bloops

I've finally decided to attend Duke! I'm so glad the entire process has finally come to an end. Congratulations to those who've made it through and best of luck to those who are still waiting to hear back. It hasn't really sunk in yet for me as well, but I feel calm and peaceful (and a tad bit old =P) for a change so that's nice ?

Wow, your profile is so similar to mine! Congratulations! Also, completely agree on working on a backup plan. International applicants' competition can get quite crazy!

I don't think publications are necessary when applying directly from an undergrad (it's obviously good to have them though). I applied without any publications this fall and got into 3 of the 8 places I had applied to (that too being an international student which makes the competition even worse!). I think most adcoms take into consideration the time / resources you've had at your disposal to pursue your research interests and I think you should definitely consider applying. The most important factor, in my personal opinion, is to have a sense of direction in the research experiences that you pursue and to identify the relevant programs where you'd really fit in. Best of luck! Secondly, I hope everyone's season has been going great! Good luck to those who are yet to hear back from their programs! I was wondering if anyone here attended Duke CBB's open house / interview week (if they had one). I'm having to decide which program to enroll in and it would really help to get to know anyone's personal experience / opinion of the program as a result of direct interactions with the faculty / students there! Thanks a lot!

Hello again! Finally received my first acceptance from one of my top priority programs! Phew, the anxiety is finally going away and I've finally found some hope and inspiration in life again XD. Best of luck to you guys. Just hold on. The end is near and good news awaits you all! ?

Looks like the Duke CBB rejections have started rolling in! *Prepares for the inevitable*

After having quit for a few months, I'm back to my old smoking habits. Ughhh I hate myself!

Hi everyone! I'm applying for a PhD straight after my undergrad as well and the constant sense of not being worthy of being accepted anywhere is something that has haunted me for the last few months. Almost everywhere I go to look for profiles of fellow applicants have only further added to my misery. Lack of publications, significantly less "cool" research projects, etc., just seemed too much for me to convince myself that I'd ever have a fair shot at the colleges I'm applying to. That tied along with the fact that I'm an international applicant just made matters worse. Considering the significant amount of money required for application fees, GRE, TOEFL, etc., I felt extremely guilty that I was merely wasting my parent's money on a stupid dream. However, the last few weeks have been helpful. I've gotten some (what atleast appears to be) good news from surprisingly the more competitive programs I had applied to. I guess the take back from all this is that it's not very productive to stress yourself on comparisons you make between yourself and applicants who have had more time to build their profile. While the admissions process is not perfect, I've found that most committees take into serious consideration the amount of time and the resources you've had at your disposal for pursuing research before you've filled the application form. The feeling of uncertainty and nervousness hasn't completely gone yet (and probably never will =P ) but I've found it easier to cope with this stress and the acads of my final semester now that I've heard back from the programs I applied to and come to terms with whatever work I've done as an undergrad. I hope someone can relate to this and best of luck to all you guys! Ace it!

Hey @ClayR, so I was initially sent an invitation for a skype interview (international applicant here) from Pitt for CPCB. The interview went really well (it was with the founder of the program surprisingly, who I had also mentioned in my SOP). Soon after that (literally hours later) I received another email from the Pitt coordinator stating that two other profs (who I had also mentioned in my SOP) would be interested in contacting me for a skype interview (each). I have already scheduled one of them this week. I was wondering if being "skype interviewed" by multiple profs is just a standard part of the application process and/or if there's something I can take back from this? Do you have any idea? CPCB is my first choice so I'm really excited (and kinda nervous) about all this! Thanks! I've had prior skype interviews for the CBB program in USC and generic rejections from pretty much everywhere else.