mochamocha73

Similar to other people on here, I really need help with decisions! I got admitted to two great programs at Harvard and MIT, and I love both of them for different reasons. I'm applying for a PhD in the general field of biology, specifically microbial ecology. Harvard's program is a direct admit into a lab, and the lab I applied to seems awesome. The PI and I seemed to get along, and he's really pulling for me to attend there. There's a lot of flexibility in terms of projects, but the PI seems to be very busy and other than his lab, there aren't a lot of other people in the department that do similar work, so if something were to happen I would kind of be out of luck. At MIT, the program is a rotation system, with heavier coursework requirements the first two years. There are a number of labs I'm interested in, but none where I felt the same kind of rapport as at Harvard (maybe because I only met like 2 of them for 30 minutes each). I like MIT as a school, but this program is a little more industry-oriented and while people have told me that grad school is different from undergrad, the rep of MIT concerns me a little. The research fit is great, though, and I might have more options. So what should I do?? Please help, I have been thinking about this issue for several months now, but I just received MIT's offer so now it's getting a lot more real!

I realize this is the definition of good problems to have, but it's really stressing me out so any help is appreciated! I got admitted to two great programs, Harvard and MIT, and I love both of them for different reasons. I'm applying for a PhD in the general field of biology, specifically microbial ecology. Harvard's program is a direct admit into a lab, and the lab I applied to seems awesome. The PI and I seemed to get along, and he's really pulling for me to attend there. There's a lot of flexibility in terms of projects, but the PI seems to be very busy and other than his lab, there aren't a lot of other people in the department that do similar work, so if something were to happen I would kind of be out of luck. At MIT, the program is a rotation system, with heavier coursework requirements the first two years. There are a number of labs I'm interested in, but none where I felt the same kind of rapport as at Harvard (maybe because I only met like 2 of them for 30 minutes each). I like MIT as a school, but this program is a little more industry-oriented and while people have told me that grad school is different from undergrad, the rep of MIT concerns me a little. The research fit is great, though, and I might have more options. So what should I do?? Please help, I have been thinking about this issue for several months now, but I just received MIT's offer so now it's getting a lot more real!

I didn't meet her while I was there, but I looked into her research before and it definitely sounds super cool! It looks like we're kind of going for the same field/area too (microbial ecology and biogeochemistry), so I'm hoping you hear good news. It's a great school and a great department!

Which lab are you applying for in EEMB if you don't mind my asking? I applied to UCSB in IGPMS, not EEMB, but when I visited the school a few months ago I met a lot of the EEMB grad students and professors (and my POI is cross-listed in EEMB). Everybody I talked to was super nice, and the whole department/school gave me a really friendly, open, and collaborative feeling. With that in mind, I really don't think any of them would be annoyed by your reaching out about your application status! You could also ask Azure, the graduate advisor, who was very helpful with my questions and with coordinating my visit. Best of luck on your application, and hope you hear back soon!

So I emailed my POI and she just replied letting me know that I am invited for the interview! For those still waiting, I am not sure if this program does official notices (at least not very quickly), but rather it seems that POIs can send out invitations and probably have a lot of say in who gets interviewed/admitted. Reaching out might be a good idea at this point.

Has anyone been in contact with the program, or hear anything back yet? I tried calling today but wasn't able to get through. Just feeling anxious since I am really interested in the program, and if the interview date is Feb 20 it *might* overlap somewhat with the interview dates for GaTech OSE. GaTech requested a confirmation for the interview by this Friday, and I don't want to commit without hearing anything from Stanford. Ugh decisions....

