2020 Computational Biology/Bioinformatics/Systems Biology PhD Admissions

[potoooooooo]

2 hours ago, sylvia8899 said:

Hi do you know if UCLA has sent out all invites.... 

Not sure, but I haven't heard from others about UCLA so they might just be sending them as they're going through the apps

[Ninghuan]

Has anyone emailed UPenn GCB to ask about their own admission status? Really want to know if there's more invitation coming or any wait list stuff.... 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Ninghuan

[mumblepiehoney]

Just received an interview invite to Icahn

[D2R]

11 minutes ago, mumblepiehoney said:

Just received an interview invite to Icahn

Congrats and good luck! May I ask which program did you apply?

[jeanetic]

Has anyone heard anything from UW?

[balisticFeanor]

1 hour ago, Ninghuan said:

Has anyone emailed UPenn GCB to ask about their own admission status? Really want to know if there's more invitation coming or any wait list stuff.... 

 

I wanna say UPenn is one of the one and done schools, again I could be wrong but it looks like they send out all interviews at once based on past years, maybe they send a few more after the 1st round of interviews. I guess it cant hurt to ask, but i would use your best judgement, because bothering the AdCom is never a good look. 

[Ninghuan]

I hate waiting....

Applying to Where:

Harvard - Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology PhD Program

UPenn - Genomics and Computational Biology (so far, no interview ?)

University of Washington -  Genome Sciences 

WashU - Computational and Systems Biology Program (12/11)

Yale -  Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Princeton -  Quantitative and Computational Biology

Northwestern -  Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences

 

[Interview Notification] [Acceptance] [Waitlist] [Rejection]

[mumblepiehoney]

1 hour ago, D2R said:

Congrats and good luck! May I ask which program did you apply?

Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience

[mat10d]

On 11/29/2019 at 5:12 PM, rcon said:

I’m applying to Harvard’s BIG and Columbia’s biomedical informatics - what about you?

Applied to Harvard BIG and SSQBio, opted for Systems Bio at Columbia

[jeanetic]

Update: Heard back from Hopkins
UW Genome Sciences/Immuno/MCB
UBC M&I
NYU Sackler/GSAS
Harvard Immunology/SSQB
UC Berkeley Comp Bio
Yale BBS
Stanford Biosciences
UChicago Biological Sciences
UMich PIBS (Immunology)
Northwestern IBiS
UCSF BMI
Weill Cornell IMP [Interview 12/12]
Tri-Instiutional Comp Bio
Johns Hopkins Immunology [Interview 12/13]
UPenn GCB
UCSD Biomedical Sciences
MIT CSB

A lot of these are immunology programs, but I think they're still somewhat relevant here because I applied with a specific computational focus highlighted in my SOP (I'm a CS major with a life sciences minor) 

[JSCompGenomics]

Just got an interview for Columbia System Bio

[mat10d]

12 hours ago, JSCompGenomics said:

Just got an interview for Columbia System Bio

Congrats! Did you apply via the integrated program?

[JSCompGenomics]

13 hours ago, mat10d said:

Congrats! Did you apply via the integrated program?

Yes. And one of my friend is applying to the Columbia BMI program, but no updates for now.

[OncologyResearch]

On 12/13/2019 at 11:45 PM, jeanetic said:

Update: Heard back from Hopkins
UW Genome Sciences/Immuno/MCB
UBC M&I
NYU Sackler/GSAS
Harvard Immunology/SSQB
UC Berkeley Comp Bio
Yale BBS
Stanford Biosciences
UChicago Biological Sciences
UMich PIBS (Immunology)
Northwestern IBiS
UCSF BMI
Weill Cornell IMP [Interview 12/12]
Tri-Instiutional Comp Bio
Johns Hopkins Immunology [Interview 12/13]
UPenn GCB
UCSD Biomedical Sciences
MIT CSB

A lot of these are immunology programs, but I think they're still somewhat relevant here because I applied with a specific computational focus highlighted in my SOP (I'm a CS major with a life sciences minor) 

Congrats on your interviews!

I see you've heard back from NYU Sackler. Is this for the PhD in Graduate Biomedical Sciences program?

Thanks and best of luck going forward

 

[jeanetic]

5 hours ago, OncologyResearch said:

Congrats on your interviews!

I see you've heard back from NYU Sackler. Is this for the PhD in Graduate Biomedical Sciences program?

Thanks and best of luck going forward

 

Thank you! I haven't heard back from Sackler yet, the only ones I've heard from are highlighted in blue. Sorry for any confusion! And yes I applied to biomedical sciences

[timkartar]

On 12/10/2019 at 8:31 PM, thelilypad said:

Undergrad Institution: USC
Major(s): Computer Science/Business Administration
Minor(s): None, unofficially Marketing
GPA in Major:  3.83
Overall GPA:  3.79

Type of Student: White female US, 24

GRE Scores: 170 V/169 Q/5.5 W

Research Experience: Debatable. I used to run a company that I founded which well, I basically did bioinformatics for that. We actually were research partners formally with Cal Poly Pomona's Computer Science department, and I technically employed one of their masters students and build our AI model to find correlations in autism data. So we did research there, and I actually was a stakeholder for two of their graduate classes (where the teams built projects for us and I directed them). I also did some short research in freshie year, but not too much.

