2013 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

[banksy]

One down 7 to go. 

 

I had a good time at Austin and I am looking forward to the rest.

[Biochem]

diamedic17

@diamedic17

Feb 28- March 2.. I am pretty excited about Penn state.

 

When is yours?

[WhitH]

So I was waitlisted for UCSD today. The email read:

 

"I am writing on behalf of the Admissions Committee for the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. Due to the overwhelming number of exceptional applications we received this year, we are unable to offer you an interview at this time. However, because you were ranked very near our cutoff, we would like to place your name on a short waiting list of qualified applicants.

This year the BMS program received over 300 applications for fewer than 30 places, so competition was fierce. The committee was impressed by your research and letters of reference and scored them highly. This score and your GPA and GREs are taken into account to generate the final ranking of students. Students are invited to interview according to their rank order. We are sorry we are unable to offer an interview to all qualified applicants, but we will add students to the interview pool from the waiting list if and when space becomes available. Based on previous years, it is likely that we may make further invitations from this waiting list, so there is still a possibility of a place in the BMS Program.

With your impressive background, I'm sure that you will receive offers from many other programs. If you decide to accept any of those offers, please contact the BMS Program so that we can take your name off the waiting list."

 

Does anyone know about the likelihood off getting off the waitlist at UCSD? Is this basically a rejection?

[BCELL23]

Good luck, and stay warm!

 

Which program are you interviewing with? I'll be there at the end of Feb. Let us know how it goes!

 

Thanks! My original interview was for feb 21-23rd however It conflicted with my JHU interview. The rescheduled mine to Jan 31-Feb 2nd.

I'll make sure to take mental notes.

 

Got to go prepare for interview! 

[BCELL23]

Thanks! My original interview was for feb 21-23rd however It conflicted with my JHU interview. The rescheduled mine to Jan 31-Feb 2nd.

I'll make sure to take mental notes.

 

Got to go prepare for interview! 

it's Immunology cluster

[bamafan]

So I was waitlisted for UCSD today. The email read:

 

"I am writing on behalf of the Admissions Committee for the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. Due to the overwhelming number of exceptional applications we received this year, we are unable to offer you an interview at this time. However, because you were ranked very near our cutoff, we would like to place your name on a short waiting list of qualified applicants.

This year the BMS program received over 300 applications for fewer than 30 places, so competition was fierce. The committee was impressed by your research and letters of reference and scored them highly. This score and your GPA and GREs are taken into account to generate the final ranking of students. Students are invited to interview according to their rank order. We are sorry we are unable to offer an interview to all qualified applicants, but we will add students to the interview pool from the waiting list if and when space becomes available. Based on previous years, it is likely that we may make further invitations from this waiting list, so there is still a possibility of a place in the BMS Program.

With your impressive background, I'm sure that you will receive offers from many other programs. If you decide to accept any of those offers, please contact the BMS Program so that we can take your name off the waiting list."

 

Does anyone know about the likelihood off getting off the waitlist at UCSD? Is this basically a rejection?

 

I wouldn't read too much into it. It got sent to literally every single person who applied.

[WhitH]

I wouldn't read too much into it. It got sent to literally every single person who applied.

 

Even people who've gotten interviews? ...So there is no wait list???

[ImmunoXX]

Even people who've gotten interviews? ...So there is no wait list???

I think for UCSD BMS waitlist means you have a chance. It was Bioinformatics that sent "wait list" to everyone. I was straight rejected from BMS and no wait list email. Hope that someone declines an interview!

[biotechie]

So I was waitlisted for UCSD today. The email read:

 

"I am writing on behalf of the Admissions Committee for the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program. Due to the overwhelming number of exceptional applications we received this year, we are unable to offer you an interview at this time. However, because you were ranked very near our cutoff, we would like to place your name on a short waiting list of qualified applicants.

This year the BMS program received over 300 applications for fewer than 30 places, so competition was fierce. The committee was impressed by your research and letters of reference and scored them highly. This score and your GPA and GREs are taken into account to generate the final ranking of students. Students are invited to interview according to their rank order. We are sorry we are unable to offer an interview to all qualified applicants, but we will add students to the interview pool from the waiting list if and when space becomes available. Based on previous years, it is likely that we may make further invitations from this waiting list, so there is still a possibility of a place in the BMS Program.

With your impressive background, I'm sure that you will receive offers from many other programs. If you decide to accept any of those offers, please contact the BMS Program so that we can take your name off the waiting list."

 

Does anyone know about the likelihood off getting off the waitlist at UCSD? Is this basically a rejection?

I got the same thing. >.<

[bamafan]

I think for UCSD BMS waitlist means you have a chance. It was Bioinformatics that sent "wait list" to everyone. I was straight rejected from BMS and no wait list email. Hope that someone declines an interview!

 

You're right, I misread the above poster. 

[diamedic17]

diamedic17

@diamedic17

Feb 28- March 2.. I am pretty excited about Penn state.

 

When is yours?

 

I had it back in November...it was one of those recruitment weekends that they invited me to based on my GRE scores that doubled as an interview.  They put on a pretty good show for you.  The first night is a dinner with the faculty and then the next day is breakfast with grad students and then the interviews in the morning.  Lunch is a recruitment presentation while you eat and then an afternoon poster session and 3rd year research talks.  Dinner with grad students is a pretty good time, they took a few of us out afterwards to a local bar.  The next morning is a campus tour.  I really enjoyed it and was basically ready to sign a commitment to them but when I interviewed at Drexel I found that they have more of what I want.  Still I'd go there in a heartbeat if Drexel rejects me (I'm waiting to hear from PSU as well tho).  

