SocraticIrony

Last year, when I was applying I couldn't make a couple of the official interview weekends and opted to schedule an alternative weekend. The interviews with faculty were the same as were the chances of being admitted (I was accepted to both), but depending on the school, you may have less opportunity to engage and talk with current graduate students and ask candid questions in a more relaxed setting. You also will not meet with other interviewees who will be your cohorts should you attend. I felt less confident in choosing those schools over ones where I got the full interview experience. My suggestion would be to attend the official weekends for your top priority schools and then schedule the alternate weekends for those you are less excited about.

Albert Einstein: Jan 12-13, Jan 26-27 Case Western Reserve University (BSTP): Feb 3-4, Mar 2-3 Columbia (Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine): Feb 3-5 Cornell (Weill): February Dartmouth (PEMM) March 2-3 Emory University (neuro): Feb 9-11 or Feb 23-25 Harvard (BBS): Jan 26-29 and Feb 9-12 Harvard (Neuro): Jan 19-22 Harvard (BPH): Jan 26-27 MIT (Biology): Feb 11-14, Feb. 25-28, Mar 10-13 Northwestern (Neuro: NUIN): Jan 19-20, Feb 2-3, Feb 23-24 NYU Sackler: Jan 19-20, Jan 26-27 Princeton (Neuro): Feb 16-18 Rockefeller: March 1-2 and 8-9 Sloan Kettering: 1/17-1/19 Scripps Research Institute-CA campus: Feb 24-25, Mar 2-3 Thomas Jefferson (Neuro): Jan 26-27 UAB (BMS): Jan 19-21 University of Chicago (BSG): Feb 23-25 UC Berkeley (MCB): Feb 5-7, Feb 26-28 UC Berkeley (MBN): Jan 26-27 UC Davis (GGG): Feb 16-17 UC Irvine (CMB):Jan 26-28,Feb 2-4 UCLA ACCESS (Molecular and Medical Pharmacology): Dec 22 UCSF BMS: Jan 26-28 OR February 9-11 UMASS Worcester: Feb 2-4 and Feb 16-18 U Maryland - Baltimore - Feb 3 UMich (PIBS): Jan 27-28 (Cancer Bio), Feb 3-4 (general) UNC Chapel Hill (BBSP): Feb 2-4, Jan 26-28, Feb 9-11, Feb 23-25 UPenn (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics): Jan 19-21, Feb 9-11 UPenn (Neuro): Jan 20, Feb 10 UVa (BIMS): Jan 12-14 or Feb 2-4 UW-Seattle (Biology): Jan 13 or Jan 20 UW-Seattle (MCB): Jan 25-27,Feb 8-10 UW-Seattle (GS): Feb12-14, Feb 26-28 U Wisconsin - Madison (Biophysics): Mar 1-3 Vanderbilt (IGP): Jan 12-14 Yale (B.B.S.): Feb 2-5

People are already hearing back. But, your best bet is to search the survey for when individual schools/programs started offering interviews last year. Should be around the same time.