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timkartar

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  1. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from historyofsloths in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    Time to revive this thread ??

  2. Like
    timkartar reacted to lambda_mage in 2020 Computational Biology/Bioinformatics/Systems Biology PhD Admissions   
    I got one too! Interview date is Feb 7-8.
  3. Like
    timkartar reacted to thelilypad in 2020 Computational Biology/Bioinformatics/Systems Biology PhD Admissions   
    Just got an invite for the interview to UCSD! Good luck everyone and hopefully this is a good sign for the rest of my grad admissions season 
  4. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to VentiHalfCaff in I Think I've Made a Huge Mistake   
    I attended a big state school over an early acceptance to MIT for undergrad. I have rarely looked back, even though some people say I was crazy to turn down MIT. I have had huge opportunities at my undergrad school that may not have happened for me at MIT, simply because (I'm guessing) it's much easier to be a standout in an excellent big state school's engineering program than at MIT.
     
    But that's not why I chose the state school over the "prestige school" for undergrad. I chose the state school because they aggressively recruited me and made it very clear to me that their program was actually a perfect fit for me, and vice versa. They were correct. Certain folks inside and outside of the school and the engineering department took a big interest in me, professionally and personally. In addition, I was offered a free-ride plus a large annual stipend to attend.
     
    I have since read two studies that basically say that those who make college decisions like mine (and like yours, OP) tend to be happier in life and "more successful," if one chooses to define "success" by the output of the graduates once they enter the workplace (proportionately more awards, more publications, more recognized credentials, etc ... it varies dependent on the graduate's career field).
     
    Those who did the studies theorized that this may be due to the positive reinforcement and recognition tippy-top high students continue to receive throughout their "supposedly-less-prestigious" undergraduate programs, which is the same sort of recognition they experienced in high school, or better. In contrast, those who choose to attend "supposedly-more-prestigious" undergraduate programs can't all continue to excel and succeed in the same way that they did in high school. There are only so many top spots to go around at every school, and if nearly every student in an undergraduate program was at the top of the top in their high schools, well, SOME of those "top" students are going to find themselves in the middle or at the bottom! That becomes negative reinforcement for them, and they may start to see themselves in a less positive light. 
     
    In other words, top high school students continue to see themselves at the top -- and others see them there, too -- in other great programs that are NOT necessarily considered the "most prestigious." Those top students continue to reap the rewards of their tippy top performance. But _the majority of_ top high school students who choose to attend (what are considered) the most prestigious schools will find themselves at places OTHER THAN the top, naturally. And that has its consequences.
     
    According to the two studies that I've read over the past few years, those at the top of ALL schools, "prestigious" and otherwise, tend to find themselves at the top of their career fields more often, statistically, AND they tend to define themselves as happier. In other words, according to both of these studies, graduating "at the top" from ANY school is supposedly more relevant to happiness and success than "merely" graduating from a prestigious school.
     
    I don't recall the names of the studies, and I don't know if I've done them justice in my synopsis. I also don't know if they've drawn the correct conclusions. But, they were very interesting to read!
     
    There are all sorts of rewards for being a top student. Scholarships and grants (equals no debt). The best offers for internships, research, study abroad, jobs. Personal attention from people inside and outside of the program. Etc. And therefore, there are more and more opportunities for top students at ALL schools to excel. 
     
    Like you, OP, I will not be attending a "most prestigious" graduate school either. I will be attending a state school for grad school. That state school is widely recognized for "my" program, but there are several other schools that a lot of people find "more prestigious" in my field. I have chosen my grad school for the professor I want to work with and for that prof's lab. I think I will continue to have no regrets.
     
    I hope you can find satisfaction in your decisions, too. Don't worry about what others think. You're doing this for you. If the programs you chose are a good match for you and your interests, then you made all the right choices! Best of luck to you!
  5. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from yjkim192 in What were you doing when you received your acceptance?   
    sleeping lol
  6. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from taesumandu in Dealing with embarassment   
    He is not embarrassed about his acceptances.  He is embarrassed about other people knowing he failed for the top tier schools. That is pretty reasonable and happens to many.
  7. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from rosch in Scream Thread   
    And this, is to go even further beyoond ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA .... NO STOP IT , GOKU, BLAH BLAH BLAH,.. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA .. IT'S UNREAL, HOW IS HE  GENERATING THAT MUCH POWER... DO IT DAD.... BLAH BLAH BLAH .....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..... Gets Acceptance !!!
  8. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to bamafan in How competitive are bioinformatics grad programs?   
    Just wanted to also throw out Michigan, BU, USC, and UCSD. Some of the oldest and longest-running programs there, and they are home to some serious superstars in the field like Waterman.
     
