IamPokemon

Well, today was an interesting day. I was finally sent a rejection letter from Yale BQBS. I know that a few of us have been waiting one way or the other for that BBS Track. Congratulations to those who were accepted. Also, I was sent a formal acceptance for the University of Wisconsin - Madison's MDTP program. I interviewed in the first round a couple weeks ago. I had figured that I was accepted once I was sent a full itinerary for the recruitment weekend. I have a couple more interviews to do before I decide which program I will join. I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I know that there are quite a few who did not get accepted into any program, let alone their top choices. I was rejected from my top choice (Stanford) and still have not heard from my other top choice (UC - Berkeley) which is probably a rejection at this point. My heart goes out to all of you. We are scientists who worked hard - day in, and day out in classrooms and laboratories. I say, don't give up! There is always next year. There are applicants whom I interviewed with who were on their third year of trying. This was my first year but I got a lot of help, coaching and advice from people who had been through this process. I wish everyone here the best of luck!

Just got an official rejection letter from Stanford Biosciences (Cancer Biology - Home). FINALLY! Wasn't expecting much at this point anyway. Glad to have some closure. There are still schools I have yet to hear back from but I'm just going to focus on the interviews I do have.

Hello everyone, Just wondering if there has been anyone who interviewed with WashU in St. Louis (DBBS) and have yet to be accepted?

I have an interviews for WashU coming up. Can you please tell me what format the interviews were in? How did they go, in general, and what types of questions they asked? Were they interrogative or conversational... etc.

Your mentor is absolutely correct for several reasons: For 1, having options is a good thing. Secondly, many times you don't know what you want or don't want until you see and experience it. Harvard may be your first choice but the other programs may offer something (which you may find out through the interview process) that you did not anticipate. Always good to explore the options you have before making a commitment. Oh, and Congrats on getting into Harvard! Quite an accomplishment.

Yes, there have been invites that have gone out for all of these schools. However, it depends on the program and/or track that he applied to. Some of them are still in the process of sending invites, some haven't yet, and some may be silent rejections. If he hasn't heard anything back - well that say no news is good news. If it gets into February and he still has yet to hear anything, its likely a silent rejection.

Nope. And at this point, I've moved on. It's probably either a waitlist or a silent rejection. I don't have the mental or emotional energy to continue to expend on wondering and stressing over whether or not I have been invited to the institutions I have yet to hear from. I am very grateful for the interview opportunities I have gotten, and I will be using my energy and thought processes to prepare for those interviews I have coming up soon. If I do end up getting an invite from Yale BBS BQBS or the others, I will cross that bridge if I come to it. For right now, I'm gonna assume that those are opportunities I didn't get.

Question for those who received interview invitations to UW-Madison's MDTP Program: Did you all receive an email from them containing a link to a document that lists the profiles of all of the invitees? This is kind of weird as I can't figure out if it was an accident or intentional. Each profile contains the Name, Undergrad/ Graduate school info, email address, research interest, Faculty interests, personal interests and Photo of all invitees. If you received it, what do you make of it?

Keep your head up my friend. If it turns out you don't get admission this year, try again next year. I read a few stories on this site where people got no invites last year but got some this year. If you don't get admission this year, here's some advice for next year: 1) Apply to some "safety" schools. Looking at the list of schools you applied to, these are top tier schools. That means that the competition for these schools is fierce. Do to a limited amount of space, a great many of greatly qualified applicants like yourself won't get in because there simply isn't enough room. By applying to a few schools that are not so top tier, you increase your chances of acceptance. Schools like University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, University of Pittsburgh, Michigan State University, and Iowa State University (just to name a few) all have good Biological Science programs that do good research (I don't know if they have computational biology tracks) - but not at the top of the pile. Also, I'd advise that you try looking at more US public schools (not in California - they are stingy). Public Schools - such as UNC - Chapel Hill, usually have more room for admissions than a private institution like MIT. Note that I am not advising that you apply ONLY to such schools. But that you include some of these schools when applying again - so that you increase your chances of admission. 2) Take another look at your Statements of Purpose letters and personal statements. You may need to brush those up a bit. If there are any negative things on your transcripts or your criminal background history (Yes, some of these institutions heavily vet each applicant), you might want to explain that in your personal statement. Also, have your former PI's and friends whom are well - read in the English language go over these letters with heavy scrutiny. I had several people review my letters before applying - with each of them giving me very helpful feedback, pointers, and suggestions - and English is my native language. But keep your head up. You may very well get an invite this cycle. It's not over until its over.

Gonna hold out hope until the end of business this coming Friday (01/14/2022). If I haven't heard anything by then, I'm just gonna move on.

Still waiting...

Which Track at Stanford did you apply to?

Dang it. I applied to Stanford's Cancer Biology Home program and haven't heard anything. Probably a silent rejection at this point then?

Out of curiosity, of these two institutions, which one are you leaning toward as your favorite and why?

Can you link to the results page. I see a lot of people talking about it but I can't seem to find it.

Thank you for that update.

I'm also waiting... Have yet to hear anything from Yale BQBS. Will update once I know something.

Just wanted to chime in and wish everyone a happy holidays! May all of you get the gift that you are really hoping for...

Just wanted to chime in and wish everyone a Happy Holidays. May all of you get the gifts you're really hoping for...

Also waiting for Yale BBS but for the BQBS track...

Just be a little more patient. By mid January the picture should be more clear.

On Dec 16, I got an invite from WashU DBBS Cancer Biology track. I would advise you both to wait a little while longer because someone else got an invite from a different track on Dec 20. Today, I got an email urging me to select an interview weekend (I was waiting in case I got another invite). I suspect this is because DBBS is preparing to send another round of invites and are trying to nail down their scheduling.

Well, its looking like Stanford isn't sending invites until the week of the 3rd of January. Also, I'd be a little patient. Some of these institutions may send out another round of invites, depending on the response they get from those who have received them in earlier waves. I'd say you'd know for sure by mid January.

From the 3 invites I've received so far, they've been by email. Though I've heard that some might be updated by the online portal, depending on the institution.

UPDATE: just got an invite for UW-Madison (MDTP)