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pipettingerror

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Posts posted by pipettingerror

  1. 2 hours ago, babymicrobiologist said:

    I know UNC BBSP sent out their first round of interview invites today. I have heard from admissions directors that there is almost double the applications in micro and biomed programs.

    Yikes, that's a little scary.

  2. 1 hour ago, Molec157 said:

    Ended up applying to biomed sci umbrella programs at UTSW, UTHSCSA, Stanford, UMiami, UWash, Scripps, UMB, USUHS, and a couple others! Submitted mid November and so far I've received interview invites from Miami and UTHSCSA :) best of luck to you this season! 

    Wow two interviews already! That's fab! Best of luck to you, hope you get them all.

  3. 6 hours ago, Autoclave Guru said:

    Checking my email 5 times a day ??‍♂️. Applied to Michigan State, Duke, UC Davis, UTK, Boston U, U of Florida, U of Georgia, U Chicago, U of Illinois, U of Arizona, Berkeley, Ohio State, Ford fellowship, and SMART fellowship . Good luck to everybody  process is  gunna be long, but worth it in the end !

    I know that feeling. Every notification makes me jump out of my skin. One of the programs I applied to sent an email on 2nd Dec, a day after the deadline, and I stg my soul left my body trying to comprehend how quickly they were rejecting me but turns out it was just a notification to inform everyone that the deadline was extended till the end of the day ?‍♀️

    Good luck with your college decisions and fellowships!

  4. 8 hours ago, Sky_china said:

    This is my third time applying as an international students and probably last time. I don't think I will apply again even if I didn't get in.  So this puts additional pressure on me. My profile isn't excellent but Its almost the best I can do now. 

    Same here, international, second time applying. It does seem quieter than usual but it is an unusual year in every way so why not this.

    2 hours ago, Sky_china said:

    I honestly feel confused, from the professors all over the increased number of applicants is real, harvard sys bio 27% increase , Berkeley 27% increase ... and some other program say they have 50% increase, especially microbiology and epidemiology...

    Yet less information on grad cafe ...

    Is this info on the program websites? A lot of people on r/gradadmissions also posted about receiving really quick decisions for f21 which made me feel like there might be fewer applicants this time around, though it seems unlikely given all predictions. Only does so much good to dwell on it though, for the most part it is out of our hands now. Fingers crossed!

  5. 10 hours ago, queerorpheus said:

    I ended up applying to everywhere I had initially planned: Two programs at JHU, Pitt, Ohio State, UMD, and Penn State. I know that at least Pitt will send out interview notices shortly after Christmas, so it's nice to have some kind of timeline. I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst. 

    That's great! I interviewed for Pitt's Biological Science program last year. Good luck!

  6. 1 hour ago, wacharak said:

     

    Hopefully I get into at least one!

    Undergrad Institution: UT Arlington 

    Major(s): BS in Microbiology and Biology

    Overall GPA: 3.66

    Major GPA: 4

     

    Type of Student: Hispanic Male

     

    Research Experience: 15 months in a micro lab

     

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

    2 peer-reviewed publications, 1 McNair research journal publication.

    McNair Scholar

    Multiple small scholarships

    deans list

    PHD programs:

    Cornell - Microbiology

    CS, Fort Collins - Microbiology

    UT Southwestern - Molecular Microbiology

    Montana State - Molecular Biosciences

    Baylor College of Medicine - Immunology and Microbiology

    USC - PIBBS

    USCLA - Microbiology

    Yale - BBS

    University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - MICaB

    UMich, Ann Arbor - PIBS

    WashU, St Louis - DBBS

    Dartmouth - MCB

    Iowa U - Microbiology

    Johns Hopkins - Molecular Microbiolog and Immunology

    You have a really strong profile, I am sure you'll end up with more than a couple of offers! Good luck!

  7. Hi all, 

    I applied to a small handful of programs last year. A bit unexpectedly, I was rejected from programs that I think for my profile would be considered "target" or "safety" schools, and ended being accepted to one of the more prestigious programs I applied to. Now I want to obviously preface this by saying I understand grad school admissions are very personal and rankings matter a lot less than undergrad, they pay quite a bit of attention to fit, and above all that admissions are kinda arbitrary to begin with. That said, I didn't take any of the places I applied to lightly, I customized everything in my application to those schools, reached out to faculty members whose research themes fit very will with mine and all that jazz. So I was pretty floored to not even be invited to interview at those places. Another high ranking program on my list didn't really invite me to interview, but the program director did say I apparently barely missed the cut. 

