2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

[BCELL23]

Well just be honest and optimistic to explore another field or project

[mengyan528]

I have gotten an invite from Einstein--

I went back to look at the travel instructions but I didn't see that email address. They said to call this guy:

 

Mr. Stanley Paris, Morris Park Travel [Tel: (718) 792- 9850]

who is apparently Einstein's travel agent. So if you were looking for contact info for the travel arrangements, I guess that's what you need.

Thanks aryelh Yes I have this guy's phone number in mail and I called him today. He gave me an email address on phone to let me arrange my own flights, but I started doubting if I wrote down the address correct or not because...because...I couldn't hear him clearly...I'd better check with him again, which is embarrassing...Hope this won't count as part of the interview performance

 

You are in NY, that's awesome, you don't need to reserve flights =) Good luck on your interview!

Edited January 24, 2013 by mengyan528

[Gram Neutral]

Haha you guys have helped me feel at least a little optimistic. It was pretty unexpected. I feel like I was fired haha, especially since it was right after my letter of rec. 

[biotechie]

I have heard that they do not care from a recent PhD graduate (MCB). Just one source though. I'm sure it also depends on committee members and what they care about

 

At my most recent interview, there was only one faculty that had not read my personal and research statements. Do your best on them so that if they do start to read them, they are pulled in by your story. Show them how amazing you are without gloating. They can see how passionate you are through your writing, and for some of them, that plus research experience is going to mean much more than numbers on a page. This is why you see some students in very high ranking programs while their counterparts with 4.0s and perfect GREs don't get accepted. It also provides for some very interesting interview questions. I know for me, at least, my acceptance is going to depend on my LOR, personal and research statements, and research experience. If they based it solely on GPA and GRE, I would get into very few programs.

[Biohopeful]

I agree with the above.  The key is to make it engaging, as in, don't make it generic.  If you can make your story tie into who you are, your goals, and your future, you're on the right track.  LORs and the personal statement are the adcomm's way of seeing who the person behind the numbers is, and as we all know, grad school admissions is very holistic.  And it's true.

[bamafan]

So does anyone know how much Berkeley actually cares about your "story?" I know the personal statement is there for all grad applicants, but I can imagine that some science-focused departments would ignore it.  I'm one of those people that have a good story even though I'm a white male of protestant heritage.

 

I have something of a Cinderella story after coming back a bunch of crises including a crippling spine injury and family problems over the last year, and I'm willing to bet Berkeley's grad com didn't even look at almost anyone's personal statements. 

 

I feel like Berkeley's more of a numbers and credentials school. At least the program I applied to was by far the most stringent and even required that you have an impressive publication record. When it comes to programs like that, I highly doubt the personal statement has much if any value to your chances. It might be more in this case something POIs look at after you get your invite to talk about.

Edited January 24, 2013 by bamafan

[WhitH]

Thanks aryelh Yes I have this guy's phone number in mail and I called him today. He gave me an email address on phone to let me arrange my own flights, but I started doubting if I wrote down the address correct or not because...because...I couldn't hear him clearly...I'd better check with him again, which is embarrassing...Hope this won't count as part of the interview performance

 

You are in NY, that's awesome, you don't need to reserve flights =) Good luck on your interview!

Ah ok well good luck to you too. You're coming in next week?

[mengyan528]

Ah ok well good luck to you too. You're coming in next week?

No, I'm coming on 2/28-3/1. I only have two sessions to choose from when I received the invitation, and the other one is in mid-March, so I think I'd better choose the earlier one.

[Laggs0]

Did you get a call/email from stanford or just a letter in the mail?

 

Call, 6 days later a letter, and today (7 days) an email.

[banksy]

I'm all packed and ready for my flight to Austin tomorrow @ 820am. Business casual is the required dress code and probably a good idea for all programs. Feeling good after two interview prep sessions with UCSF faculty yesterday. Just going to be enthusiastic, relax, and enjoy - If anyone else is going, i will be the tall bearded guy with brightly colored shirts and sweaters - HA 

[bamafan]

Good luck, everyone!