     
  9. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from pyramidstuds in What were you doing when you received your acceptance?   
    sleeping lol
  10. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from literalturtle in Anybody else applying to a PhD straight out of undergrad?   
    Exactly. Finally getting accepted gives back a lot of self-respect.
  11. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to dummy19 in UBC Computer Science Masters   
    I applied to MSc in BC and heard nothing back yet, I have contacted my POI way back in probably Nov 2018 and he said my background looked interesting, we had like 2 or 3 mails but didn't stay in touch.
    if you're hearing something back, plz also post here if you'd like to.
     
  12. Like
    timkartar reacted to havemybloodchild in How do you spend the days?   
    Reading at least two books a week and working a lot. Sleeping a lot as well, although I keep having dreams about rejections and waking up on the verge of a panic attack. Super fun.
  13. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from merlinyx in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    computational biology and ml. hope all of us get good news ?
  14. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from merlinyx in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    In departmental form, until yesterday my top two research interest was locked and top POI. I.e. unchangeable. Today suddenly they have become changeable again. What does it mean? Has anybody else experienced this? (i know at this point changing them will not matter much)
  15. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from cs_103 in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    Today is exactly  1 month from when reviewing began (Dec 18) ? !  Hope good things follow soon.
  16. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to cs_103 in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    Same here, I think it doesn't mean much ?
  17. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from cs_103 in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    In departmental form, until yesterday my top two research interest was locked and top POI. I.e. unchangeable. Today suddenly they have become changeable again. What does it mean? Has anybody else experienced this? (i know at this point changing them will not matter much)
  18. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to GokuUI in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    No idea, I think they finished phase one of the applications. I saw that the selections aren't ensured but they don't exactly preclude us from working with other faculty members. So I think this may just be the initial phase of the people who got selected; at least, that's what I'm hoping.
  19. Upvote
    timkartar got a reaction from cs_103 in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    Hi. Thanks for your response. I am heavily relying on one strong LOR from Max Planck and my bachelors is from a top IIT (i hope that is somewhat known, obviously still not among the top schools in the world ) with good GPA. Best Wishes ?
  20. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from cs_103 in UTornto Computer Science MSc F19   
    Since our applications are getting reviewed and SGS status updated to "under review", I think it a good time start this thread. 
    My worries:
    I did not mention POI's name in SOP. Mentioned in departmental form though. Shall I not get picked up?
    When will the decisions start to be dished out?
    Should I contact my POI? Does it really matter?
     
    So, people, share your worries too and if possible answer some of mine.
  21. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from MAshKam in MIT EECS 2019   
    American but outside America college education. Refer gradcafe results section.
  22. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from MAshKam in MIT EECS 2019   
    yep, sorry, messed it up
     
  23. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from MAshKam in MIT EECS 2019   
    Thanks for the reply. Best of Luck ?
  24. Like
    timkartar got a reaction from MAshKam in MIT EECS 2019   
    Me too. Area of interest BIoinformatics, Data Science, Machine Learning. Is it necessary to contact POI? And when can we expect to hear from them?
  25. Upvote
    timkartar reacted to CautiouslyOptimistic2020 in Post here to get your worries off your chest   
    Worries: This is my second cycle of applying and I only applied to 3 schools as they were the only ones I could see myself genuinely happy in. 2 of them I was waitlisted for last year. As days pass I see more and more posts about how other people have gotten an interview and I have not yet. I was so sure I'd get one since I had one last year and nearly got in and I thought my application was only stronger now; I guess that was arrogant of me. I know I would be a good fit for the program and would flourish there; I just want a chance to show them.
     
    Excitement: It's not over yet- the anxious part of me wants to ignore that it's only 12/29 and still in the midst of the holidays- the people who got the emails for interviews could have different POI's. I daydream about getting in all the time- the area is so outdoorsy there would be so many trails!! It's a small town with cute little boutiques and I talked to the POI's current grad students and he's flexible about what your research is and he doesn't use you as a work horse. It would be a dream to get in!!
     
    Thanks for starting this thread lol I think my friends and co-workers are tired of hearing me talk about it and I don't think they realize how competitive it is. 
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