maya123z

Yup I've heard that too. My main reasoning is that (according to people I've talked to) the neuro program coursework tends to be more focused on systems neuroscience, while I'm more interested in neuro disease research. I also like the added flexibility of BMS since you have more options for courses and faculty. We'll see though, I may still change my mind and end up accepting both interviews.

I think I'm probably going to accept BMS and decline neuro. BMS has no scheduling conflicts and also fits a bit better with my interests. Still going to wait until the deadline though, just in case. Ideally would like to get another interview (maybe MIT?) before I decline anything.

My strategy so far is to wait to accept until the last possible day (ask for an extension if possible) and then try to delay booking the flight as late as possible.

Scripps just has one big PhD program in Chemical and Biological Sciences. There aren't separate departments.

Anyone heard back from Scripps? I see a few people in the results section but they don't mention which campus.

Anyone heard back from Scripps? I see a few people in the results section but they don't mention which campus.

If you don't get in this year (which is a big if! You've still got time to hear back) I think getting a publication or two in a peer-reviewed journal under your belt would be helpful. They're not necessary for admission but definitely can help.

Just throwing this out there for anyone who's looking for a backup plan. I'm currently a postbac at the NIH (specifically the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences) and I'd be happy to answer any questions people have about it. It's a great way to get a nice pub or two, plus you can take classes (including GRE prep) for free since many labs will pay for you. I absolutely love the program and would highly recommend to anyone.

A post-bac can always improve things, especially if you're able to publish. Where did you apply? Do you have any pubs?

They've sent at least 2 rounds of invites already, but I'm not sure if they'll be sending more. Their interview dates are Jan 10-12 or Feb 7-10, so I'm guessing they'll have everything sent out by early Jan at the latest.

Boston usually doesn’t send invites until the end of January which is super annoying.

According to the results page, Harvard PiN is done sending invites. Sorry guys, we can commiserate together. Congrats to those who got an interview!

Stanford doesn't send invites until January, so don't worry about that one!

Yeah I'm in a similar boat. Plus I've got a full-time job so missing work is definitely something I want to minimize. I applied to 11 programs and I'm giving myself an upper limit of 7 interviews. So far I've gotten 5 invites including 2 from the same school. I'll probably decline one of the duplicates, possibly UNC as well (haven't totally decided yet though).

Compared to where a lot of other top schools are (Boston, SF, SD) Philly is very cheap. I agree with you on the high crime rate though.

Yeah I actually really enjoyed Philly when I visited. Pretty low COL and lots of biotech/pharma in the area if you're looking for jobs afterward.

Sounds really interesting! I study neurodegenerative diseases (especially Alzheimer's) and I'm particularly interested in translational research.

Hey guys, I got offered interviews at UCSD for the BMS and neuroscience programs. Most of my faculty of interest have appointments in both departments and I don't really have a strong preference on way or another. The only real difference for me is that the neuro interviews overlap with BU and Stanford (I won't know about those interview decisions until mid-January), while BMS has no conflicts. Should I just decline the neuro invite? Is there a reason to do both? How likely is it that I could be accepted to one but not the other, or that they might offer different levels of funding? Does anyone have any insider knowledge about either program as to any pros/cons? I'll also add that I'm in a full-time job currently so I'm trying to minimize how much time I need to take off for these interviews.

Do you think it would be weird to email my POI and ask if they recommend one program over the other?

That’s a good idea. Though I’d still have to miss the BU interview either way. Hmm...

Yeah it’s a bit of a pickle. If possible you may be able to ask for an extension while waiting to hear back from Stanford. Or send your confirmation for UCSD and hope that they wait a week or two before buying the airfare.

So I got interview offers for UCSD neuro and BMS. Does anyone have any insider knowledge as to which one might be better? Most of my faculty of interest have joint appointments in both departments. I'm leaning toward just accepting the BMS interview because the neuro interviews conflict with BU and Stanford.

Email. Just arrived a few minutes ago.

Just got an interview for UCSD neuro!!

BMS is separate from biological sciences. Pretty sure biology and biological sciences are the same.