StemCells4Lyfe

That's reassuring. I'm leaning more towards Dallas, so I hope it's the same there. I also found a list of restaurants that will still require masks, so I'll really just be patroning those while visiting and once moving there.

Makes sense. I also have a trip planned to visit both cities to look at apartments and see the area (planned before learning about the change in mask requirements), so I'll get a feel for it myself first-hand pretty soon. But I'm still so angry and frustrated about the whole situation.

This is more of a rant post for my fellow applicants looking to start school in Texas, but I was super excited with my acceptances and the prospect of starting school in a not only a new city, but a new part of the country. But with the mask mandate being lifted now I just feel scared, unsafe, doubting whether I should go to school in such an area, and honestly... just robbed of what should have been a positive experience? I'm sure the schools will still take the pandemic seriously, but who knows not only how the city will handle it but also the residents as well. Idk, am I alone in my frustrations and worries?

Did you get the option to choose either your date or even the PI's you're interviewing with?

? Welp

Did anyone interviewing at TJU get to either a) Choose their interview dates or even b) choose who they are interviewing with? I wasn't, and I'm not even interviewing with people in my field of interest, which is frustrating...

Did anyone interviewing at TJU get to either a) Choose their interview dates or even b) choose who they are interviewing with? I wasn't, and I'm not even interviewing with people in my field of interest, which is frustrating

I'm not too familiar with Rockefeller as I didn't apply, but as a general rule of thumb I wouldn't compare yourself to other applicants, especially if you already were offered an interview. They saw something in you that they liked and thought would be a great addition to their program/university. Good stats help, but they aren't everything, and you don't have a full picture of their whole application. They could have had a weak SOP/LORs, or their past research wasn't a good fit, or they couldn't properly communicate themselves as a strong applicant on paper, or there was some je ne sais quoi about you/your application that made the admissions feel like you would be a better fit. Be confident going into your interview, because they already liked you enough to want to talk to you out of thousands of applicants. They'll probably ask you to elaborate more about your research. Emphasis why you're interested in the program and earning a PhD. Just take a deep breathe and be you, because that's who they were interested in in the first place.

Thanks! Congrats to you too! And yeah, it was QUITE long compared to other places, but I did feel like the longer first day helped me get a LOT more info on the program that you can't get from just reading the website, so now I'm worried about future interviews and whether I'll get as good of a sense of the program and life at those universities LOL. Can't win I guess. My biggest piece of advice is getting a GOOD night's rest before each day and after, and getting a back rest for your chair. I used a hot water bottle as a make-shift one. The first day was a lot, but I did get a bit more information about the program so it easier to stay attentive. The second day was definitely rougher. The interviews themselves were quite straightforward (explain x project you did or explain a project you did that you were most excited about, do you have any questions for me), so I wouldn't sweat that too much. But after 5 of them and then extra activities, it was quite tiring. Definitely use your whole breaks to step away from your computer and stretch, eat during the lunch time they give you, with snacks towards the end. I also stayed off of screens during my breaks to give my eyes a rest. Can't really think of anything to avoid saying, but keep your camera on during the sessions even if you are tired. It's really easy to notice who has theirs off. Take advantage of the current-student break out groups to ask ANYTHING you have questions about, because the students are quite candid. Also, if there are PI's your interested in that you weren't given an interview with that show up during the poster sessions and break-out groups, take the opportunity to talk to them. It'll really help you get a better sense of the program, what they are like "in-person", and how well you can picture yourself at UTSW.

Only 1 out 4 of the places I have interviews with had actual social events, but it was super laid back. There was a break out both days with student hosts that we had been assigned to. The first one was just to ask questions with current students (what's life like in x city, how was the transition, do I need a car, etc) and the second was to destress after our actual interviews and go over any questions or issues we had with what had just transpired. After that, we had the opportunity to join a Zoom break-out groups to play either Codenames or a Pictionary-like game, where more faculty jumped in and out of so we could "meet" more people than who we had interviewed with. Definitely meant to be a relaxing time, and not something you have to really prepare for. I will note, though, that after being on Zoom interviews for 5 hours, it was quite tiring to continue on with the social events and seem just as enthusiastic. But that was a 9-hour Zoom day for me. Hopefully yours will be more spread out.

I did. My interview was Friday

The two places I interviewed with so far say they meet the week after. So my interviews were on a Friday, and the team meets the following Tuesday to make a decision.

It really varies from school to school rather than it being similar in a certain field/program. I originally thought unless you're super arrogant/rude/clearly don't know your science, then you're essentially in. But apparently some schools only accept 30-40% post interview. Like @helpert said, some programs disclose that info, but I've found that to be super rare. For the others, I'd take a look at past years results on here for people posting rejections after being interviewed. If it's a bloodbath, I'd say it's safe to assume they are very selective when they interview.

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I'm not sure what the dates are unfortunately, because I wasn't given an option to choose. But I applied to the Regenerative Medicine track