calizab

I've spent most of my life in Boulder (I didn't attend CU, however). I️'m going to be sad leaving, because I️ really like Boulder. I️ love the accessibility of the Mountains (the city, especially the CU campus, is nestled right up against the mountains, so you can very easily go on a morning or after-work hike). I adore the weather because it's so sunny (granted I'm sure Santa Barbara is very sunny as well haha). I️ also just liked the vibe I️ guess, and how open the city feels given the amount of open space surrounding it and the restrictions on building heights so as not to obscure views. I'm also trying to decide between bio PhD programs (ahhhh!!!) and I️ think prioritizing both research opportunities and location is very valid (I'm probably going to end up in California a lot because I️ want to live in California and this is a great opportunity to). Research obviously matters a lot, since you are going to be spending a lot of time doing it haha. I️ think as long as there are like 3-4 professors you could see yourself working with who are taking students and aren't jerks, that is plenty (assuming you have rotations). With location, I️ think it comes down to where you could imagine yourself living (very hard because of covid zoom interviews) - do you see yourself living by the beach or by the mountains? (both are truly great locations - I️'ve never been to Santa Barbara, but I've heard the campus and area is gorgeous). Additionally, what people did you vibe with better during interviews/ could you see yourself being friends with them? (also hard because of zoom) Also, I️ wouldn't underestimate the value of having personal connections wherever you go (sadly I️ don't have friends or family near pretty much any of the schools I️ applied to) - it may be nice to be able to see familiar faces during the stress of a PhD program.

do you want to do more applied research? don't choose a field just because it is easier to publish in. Statistics definitely would open more doors in terms of types of research you could do, so I️ guess you have to think about how much you want to be able to explore, or if you are okay with being set into biostatistics (in which case a more focused program may be beneficial). I️ also think location matters quite a bit - you are going to be living there for the next 5 - 6 years, so make sure you can picture yourself in that city. Even if you're going to be spending a large amount of time doing research, you definitely want to like where you are living. Same goes for the people in the program (such as other students) - if you were able to meet the, which people did you vibe with more? That is all very personal, and only something you can answer, but I️ think, given both seem strong programs with cool research (granted I'm not a stats person), choosing somewhere where you can see yourself enjoying your time the most is extremely important.

Since you're applying to places with rotations (or at least the programs you're applying to that I'm familiar with), make sure all the schools you apply to have a few professors (preferably at least 3) that you could see yourself working with (I asked sooo many grad students during interviews for advice on picking a school and every single one of them said go wherever there is the highest number of labs doing work that is really interesting to you that you could see yourself doing). It doesn't hurt to reach out and ask a professor if they will be taking on new students next year. You want to go into a department that generally supports and has strengths in the type of research you want to do, and you want to have a few professors you could work with so if the prof you most want to work with can't take you (or you end up not vibing with them during the rotation) you have options. Plus, if your research interest align with the department strengths, you have a much better chance of being accepted. Beyond that, you will want to take account into aspects such as location of schools (the city, weather, what there is to do in the city, how close you are to friends/ family, opportunities for industry if you decide to go in that direction), along with what students in the program generally do afterwards (if that info is available) to see if it aligns with your goals (also look at the career trajectories of students from labs you may want to work in) Given the brief background you provided, I️ think that you have a good shot at those reaches and that your list does seem well balanced (you really do not need a pub to be competitive). Also, make sure every school on your final list is somewhere that you would be 100% happy to attend if you were for some reason rejected everywhere else.

Niceeeee a biophysics forum! Out of the biophysics programs I️ applied to I've gotten interviews from Berkeley, Weill Cornell, UCSF, UNC, UW, Rochester and Pitt (and got into UMich and UIUC). I've def been rejected by Stanford and Yale but oh well I briefly mourned but I've got some other schools I'm very excited about (and in the end it's probably for the best)! My top 3 right now are probably (and very loosely) Berkeley, Weill Cornell, and UCSF, but I️ also love the rest of them (especially UW and the Institute for Protein Design) so who knows. I️ also applied to some biochem, chemical biology, and comp bio programs, but biophysics wherever I️ could.

yeah I️ don't own a single business casual thing (besides some nice pants), so I'm gonna have to buy a blazer and blouse and stuff. I️ guess this is a good excuse for some online shopping haha

I️'d prepare for a few diff time lengths. Some may want a brief 1-2 min overview at first, and then ask you to go deeper into specifics. I️ think it's best to be prepared to talk about it at a very broad level (especially if you're talking to someone who may not be familiar with your specific field), and also be comfortable discussing the specifics.

Does anyone have any input of what to wear? as in how formal your clothes should be for interviews and such? It's gonna be strange since things like shoes and pants won't really matter over zoom.

I've had to contact both UCSF, and UNC Chapel Hill about switching my interview dates and they were super accommodating. I️ wouldn't ask your odds tho. emailing to ask if you can interview on another weekend wont hurt you.

So I’ve written a rough draft of my SOP, and don’t know who to ask to look at it/ am kind of embarrassed to share it because it’s not too good. so what better way to get opinions than ask strangers on the internet! For real, please let me know if you’d be willing to take a look at it and thank you so so much ahead of time. I really just want some opinions to gauge if I’m even going in the right direction with this. Thank you!!!