2014 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Leuco]

Got a phone call from the MSU BMS program! They said they'll email me with dates.

 

(phew)

[Monochrome Spring]

Rejected from Cornell BMCB even before they have all my LORs. I wonder if they had a GPA cutoff. (3.71 in my major here) they're sending my app over to Biophysics for consideration. Great addition to finals week.

 

If you were sent to another department, most likely you weren't a good fit for the one that you applied to. They sent your application to the other department so that the professors there with closer research interests can consider your profile.

[ERR_Alpha]

I put biophysics as my second choice. I'm not getting my hopes up for it. This just scares me because I got rejected so quickly from Cornell, my chances are probably slim at other top tiers.

[elanorci]

ERR_Alpha, did you apply to Harvard Biophysics and/or Princeton QCB? Just wanted to say hi, as I think there aren't that many biophysics applicants around and it's nice to see someone else  

 

Good luck and don't be too bummed out by the Cornell thing - I think monochrome spring might be right in saying that they didn't "reject" you so much as move your application to where they thought it would fit best! 

Edited December 11, 2013 by elanorci

[acetylcholine]

Indeed.  One of the things a lot of these graduate school websites sorely neglect is program fit.

[zinde]

Hey everyone - mostly been lurking on these forums, but playing the waiting game now so thought I'd join the fun. My profile:

Undergrad Institution: Ivy, not HYP
Major: Biology
Minor: None
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.90
Position in Class: N/A
Type of Student: domestic male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 163 (87%)
V: 167 (97%)
W: 5 (93%)
Biochem: 680 (94%)

Research Experience: 2 summers in a cancer biology lab (4th author pub, low impact journal); 1 summer + 2 semesters in biomedical engineering lab for honors thesis (2nd author pub, open access journal); year and a half as a research assistant in current lab - neuroscience (publications to come, not yet in press)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: graduated with honors, Sigma Xi

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA - 5 semesters in intro bio and physiology; current RA job

Special Bonus Points: Recommendations from faculty at two of the programs I'm applying to, one is a Nobel laureate

Applied to:
(Aiming at programs/PIs in cancer biology)

Rockefeller

Stanford

Harvard (BBS)

U Chicago

U of MN (MICaB)
Sloan Kettering

CSHL

 

Good luck to everyone! Here's hoping the wait is worth it.

[ERR_Alpha]

ERR_Alpha, did you apply to Harvard Biophysics and/or Princeton QCB? Just wanted to say hi, as I think there aren't that many biophysics applicants around and it's nice to see someone else  

 

Good luck and don't be too bummed out by the Cornell thing - I think monochrome spring might be right in saying that they didn't "reject" you so much as move your application to where they thought it would fit best! 

I applied to Harvard BBS and Princeton Molec Bio with a focus in either Biochem or Biophysics. The only other straight biophysics program I applied to was Johns Hopkins Molecular Biophysics. I stayed close to biochemistry because I thought that's what I was more suited for- but maybe not? Haha.

[ERR_Alpha]

ERR_Alpha, did you apply to Harvard Biophysics and/or Princeton QCB? Just wanted to say hi, as I think there aren't that many biophysics applicants around and it's nice to see someone else  

 

Good luck and don't be too bummed out by the Cornell thing - I think monochrome spring might be right in saying that they didn't "reject" you so much as move your application to where they thought it would fit best! 

Also did you apply to Cornell Biophysics? If so can you let me know when they send offers? Apparently I won't get rejected twice (how nice of them) and biophysics will only  email me if they accept me.

[elanorci]

No, I didn't apply to Cornell Biophysics (could never live in Ithaca -- too cold!). Sorry ): 

 

FYI to anyone who's interested: I just got an email from Berkeley biophysics confirming that my application is complete. (It said 'complete' on the website a few days ago, so I guess they've just compiled them for review? idk.) 

