gene13

Got an interview for a genetic counselor assistant position!!! I've applied to basically every job across the country and am so excited to finally get a positive response! 
What is everyone else working on already to build their resumes for next year?

Hi guys! First time posting here! I'm excited to be able to have this forum as a way to bounce ideas/questions off of others and hopefully give/receive good feedback during the application process!
A bit about me: I've been working as a Molecular Technologist for the past 5 years after receiving my MS in Molecular Pathology in 2013. I decided to switch careers but still wanted to stay in the genetics area. I have shadowed some local genetic counselors, and am now starting to study for the GRE (it wasn't required for my grad school program). I'm a bit nervous because I haven't taken a math class since my senior year of high school :/ I have also started volunteering for the local chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness. 
I'm hoping to get more volunteer hours and hopefully shadow some more genetic counselors, but unfortunately, the city I live in is about an hour away from everything, so we will see how this goes! 
Good luck to all of us! 

Just got offered an interview at Arizona! They are only interviewing Arizona residents until after Match. At which point, they’ll offer additional interviews. 
I’m so excited! 

"the day after is 50% off chocolate day"
^This is the REAL holiday

I'm back!!!!
 I got interview offers from UAB and Utah yesterday. It still feels really surreal. I'm beyond happy! 
Also want to prepare for these interviews as best as possible! 
Does anyone have any opinions when choosing interview dates if you should or shouldn't go in the last group? 

This is somewhat true of USF. While you don't have to be a resident of Florida, they have a strong emphasis on choosing applicants that will stay in Florida after graduation. Their program is really focused on addressing the relative lack of genetic counselors in Florida specifically. 

Certain schools do have preferences on this. For example, UAMS stated they prefer Arkansas residents over out of state students. I think Augustana will choose a candidate from a rural/underrepresented location if they are deciding between two similar applicants. 
For the most part though, I don’t think it matters. 

I haven't heard of that making a difference! Maybe if an interviewer senses some hesitancy about an interviewee moving across the country, then the chances of acceptance would decrease?

Hello Aspiring GC's!  Its been several days so it took me almost an hour to catch up on all the recent posts!  Congratulations to all of you who have been getting interview invitations!  I will be happy if I get one or two more interview invitations this cycle ~ thrilled if I get up to four, but for now I am focusing on preparing for the one that I do have.  I have my first mock interview scheduled.  So far, interviewing has not been my strong suit, but I'll be doing what I can to change that. 
Suggestions from you great interviewers out there would be most welcome!
Something that relaxes me while at the same time enriching my understanding of human genetics is reading.  Thanks again to those of you who offered the great book suggestions, I am currently enjoying The Story Within:  Personal Essays on Genetics and Identity by Amy Boesky.
Cheers!

Hey! Me too! Out of 11, 6 of the schools from previous cycle ofcourse knew & I mentioned it to the 5 new ones boldly. N I have the same situation right now - 1 interview from new and 1 from previous uni. (3 rejections as well ?)! 

I basically be started all my persona statements flat out telling everyone I was a secondtike applicant. Every school I applied to before obviously would have known, but I didn’t hide it from the three new ones I applied to. So far it’s worked favorably. I have an interview with a school I previously applied to and then one with a new school I applied to. I have yet to hear from the other 6, so we’ll see 

YES. Also know if you don't get in, at the end of the cycle you can ask for review and see what their suggestions are. I think a lot of people on this board will agree, applying the second time to the same program actually feels more difficult. But it also says "I'm still here, and I'm STILL trying!"

I think the schools you already applied to will like to see your perseverance, especially if you've greatly improved your application.  It shows that you really know that this is what you want to do.  I don't think the new schools will know you're a second time applicant unless you tell them.  I worked it in to my admission statement that I had previously applied and when I didn't get in I did a different Master's but have come back to genetic counseling since.

Schools actually tend to look favorably on applicants who are re-applying if they have shown improvements to their application. Re-applying and making those improvements shows dedication and that you know this is what you want. If you apply to new schools your second time, they will not know you are a second time applicant. 

Interesting! I'm still 1-2 years away from applying. I love hearing about potential new programs! I check the accreditation programs page occasionally and UCONN isn't there yet. I've also heard rumors about a UCLA program and a new NY program (can't remember the school). Is a google news alert the best way to keep track? How quickly can a program get up and running?
Also, good luck to all current applicants! I'm rooting for you and I hope to work with you in the future!

One of the best places to keep track is the member list on the AGCPD site: https://agcpd.org/ProgramDirectory.aspx
The associated members are those closer to accreditation/already started the process; the affiliated members seem to be those interested/have rotations through their hospital etc/in the planning phase (for example UConn and UCLA are both affiliated members). 
Program start up times vary a lot, previously it was 6-8 months, but with a new policy ACGC put into place, the time line is closer to 8-12 months (these times are not including all preparation work programs have to do before they put in for accreditation). They will only review 3 schools/quarter (or semester I can't remember) which limits how many can get through. This doesn't include them also having to re-new accreditations for current programs.