of luck! If you happen to be interviewing on 1/25-1/27, I'll be there too!

Anyone happen to know anything about UW Neuro? I've seen a few interviews here or there but nothing else.