2014 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[ERR_Alpha]

Hey ERR_Mocha, I'm seeing that you applied to Tufts ISP... did you ever hear back from them?  I got total radio silence after an obligatory "we're reviewing your application" email in January, so it's been a bit frustrating, since they have been so quiet.  Curious to know what your experience has been.

I got an email that said "all applicants would be notified by May" from the generic Sackler email in January but silence since. When I was at Dartmouth, a girl there had been emailed for an interview. I've kind of given up on Tufts at this point.

[medullate]

Where is this? And which school/program?

Portland State University, general bio grad program

[wishfulthinking2]

Are you guys putting any weight on how much the program seems to like you?

 

I'm deciding between two schools:

-One just completely blew me away scientifically, and I also loved everybody that I met. There are lots of labs that I'm interested in at this school, and I really like the surrounding area. I didn't hear a peep from this school until I was accepted more than a month after my interview, and still haven't heard anything since receiving the generic acceptance email. I know some people who interviewed along side me received acceptances within a few days, and have been contacted by POIs since then.

-The other school, whose program is pretty equal as far as size, competitiveness, and brand name (they're actually tied in the recent us news), excited me less scientifically (although there are still more POIs than I could even rotate with). I also liked the town, and felt at home there. They accepted me two days after my interview, and PIs as well as students have been relentlessly contacting me trying to convince me to join their program and rotate in their labs.

 

Do you think this is just due to different recruiting strategies? I really want to go to the first school, but on the other hand I want to go where I am wanted. Maybe this is just the ol' impostor syndrome scaring me. Is anyone else facing a similar issue, or have any advice?

It could be that program no 2's yield last year was less than they expected, so they are more aggressive with follow-ups.

[micromajor2011]

That brutal moment when you email a program you're waiting to hear from and they respond right back with a rejection email.

 

Yea I semi know the feeling. Emailed a program today asking about my status and I'm scared I will click my email and see a rejection. It's not a good feeling at all.

[toxicgirl]

Yea I semi know the feeling. Emailed a program today asking about my status and I'm scared I will click my email and see a rejection. It's not a good feeling at all.

Where are you waiting to hear back from?

[micromajor2011]

Where are you waiting to hear back from?

The program I emailed was ut houston but still no reply. Ugh.

[sys88]

It seems to be dead here lately. Has everyone pretty much decided where they are going? I am still waiting to hear back from 3 of my schools post interview and feel that I am nowhere near making a decision...

  

You are definitely not alone!

Portland State University, general bio grad program

Ah, then I can't help you there, sorry.

[Chimeric Phoenix]

Are you guys putting any weight on how much the program seems to like you?

 

I'm deciding between two schools:

-One just completely blew me away scientifically, and I also loved everybody that I met. There are lots of labs that I'm interested in at this school, and I really like the surrounding area. I didn't hear a peep from this school until I was accepted more than a month after my interview, and still haven't heard anything since receiving the generic acceptance email. I know some people who interviewed along side me received acceptances within a few days, and have been contacted by POIs since then.

-The other school, whose program is pretty equal as far as size, competitiveness, and brand name (they're actually tied in the recent us news), excited me less scientifically (although there are still more POIs than I could even rotate with). I also liked the town, and felt at home there. They accepted me two days after my interview, and PIs as well as students have been relentlessly contacting me trying to convince me to join their program and rotate in their labs.

 

Do you think this is just due to different recruiting strategies? I really want to go to the first school, but on the other hand I want to go where I am wanted. Maybe this is just the ol' impostor syndrome scaring me. Is anyone else facing a similar issue, or have any advice?

 

 

I had a similar situation, and I went with #1 because I felt like I could be happy at both places and I didn't want to make a decision based on how well someone could recruit me.

[Greenpeace]

Hey there!

 

I hope all people got matched to the programs of their choice. I was just wondering if anyone applied for the Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics program at UND. If so, anyone heard back from them?

 

Thanks!

[kimmibeans]

Same here, still waiting on 1 school post interview. Even though I've pretty much decided where to go I'm also waiting for a couple acceptance packets to come in the mail so I can decline offers with their official forms, haha.

I'm waiting on 2 schools. It looks like there are a lot of people still waiting.

[toxicgirl]

.

Edited March 18, 2014 by toxicgirl

[Echo_Yang]

I am still waiting for the final decision of MCDB program in Umich....Asked the committee director and he told me that I am on the WL. Their final decision will be made in early April.....What a suffer   If anyone received the offer but will decline it please do it asap...I am going to be driven mad by the waiting.