[tcmazer]

First update, just got hit by the semi-mythical University of Washington numbers net, but not the only one apparently, good luck to all the other applicants!

[biotechie]

On 12/11/2013 at 8:53 PM, tcmazer said:

First update, just got hit by the semi-mythical University of Washington numbers net, but not the only one apparently, good luck to all the other applicants!

 

Yup. I got hit by that, last year. It only smarts until you get an interview, I swear. Last year I got an interview invite and then in the middle of my joy, my rejection from Washington.

[tcmazer]

Well, I should hear back from most of these programs in the next week or two, so hopefully I'll get some interview invites soon!

[username1824]

On 12/11/2013 at 8:53 PM, tcmazer said:

First update, just got hit by the semi-mythical University of Washington numbers net, but not the only one apparently, good luck to all the other applicants!

Sorry to hear that . Which program at UW did you apply to and how did they send their rejection (I would guess email?)

[Leuco]

Sorry to hear that . Which program at UWash did you apply to and how did they send their rejection (I would guess email?)

I applied for their Micro program last year and got my rejection by email three days after submitting, haha.  I asked why, and they said they couldn't really tell me... too many apps, I guess.

[tcmazer]

On 12/11/2013 at 9:27 PM, username1824 said:

Sorry to hear that . Which program at UW did you apply to and how did they send their rejection (I would guess email?)

 

Molecular and Cellular Bio PhD, through email.  I mean, I'm applying with a 3.04 GPA, so if anyone was gonna get hit by the numbers filter it would be me.  But that's fine, it was a stretch school and I applied to multiple schools for this very reason.

[Adenine_Monarch]

Anyone else going to USC PIBBS or Baylor IMBS interviews?

[musicalscientist]

Just got the call for an interview at WUSTL DBBS (MCB)! Woooooo!

[user165]

So general question: I am relatively unreachable by phone, as I live in Europe (but am a domestic applicant), and have no cell phone service at work, and my work hours are unpredictable. If a school awards an interview by phone and can't reach me that way, will they likely also send an email?

 

It's just a little worrying to have to be a slave of my phone, given my unpredictable schedule and spotty phone service.

[TeriyakiSagan]

Saw on the results page there are 2 more Harvard BBS invites in addition to that super early one. Is this real? It seems like past years interviews weren't sent out til mid Jan.

[biotechie]

So general question: I am relatively unreachable by phone, as I live in Europe (but am a domestic applicant), and have no cell phone service at work, and my work hours are unpredictable. If a school awards an interview by phone and can't reach me that way, will they likely also send an email?

 

It's just a little worrying to have to be a slave of my phone, given my unpredictable schedule and spotty phone service.

 

They'll generally e-mail you if you're international. Sometimes they try to call, too, but if they do that, they'll e-mail you if they can't get through.

[the_grateful_duck]

I just got an interview invite from UNC BBSP, but they only offered me one weekend which of course conflicts with my only other interview. Did other people who heard back from UNC get a choice of weekends?

[zinde]

Saw on the results page there are 2 more Harvard BBS invites in addition to that super early one. Is this real? It seems like past years interviews weren't sent out til mid Jan.

 

There was a poster a few pages back who claimed to have spoken with someone on the Harvard committee - they said interviews would be going out in late December. Either way I'm skeptical that decisions have gone out, but I guess anything's possible.

[Adenine_Monarch]

elanorci, I submitted my Baylor app on Nov. 24. Congratulations to ppl getting interviews!

Edited December 12, 2013 by Adenine_Monarch

[baxter01]

While the waiting game is terrible, I at least take solace in the fact that no one has heard from the programs I applied to yet

[ERR_Alpha]

Saw on the results page there are 2 more Harvard BBS invites in addition to that super early one. Is this real? It seems like past years interviews weren't sent out til mid Jan.

I feel like Harvard might be going through more apps each day and emailing their top choices right away... that's all I can think that makes sense. My app is complete there, fingers crossed!