Hamsterball

For the video interview, wear something slightly formal and professional. Most likely they will ask you about your honor thesis research. Be able to explain every single detail of your research. A common mistake I see among applicants is they fail to explain the big picture of their project. Yes, often times we work on things that are assigned by the postdocs or PI. The interviewers certainly know this but they still want to see if you have the ability to explain the rationale behind. For example, why do you work on gene X? Why did you choose this approach? What alternative approach can you take? What is the ultimate goal of your project? Try to explain these from a broad perspective. Most PIs like to see that you understand the value of science.

I agree with the several posts above. And definitely widen your choices. This year, I have applied to 11 programs and got interviews from 5. Surprisingly, I did not get interviews from my back up choices! So it’s really important to apply to different schools as we don’t know exactly how does the selection process go. I would also recommend you to apply for more umbrella programs instead of a specific track since umbrella programs tend to interview and accept more people. Most programs allow you to transfer from track to track. Revise and ask a lot of people to revise your statement of purpose. I edited mine for at least 20 times before I felt like it’s a good one. As for LORs, are they strong letters? If not, that’s one thing you may want to focus on improving too. Most admission committees care about LORs the most. It makes sense because professors would rather trust and rely on things written by other professors. For me, I was in a relatively big lab and didn’t really get to talk to my PI that often. So when I had to present on lab meetings, I treated those like a thesis defense because I knew my PI’s impression was going to rely heavily on my presentation peformance.

Has anyone heard back from Harvard BPH program after the interview? I’m anxiously waiting for their calls. Honestly don’t think I will make it but I would love to know if they have already sent out offers.

Thank you! I'm glad to hear this. Probably didn't make it to the top of the list but at least we still got a chance!

Thank you! Jan 31st - Feb 1st.

I got an interview from Harvard BPH on Dec 7th (call followed by an email).

Congrats on the UCLA interview!! It's a great school too! I really want to visit UW for their interviews too. I sent an email asking if they usually do extended interview invitation. Will definitely update here after they have replied.

Thank you for your reply! May I ask was it an email or phone call? Seem like some people have already heard back from UW MCB and Northwestern Driskill too. I guess no luck for me! At least I got invitations from several great schools. Still very thankful!

I applied to UW MCB too but haven't heard back. Do you know if they have already sent out invitations? Couldn't find any post about it. Has anyone heard from UCLA Biosciences (Cell & Developmental Biology) and Harvard BBS?