[funkydays]

I got an email that said "all applicants would be notified by May" from the generic Sackler email in January but silence since. When I was at Dartmouth, a girl there had been emailed for an interview. I've kind of given up on Tufts at this point.

 

Ah, so same boat then.  Well, bummers that they are so bad at communicating. 

[RatsWithHats]

It could be that program no 2's yield last year was less than they expected, so they are more aggressive with follow-ups.

 

 

I had a similar situation, and I went with #1 because I felt like I could be happy at both places and I didn't want to make a decision based on how well someone could recruit me.

 

Thanks guys, I think already knew where I was headed I just needed some kind of validation before I made the big decision. Maybe I'll pick up surfing next year; I'm headed to UCSD!

[persimmony]

Thanks guys, I think already knew where I was headed I just needed some kind of validation before I made the big decision. Maybe I'll pick up surfing next year; I'm headed to UCSD!

 

Hey, congrats on your successful application and final decision! (I remember you being super excited about SD, good choice)

[bonohamu]

Still waiting on MIT Biology... Has anyone received acceptances or any news after 5 PM? I just need an answer from MIT so I can finalize think better about my decision. 

 

I'm still waiting on MIT as well. But I interviewed during the second open house so at this point I think I'm wait-listed haha..

Edited March 18, 2014 by hamu

[ERR_Alpha]

Anxiously waiting now for my SO to hear where he got in. Damn environmental science being so much later than our deadlines!

[elanorci]

Hey guys, 

 

How does everyone here feel about stipend negotiations? There are some threads on it in "The Bank," but I'd like a perspective from people as close as possible to my field.

 

Basically, program A has made me a very generous stipend offer. I prefer program B in terms of research fit, but program B made a less generous stipend offer. The difference is 3k a year for the entirety of the program, so over 6 years, it'd be close to 20k! To be fair, it's not like I would have trouble surviving on either stipend, but it would make a significant difference in terms of my quality of life above the baseline. 

 

Is it a no-no to talk to program B about whether they could raise my stipend? If I tried and they said no, would it be really awkward / would they dislike it? 

 

Any advice is much appreciated (: 

Edited March 18, 2014 by elanorci

[medullate]

Hey guys, 

 

How does everyone here feel about stipend negotiations? There are some threads on it in "The Bank," but I'd like a perspective from people as close as possible to my field.

 

Basically, program A has made me a very generous stipend offer. I prefer program B in terms of research fit, but program B made a less generous stipend offer. The difference is 3k a year for the entirety of the program, so over 6 years, it'd be close to 20k! To be fair, it's not like I would have trouble surviving on either stipend, but it would make a significant difference in terms of my quality of life above the baseline. 

 

Is it a no-no to talk to program B about whether they could raise my stipend? If I tried and they said no, would it be really awkward / would they dislike it? 

 

Any advice is much appreciated (: 

How does the cost of living in these two places compare? Health insurance benefits? For me, personally, 3k does not go that much further over the course of the year. I think I'm going to run into this problem too but one thing I'm really taking into consideration also is location and how happy I'd be there. 

[funkydays]

Hey guys, 

 

How does everyone here feel about stipend negotiations? There are some threads on it in "The Bank," but I'd like a perspective from people as close as possible to my field.

 

Basically, program A has made me a very generous stipend offer. I prefer program B in terms of research fit, but program B made a less generous stipend offer. The difference is 3k a year for the entirety of the program, so over 6 years, it'd be close to 20k! To be fair, it's not like I would have trouble surviving on either stipend, but it would make a significant difference in terms of my quality of life above the baseline. 

 

Is it a no-no to talk to program B about whether they could raise my stipend? If I tried and they said no, would it be really awkward / would they dislike it? 

 

Any advice is much appreciated (: 

 

Do they offer the same package in terms of where the stipend is coming from? (e.g. part supported by program training grants, part from TAship, part from RA ship, etc).  If the breakdown is different, you can see if there are outside opportunities given by the institution for additional funding.  But I think it ultimately depends on how happy you will be in each program.  Are you willing to go to a program dedicating many years where there is a chance you might not be happy with the research?

 

Also, how much does Program A not fit into your research interests?  If it's significantly different, then probably choosing the better fit might be the way to go. 