    I am applying to places again this time after having to decline my previous offer, so I kinda want to know what happened last time. I have some theories, though it is also important to declare that my sample size is fairly small because I only applied to 5 places. I figured one reason could be that the higher ranked programs have more resources to support someone like me (I am an international applicant) and that is why I made it bit further in their selections than the rest. But do you think there could be other factors involved? I would like to know so I can structure my choices this time to try to address that as best as possible. 

  8.  

    Not exactly. In fact when I was initially discussing my situation with the graduate advisor he said it might be a bit tougher next year because they may have to take fewer people with the losses brought about by the pandemic. I would take it with a grain of salt because they were of course wanting me to accept the offer so that agenda was there. But no doubt what will happen next year is a mystery. 

     

    That said, after declining the offer I got in touch with all the people I knew at the department and they did encourage me to apply next year. @Modulus

  9. Maybe it didn't come across well. I am not juggling competing offers. I had only my first choice on hold and that was because at this point it wold have been impossible for me to predict if with the ongoing pandemic my personal circumstances would allow me to attend. Since there is still no clarity I have turned the offer down and will not be joining any PhD program this year.  As @Modulus recommended, i got in touch with the graduate committee, my interviewers, and my PI and let them know of the circumstances and everyone was very understanding. Hopefully the place can go to someone who is able to attend. Thank you for pitching in everyone.

  10. 9 hours ago, GrumpyKoala said:

    I usually ask during the interviews to avoid unnecessary stress. POIs normally reply within days while programs usually take longer. I would avoid emailing them within the time frame they provided. If you didn't ask, I think two weeks after you talked to a POI or one month after the program interview would be a good time to follow up (just my opinion)? If the interview happened not long ago, you could always send a follow-up email to thank them for their time and casually ask about the timeline.

    I am done with most of my interviews and waiting for them to get back to me (they told me it would take a few weeks), so I got myself a 2000 pc jigsaw puzzle to kill time lol

    Ah I did ask, and they said a "few weeks". What is A FEW SIR. Two weeks have passed since the interview, and I had thought I would hear back by now because I know they wrapped up the last of their interviews with me. But I don't want to be bothersome either. 

     

    Hahaha that sounds neat! Must think of investing in something similar. Here's to good news arriving soon for all of us! 

  11. On 1/1/2020 at 8:56 PM, ndd23123 said:

    I wouldn't lose hope on Vanderbilt though.

    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! 

  12. 14 hours ago, ndd23123 said:

    So you're applying as a direct admit to MCDB? That committee might operate on a totally completely timeline. PIBS does accept international applications but certain programs don't. As long as you select one of the programs that do then you can still submit your application through PIBS. It's a little confusing, but every student has to select two programs of their top choice when they submit your application to PIBS. PIBS then forward applications to individual programs, who review them and make decisions. Then PIBS coordinates the interview and admission process. Some programs have their own application process in parallel to PIBS though so their timeline might be different.

    I wouldn't lose hope on Vanderbilt though.

    Yes I applied directly to MCDB. I tried to open an application for PIBS but on the first page itself it made it clear that it was for US citizens only. I didn't dig too deep either since I was interested in MCDB anyway and the PI I reached out to also said to apply to that program. Let's see, if I don't hear from them for another two weeks that will pretty much confirm it. But fingers crossed for both! Quite keen on both these programs. 

  13. 10 hours ago, ndd23123 said:

    I'm an international students and applied 4 years ago. I got an interview at both UMich and Vanderbilt. For PIBS at UMich, there are only 2 interview weekends in the end of January, all applicants come in on one of the two weekends. I believe international applicants are treated the same way as domestic ones. If it is possible for you to visit, i.e. you are currently in the US, and the admission committee decide to offer you an interview then you should have heard back already. Most programs do offer online interview if you're not in the US but I'm not sure when you would hear back regarding this. However, I believe all admission committees have met before the holidays so a decision should have already been made.

    For Vanderbilt, there is an international scholar program that interviews all international applicants on one weekend (it was in mid February for me). Back then, the application deadline was Jan 15 so I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard back from them yet. Things could have changed since though.

    Hey, thanks for the info! On UMich's website it mentioned that the PIBS program is exclusively for US residents if I'm not wrong. International students have to pick a particular program, so I picked MCDB. That said, I'm guessing the AdCom is similar for both since MCDB is a subset, so maybe I have't heard back because I didn't make the cut. Let's see how it goes. 

    The Vanderbilt program I applied to had a Dec 1 deadline, so maybe that looks bleak as well. 

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