thepuncess

I declined the offer earlier this month!! Hope things work out for you!!!

I'm currently deciding between Berkeley MCB and UCSF Tetrad! Some of my thoughts about the two programs based on my interview experiences and meetings with faculty and students: Based on what current students have said about jobs after graduating, both seem to be similarly highly regarded in industry with companies actively recruiting students from both schools. Although, from what I've seen Berkeley may have a bit of an edge since there are a lot of faculty who are actually involved in biotech companies, which opens up potential opportunities for internships and gaining hands-on experience. Other differences between the programs could be pros/cons depending on what you're looking for, and are primarily related to one being an undergraduate institution and the other being a medical center with no undergrads. For example, my impression of Berkeley was that research is more focused on basic science and there are also mandatory opportunities to TA and/or mentor undergrads. I think another thing to consider is cohort size as well, Berkeley is quite large at 30-40 ppl while UCSF aims for 20-25. Totally get the virtual interview frustration/dissatisfaction and the way that I'm trying to alleviate it is by talking to as many different people as possible over zoom (faculty of interest, current students in the program, program alumni, students in other programs at the school, other prospective students I've interviewed with). It's a lot of work but this is also a big decision that'll affect where I end up for the next 5-6 years. With that said, feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat about schools some more (I'd love to get your take!)/vent about this application cycle/whatever!!

I got an offer from them last week, but I applied to the neurobiology track

Just got the call from one of my interviewers! Hopefully you should be hearing soon as well!!!

I got an interview from Berkeley MCB in mid-December. They have already started organizing the interview weekend so unfortunately they may be done sending out invites. I applied to UCI CMB and haven't heard back anything either though! My friend and I who applied got interview invites earlier this month! They emails weren't sent at the exact same time so it's possible that they're doing rolling invites. Their interview day is on 2/5.

My friend and I applied to UCSB and got interview invites on 1/6. We didn't get our emails at the exact same time so it's possible they're doing rolling invites if you haven't heard back yet!

I got interviews from UCSD Biological Sciences (12/18) and Berkeley MCB (12/16). Unfortunately I think both of those programs might have already sent out most of their interviews -UCSD actually said they invited more people than they actually interview and Berkeley has already started organizing things and they have an info session for interviewees tomorrow. I am American though, so if the admissions considerations are different for international students this might not apply!!

I got interview invites for UCLA MCIP (1/6) and BU Biology (1/7). I suspect UCLA might be done because they only have one interview weekend (2/17-2/19) and have already started organizing it. However, no news might be good news because my friend who applied to that program already received a rejection! I'm not sure about BU Biology; they gave one interview option (1/25) but said they'd be happy to reschedule. I haven't seen a lot of reports on the results page so I wouldn't lose all hope yet! Best of luck with all your apps!!!

Another option for a great, life-changing postbac research opportunity is the IRTA/CRTA program at the NIH campus in Bethesda (https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta). Similar to PREP, it's fully funded with health/dental/etc. The application process is somewhat unconventional -you submit a general application with your information then it's your responsibility to contact PI's that you'd be interested in working with to see if they have space for a postbac in their lab. In some cases PI's can also reach out to you after seeing your application in the pool. I think generally people start contacting PI's from around now up until March-ish. The program doesn't have any requirements to be an URM and you can apply even if you have a master's (you get a higher starting stipend too!). There are also lots of resources and events through the training center for preparing for grad school if you end up having to reapply. If you're able to move to Bethesda and want independent research experience I highly recommend it. I'm a current postbac applying to grad school with pretty successful results so far I'd be happy to chat more about the program if anyone is interested!

Me too for UCSF!! Super excited to meet everyone at the interview I went to the open house Tetrad held the week before the application was due and they said they interview 90 and accept 75!