DGChaos Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 Guys, how do you know if your interviews went well in general? Are there some of you who were rejected after the interview? Did you see it coming? I have not heard back from the schools that interviewed me at all.
DGChaos Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 On 2/15/2014 at 2:57 AM, sqxz said: sqxz, on 15 Feb 2014 - 2:27 PM, said: Actually, I forgot that they're interviewing a bunch of people who couldn't make the official date next week, so it may or may not take them a bit longer to make their decisions. JSYK. Hey sqxz. When are you expecting WUSTL and CMU to get back to you? And congrats on making it to Urbana's Biophysics Program! I got rejected from that one.
Science_Nerd Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 Guys, how do you know if your interviews went well in general? Are there some of you who were rejected after the interview? Did you see it coming? I have not heard back from the schools that interviewed me at all. I usually look back and see how much I "enjoyed" the conversations with faculty you interviewed with and other program members you had an opportunity to talk to. If you felt that you had a great time talking to them, then chances are that they did enjoy as well. Also, I always send "thank you" email to these faculty and when I get replies with some positive comment on the admission decision, I just assume that I would have a good chance of receiving an offer. BostonBio153 and Science_Nerd 2
DGChaos Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) Science_Nerd, on 16 Feb 2014 - 10:27 PM, said:Science_Nerd, on 16 Feb 2014 - 10:27 PM, said: I usually look back and see how much I "enjoyed" the conversations with faculty you interviewed with and other program members you had an opportunity to talk to. If you felt that you had a great time talking to them, then chances are that they did enjoy as well. Also, I always send "thank you" email to these faculty and when I get replies with some positive comment on the admission decision, I just assume that I would have a good chance of receiving an offer. Oh. It didn't occur to me to send a thank you after the interview since I had smiled and waved and all that (while signing off Skype). Would it be weird if I sent a thank you an entire week later or something? Edited February 16, 2014 by DGChaos
toxicgirl Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 I'm not sure, but I'm hoping Science_Nerd is right! At Baylor and UMASS I got responses to my thank you emails from my interviewers saying "I'm going to really try hard to recruit you" and "in my eyes, you're a complete yes" and "we all really hope to see you in the fall". But I haven't heard anything yet, so who knows! Fingers crossed that next week is a good one... Each school has so few spots, you just never know the outcome I guess! biotechie 1
BostonBio153 Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 Oh. It didn't occur to me to send a thank you after the interview since I had smiled and waved and all that (while signing off Skype). Would it be weird if I sent a thank you an entire week later or something? I think that you could send a thank you note a week later, but instead of just saying thank you, you'd have to have some sort of follow-up (e.g. you talked about some paper they had recently published and read it and had some comments/questions). Also, Science_Nerd makes a good point about the responses of the interviews as a way to gauge how well you did!
username1824 Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 I don't send thank you emails. When an interview is over I shake their hand firmly and say, "I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to speak with me. It was a pleasure." A thank you email would basically say the same thing as that, so I don't feel like it's necessary. But that's probably just me. BVB09, elanorci and rexzeppelin 3
biotechie Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 I don't send thank you emails. When an interview is over I shake their hand firmly and say, "I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to speak with me. It was a pleasure." A thank you email would basically say the same thing as that, so I don't feel like it's necessary. But that's probably just me. I definitely felt that thank yous were necessary, even though I said thanks at the end of my interview session. You have to remember that some of these professors are seeing 10-20 students per weekend over several weekends. They often don't get time to reflect between interviews or with their current students running into their office for lab things. The thank you may just help them remember you and why you were different from the rest, so if nothing else, that could be something additional to help solidify your place. As others have said, often the responses back are encouraging as well and help to reduce your stress. Being on the "current student" side of interviews this year, I've heard professors saying how much they appreciate hearing back from students post-interview. These are things you should consider when deciding whether or not you're going to provide a thank-you. I would say if you really want to attend that particular school, it should not even be a question; you should drop them a note. Don't forget the administrative assistant or the student(s) who helped you around while you were there. BostonBio153 1
MEISFFSNLE Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 I definitely felt that thank yous were necessary, even though I said thanks at the end of my interview session. You have to remember that some of these professors are seeing 10-20 students per weekend over several weekends. They often don't get time to reflect between interviews or with their current students running into their office for lab things. The thank you may just help them remember you and why you were different from the rest, so if nothing else, that could be something additional to help solidify your place. As others have said, often the responses back are encouraging as well and help to reduce your stress. Being on the "current student" side of interviews this year, I've heard professors saying how much they appreciate hearing back from students post-interview. These are things you should consider when deciding whether or not you're going to provide a thank-you. I would say if you really want to attend that particular school, it should not even be a question; you should drop them a note. Don't forget the administrative assistant or the student(s) who helped you around while you were there. Sounds like post-interview thank-yous are a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Regardless, I feel that if you want to say thank you again go ahead, if not, it's fine too. Either way, the professor would more likely than feel appreciated to hear back from students, whatever your intentions.