[Orims]

For those waiting on news from MIT Biology. My friend who is a graduate student there informed me that the graduate admissions committe has yet to finalize their decision and that they will be meeting periodically throughout the week to release the last admissions. Let's hang in there!

[elanorci]

How does the cost of living in these two places compare? Health insurance benefits? For me, personally, 3k does not go that much further over the course of the year. I think I'm going to run into this problem too but one thing I'm really taking into consideration also is location and how happy I'd be there. 

The cost of living is about the same in these areas, and the health insurance package is basically the same. I'd definitely prefer the area of program B in addition to feeling that it's a better research fit, but I'd like to get some additional stipend if I can, so I'm wondering if asking them to match or partially match program A's offer is too gauche. The 3k a year wouldn't be an enormous difference, but it would be really nice! 

 

 

Do they offer the same package in terms of where the stipend is coming from? (e.g. part supported by program training grants, part from TAship, part from RA ship, etc).  If the breakdown is different, you can see if there are outside opportunities given by the institution for additional funding.  But I think it ultimately depends on how happy you will be in each program.  Are you willing to go to a program dedicating many years where there is a chance you might not be happy with the research?

 

Also, how much does Program A not fit into your research interests?  If it's significantly different, then probably choosing the better fit might be the way to go. 

The stipend conditions are basically the same, except that one program requires TAing for one semester and the other for two, but that's not a huge deal for me (I love teaching). The programs are both great in terms of research fit and interests (they're my first and second choices), but I prefer program B by a nontrivial margin and would also be happier in that area. Basically, if it weren't for the money, I would be extremely happy with program B - I'm just wondering if I can ask them to make up for at least some of the difference. 

Edited March 18, 2014 by elanorci

[persimmony]

The cost of living is about the same in these areas, and the health insurance package is basically the same. I'd definitely prefer the area of program B in addition to feeling that it's a better research fit, but I'd like to get some additional stipend if I can, so I'm wondering if asking them to match or partially match program A's offer is too gauche. The 3k a year wouldn't be an enormous difference, but it would be really nice! 

 

 

The stipend conditions are basically the same, except that one program requires TAing for one semester and the other for two, but that's not a huge deal for me (I love teaching). The programs are both great in terms of research fit and interests (they're my first and second choices), but I prefer program B by a nontrivial margin and would also be happier in that area. Basically, if it weren't for the money, I would be extremely happy with program B - I'm just wondering if I can ask them to make up for at least some of the difference. 

 

I didn't realize negotiating stipends were a thing. I feel like it is very generous of schools to pay for the education along with giving a yearly stipend. I'm assuming the two places you're talking about are Princeton and Harvard, bc I remember you mentioned getting an additional scholarship from Princeton. The problem I see with asking Harvard for more money is that your potential PI may have to pay for it. Isn't it that the school pays for the first year and then when you join a lab your PI pays your stipend? It might look bad if your PI raises an eyebrow at the heightened cost to have you join the lab. I know Boston is super expensive (which is why it was easy for me to mark BU off my list) but I feel it will be awkward to ask for more...because you'd have to ask a higher up in the program. Just my two cents.

[toxicgirl]

Still waiting on my 3 top schools. One top-waitlist, the other two "application is still in consideration" as the directors of the program are saying when I emailed. I am wondering how likely it is to actually be admitted this late.

[devneuro18]

The cost of living is about the same in these areas, and the health insurance package is basically the same. I'd definitely prefer the area of program B in addition to feeling that it's a better research fit, but I'd like to get some additional stipend if I can, so I'm wondering if asking them to match or partially match program A's offer is too gauche. The 3k a year wouldn't be an enormous difference, but it would be really nice! 

 

 

The stipend conditions are basically the same, except that one program requires TAing for one semester and the other for two, but that's not a huge deal for me (I love teaching). The programs are both great in terms of research fit and interests (they're my first and second choices), but I prefer program B by a nontrivial margin and would also be happier in that area. Basically, if it weren't for the money, I would be extremely happy with program B - I'm just wondering if I can ask them to make up for at least some of the difference. 

 

As far as I know, for most bio programs the stipend is established at the department level and most schools won't deviate away from it. An anecdote about Harvard specifically is that the grad student in my lab (BBS) was doing some teaching which paid her a small amount and the graduate school adjusted her stipend to be equal.

 

I'd say since you would rather live at option B, and it is a better research fit, just go there. Not sure what the stipend is, but I know tons of grad students in Boston and they can definitely live and enjoy themselves on the stipends.