LMac

I think you'll need to include your research interests, stats (GPA, GRE score, research experience, etc) for anyone to be able to help. Aside from that, I don't believe there are any actual "safety" schools per se, since interview and personal/research fit are so important. I've seen many people get in to some programs but not their safety schools over the years. I recommend only applying to schools you would actually attend and be content with if you got in. Best of luck!

I had a 2.9 in undergrad and instead of getting a Masters before applying, I took additional undergrad courses (microbio, organic chem, calculus, etc) and pulled all A's. This was far cheaper than a MS in the states and was enough to prove that I was no longer the student I was before. If you feel like you have changed the things you need to and can get strong grades, then personally I would choose that path. The bio sciences PhDs I've heard of all have a masters en route, so having the first wouldn't really count for much beyond applications. Just be careful of going from a low GPA to expecting a high GPA + first author + other authorships. It can be done, but that's a lot to take on at once. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck to you

Agreeing with previous posters that a B+ is nothing to worry about. I spent a fair amount of real estate in my SOP explained my grades, and I had a 3.08. I am currently attending a top 10 school in my field. Take a deep breath and spend time in your SOP explaining why you're pursuing a PhD and why X school is the best fit for you, and you for them. Good luck!

High school drop out here. Glad to see there's a couple of us around. I wasn't a nerd, but was seriously awkward in a "hanging out behind the school, sneaking cigarettes" kind of way. At 16 I dropped out and moved out of my parents house into my first apt. I got that rebelliousness out of my system quickly, got my GED, went to community college, transferred to a 4-year university and got my bachelors. To call my GPA mediocre would be generous. After taking a few years off I went back and took some post-bac classes and was shocked to realize I'm no longer the same student I was. Finally, my full nerdiness came through, I got good grades, and I'm about to finish my first year in my PhD program.

Taking a summer off can be VERY beneficial. It's your last chance to do so for a while, so if you can afford it it's certainly something to consider. I wasn't coming straight from undergrad, so I was able to take the month of June off and travel a bit. My incoming class was quite big, with a lot of overlap in which labs we were interested in so starting early allowed me to finish my rotations and choose a lab before the spots started filling up. That being said, in my opinion one of the worst things you can possibly do is to start grad school already feeling burned out. Best of luck!

I'll chime in. I'm 36 with no plans for children. I love my nieces and nephews and my friend's children, but just don't desire any of my own. I'm on my second IUD, and that helps me avoid hormonal birth control. I've had many people ask if I have kids, but never anyone that jumped straight to asking how many I have. I find that most faculty in academia are very accepting of this, and it's largely been a non-issue for me. My classmates have never brought this up (probably because they're mostly 23 years old and haven't thought of it yet), but I don't feel like people expect it of me, which I appreciate. Glad to know there are more of us out there

When I accepted the offer from my Neuroscience program, I contacted PIs within a month of getting accepted. That said, I started early and did a summer rotation beginning July 1st. It allowed me to rotate with my top choice lab first (which I have since joined). As long as you know the proper procedure, I don't think it can hurt to make an impression early.

It is illegal for anyone who has a say in admissions to ask age related questions, just as it is to ask about religious beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, disabilities, or position on abortion. I had a student during the admissions process ask me if I thought I would have trouble relating to my classmates because of my age, and that maybe instead of socializing I would feel like "I needed to get home." I was furious, and later found out that the individual is incredibly nice and was just ignorant as what was, and was not ok to ask. I let the admissions committee know after the process was over so as to avoid the student making that mistake in the future. It's another matter if the program chair does that, and not so easily forgivable in my opinion. I'm glad you felt like you could handle it alright.

Reading the threads of incoming students who are planning for their first year reminds me so much of myself one year ago. I was so eager to get started. Why was I in such a freaking hurry? I'd love to have a summer off now. Anyway, can you believe in a few short months we'll be second years? Congrats to everyone on surviving our first year of graduate school!!!

Hey ion_exchanger, I was really, really tempted to do 4th. We'll never get another chance, so I think you made a great choice! There was one other lab I really wanted to rotate in but the PI is going on sabbatical next year so he wasn't taking students. I'm also a crazy planner, so not knowing where I as going to end up was driving me a bit wacky. Only 1 straight out of undergrad in your cohort? I'm one of 3 weirdos in my cohort that has actually worked before starting grad school. The rest were in undergrad last year (which blows my mind, I would have crashed and burned if I'd tried that). Almost all the applicants this year were still in school as well. Where are my fellow non-traditional students at??

I finished my lab rotations and am the first in my class to join a lab! Woo hoo!!!

