canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls

I agree with this. At no point besides the CV would anything not related to science (extracurriculars, non science jobs, volunteering) come up. About 90% of your application and basically 100% of your interview will be specifically talking about performing research. 

I’m not so sure about this. I was under the impression that most admissions committees (for PhD at least, med school is a completely different story) really only care about research experiences and academics. Science outreach/teaching always is a bonus but not necessary, and I dont think much weight is placed on participating in unrelated extracurriculars themselves. Maybe they could help illustrate how you might work as a scientist, (eg athlete-> hardworking) but I don’t think they are necessary for admissions into a top program. Just my (possibly incorrect) take ?

I dont know how much of the thread or other threads you have read, but graduate admissions are not as easy as hndergraduate predictions. Their have been people with 2.93’s getting interviews at Harvard over a 4.0 applicant. Looking at your overview, I only have one piece of advice, and dont take it in a bad way, but you are too academically-oriented (unless you left information out). Although getting into graduate school is all about how well you have performed in many sectors (Research, Classes, etc.), you also need to be well-rounded. This means taking part in clubs and activities outside of your comfort zone. While you wont be writing a paper on it to the committee, its still important! 
 

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

It certainly varies, but a few I have insight on (some top 10, ivies, some top 25) get around 500-600 applications, give maybe 50-60 interviews, and make offers to most (50-90%) of those interviewees. Not everybody will commit so class size will be around 20. I'm not sure how much it varies between schools but I don't think by a ton. 
Typically, if you interview you have a good shot of getting in. I don't know anything about Drexel specifically, but I hope that helps.

It certainly varies, but a few I have insight on (some top 10, ivies, some top 25) get around 500-600 applications, give maybe 50-60 interviews, and make offers to most (50-90%) of those interviewees. Not everybody will commit so class size will be around 20. I'm not sure how much it varies between schools but I don't think by a ton. 
Typically, if you interview you have a good shot of getting in. I don't know anything about Drexel specifically, but I hope that helps.

You are not alone! This happened to me 2 years ago, and it really sucked. I’ve spent the last two years working as an RA in a lab I love and developing my research goals. I also applied to a few less competitive schools. This cycle, things are going better. Good luck! You will be okay. 

I'm still hoping for an interview. Though, I'm not optimistic because I thought their essay questions were strange and probably didn't write a great app ? 

I'm gonna provide a different perspective here and say that it's totally fine if you completely switch your subfield during grad school. I also have a cell & molec background and am interested in systems/computational stuff. I've talked to many computational professors and none care what your background is, as long as you're interested in the work. Some even find it to be a positive that I've had a different background.
What DOES matter for getting into grad school is how you talk about your research, i.e. why did you form your hypotheses? why did you choose your techniques? how did you interpret your data? The point is, don't feel like you have to change labs, unless you're tortured by the work you do now. If you had one more year in your current lab, would you have significantly more to talk about? Adjusting to a new project can be tough and may not give you as much to talk about in next round of applications as seeing your current project to completion. 
Ultimately I can't tell you what to do, but don't feel discourage from pursuing computation in grad school if you weren't already in computation! It frankly doesn't matter as long as you can back up your interest. 
good luck, you seem qualified and sure of yourself, so you'll be fine in the end.

I'm gonna provide a different perspective here and say that it's totally fine if you completely switch your subfield during grad school. I also have a cell & molec background and am interested in systems/computational stuff. I've talked to many computational professors and none care what your background is, as long as you're interested in the work. Some even find it to be a positive that I've had a different background.
What DOES matter for getting into grad school is how you talk about your research, i.e. why did you form your hypotheses? why did you choose your techniques? how did you interpret your data? The point is, don't feel like you have to change labs, unless you're tortured by the work you do now. If you had one more year in your current lab, would you have significantly more to talk about? Adjusting to a new project can be tough and may not give you as much to talk about in next round of applications as seeing your current project to completion. 
Ultimately I can't tell you what to do, but don't feel discourage from pursuing computation in grad school if you weren't already in computation! It frankly doesn't matter as long as you can back up your interest. 
good luck, you seem qualified and sure of yourself, so you'll be fine in the end.

I'm gonna provide a different perspective here and say that it's totally fine if you completely switch your subfield during grad school. I also have a cell & molec background and am interested in systems/computational stuff. I've talked to many computational professors and none care what your background is, as long as you're interested in the work. Some even find it to be a positive that I've had a different background.
What DOES matter for getting into grad school is how you talk about your research, i.e. why did you form your hypotheses? why did you choose your techniques? how did you interpret your data? The point is, don't feel like you have to change labs, unless you're tortured by the work you do now. If you had one more year in your current lab, would you have significantly more to talk about? Adjusting to a new project can be tough and may not give you as much to talk about in next round of applications as seeing your current project to completion. 
Ultimately I can't tell you what to do, but don't feel discourage from pursuing computation in grad school if you weren't already in computation! It frankly doesn't matter as long as you can back up your interest. 
good luck, you seem qualified and sure of yourself, so you'll be fine in the end.

that's an excellent school, you should be proud! you'll do great

I am pretty sure Harvard PiN sent everything before the break (they usually do)