Bio_123

So far I received admissions from all three places that I've interviewed and got into my one of my top choices. I'm already so content about my application season but also wish the future interviews would go well  (I plan to turn down offers in the middle of March as by then all the interviews and open house are done. Hope it won't be too late for people on the waitlist.)

I got into my top choice in Madison!!!!  I'm 99.9% certain I'm going here, but I still want to at least go on the rest of my interviews (at least the ones for which a plane ticket was purchased).  Would it be bad if I waited to accept the offer in March after my last interview?  Or should I withdraw my application for the places I'm not flying out to?  I'm so excited, but I don't know what to do now!

Exactly my query with Columbia Cell and Molecular Biology (GSAS). Their application deadline was January 5th,so I was wondering anyone received interviews from them?
 

Hi everyone!
I've just got a rejection from NYU Sackler. 
I wonder if there is anyone heard back from Brown MCB or Columbia Biological Science (GSAS).
My application was transferred to my second choice of program Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine, but ı haven't heard after that. My application is still under review. 
I also haven't heard back from UNC BBSP, ı assume it will be rejection. 

Also waiting to hear back from Columbia. Their website says that interviews are conducted in late January and early March. Does anybody know if they'll send out more interview offers after the first interview weekend?

Some recommendations from a current student interviewer. This is just from my personal experiences interviewing and discussing with admissions committees.
1. Be prepared to answer WHY you want to do a PhD in general. If you are coming straight from undergraduate, be especially prepared to justify why you believe you are ready to enter directly into a PhD program instead of taking a year or two off.
2. Have justifications for why you applied to a specific institution and program. Being able to pinpoint specific faculty, resources, graduate outcomes, etc. all help show you are applying to a program for a particular reason and not just because it is ranked highly.
3. Be able to talk about your research clearly and concisely. If you do not know something, do not be afraid to say you do not know. I would rather have someone answer "I do not know" 10 times than try to make up an answer once. It is also helpful to be able to identify specific things you have taken away from each experience. Also, if you have multiple experiences, it is best to focus on the one you are most comfortable talking about rather than trying to give equal time to all of your research.
Above all, be enthusiastic about your own research, research in general, the program you are applying to, and pursuing a PhD. If you can talk about your research and genuinely seem excited about it, then that will come across to us and we will remember it more than if you can answer every single technical question flawlessly. It is okay if you are nervous and it is okay if you can't answer every question - it is not okay if you are just going through the motions.
4. For faculty interviews, don't worry about knowing their work inside and out. If you want, you can read a couple abstracts from their most recent papers + look at their lab websites, but anything beyond that is not expected.
5. Prepare questions! They can be general questions about graduate school, specific questions about a PIs research, etc., but do not just sit there blankly if you are asked if you have any further questions.
6. If you have a student interview in addition to faculty interviews, be forewarned that at many schools this interview will be weighted alongside your other interviews. This means you need to maintain professionalism and decorum.
7. You ARE being evaluated at all times, but 90% of the evaluation that goes into the final decision is done during the interviews. However, there are really only three things you can do that will get you immediately disqualified (and yes, I have seen each of these happen at least once): (1) Making sexist, racist, or homophobic remarks, (2) falling asleep during an interview, and (3) aggressively hitting on current students or PIs to the point of harassment. Every year, without fail, there are at least three recruits who do one of these things (usually #1 or #3) and are disqualified from consideration.
8. It is okay to drink alcohol if you are someone who likes to drink alcohol. It is okay to abstain from alcohol if you are someone who likes to abstain from alcohol. It is NOT okay to get belligerently drunk and make bigoted remarks or harass current students or other recruits. I would recommend knowing your limits and what type of drinker you are - we want you to have fun but try not to embarrass yourself. Believe it or not, we have accepted people who have gotten black out drunk and thrown up at recruitment parties, but do not put yourself into that situation.
9. Dress to impress for your interview day. A full suit is unnecessary for guys, but some nice slacks, a good button down, and a blazer will suit you well for all interviews. Gals, do not wear heels - you will seriously regret it. For the rest of the weekend, feel free to wear whatever is comfortable.
10. Have fun! All participating faculty and students go into the interview weekends trying to recruit EVERYONE. We want everyone to love our school and our program and want as many people to attend as possible. Talk to as many faculty and students as possible, be engaged, and generally look like you want to be there and you will find the biggest challenge will be deciding where you actually want to go from all of your options. Getting the interview is the hard part - we interview around 8-10% of applicants and accept around 75% of those interviewed. If you have gotten an interview, you have all the qualifications to get accepted - we just need to make sure that you look as good in person as you are on paper.
I hope this helps! I'm sure I'll be seeing a few of you in the coming months.
 