sqxz Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 On 2/16/2014 at 7:32 AM, DGChaos said: Hey sqxz. When are you expecting WashU and CMU-Pitt to get back to you? And congrats on making it to Urbana's Biophysics Program! I got rejected from that one. Well, if I'm not mistaken, WashU's second interview weekend just ended, and they said to expect a decision a week or two after it. So I guess I'm expecting to hear from them this week or the next. The two interview weekends I am aware of for CMU-Pitt are this Thursday through Saturday, which I will be attending, and Sunday, 3/2 through Tuesday, 3/4. I haven't visited yet, so I haven't had a chance to ask when to expect a decision, but I suspect it will likely be one to two weeks after either the first or second interview dates, depending on how they do things. Although, in my interview invitation, they said, "Indeed, the overwhelming majority of interviewees receive offers of admission, based on experience in past years," so maybe the decision will come more quickly. Sorry to hear that you didn't get in, but thank you! Along with UCSF, it's one of the two programs I'm most seriously considering. Edit: I should mention that I applied to the Computational and Molecular Biophysics program at WashU, and it seems like you probably applied to the Computational and Systems Biology program. I was told that, though we all applied to DBBS, each program makes its admission decisions independently, so the information I shared may not be relevant to you.
rpfey Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 Don't know if anyone is still waiting to hear back from UT-SW but got an email today saying they've basically extended all interviews and are aiming for an incoming class of about 60.
rat.girl Posted February 16, 2014 Posted February 16, 2014 Guess I'll have to disagree with the majority opinion - I was in the same situation a couple weeks ago, and I decided to cancel. If you're sure that you're not going to attend the school, you're just wasting their time + more money (for food), and also potentially taking a spot from someone who wants it more. Canceling happens a lot, especially to schools with interviews later in the season, so I seriously doubt anyone will remember your name or even think twice about it. If you bow out gracefully (thank them for their time, apologize for the inconvenience, specify that you just want to save them more time/money), I think it's totally fine. That said, if you think there's some probability that you'd attend the program, I would go to learn more about it. But if you're 100% sure, I think it just wastes everyone's time to go. I second this. I just bowed out of my last interview weekend because I've already found and been accepted to a school I absolutely love. I didn't want to waste any of their time (or any more of my PTO) by visiting somewhere I am no longer excited about.
pcsteak Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Don't know if anyone is still waiting to hear back from UT-SW but got an email today saying they've basically extended all interviews and are aiming for an incoming class of about 60. Yeah, I got the same email today too.. I wonder how many they put on the waitlist compared to applicants they invited for interviews?
Fun_Cookie Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 UCSF ipqb was cool. Recruitment planning seems a little stale though....
musicalscientist Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 UCSF ipqb was cool. Recruitment planning seems a little stale though.... I enjoyed it. Nothing particularly exciting but I definitely like the program and the research that's going on. Hopefully we'll get some decisions this week...
Adenine_Monarch Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Don't know if anyone is still waiting to hear back from UT-SW but got an email today saying they've basically extended all interviews and are aiming for an incoming class of about 60. Yep. I also got this email about being in the "hold" category and that my chance of being moved to the "interview" category is slim.... And I don't think that they meant just "extending interviews," I took it to mean that they have filled most of their incoming class spots (since I know of people that have gotten accepted already...)
Adenine_Monarch Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 So did anyone else get an offer from USC PIBBS? Did any of you get supplemental money contingent upon replying by April 1st? If so, how much was it? I'm wondering if we all got the same. Thanks. elanorci 1
sqxz Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) I enjoyed it. Nothing particularly exciting but I definitely like the program and the research that's going on. Hopefully we'll get some decisions this week... I wouldn't count on it... None of the grad students I talked to could remember exactly when they were accepted. However, most vaguely remembered it taking around two weeks (after the second weekend of interviews) or even until March to get a decision. Guess we'll just have to be patient or hope they've changed things up this year. Edited February 17, 2014 by sqxz
rexzeppelin Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Yes, I am pretty disappointed that the Yale interview got cancelled this weekend. I can't make the date they rescheduled it to. They are saying they will work with you to find a time to visit if you can't visit next weekend... but I feel like I'm not going to get the same sense for the program if I come down on a random weekend. I'm sorry to hear that mbiochem but I think you might get potentially get a more 'real' look at the program since they could let their guard down on a weekend that's not a full-blown recruitment type thing. And since there won't be as many other prospective students you'll have more opportunities to talk with current students and see what they're like amongst themselves, when not in entertaining-mode Edited February 17, 2014 by rexzeppelin mbiochem 1
toxicgirl Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Most of the schools will be closed today, right?
Monochrome Spring Posted February 17, 2014 Author Posted February 17, 2014 Most of the schools will be closed today, right? Some will be. But I know a few that are open. (CSU Long Beach and Michigan State University)
threading_the_neidl Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 So did anyone else get an offer from USC PIBBS? Did any of you get supplemental money contingent upon replying by April 1st? If so, how much was it? I'm wondering if we all got the same. Thanks. I'm surprised that a school is offering money for early responses. Isn't the whole point of the April 15th agreement to stop that kind of competition which might move toward intimidation? Is this something other schools have been doing recently, too?
mbiochem Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 I'm sorry to hear that mbiochem but I think you might get potentially get a more 'real' look at the program since they could let their guard down on a weekend that's not a full-blown recruitment type thing. And since there won't be as many other prospective students you'll have more opportunities to talk with current students and see what they're like amongst themselves, when not in entertaining-mode That's a good point. That makes me feel a little better about it
ss2player Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 Anybody else still waiting for that first acceptance (after interviewing places) and wants to wade in the pool of stress it's generating? Sylvia88 1
jl2782 Posted February 17, 2014 Posted February 17, 2014 I have an upcoming panel interview for one of my schools. Has anyone participated in a panel interview before? Thanks in advance
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now