aspiringscientist
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Posts posted by aspiringscientist
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5 hours ago, maya123z said:
Anyone else get auto-rejected for NSF GRFP? Pretty annoying since I had a prof at my university (who used to be a reviewer for this program) check over my application and confirm I was eligible. My proposal was about neuroimmunology in Drosophila so I have no clue why they thought it was an ineligible topic. There's literally one sentence at the very end which mentioned this could possibly be applicable to human diseases, but that wasn't the primary goal of the project at all. This was their email:
The GRF Program Office has completed the review of your request for reconsideration of your eligibility status for your 2019 GRFP application. We regret to inform you that your appeal has not been accepted. Your application was confirmed ineligible due to your Graduate Research Plan Statement describing research with disease-related goals as specified in section IV.3 of the Program Solicitation (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18573/nsf18573.htm).
As stated in Section IV.3., Field of Study: Individuals are not eligible to apply if they will be enrolled in graduate study focused on clinical practice, counseling, social work, patient-oriented research, epidemiological and medical behavioral studies, outcomes research, and health services research. Ineligible study includes investigations to provide evidence leading to a scientific basis for consideration of a change in health policy or standard of care, and includes pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and behavioral interventions for disease prevention, prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy. Individuals pursuing graduate study focused on community and other population-based medical intervention trials are also ineligible.
In Section IV. 3, the Solicitation also states that disease-focused research and clinical study are not eligible, and specifies the clinical areas that are excluded: Individuals are not eligible to apply if they will conduct biomedical research for which the goals are directly health-related, such as etiology, diagnosis, or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality, or malfunction in humans and other animals. Research activities using animal models of disease, for developing or testing of drugs or other procedures for treatment of disease, and statistical modeling for which the purpose is diagnosis or epidemiology also are not eligible for support.
This decision is final. We wish you well in your future endeavors.
Others have reported the same issue with plant pathology proposals, which are certainly not human health pathology-related. However, if you did have a sentence referring to human disease at all in the research plan, they can declare ineligible for that. Yes, the work was basic science in Drosophila you proposed, but by framing the potential "broader impacts" as human health applicable at all, it technically counts as a "goal," especially if the neuroimmunology proposal was specific to any existing disease.
This was a warning I received when working on my proposal. Therefore, I ensured it was entirely mechanistic and not based on anything that applied to health (rather a basic understanding of the genetic code). NSF is very stingy (especially this year with the effects of the shutdown) and will outright reject anything that would be eligible for NIH funding. Sorry that you ran into this problem, but at least you can still apply again next year as a first year grad student!
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4 hours ago, mat10d said:
Hey guys, kind of a niche question but if you have any insights please reply!
I'm a junior thinking of applying to graduate schools in fall 2019. I have 5 years of summer experiences in various laboratories (all 10 week programs) and a lengthier stay in a lab at my current institution. While I've been accepted to some competitive summer programs and worked in some high profile labs, I have no publications and probably won't by the time I apply. Should I be worried about this/try to find a masters or postgrad environment where to continue doing research to aim for a publication, or shoot my shot in this coming fall?
Otherwise, I envision my rec letters from the labs I've worked in are pretty solid, and I have a ~3.7 from an Ivy with a double major in Bio/Stats.
The second question I had is regarding the program I'm looking for--after years of wet lab experience I'm thinking of a possibly switching out and aiming for a more computationally focused/systems biology PhD. Is admission to any more quantitative bio programs not feasible for me seeing that I have no real experience in a computational bio lab? Any suggestions and comments are very appreciated!
It sounds like you have good amounts of experience. Have you presented at any conferences? I didn't & don't have any papers out during the application process, though one in prep, and I didn't feel like it hurt my chances at all.
Not sure the answer to your second question since I am not in the computational/systems field.
Good luck!
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5 hours ago, Aili said:
Could any one help me please?? I am very stressed. I have applied for a PhD at Cambridge university ( January 3rd deadline), but have not received any email regarding Cambridge Gate and Trust scholarships and interview. Does anyone know when the interview invitations will be emailed? Or have they already sent emails to people who have been selected for an interview?
Hi! So you submitted for Jan 3, so I assume you are a non-US citizen applying for the 2nd round.