 

I'm curious if they are going to wait until all of the interviews are over before offering anyone admission though.  

 

Good luck and have fun!!

[WhitH]

You're right, I misread the above poster. 

Ok, so now that that's cleared up...anyone know what the likelihood of getting off the waiting list for ucsd bms is? Maybe from past years? Or is a wait list from ucsd basically a rejection?

[emmm]

People get in off waitlists all the time. Consider, you are all applying to multiple programs, many getting multiple interviews. Some people will get multiple offers, and will have to turn down schools. The schools will still want to fill those places. Don't feel badly if you did not make the first cut. Be ready to take a  spot off the waitlist if you are offered one by a program you want to attend. People are accepted off the waitlist nearly every year by my program, I think.

[RaganSmash]

What the hell is up with University of Washington's system? Are they seriously sending out rejections and invitations one by one? o.O

[as2251]

Has anyone heard from Boston University (Biology), Harvard MCB, Columbia (Biological Science), Rockefeller and/or Princeton (Biology) - all PhD? I have pretty much got rejects from all other univs and hoping I can crack one of these programs!

 

Thanks

 

Applied to (13/13): Harvard MIT BU Umass Med Stanford UCSF UCB Scripps Yale Princeton Rockefeller Columbia Caltech
 

Rejected (6/13): Yale BBS, UC Berkeley MCB, MIT, Stanford, UCSF, UIUC

Interviews (0/13):
Accepted (0/13):

[Pouncingmailbox]

Has anyone heard from University of Colorado Boulder (MCDB)? It is getting really late so I am assuming the worst. But I still haven't heard anything from them so there is still a tiny chance. I assume they have been having interviews already but I don't have any concrete info to support that assumption... Does anyone know anything about this program? 

[bamafan]

People get in off waitlists all the time. Consider, you are all applying to multiple programs, many getting multiple interviews. Some people will get multiple offers, and will have to turn down schools. The schools will still want to fill those places. Don't feel badly if you did not make the first cut. Be ready to take a  spot off the waitlist if you are offered one by a program you want to attend. People are accepted off the waitlist nearly every year by my program, I think.

 

Pretty much this. Remember that in biology, there is a generally 50% or better acceptance rate to most programs post-interview, therefore, people who are cross-interviewed are likely to have cross-admits and will necessarily have to turn down offers. In fact, cross-interviewers will probably decline some interviews altogether, opening up more spots. I'm at a point where I'm declining anything else because it's just too tiring to travel more than a month.

[stmwap]

Just got accepted to a program where I am interviewing on March 1st.  Strange that they accepted me after they invited me to interview but before the interview.  But, hey, first acceptance!

[Looking to the horizon]

Has anyone heard from Boston University (Biology), Harvard MCB, Columbia (Biological Science), Rockefeller and/or Princeton (Biology) - all PhD? I have pretty much got rejects from all other univs and hoping I can crack one of these programs!

 

Thanks

 

Applied to (13/13): Harvard MIT BU Umass Med Stanford UCSF UCB Scripps Yale Princeton Rockefeller Columbia Caltech

 

Rejected (6/13): Yale BBS, UC Berkeley MCB, MIT, Stanford, UCSF, UIUC

Interviews (0/13):

Accepted (0/13):

 

Yeah, Princeton Mol Bio and Rockefeller have already sent out their invites. I believe that if you haven't heard from them by now, you are rejected. Don't worry. I didn't get any word from Princeton or Rockefeller either.

[Gina]

Just got accepted to a program where I am interviewing on March 1st.  Strange that they accepted me after they invited me to interview but before the interview.  But, hey, first acceptance!

Nice!  Wish that would happen to me.

[Gram Neutral]

Just got accepted to a program where I am interviewing on March 1st.  Strange that they accepted me after they invited me to interview but before the interview.  But, hey, first acceptance!

 

Were there interview weekends before yours? 

[stmwap]

Were there interview weekends before yours? 

 

Yes. One. February 14th...

[Biochem]

@diamedic17

I had it back in November...it was one of those recruitment weekends that they invited me to based on my GRE scores that doubled as an interview.  They put on a pretty good show for you.  The first night is a dinner with the faculty and then the next day is breakfast with grad students and then the interviews in the morning.  Lunch is a recruitment presentation while you eat and then an afternoon poster session and 3rd year research talks.  Dinner with grad students is a pretty good time, they took a few of us out afterwards to a local bar.  The next morning is a campus tour.  I really enjoyed it and was basically ready to sign a commitment to them but when I interviewed at Drexel I found that they have more of what I want.  Still I'd go there in a heartbeat if Drexel rejects me (I'm waiting to hear from PSU as well tho).  

 

I'm curious if they are going to wait until all of the interviews are over before offering anyone admission though.  

 

Good luck and have fun!!

@diamedic17

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I am curious if they talked about the stipend in the interview?

Their web site does not say anything about?

[Gram Neutral]

Yes. One. February 14th...

 

Maybe a ton of people didn't take the interview, or less than they were expecting, or the ones that interviewed were just mostly not what they expected? So weird. 

[whp09]

Dream program interview coming up... Nervous question: Is it possible for a professor to take two graduate students in the same year? He mentioned to me that he needed to fill 2 spots, and there are two prospective students for his lab invited to interview weekend (me and one other student I have yet to meet.) 17 people were invited to the weekend and usually they take around 8-10 students a year. Is it possible that his lab would be able to take two in the same year, or do you think they'll just let him take one this year and then again next year since such a small amount of students are able to be admitted? He JUST moved to the school from a previous professorship if that makes any difference. I just don't know if I should feel competitive or try to build a friendship with the other student since we may be working together for a long time.