EvoDevoTW

Finally get an offer!!
PhD in molecular and cellular biology. University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Wishing all of you the best!

Thanks for updating this! Hope we can hear something positive from them soon! 

In case it helps anybody: 
From the Harvard MCO associate director regarding interview invites:
"Thanks for contacting us. We do both online and on-campus interviews. As such, our review process is ongoing. If you are invited to interview, you will be notified. All applicants will be notified of our decisions by mid-february."

A little update for those who may be wondering:
UCSD Biomedical Sciences is still reviewing apps, invites will continue to be sent out through mid Feb.  UPenn CAMB program has sent out the bulk of their invitations, they may send a few more out but they're pretty much done reviewing USC PIBBS doesn't plan on sending out invites until mid February Good luck to everybody!

For applicants who are also waiting for Princeton Molecular Biology, I contacted the coordinator and she said that they're still in the midst of the admissions/invitation process but hope to conclude it by the middle of next week. Fingers crossed!

Right you were! Heard back from graduate program coordinator, she mentioned that my application had been reviewed favorably and they will get in touch to schedule an interview in the next two weeks!!! 
I reckon I heard back since I asked about the status of my application, but since she mentioned they will be coordinating interviews sometime during the next two weeks, I suspect other internationals might hear back during that time. Hope this helps someone! 

Various offices at Harvard (including my program's admin office) have sent emails saying they're closed from Dec 23/24 - Jan 02. Some offices are closed till Jan 06. Staff may occasionally check emails and reply to truly urgent ones, but I wouldn't expect any news until at least Jan 02 or 03.

Applied to MCO here too. I saw some posts from last year indicating that MCO was still sending interview invites in January for interview February, so you may want to consider that. 

I just got an email from WashU!!! My first interview. So happy now

My stats were mediocre to be honest. I have a decent GPA but I did get B+ in some critical science courses and my GRE was not competitive (although I only sent it to Caltech and MIT)
At the end of the day what stood out can only be determined by the committee, but I would say it was my research experience that would have stood out and I think I effectively conveyed my passion for science through my PS. For the schools I cared most about, I also just made a sincere effort to get my name out there at conferences and such with faculty. I also skype interviewed several PIs at my top schools before applying. 
YouTube would be fun, lol. I am just really grateful to have the opportunities I do and have the stellar mentors I have. 

I am also wondering if Harvard MCO has sent out all the invites. I saw there're only two posts of receiving interviews on 12/16 from international applicants (I*1, U*1) but none from domestic applicants. It's kinda weird... I hope MCO is still reviewing applications and would send out new waves of interview invites after winter break (finger-crossed).
 
It really depends on the program. I am sure that some of them would hold rejections until March. Wish everyone the best of luck!

I am currently in a graduate program and have got involved in the recruitment process. Just needed to move to another city so I applied again.

During this application season, almost every program who waived the GRE received a lot more applications than before. I have heard some biomedical sciences programs had unusually large (like double in size) and strong applicant pool this year. Congrats to the ones who already got interview invitations! To those who still not heard from the programs, don’t be too panic. A good amount of programs are sending the invitation in early January. In addition, some very competitive applicants will definitely get offers from multiple but they can only choose one. After March, there could be chance for the students who are waitlisted. Once you get the offer you want the best, decline the others, the programs and other applicants will definitely appreciate it.
 

I don't know if they are finished, I was invited for one date in early January which means they may potentially have more coming up.
 
I received a phone call on the 18th. I believe for international students the game is different so I would be patient and I wish you best of luck.

Just received an interview for Cornell BCMB in January.
Has anybody heard from Harvard MCO? Given the mistake I made in the application, I would not be surprised at all if I am automatically rejected.
 

I think so, domestic students got invites earlier. And this year many programs have no GRE requirement so there are more applicants i guess? 

I got an email today inviting me to UGA's recruitment weekend for the Integrated Plant Sciences program! I'm very excited! I decided not to apply to my only "backup" school so getting any response is very encouraging!