According to the website, Departmental ranking doesn't finish until sometime in February (meaning if you are put forward to the Gates Cambridge Trust you should hear from your Department sometime in mid/late February). The Gates Cambridge Trust shortlists candidates submitted by the departments in Early March. You would hear about a possible interview around then, and the interviews this year are March 26th and 27th. All of that information is here: https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/deadlines
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45 minutes ago, basicscienceismyjam said:
I received my first invitation to interview this week. The program has asked me to let them know if I want to meet/talk to anyone in particular during my interview. How many potential PI's should I list? I am interested in 5-7 labs at this program.
5-7 sounds like a good number to send. Most of mine that have asked for lists of PIs have asked from somewhere from 8-12
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Anyone get good news? A no for me!
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Kind of niche question for yall: so I have a fellowship interview coming up that applies to a specific school. I think they'll strong arm me and force a reply pretty soon after a potential offer - however I have interviews scheduled at a number of places after I think that deadline would be. If I'm offered it and take it, do I just pull out of all the interviews I have scheduled? It'd be bad form to attend other interviews when I've essentially said yes to this other place with a specific fellowship, right?
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1 hour ago, biomed_gal said:
Has anyone heard back from Stanford Bioscience's Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program?
I didn't apply to SCRB, but I do believe the first full round of invites for all home programs have gone out. I'm not sure if there will be more spots if people turn it down, but it's possible
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2 hours ago, neurogen said:
So I had a Skype interview and was wondering if its too weird to send a thank you right after/ a couple days after? Same goes for actual interviews? Not sure if its fairly common or overkill to do?
Also during my Skype interview it was mentioned to continue/try to reach out to PIs I'm interested in to see if they have lab openings for the future but no mention was made of an on campus interview or when it would be or I would find out, is this fairly standard?
I sent a thank you note the evening after mine! I think it's just polite to do so.
When I had mine there was no mention of an on campus interview, but they replied to my thank you note saying I would hear back in the next 2 weeks. Abt 10 days later, I received an invitation for an on campus interview
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7 hours ago, strawberrykat said:
@aspiringscientist I looked into this last week and I believe the decisions may be delayed. See the "review process" section on this page where it mentions the GRF review site will not be available: https://www.nsf.gov/shutdown/grantees.jsp.
Yeah that definitely means there's a delay if not worse. It says all panels, including virtual (which is how GRFP reviewers rank applicants) will be canceled and likely be rescheduled for a later date. Lets hope it only ends up being a delay.
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Not really hopeful... but looking forward to January 16th for the waiting to end
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So, since the US government is in a partial shutdown that includes NSF... does anyone know if that will affect us? NSF has stopped distributing some grants recently because of the shutdown
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3 hours ago, neurogen said:
Thanks! They said it would be about 15 minutes, so I guess I'm just trying to figure out what could possibly occur in that time frame. Maybe just trying to make sure I'm not a serial killer?
The one I had for Caltech was 15 minutes too. They started with "tell us about your research experience" and then asked a few follow up questions. Then what I want to get out of grad school, why I chose to apply to them. And then left 5 minutes for questions from me. Its not a lot of time but it let's them gauge your ability to communicate and your enthusiasm! So yes they probably want to know your not a serial killer, but maybe also that you can communicate ideas well, are enthusiastic about science and their program, and that the research experiences you described on your application is true.
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6 hours ago, neurogen said:
Does anyone know how standard it is to get a Skype interview before an actual interview? Just got an email at Texas A&M and was wondering if I should be excited as I am closer to an interview in person or if this is standard for all applicants.
I had a similar set up for Caltech. It's likely a prescreening - I'm not sure what percentage of people tend to move forward after, if I had to guess I'd probably guess somewhere from 50-75% of prescreened applicants get invited for on-campus interviews. Its a good sign they asked this from you! It means they have taken an interest in your application and you made it through the initial rounds of review.
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11 hours ago, ebv21 said:
Has anyone heard from Stanford Microbiology and Immunology? I saw one post in the results section which stated an interview invitation was received on December 18.
not for Micro and immuno, but I did hear back from Dev Bio program within Biosciences. However, it seemed very clear in the email that they weren't finished. On the Stanford Biosciences Website it says interview invitations are not sent out until the week of Jan 7, and that you should hear back but the end of january. The interview weekend for all Biosciences home programs is Feb27 to Feb3
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1 hour ago, maya123z said:
Has anyone who accepted an interview with UNC BBSP heard back about travel arrangements? They mentioned the weather was creating delays but it's been a couple of weeks since then.
