virushunter

Thanks @Quiteña! I want to do all of the interviews before deciding, but there have been some schools that post-interview I don't believe are as of good of a fit for me compared to others.

For people with multiple acceptances, is it appropriate to let schools know you're not accepting their offer before you have decided on the school you want to go to? Either way I was planning on letting schools know at least a month before April 15, but I know there are a lot of students who would like these spots sooner rather than later. Also, for schools that you haven't got an interview or rejection from, but no longer would want to attend due to other offers, is it better to wait for them to reject you or to withdraw your application? tysm

I honestly have decided to fly out to nyc to look at Rockefeller and Columbia, and am close to Caltech, so I already saw it. I don’t think I could personally make the decision without seeing the school. However I will say that during the interviews I have definitely gotten “vibes” and feelings that have certainly helped me decide between my choices. (well i’m not decided yet, but in the weeding out process) I also have felt it’s good to have 1 on 1 zoom meetings with grad students in the labs you’re interested in, that has definitely solidified my thoughts.

I know that Mt Sinai has one, UCLA and USC have them both two. Ucla would be physiological science most likely and USC has a variety. That’s off the top of my head, there are invariably more.

Same

Nope, I applied to IMP in mid-Nov. Maybe I'm on a waiting list, who knows.

I haven't heard anything nor have they watched my personal video on Youtube, whatever that means.

Yes, Liz Ayala sent me a non-complete one ago about a week ago but I think it was only because I had an overlapping time and she wanted to tell me about it. She also said, "I hope to send schedules out either late Jan 26 or early Jan 27 in a.m." Hope that helps! "See" you there :)

I received this: We have received an exceptionally large number of outstanding applications this year and as such are forced to make the hard decision of who to invite for an interview. We have now made most of our selections for our first round of interviews. Unfortunately, your application was not chosen for an interview. However, we are keeping your application active. This indicates that your candidacy is still of interest to us and we are keeping it on hold for the time being. In the meantime, please feel free to update us on your progress in your application to PhD programs other than BU. To be clear, your application is on hold and has not been rejected, but it has not been chosen for an interview. In the event we that have available student slots in our class after our initial interview and acceptance process, we may contact you to set up an interview. Sincerely, C. James McKnight Chair, Program in Biomedical Sciences Admissions Committee So essentially I view it as a waitlist for interview, but like I said before, I’m not holding my breath. According to previous years on the results search they often do this. I will say though I was a bit surprised that I didn’t get an interview at BU due to my research interests and previous research experience being so compatible with so many faculty there, but I thankfully have interviews at other awesome places.

Waitlisted for interview for the PiBS program at Boston University, but not holding my breath

Just got the rejection email from Mt Sinai.

Has anyone heard from Stanford Microbiology and Immunology?

Nope...applied on like 11/30.

I ~think~ it is pretty high for most programs. As my PI told me "As long as they don't have to bail you out over your interview weekend, you're in." ? I definitely wouldn't go in too over confident though and it also probably depends on if you have a good research fit with the program. If the people there see that your interests don't mesh, or if you're being too arrogant then you may get rejected. That's an educated guess though, I don't know the exact numbers.

omg just got an invite from Rockefeller! So excited!

Glad to know i’m not the only one eagerly waiting...?

I completely agree with this! You will gain a lot of experience and it definitely helps your CV/admission chances.

I’ve had to contact coordinators because the schools that have offered me interviews want the same weekends, and most have been very understanding. Yes it isn’t ideal, but they don’t necessarily know the other schools dates either, so if you want to do multiple interviews it’s a juggling act. I believe it also really has to do with how you word the email, and just be very nice and grateful.

immunology!

I heard from UW microbiology on 12/20 for an interview invite but I didn’t apply to UC berkeley

Im so sorry for the repeat posts...not sure why that happened. I am not sure. They said they got 700 applicants this year, though.

Received an invite for UCSD's Biomedical Sciences program yesterday by phone, super excited! To all of those who haven't received invites: I applied to 18 MD/PhD programs and 3 PhD programs last year. I got 0 interviews and rejected by all programs, which in all reality is 39 programs as most MD/PhD programs will move you to the MD-only pool once rejected. I ultimately want both degrees and have decided to do them separately. I did another year of research, retook some classes to improve my GPA, and now have multiple publications in preparation. So my advice is even if you do not get an interview invite this year, that doesn't mean that your chances for grad school are over. I now have 4 interview invites, 2 of which are top choices of mine. While I know MD admissions are different than PhD, there is always hope. Do not give up. If you want it enough, it will come, but it requires hard work. Last application cycle, I had 1.5 yrs of wet lab research experience and 2 years of clinical research experience, a meh GPA, good MCAT and NCAA Div 1 Nat Champion. But it took another year of full-time research to get me where I am today. I hope this eases the pain some people are feeling on this forum, watching people get invites and not you. I was you last year.

Maybe more people applied? who knows... admissions to me is black magic and no one has any idea as to what they're looking for and who they like

Just received an interview invite for the Microbiology and Immunology specialization of the Integrated Program in Cellular Molecular and Biomedical Studies at Columbia! Interview dates are Jan 28-29 and Feb 18-19.

I also applied to Harvard Virology, no word yet.