I'll copy/paste two posts from a recent thread here.
 
StemCellFan:
"I'm not sure what the actual statistics are for those places, but I've heard it ranges anywhere from 50% to 80%.  It depends on the program though and the percentage of applicants admitted one year can differ from the next.  Either way, I would go in with confidence and bring your A-game while you're there!
As far as preparations go, I would look into the research of the people you are interviewing with.  I would peruse a couple recent papers, but don't worry about reading their whole bibliography or anything.  Some of these individuals are going to share your research interests and will come from a list you provided to the program coordinator or are faculty you've indicated an interest in working with when you applied.  Some faculty you meet with could be from the admissions or recruiting committee whose research may differ from what you want to work on.  I would still brush up on what they do and make sure you can have an intelligent conversation with them about your research and theirs.  Be sure to ask questions pertaining to their research; they want to engage in a two-way conversation with you.
I would make sure you can succinctly and coherently describe your research.  If you have multiple, different research experiences, I would focus on your most current projects but be able to answer questions on past work you've done.
Also make sure you can answer why you want to do a PhD at those programs specifically, why you want a PhD in general, and what your career goals are.  If you have specific research interests, be sure you're able to communicate those as well.
Other than that, know yourself.  A lot of these programs will have social events with alcohol.  If you don't drink, this isn't the time to start.  Be personable, be inquisitive, there are resources online for questions to ask graduate students and/or faculty so you can get a feel of the program.
Also make sure you dress appropriately for the weather.  I've lived in the midwest my whole life and I can tell you that January/February gets really cold and there's salt, snow, and some ice on the ground.  Not so much a problem for California, but it might be chilly in NYC.  I would make sure to bring a warm coat and proper footwear to walk around in.  In general, there will be a lot of walking, so I'd advise against heels (unless you can walk all day in them).
I hope this helps!  I know this advice as been helpful for me as I'm preparing for my interviews.
Source: Graduate students/faculty at the university I'm currently working at."
 
Neuro15:
"I'll emphasize a few things: 
1.) Know why you applied to each program. Seems simple, right? But I can guarantee you it's a trickier question than it seems when you go to actually say why (nerves play a role in this). Know your typical POIs, but also the program's general strengths. Out of all the great programs out there ---and there are a ton--- what made this school stand out? Additionally why do you want a PhD? The job market isn't amazing, and academia is a tough life. 
2.) Know your research inside and out. You will be asked about what you did previously. If you interview with someone familiar with the area of your research you might get asked pretty detailed questions. It's best if you can answer these without appearing flustered or nervous. Knowing your research backwards and forwards really helps with this. 
3.) PIs are nerds (aren't we all here?). They love to talk about their research. Accordingly, most PIs love it when interviewees ask thoughtful questions about their work. Bonus points if you make the PI think. 
4.) Be polite and courteous...to everyone! This should go without saying, but it amazes me how people can be impolite to the secretaries or even other students. Assume everything you do will get back to the ADCOM."
 
 
 
Goodluck!

I would respond after filling out the form. Just say something like "I've completed the form and look forward to meeting you at the interview." For me, personally, it's like insurance that they know I'm interested in case something happens and the form doesn't go through. Also shows enthusiasm.

Congrats on the interview! I don't think it's necessary to email back, just fill out the form so they can schedule you. 

And Rockefeller invites are out!

I emailed the graduate program coordinator at Rockefeller for an unrelated topic and learned that "interview decisions will be emailed either the second or the third week of January", in case anyone needs this information. 

Hey friends! Yes, there are 2 interview dates (I know this because I was initially invited to the later one but couldn't go so they switched me to the earlier group) -- Jan. 17-19 and Feb. 7-9. I also haven't heard anything from the travel folks yet about arrangements for two weeks from now, but I have to assume we'll be contacted pretty soon... right?!