DId you send your W9 form? There was a secure email - the W9 is needed prior to arrangements. I had said I would attend in mid Dec and was sent flights by maupin travel on Dec 20. (I've since dropped out for UNC, so I don't have any more info past that as I ended up declining my offer on the 20th)
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1 minute ago, zzzz233 said:
Wow!! You got invitations from all the programs you applied to!!! Congratulations!!!! I really wish neuroscience programs can send out their invitations as prompt as the biology programs (with tears...
Thank you!!! and in defence of the neuro programs, I think there are a lot more people interested in neuro than my specific specialization choice of developmental bio, so they probably just have a lot more applications to comb through, you'll all hear back in the next month I'm sure!!!
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3 hours ago, neuronerd95 said:
Also I know that Stanford sent out an email saying that they would begin contacting applicants during the week of January 7th, but does that just mean the official invite?
I just ask, because I see that people are posting interviews for other departments of stanford biomedical. Ah I don't even know why i'm asking - just super nervous haha
Hey, I received a Stanford invite for Dev Bio yesterday, but the home programs all run on their own schedule. I don't even think Dev Bio is done sending invites honestly. Don't get freaked out because a few people heard - looking at the results page it seems like a small number trickle in around this time but then the vast majority of biosciences invites go out around Jan 10.
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15 minutes ago, biophys123 said:
I just got an email from them! Interview is Jan 30 - Feb 3
I did as well! Very excited!
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2 hours ago, MMM7 said:
Hi, so I've started to get more interview invitations than I anticipated, and I was wondering how many interviews people typically go to?
Right now I have UNC, Duke, Utah and St. Jude scheduled. But I got news from Wisconsin yesterday, rejected from CMB but interview with Genetics. CMB was my preference. (for people who are familiar with UW Madison, does this make a huge difference?)
Also, I am still waiting on Vanderbilt IGP and UT southwestern which would be schools I would like to interview at.
I guess what I'm saying is how many should I go to?/ what is reasonable?
I also have gotten more than anticipated, and I basically am going through and trying to arrange based on preference. My top two choices for interviews (Caltech and Stanford) haven't sent their on-campus invites yet, but I do know what weekends they are so I'm leaving them open. Then taking the others in sort of rank order. Unfortunately, that has meant UCLA and Penn have openly said they cannot accommodate my schedule, and I've just declined UNC's interview offer.
It's really difficult to turn down opportunities but that's how I'm approaching it. It's impossible to fit everything if you fill every interview weekend. I'm also already accepted to a great program so I'm going purely on rank. If I didn't have that, I would probably try and take things at a nice balance with a sort of "safety" option included in the interview line-up, just in case.
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9 minutes ago, vlm said:
No, I didn't go through an online interview for Caltech! Just an email for interview Feb 7-9. What is BBE? The Caltech Neurobio program is interviewing the same weekend
BBE is the Biology and Bioengineering Department. The Biology, CNS, Biophyics, and Neurobiology progrmas are all run through that department
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On 12/15/2018 at 7:57 AM, vlm said:
Got interview invites for February from Caltech CNS and UCSF Neuroscience, by email this past week!
By chance, did you go through an online interview for Caltech before getting this invitation? and did it seem like all options from BBE would be interviewing the same weekend?
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Does anyone know the in-person dates for Caltech biology?
Also does doing a skype interview or an alternative day/weekend interview hurt chances of acceptance?
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Has anyone who did an online interview with Caltech Biology hear anything? I think it was a pre-screen for an on campus interview - has anyone gotten an invitation for that?
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UCSF (Developmental and Stem cell Biology): February 7th-9th
Yale (BBS - MCGD): February 1st-3rd or February 15th-17th
Duke (Developmental and Stem Cell Biology): February 21st-24th
Penn (CAMB): January 17th-20th
UNC Chapel Hill (BBSP): January 31st-February 2nd
UCLA (CDB): January 17th-19th
Harvard (BBS): January 24th-26th or February 7th-10th
Stanford (Biosciences): February 27th-March 3rd
NSF GRFP 2018-2019
in The Bank
Posted
E/E, E/VG, E/E, honorable mention, applying as an undergraduate senior.
My reviews were very positive with one or two small suggestions about my third aim of proposal seeming not fit in the exact same line of thinking as the first two (though other reviewers thought it was solid) & the VG for broader impacts wanted me to have emphasized BI more in the proposal and to have said I would keep doing my current nonprofit work (though I did say I wanted to long term in the personal statement & I couldn't make any definitive statements as to what I'll be doing next since I'm an undergrad applying to grad school).
I'm very happy with the application I put together and the positive reviews! At the end of the day, grants are a crapshoot... especially with the shut down. Congrats to those awarded!