maya123z

Ah yes you're correct just a PSA for US citizens though, don't forget to pay your estimated taxes!

Your fellowship is probably still taxed, but taxes are not automatically withheld. If it's going toward living expenses and not just tuition, you need to pay estimated taxes 4x per year. You should be sure to pay this if you haven't been doing it so far, or else you can get slapped with a big fee if you're ever audited.

Same here. Congrats to the winners!

It was a pretty touch choice TBH, both programs are amazing! Mainly just came down to coursework and the general vibe of the program, since most of my labs of interest are accessible through both programs (funding is the same as well). I felt that Neuro was better suited for people interested in cognitive/behavioral/computational etc while BMS is a better fit for neuro disease research, which is my area. BMS also seemed more closely-tied to industry which is a plus for me. But those are pretty small things overall, honestly if Neuro had offered me SHORE and BMS didn't then I'd probably have chosen Neuro.

Anyone else attending UCSD for Biomedical Sciences? Would love to start connecting with my future cohort ?

Just accepted my offer from UCSD Biomedical Sciences, I’m so excited!!! Also PSA: if you get in to UCSD be sure to ask your department to nominate you for the SHORE program, which allows you to live on campus for your entire PhD (normally just a 2-year limit).

So one of my programs (Penn) offers guaranteed funding for your entire PhD--in other words, even if you lab loses its grant funding you'll still receive your stipend from the program. However none of my other accepted programs offer this guarantee. Usually the program funds you for your first year and then the responsibility shifts to your lab after rotations end. So in theory there's a small chance your lab could lose funding and you'd have no stipend. Have any of your guys' accepted programs offered guaranteed funding? Or is Penn more the exception than the rule on this?

I think a lot of people live outside DC and commute in on the metro. You can find apartments there in the $700-$800 range if you have roommates.

I live in the DC area, though I'm an NIH postbac rather than a grad student. There's lots to do in downtown DC but going out is pretty expensive in terms of food/drinks. Housing is also pricey. One big plus is that the metro system is excellent, so you probably don't need a car for commuting or going downtown. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

I applied to two different programs at UCSD (Biomedical Science and Neuroscience) and was fortunate to be admitted to both. I've definitely decided to attend UCSD but I'm having trouble choosing which program. They're the same in terms of stipend/benefits and most of my labs of interest are available with either program. The core courses are slightly different but my options for electives will be pretty much the same. I also got a great vibe from both program's students and faculty. For a bit of background on me, I'm interested in studying neurodegerative diseases (including molecular mechanisms and translational strategies) and most likely will work in pharma or biotech after graduating. Pros of BMS: Seems a bit more closely-linked to industry, including an internship program. Core courses are more interesting to me (neuro requires some cognitive/behavioral courses that I'm less interested in). Cohort has a broader array of interests. Generally a broader education that includes biology outside of just the brain. Pros of Neuroscience: Seen as more "prestigious"/more competitive admission. Smaller, more tightly-knit cohort who all seem to be great friends and have lots of social events. Both programs seemed well-funded, but neuro is particularly so (I think they're #1 in the nation for NIH grants). More rotation flexibility (lab doesn't have to be affiliated with the program--this is a requirement for BMS but there seem to be mechanisms to get around this such as co-advisors). Any insight from others would be very helpful!

I'm planning to work until the end of July, spend August traveling/relaxing, start school in September.

I actually already appealed, this was their response to my appeal.

I interviewed Feb 2 and got accepteed 2 weeks later. Plenty of time still for you, since you were a bit later in the month!

I see, very annoying how a single sentence could screw me over. Oh well, it was a good learning experience to prepare.

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.