I completely agree with all these. 
Be polite to everyone. Everyone is evaluating you in some way, but also being a nice person is generally a good idea (whether or not you're at an interview). Don't be that guy who was noticeably rude to a waiter.
You're going to be living and working in these places, so you should definitely ask about what it's like to live in the area/specific questions about the area. It's great to ask professors during interviews about the city, but you should also ask about what their lab is like. Questions like "Do your students have fellowships?" "Do they go to conferences?" "Where is your funding from?" "What do your students go on to do?" "How many people are in your lab?" show that you know that there's more to being in a lab than just the research. You can love the research but the lab could not offer good opportunities, or not have funding, or is too big/small for your preferences, etc. Of course you can ask grad students the same questions.
Definitely take notes. If you have more than one interview, you're going to forget what you did or didn't like at every school by the time you're deciding. I took notes after each faculty meeting about what we talked about and what my impressions were. But taking notes during would be rude (these interviews are supposed to be like a conversation), so take them when there's nothing else going on. Feel free to take notes during powerpoint presentations.
I agree to this only to the extent that you should be aware roughly of what they do, but faculty profiles are often out of date. They won't expect you to know everything about their work, or to have read any papers. Only read papers if you're actually really interested. They will likely tell you about their work during the interview (if not, you should ask them about it). Don't refer to any notes during the interviews, but feel free to glance at the one sentence "Dr. X works on XYZ" you should have before you go into the interview.

I spoke with a professor yesterday who is new to my school but conducted PhD interviews at his previous university. He said getting an interview is the most difficult part of the process. Mainly during the interview process these programs are checking to make sure you are not a psychopath (haha!) and half as interesting as your application makes you seem. He stressed that most students forget their manners during these interviews. Always be polite, don't slouch in your seat, be dressed appropriately, when speaking with a faculty member be actively listening and do not interrupt them while speaking, etc. Most importantly, don't be on your phone and make sure it is silenced!!
He also said DO NOT speak about yourself unless you are directly asked a question and if you are asked, keep it brief. They have poured over your application and know it well, so don't drone on and on about yourself. He said be sure to ask questions to grad students "What are you studying? What do you do in lab? How are the classes here?" etc etc. Don't be afraid to ask about the city, how its like to live there and what are some good areas for housing? You can also ask the grad students about fellowships and funding. Ask professors if they are taking students or will be doing lab rotations, ask them about new developments in they research. He also said it is extremely important to have background knowledge on the professors you will be speaking with, read their faculty research profile and if you are extremely interested in them read a few of their papers. Make notes about their research so you can refer to it during the interview process. Be aware if a professor publishes very little or publishes consistently, how many students they have, and what kind of grants they have currently (or if they lack grants). He said that you can expect to encounter two types of faculty during interview weekends, those who want to talk about their research and recruit you to their lab or PI's who will grill you about your research background. Take note of your interactions with the PI, if your personalities clash then you might not want to request them for a lab rotation if you pick that program.
He also encouraged me to take notes about the program and my experience during break times throughout the day, obviously you're not going to remember every single detail of the 2+ days you'll be interviewing. Never take notes during interviews or during meals, only during designated break times. Be aware the faculty members are looking at you as a potential mentoree while grad students are looking for potential lab mates, everyone is watching you at all times! Good luck during your interviews

Who?

1. I don't think there's a quick and easy way. I googled "immunology phd admission stats/diversity/student profiles" for each school individually. Some simply don't publish this data. 
2. I skipped almost all schools that emphasize things like "in the past we've been able to admit VERY FEW international students" upfront on the website. I also emailed one school that states "international applicants should be aware that depending on funding sources, we may not be able to admit international students in certain years", and their reply was "we cannot guarantee funding at this point", so I skipped that as well.
3. I think it's sensible to still apply if (a) application fees and such are not an issue for you and (b) you really think it's a good fit. Or if you have a connection there that raises your chances considerably. But otherwise I myself didn't apply to schools that seem to struggle with funding for international students.

Got an interview from Stanford Biochem!

Does anyone know if international students (with international degrees) tend to get interview offers later than domestic candidates, or should I assume rejection from UPenn CAMB and WUSTL immunology, etc since I haven't heard back yet. 

@NoG4C2forYou
I asked a question to MIT Biology and this was the response: "The faculty have already begun reading applications and they will continue reading until the first week of January when they meet together and decide on who to invite to campus for interviews."

I got an interview invitation via e-mail from Harvard MCO :)))))))) Kinda unexpected but so haaaaaapppppppyyyyyyy!!!!
I guess PiN will also send out their invitations soon.