So I posted this over in Life Sciences (Biology), but just thought I would put it here also since about half of my programs are earth/environmental sciences program. I'm trying to do a combo of microbial ecology, environmental engineering, and biogeochemistry (specifically focused on microbial community dynamics, functions of microbes in the environment, and how to alter/engineer microbial systems for processes like bioremediation etc. etc.) Undergrad Institution: US News Top 5Major(s): Biological Sciences and Visual ArtsGPA in Major: 3.44Overall GPA: 3.65Position in Class: N/AType of Student: Domestic, FemaleGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 163V: 170W: 5.5Research Experience: Summer internship at Argonne National Lab in microbial ecology, summer internship at the Marine Biological Lab (SURF), undergraduate research volunteer in marine biology lab, wrote undergraduate thesis for B.S., currently full-time research technician at a microbiology/microbiome labAwards/Honors/Recognitions: Grant given to top 10% of incoming undergraduate class (merit-based), lots of visual arts awards (my other major)Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for a biology core class for 2 quarters, leadership positions on campus student research journalAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: First author publication, but for a perspectives/review type article, presented at 2 student research conferences, ASM regional conference, and spoke at a regional conference (3 minute talk)Special Bonus Points: Know a bunch of bioinformatics-type software (QIIME, QIIME 2, MEGA, Geneious, MATLAB, R, etc), as well as software that might be useful for graphic design for posters and such (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, HTML and CSS, Wordpress)Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Scuba diving certified, EMT certified, Mandarin speaker (bilingual), started my own small business selling artApplying to Where: MIT Microbiology UCSB IGPMS Stanford Earth Systems Science Scripps Institute of Oceanography Harvard OEB Johns Hopkins Environmental Health and Engineering Georgia Tech Ocean Sciences and Engineering I've heard from MIT, Harvard, UCSB, and Georgia Tech on interviews/visits. Still waiting on the rest....not too much hope for Scripps since I didn't contact any potential advisors, but waiting on JHU and Stanford!

Just curious, has anyone heard anything back from Stanford EESS (in particular, Earth System Science)? I saw somewhere that interviews are supposed to be in February, but I haven't received any notices. I saw someone in the survey results get an interview a few days ago, so just wondering if I still have a chance. Thanks!

Me too! That's encouraging, since it's one of my top choices at the moment also. There's a huge range of faculty and labs affiliated with the program, and a number of people doing research in exactly what I want to do (microbial ecology and community dynamics), which I've found to be pretty rare in traditional microbiology-type programs. The rotation thing is definitely interesting to me, since most of the other programs I'm applying to are more direct admission to one lab (which is mostly the case for ecology and environmental type programs). Looking forward to it for sure!

Thanks! Which interview date are you going for? And do you know anything about the stats of how many acceptances they give out vs. how many interviews? I haven't been able to find out much abut this program (probably since it's pretty small), but I'm really excited about it! Good luck to both of us!

Finally caved and made an account on this site, hoping it will give me something to do besides waiting... Late to the game, but here goes: Undergrad Institution: US News Top 5, known for being rigorousMajor(s): Biological Sciences and Visual ArtsGPA in Major: 3.44Overall GPA: 3.65Position in Class: N/AType of Student: Domestic, FemaleGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 163V: 170W: 5.5Research Experience: Summer internship at Argonne National Lab in microbial ecology, summer internship at the Marine Biological Lab (SURF), undergraduate research volunteer in marine biology lab, wrote undergraduate thesis for B.S., currently full-time research technician at a microbiology/microbiome labAwards/Honors/Recognitions: Grant given to top 10% of incoming undergraduate class (merit-based), lots of visual arts awards (my other major)Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for a biology core class for 2 quarters, leadership positions on campus student research journalAny Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: First author publication, but for a perspectives/review type article, presented at 2 student research conferences, ASM regional conference, and spoke at a regional conference (3 minute talk)Special Bonus Points: Know a bunch of bioinformatics-type software (QIIME, QIIME 2, MEGA, Geneious, MATLAB, R, etc), as well as software that might be useful for graphic design for posters and such (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, HTML and CSS, Wordpress)Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Scuba diving certified, EMT certified, Mandarin speaker (bilingual), started my own small business selling artApplying to Where: MIT Microbiology UCSB IGPMS Stanford Earth Systems Science Scripps Institute of Oceanography Harvard OEB Johns Hopkins Environmental Health and Engineering Georgia Tech Ocean Sciences and Engineering So far, I've gotten interviews at Harvard, MIT, and UCSB. Still waiting on the rest