queerorpheus

Honestly don't worry too much about the "tier" of the schools you're applying to. Yes, obviously some schools are better than others, but focus on what's a good fit for you. I know people who got rejected from "lower tier" schools but got into better schools because their academic interests just weren't a good fit with schools they thought would be easier to get into. Getting into any grad program is hard. I would recommend looking at where research you like is being done and really tailoring your application to show that you did your research on the program and how their goals align with yours. That being said, I interviewed with both University of Maryland and Penn State and found them to have a solid base of micro research with a more umbrella curriculum. They're both very reputable schools with great research - not easier to get into by any means, but good based on the criteria you listed.

Woohoo, go bucks!!!

There were a couple main reasons I made my decision: 1. The research: OSU has a dedicated center for my desired area of research (RNA biology) that is well supported and will provide me extensive professional opportunities. 2. Columbus is the best combination of low cost of living and plenty to do out of all the places I was accepted to 3. Program specific details that made the program stand out from other ones I was considering (not having to TA, flexible curriculum, emphasis on scientific communication) 4. Personal reasons: my partner and many of my friends live in the area. This wasn’t my deciding factor, but it was a nice bonus

No, I actually turned down my offer last week and accepted at another institution where I got off the waitlist.

I got off the waitlist at Ohio State and ended up committing there this week. It was really hard to be patient but it was worth it in the end!

I just committed this morning and am very excited!! Any other future Buckeyes out there?

I think mine says under graduate school review, but I've already been accepted. It didn't change even after I got my acceptance though.

I think that's definitely possible. It seems like the University had some issues with state funding, so the number of people they accept is changing. This might have impacted international students even more than usual.

Yes I am! I know they were only sending out as many offers as they could accept and then putting everyone else on a waitlist so hang in there!

My portal hasn't been updated to my knowledge. I also just received an offer to another program that I thought I had no chance with, so my decision is a lot harder now! I really enjoyed my visit with UMD and it's going to be tough deciding where to go.

Did you apply to MOCB? It's my understanding that acceptances from a single professor are really only common for the BEES concentration area, so I'd be interested to hear the concentration area you applied to and who you talked with. Even with an unofficial offer from a professor, these decisions are made by an entire committee, so while a professor's support is helpful it's not the end all be all. UMD also isn't making more offers than they can fund, so you may be on a waitlist or something.

I'm not sure about when offers will be sent to international students. I was told the first wave will be sent within a week or two, but I don't know if that includes domestic and international students or just domestic. The program director mentioned some issues with funding that are preventing them from releasing all offers at once, but I would say no news is good news and to sit tight!

I just received mine last night! Super duper excited!!!

We were told that the first wave of official offers will be sent sometime in the next week or two. If you don't receive an acceptance in the first wave, don't worry because they'll make additional offers as people from the first wave accept/decline.

Hi, I interviewed the week following you and had a wonderful experience so I'm going to try to make sense of some of what you're feeling. First, my event the following week was closer to 30/40 students, so I'd say the "shortlist" you mention is around 100 students. This is also spread out across four concentration areas, all with a different admissions committee, so some of the people you saw on Zoom weren't even "competitors" in that sense and are being chosen from completely different pools. Just in general, I've found that graduate school interviews are more of a conversation. They don't have to be super formal - professors are excited to hear about you and share their work. Your experience with interviews could've been largely dependent on the PIs you selected as well. Most of the professors I talked to had looked at my application and had questions about it, but I'm not doubting by any means that your experience was different. I think it really does depend on who you talk to. I was in a similar situation as mentioned above where I was admitted before interview. We were told at my event that we can expect to hear within the next week or two, but that offers will be sent in waves due to a decrease in state funding this year. They didn't really tell us the criteria, but made it seem like if you were at the interview stage, you would likely receive an offer at some point as people from the first wave accept or decline their offer. Basically no news is good news. Best of luck to you!!

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health has one in biochemistry and molecular biology that I believe is still accepting students (because they offered me a spot recently after being rejected for their PhD lol). If you're unable to find masters programs definitely look into post-bacc opportunities to strengthen your application for the next cycle!!

I'm also in the second round next week so I'll see you on Zoom!! I was the one who already has an acceptance, but I applied to MOCB so things might be slightly different for you. I still have interviews scheduled because I want the opportunity to talk to potential faculty advisors, but I'm expecting general chats about research interests and life in College Park. MOCB applicants were able to choose not to interview, so I don't think admission is hinging on that. I don't know if you've had other interviews, but from what I've experienced, professors genuinely just want to have a conversation with you and they get really excited to share their research. I'd say if you're at this stage in the process, it's because they see potential in you for the program so I'd just relax and enjoy it! Best of luck!

My recruitment event is next week, but I actually got an acceptance yesterday morning! I'm super excited and pretty likely to choose this program based on my current options. Hope to see you in College Park this fall

I'm interviewing there next week and honestly I'm super excited about it! Aside from just biotech, there's a lot of great science going on in the DC area, so no matter which track you apply for there's going to be opportunities with government labs, museums, and industry. Even within the department, there's some really amazing research that fits with my interests. Just in general, UMD is well known for its STEM programs and I know I'll be getting a quality education if that's where I choose to go. I'll be able to speak to this more after my recruitment event, but if you think you'd fit within the program you should definitely go for it!

This is a really weird cycle and even speaking with professors isn't a guarantee of interview/acceptance. I wouldn't get down on yourself too much since it is such a strange year for applying and a lot of schools have seen an increase in applicants. There's no way to know the criteria for each individual school or program, so it's hard to know where you stand and how your application might have been received. You didn't do yourself any harm in reaching out to professors for sure! I hope you get some positive news soon. Best of luck!

I asked in the bio forum and had no luck, but has anyone heard anything from Pitt MCDB? Maybe I should stop holding out hope, but I'm having a really hard time getting in touch with anyone from the program and could use some reassurance.

Did you receive any details about the interview dates for BISI? I also applied and was invited to interview with MOCB but haven't gotten any kind of interview timeline. I don't know much about the other two programs, but I'm very excited about BISI! One of the biggest factors for me in applying there was the professional opportunities - I want to work in government so the opportunity to work with the NIH as a graduate student was huge for me. I think some of my decision will come down to funding and cost of living, but it's a great program and I wouldn't be mad at all to end up there.

Interesting, I still haven't heard anything but I'll check my portal just in case. Thanks!

I hate to be that person, but has anyone heard from the biological sciences department at the University of Pittsburgh? I saw an interview on the results page from December 23rd, but the program told us not to expect interviews until after the holidays so I'm a bit suspicious. MCDB is one of my top programs and I'm still anxiously waiting to hear anything, so any insight would be appreciated.

I see in your signature that you have a rejection from JHU. I also applied to CMDB and haven't heard anything either way - I'm assuming rejection but I'm curious to know when you heard and who you heard from.