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clx

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  1. I had no formal idea why, but I'd bet it had something to do with a seemingly non-threatening question they asked me in private: "Are you absolutely sure you're going to come if accepted?" To which I replied "Well, I definitely want to come, but at this point it's unfair to other schools since I have a couple more interviews lined up". Subtle, no? I don't think i...

  2. Hi clx, I saw your post from last year and you said you were rejected by Berkeley after interview. As I am also an international student and got Berkeley MCB interview, I wonder is it very difficult to get in even at this point? Do you have any ideas why they reject you(funding?)? Thank you very much.: )

  3. clx

    Caltech

    I'm a guy so this might be a little skewed: but so far what I've heard is that most of the "stereotypical" Caltech students are undergraduates, who do not live in Catalina. Graduate students, coming from all demographics, tend to be a lot more normal. Or so I've heard. =)
  4. clx

    Caltech

    Thanks for the advice - I'll check out the site now. I'm actually quite excited at the prospects of living in a quad or triple in Catalina - more opportunities to talk to people from different disciplines. My guess is that you would want more privacy as a student with family though. By the way, I FINALLY received the freaken official, signed letter today - about darn time.
  5. clx

    Caltech

    eldar373: I plan to live in Catalina too, though Avery remains an interesting option for me - I haven't got my packet in mail yet and my last phone call on Friday resulted in them apologizing for putting my packet on the desk and not mailing it out (grrr) I hope this is not the "less bureaucracy" hype I've heard... Also, I am international - and I do plan to come early September, but that's mostly because I have a relative living close by enabling me to move around conveniently and cheaply.
  6. clx

    Caltech

    Alright, I think I'm over 99% sure that I'm going - the 1% barring some kind of weird earthquake or meteor strike. I think I'll live in Catalina (sp?) for at least half a year first - cars can follow when I move out of there. What about you? By the way, anyone has a schedule for the Biology program? I tried to find it on the admissions website and all it says is "coming soon". A sample of last year's calendar will be helpful, just so that we know what to expect... (And I need to do my visa stuff too)
  7. ymmit: So you're with the crowd... I visited all by my own in March, lonely and there's only interviews (very nice people btw), a good lunch and reimbursement forms. Something technical on my lab's part messed up the application materials so that they have to schedule a separate interview, not to mention that my international status prevented them from making an early decision. Now that I'm thinking rationally again, what did you feel at your crowd interview? Do the people seem active and satisfied? Any rumors on the funding issue and layoffs? =) I think the probability of me going to Caltech is still over 95%, but extra input will be nice.
  8. ymmit - I'm almost sure on going to Caltech (Biology) - but I need to let the euphoria rush settle down a bit, and then make a decision when I'm thinking with a clear head. It's kind of overwhelming for me, I can still feel some of my muscles twitch from the notification i got not too long ago.
  9. Admitted to Caltech! (Less than an hour ago) Where are you from ymmit? I'm from UCB up here.
  10. My most sincere congratulations! (Keep the hope alive!)
  11. Berkeley student here, I'd say that on weather - and how it's related to your acne problem - alone, Berkeley is much better. Bay area is : - Dryer than Boston in general (BIG plus) - ... and doesn't fluctuate so much in terms of temperature. True that Boston freezes in winter - I don't know if that would help in your problem - but in summer it's hot and humid, which is something you DON'T want. Berkeley does get hot in the summer - occasionally - but not only is it not always hot, but you stay dry while that happens. But again, I think it's wrong to let weather decide where you want to go, unless you absolutely have to. Each has different strengths, and you should definitely research into those more before coming down on temperature and humidity. =)
  12. While I'm still waiting for a reply from Caltech (little chance of getting in IMO), I'd like to ask for opinions on these two. I've been torn between them for quite some time... so help! Going for: Basing self on Developmental Biology with a possibility of switching to Neurobiology, i.e. undecided (hence applying for umbrella programs) Note that the situation in biology umbrella programs is quite different from a lot of other PhD programs in that you do rotations and only pick a lab afterwards. Also note that I'm pretty weather-neutral, or else it'll be a clear choice. UCSF (TETRAD) Pros: - Close to alma mater w/ resources (Berkeley) - Insane med school resource - Easygoing and fun atmosphere among grad students - Larger choice of labs - Great neurosciences department (not in TETRAD program though) - Ranks higher, industry hub right by Cons: - Have doubts about faculty atmosphere - Lack of campus (ahem) - No other department as resources (granted, that the biochemistry department is large enough) - Might have doubts on mobility toward neuroscience labs - High(er) cost of living U. Chicago (Molecular Biosciences) Pros: - At visit, faculty seems to "click" more in conversations - High mobility with other clusters, i.e. neuroscience - Great resources to draw from in other departments (statistics, chem, physics etc. are very good and collaborative at Chicago) - A reasonably high-ranked program (~40s) - High faculty enthusiasm in recruiting me - Have a campus - Low(er) cost of living Cons: - Lower ranked (I think most people around me will go WTF if I forgo UCSF for Chicago) - Smaller program in size - Little industry connections - Little chance of utilizing established network among Berkeley people Been trying to convince myself one way or another for the past week with little result. Any opinions?
  13. Berkeley is very hard to beat in pretty much all its chemistry disciplines. Go Stanford only if you're into management (Dual degree there). However, as mentioned above, since the only place with funding is at GaTech...
  14. I visited in January and felt okay, so I don't think it could get much worse. =) I was from the tropics though, and for some strange reason I'm not as addicted to sunshine as most people do. I certainly don't expect the restaurant scene to be as good as the (SF/Berkeley) Bay Area, but oh well. Good to hear the grad students don't hate themselves. Undergrads everywhere are generally treated as "dishwasher unless proven otherwise", so bleh. Any other inputs out there?
  15. Regarding post above: 1. PhD programs can be different from Master's, where self-funding is the norm instead of the exception. 2. Since he's much closer to hard sciences, funding tend to be more consistent...
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