 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions:  Trustee (full tuition merit scholarship for undergrad) USC Scholarship, Dean's List (not much for me here), graduated Magna Cum Laude - not much else either


Applying to Where:

USC C-Bio PhD, also MS Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine

UCLA PhD Bioinformatics

UCSD BISB

Carnegie Mellon PhD C-bio & Masters too

Stanford PhD Biomedical Informatics (+ MS too)

UCB Masters

Harvard MS in Epidemiology & Quantitative Genetics

I'm interested in studying the etiology of autism and how genetic factors can be used to personalize treatment plans. I feel my app is strong in GPA, quant background, and GRE (but lots of schools don't care about GRE anymore, which sucks in my case). I feel I'm weak in research potentially (I don't have any papers, and the bulk of my research is informal/in the role of CTO of my company).

I'm hoping that work + my story (my brother is autistic so I made the company to help people like him, got into an accelerator, etc.) might help my case.

Also my Bio background is a bit peculiar too - as in I started formally taking classes (Bio I lec/lab + Chem 1 lec) this quarter. However, pre-matriculation I should have the gen bio sequence (bio 2, chem 2, ochem 2, + cell biology and genetics) complete. I also am predicted to get all or mostly As this quarter (I'm taking it through Berkeley Extension).

I also have about 3 years of full time experience at a FAANG-level company as a senior software engineer, but I don't know how much that matters.

I'm... probably an unconventional candidate. I think if I don't get into any of the PhD positions I want I'll probably wait another year, move to bioinformatics at some biotech company, and then reapply.

Really sorry to hear about your brother. Hope you get into places you wish to join. I am A PhD student at USC Computational Biology and Bioinformatics btw. Started Fall'19. Nice to see a fellow trojan here. ✌️

[Ninghuan]

Has anyone ever received an email from UW genome sciences saying "Our admissions committee will be reviewing applications in December.  I expect to have an answer for you by mid-January, if not sooner. "? Does it mean they won't start sending out interview invitations until mid-Jan? This statement can't be confirmed by their historical records... Or it's just another way saying that the only news I'm gonna hear is something bad?... Super anxious:( 

Edited December 16, 2019 by Ninghuan

[bioinf]

12 minutes ago, Ninghuan said:

Has anyone ever received an email from UW genome sciences saying "Our admissions committee will be reviewing applications in December.  I expect to have an answer for you by mid-January, if not sooner. "? Does it mean they won't start sending out interview invitations until mid-Jan? This statement can't be confirmed by their historical records... Or it's just another way saying that the only news I'm gonna hear is something bad?... Super anxious:( 

I got that email shortly after my application was completed and my last rec was submitted. According to the FAQ on the Genome Sciences website: "We should have an answer for you by mid-January, if not sooner. Finalists for admission will be invited to visit the department in February."

Basically, they will let you know if you got an interview before mid January, but likely much sooner. So far I don't think anyone has heard from them so there's no cause for concern.

[jeanetic]

1 hour ago, Ninghuan said:

Has anyone ever received an email from UW genome sciences saying "Our admissions committee will be reviewing applications in December.  I expect to have an answer for you by mid-January, if not sooner. "? Does it mean they won't start sending out interview invitations until mid-Jan? This statement can't be confirmed by their historical records... Or it's just another way saying that the only news I'm gonna hear is something bad?... Super anxious:( 

I also got this email a few weeks after submitting my app, I think they just prefer to send out personal confirmations rather than the automated ones. Not good or bad news:)

[uncertainty]

Update (have heard from): 

UNC BBSP [12/6]

Dartmouth QSB [12/10]

Duke CBB [12/11]

Northwestern DGP [12/16]

[chikiti]

2 hours ago, Ninghuan said:

Has anyone ever received an email from UW genome sciences saying "Our admissions committee will be reviewing applications in December.  I expect to have an answer for you by mid-January, if not sooner. "? Does it mean they won't start sending out interview invitations until mid-Jan? This statement can't be confirmed by their historical records... Or it's just another way saying that the only news I'm gonna hear is something bad?... Super anxious:( 

I found this under FAQ:

How many applications do you receive each year?
We received over 420 applications for Autumn 2020. Approximately 30 applicants will receive offers of admission.

I think they are gonna take their time to get back at us... :') (or just try to think like that to alleviate your anxiety like rest of us)

 

 

[Ninghuan]

On 12/12/2019 at 11:10 PM, uncertainty said:

Have heard from: 

UNC BBSP [12/6]

Dartmouth QSB [12/10]

Duke CBB [12/11]

Congrats!!! May I ask where else have you applied? 

[potoooooooo]

Heard that Berkeley Comp Bio is making interview invite decisions on Wednesday 12/18

[Wilsonbooks]

My daughter just received an interview invitation from Yale BBS for January.  Does anyone know what percentage of the interviews result in acceptance?  

Edited December 17, 2019 by Wilsonbooks
correction

[thelilypad]

On 12/15/2019 at 2:24 PM, timkartar said:

Really sorry to hear about your brother. Hope you get into places you wish to join. I am A PhD student at USC Computational Biology and Bioinformatics btw. Started Fall'19. Nice to see a fellow trojan here. ✌️

Thanks! I'm not too hopeful on the PhDs, but we'll see. My worst case plan is reaching out to professors in my intended field and seeing if I could volunteer to research with them. Alternatively, I might leave my current job and try to stake it out in biotech, given my growing biology background. I do have a significant work history in software engineering, so I figure I should at least make the interviews.

 Hopefully I have some edge at USC given my formal research experience under a professor is from there, I was a CS student, and two of my letter writers are current professors in CS there. I also talked to the professor I'm interested in doing research with, and he mentioned I might be a strong candidate. But it's definitely kind of scary since most of my research-y experience is under the table so to speak (aka doing it not formally but in the context of my startup).

I'm sad that this year of all years like half the programs stopped counting the GRE.

Edited December 17, 2019 by thelilypad