I haven't heard of any PhD programs with deadlines this late. The admissions processes is usually once a year, with application deadlines around Dec 1 to Jan 15. Someone else may have some ideas, but I think you may have to wait until next year. Most programs are currently in the middle of interviews or finishing them. It's also very difficult to get accepted with a GPA below 3.0, the exception being if your grades have a very strong upward trend and you can explain why in your SOP. It might be best to take a year, keeping doing research, and maybe take some post-bac classes to improve your GPA. Best of luck!

Often the additional interviewers are on the admissions committee

I believe all should be interviewing with 6. That's what I did. Hope that helps

I applied last year and was part of the rejection massacre. Received it via email on Feb 11th. As far as post-interview, I can't help there since I never made it that far.

I believe the goal is to have those to you by today. Last year I think I got mine maybe 4 days before the interview started, but I was already in town and didn't require travel.

I'm a first year in Emory's program and my class has 18 students in it (not including 2 MD/PhDs). The year before was 11 students. I've been told we are really aiming for 14 this year, so I think it's safe to assume more offers than that.

Yep, I'm at Emory. I didn't think I had the grades either, but I think my program focuses on the applicant's whole picture versus GPA/GRE cut offs (thank goodness). That's quite a list of interviews you have. I'm sure you'll have your pick of schools once application season wraps up. Best of luck!

If your experience is anything like mine (and I imagine this is somewhat universal), having a bit more life experience is a huge bonus. Best of luck tomorrow!

In one of my classes last semester the instructor, who is also head of the program, asked the whole class who was an "older" student and then looked at me until I raised my hand. He was trying to point out that our different backgrounds mean that we might have a bit more confidence and speak out more (not true of me, as I'm pretty shy at times). I know his intentions weren't bad, but I could have hit him. I guess it's not like anyone hadn't already noticed though...plus I'm the only married student in my class, so that stands out.

Yes, I believe the lab experience will most certainly help your application. Even more so if it's a closely related field. A good LOR is always beneficial, but try to take any opportunities to let the PI get to know you (if you're curious, meticulous, passionate about research, what your long-term goals are, etc) . A personalized LOR will go 1000x further than one that's just "This person worked in my lab, they showed up on time, they did a good job....." This research experience sounds like a wonderful opportunity!

I believe being older is a huge advantage. I would not have done very well had I started grad school at 22-23 years old. A few (to a lot of) years in the work force provides invaluable perspective in my opinion. I think it helps with everything from professional correspondence, time management, long-term goals, ability to organize and prioritize....etc. I'm 35 and just started my second semester in a PhD program for Neuroscience. I was 10 years out of undergrad when I took a couple years of post-bacc classes for GPA repair. I used this forum when I was applying last year, and it just occurred to me to search "non-traditional" to see if anyone else was out there. I'm so glad you all are. My class has 18 people in it, I am the oldest, and only one other student is over 25. I was feeling out of place until I realized that I was doing that to myself. Since starting the program I have spoken to faculty who remembered my application because they find that non-traditional students pursue graduate programs with more realistic expectations, and are more committed to their education. I had to laugh as having a mortgage makes you consider all these decisions much more carefully, but I think my age worked in my favor.

I can't figure out if the time off over the holidays was so long that I forgot just how hard grad school is, or if this semester is just that much worse. I think it's the latter. First emotional breakdown of the semester came after only 6 days, but I've decided that a day that starts with a breakdown, should end with whiskey....just as soon as I get all this work done. At what point does a challenging workload become an impossible one? I know grad school is all about being resourceful, and proactive, and working your butt off but I'm starting to feel like the next 2 weeks are setting me up for failure. Several people are giving me things to do (including giving several unique talks with very little advance notice), but none are aware of what the others are giving me. I thought about speaking up, but don't want to come off as whiney if my perspective is wrong, and all of this is actually within reason. Ugh Sorry, just venting and I figured this would be the most understanding audience around since I'm sure you are all going through your own versions of this.

I couldn't agree more with rat.girl that a big reason people are not accepted post-interview is if they can't explain why the program is a good fit for them and vice versa, or not being able to articulate previous research experience. I had an interviewer grill me about details of my research (antibodies used and why, why we chose that age of animals, what would I expect if I X happened). They really want to know that you weren't just doing what you were told to do, but that you really understood it and can approach a problem scientifically.

I went through this process last year, and this forum was a huge help in saving me from my grad school application neuroses (although occasionally facilitating it). It was an awesome, strange support group. Anyway, for those interviewing at Emory, I will be one of the students helping escort recruits to their afternoon interviews, so I look forward to meeting you all there. Let me know if you have any questions about the program in the meantime. Best of luck to everyone this season