Hi everyone, I’m curious about the extent of faculty members' influence on the application process. I've heard of individuals who were guaranteed admission due to a positive conversation with a PI before submitting their application. However, the email responses I've received so far suggest that I need to be admitted to the program first and then proceed with rotations. Is it the case that labs no longer have the authority to select their preferred candidates, or does this vary between schools? I'm considering schools like BU, Pitt, CMU, Cornell, Duke, Brown, Columbia, Princeton, and Baylor, mainly because I've identified labs I'm genuinely interested in and have reached out to them via email.