[bluebla]

I have something of a Cinderella story after coming back a bunch of crises including a crippling spine injury and family problems over the last year, and I'm willing to bet Berkeley's grad com didn't even look at almost anyone's personal statements. 

 

I feel like Berkeley's more of a numbers and credentials school. At least the program I applied to was by far the most stringent and even required that you have an impressive publication record. When it comes to programs like that, I highly doubt the personal statement has much if any value to your chances. It might be more in this case something POIs look at after you get your invite to talk about.

 

I'm a current Berkeley grad student who had an "interesting" background, though perhaps for a different program (Biophysics here). Though, I must say, your last year tops anything I ever went through, bamafan...wherever you end up will be very lucky to have someone as resilient and strong as you seem from that one sentence...

Edited January 24, 2013 by bluebla

[Pouncingmailbox]

Rejected from UCSD Biological Sciences Ph.D. program this morning. But I am keeping my spirits high and i'm off to an interview!

[flat_rhino]

Just finished a correspondence with UNC-Chapel Hill BBSP. They have sent out all invites. Official rejections will still take some time to be sent out.

[genesplicer]

Rejected from UCSD Biological Sciences Ph.D. program this morning. But I am keeping my spirits high and i'm off to an interview!

 

 

  Good Luck!    Love your Uname. 

[chemaholic]

Just finished a correspondence with UNC-Chapel Hill BBSP. They have sent out all invites. Official rejections will still take some time to be sent out.

That sucks, flat_rhino! Hope we'll soon get some good news from Madison!

[flat_rhino]

So, what are people's opinions on contacting recruitment coordinators with questions regarding acceptance rate, interview format, etc.? I'm going to assume that I have only two interviews and I'd really like to prepare as fully and properly as possible. (I really appreciate the insights provided by all of you already!)

 

chemaholic: Thanks! You too -- January has yet to end

[Sylvia720]

Got rejection email from UCSD Biological Sci at 3:00am EST, I was awake and would never fall asleep after then. Although I have expected the results, it still killed my good mood thou. 

[Gram Neutral]

Has anyone heard from University of Illinois-Chicago? My app has had problems and it kept saying it was incomplete. I called and left a voicemail and got no answer, I called a second time and they said it was fine. I got an email saying it was incomplete and called again and they said there was an error and they would reach out to the graduate admissions folk and get back to me. Now I'm thinking that they held my app cause it indicated incomplete and even though I applied by the priority deadline, I'm gonna be screwed. 

[Biohopeful]

I had a similar program for Biological Sciences (not GEMS).  I contacted the graduate admissions coordinator about it and got the issue resolved.  Their app has been quite the pain.  I would keep contacting them about to make sure it's alright, and see if this will affect your application during the review process.

 

As far as I know, UIC Biological Sciences just began reviewing applications this week.  Not sure if GEMS is the same.

[Gram Neutral]

I take it your deadline was Jan 1 as well? I was told to call back tomorrow if I haven't been contacted yet. The grad admissions people don't take phone calls Tuesday and Thursday apparently. 

[impatient7]

Has anybody heard from UCSD systems bio/bioinformatics? and if so, when?

[Biohopeful]

Mine was a bit more relaxed.  They said December 1st for full consideration, but since they didn't start reviewing until mid-January, the director was like "Even submitting it in January should be fine, don't worry about the deadline.  It's more of a guideline than anything.

 

I've found it's really hard to contact anyone there in admissions, even through email.

[mybiologyblog]

I got an email from UIC saying they haven't sent out any GEMS interview offers yet. Call if it still says incomplete because they won't review without everything in. Did you do the random extra things they ask for on the website?

[cleverfool]

@trickster, I would definitely keep calling. I had the same difficulty as @biohopeful trying to get ahold of someone (there was an issue with one of my recommender requests). No one seemed to know how the app. worked. The woman who finally got it fixed for me said it was the first year for this electronic system, and that it was really glitchy, so I'm sure they're expecting some issues.

For reference, my final recommender got his letter in very late Dec., and I received an interview request from biochemistry and molecular genetics (which is within the GEMS umbrella...but the actual email was from the BMG dept. so I don't know that it will have any bearing on other GEMS programs) on Jan. 11.

Edited January 24, 2013 by cleverfool