helpert

I've lived in Boston for 2 years. It's true that 9/1 is a HUGE moving day, since, well, all of the students (it's also called "Allston Christmas" because so many people moving out leave their furniture out on the sidewalk for taking). Apartments.com, zillow, and trulia can all be good sources to find apartments that are completely turning over tenants if you're looking to live by yourself or with a roommate you already picked. If you are looking to move into a place with existing roommate(s), there are many Facebook groups for Boston/Camberville housing where people looking to replace roommates will advertise (you would also have better chances of finding a non-9/1 move-in date there, if you wanted that). Also, check out this page which outlines your rights as a renter in Boston: https://www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-development/know-your-rights-when-you-rent-boston There are certain things that landlords and brokers CANNOT charge you for (like an application fee or credit check). It's good to know this when getting into an apartment hunt to make sure you're not bamboozled into paying fees you legally shouldn't pay.

Anybody still waiting on a post-interview decision from UPenn CAMB? The wait is killing me...

I received my official Yale BBS rejection on the 18th. (Email to check app portal for decision) nothing from Harvard yet..probably soon

Exactly what the title says, for those considering multiple programs in different geographical locations. I'm curious what are the main factors everyone is taking into consideration? With virtual interviews, honestly I am finding it hard to differentiate between programs. I feel like faculty and grad students from different programs say pretty much the same things about their program/school. Plus without being there in person we can't get "that feeling" most current students cite as one of their reasons for picking that school.

I got invited back around the week of Christmas. I know they sent out invites in batches but I’m not sure if they’re done yet or still sending them

Has anyone on here interviewed with Vanderbilt IGP yet, and if so how was it? Mine is upcoming and they haven't sent along any further info on the interview structure (beside the general/vague schedule that was included in the invitation email).

This varies by program, but I think that most adcoms will meet in the week following the interview. There would be three options for decisions about the applicants they interviewed - accept, reject, or wait to make a decision until they have done more interviews. In my experience, I had one interview on a Thursday and received an admissions offer the following Wednesday, and with another interview on a Thursday/Friday I received the offer the following Friday. Also, during each of these interviews someone in the program admin said something along the lines of “we expect to make decisions by the end of next week”

Hey, I heard from them this morning! Got an email to check my application portal for a decision.

I think a lot of umbrella programs actually have smaller committees for different specific programs or research interests. This makes it easier for the program and also better for you to have your application reviewed by people familiar with your specific interests! However, most programs will say that these choices are not binding and you can absolutely choose to join a different program at the end of the first year (and they probably actually expect this will happen in many cases). My understanding is it’s all about making their application review process smoother, since umbrella programs will attract a large number of applicants with a wide range of research experiences and interests. When this is the case, it’s not uncommon for the different programs/research areas to send out interview invites on different timelines.

I will also chime in to say that it’s better to be over prepared than underprepared! I had a couple interviewers ask me about my strengths and weaknesses and one who asked me if when I first started in research there was anything about lab/research that surprised me. so I would definitely recommend thinking about the common “behavioral” type interview questions and potential answers. Not all interviewers will ask these but it’s definitely a possibility (and like I said better to be over prepared!) additionally, 30 mins might sound like a long time but actually it goes by very quickly! Especially if you ask the faculty about their research, because they love to talk about their science ?

I was also wondering, I interviewed with them during their session last week (Jan 14/15), but haven’t heard anything.

Agreed, and try to stay away from screens (like your phone or tv) during those breaks/downtime!

Are you referring to the programs on the Anschutz medical campus? I heard from the biomedical umbrella program mid-December. For reference, there were three interview dates I could choose from, from this weekend to mid-February. I'm not sure if the immunology program has its own interviews for applicants who applied directly.

Prepare for those classic questions - why do you want a PhD/what are your career goals, why are you interested in this program, and what research questions are you most interested in exploring. Also know your own research experience front and back, know the “why” of it and prepare to be asked questions about it. The actual interviews will definitely vary in style/structure.. for instance, I’ve had a faculty member ask me very specific questions about a particular technology I’ve used in lab. On the other hand, I had one interviewer start out the interview with essentially telling me that I’ll likely be offered admission unless I just don’t want to talk to him, and then we proceeded (after I gave my quick spiel about my own research/goals/interests) to just talk about the city the school is in for the entire interview.

I'm surprised about PIBS too if they really only invited 100 applicants to interview. I mean, I think that's good for us interviewing to know they probably expect to extend admissions to most, if not all, interviewees. But according to their FAQ their average cohort size is ~90 -- I wonder if they are planning on a smaller cohort size this year (I mean they can't seriously expect more than 50% admitted to matriculate right?)