2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Dreams of the North]

Does anybody know if all the invitations for Princeton molecular biology program have been sent out already?

 

I don't know if they all have been sent out, but I received a phone call from them on Tuesday.

[oranger]

Is it bad to wait a few days to respond to an interview invite? UCSD has two weekends and I am not sure which I want to go to because it depends on another school that hasn't told me when their weekend is yet.

[Farafeelo]

Err-alpha - I checked last years results page and everyone who posted saying they got an interview from Harvard BBS was only on Saturday (not Friday & Saturday) -- Which makes me think that this year they may have all been sent out on Friday. I still have some hope they may send out more on Monday, but if not, I may take it as a rejection.

[ss2player]

That...is not true. The graduate student housing at Mission Bay runs from 950-1400 depending on your room. At Parnassus, it falls in the same price range. All graduate housing is apartments/houses. I'm able to save money each month, you just have to be smart about your expenses. Sure SF is expensive, but it is not undoable by any means.

 

Soooo, is this wrong? http://campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/upload/housing/files/WEBrates2014-15.pdf

 

Honestly curious.

[susieq7975]

Anyone know if ucsd bms or ucsf bms is done sending out interview invites? I just want to know so I can stop hoping for a miracle. Thanks!

[nutellarain]

Soooo, is this wrong? http://campuslifeservices.ucsf.edu/upload/housing/files/WEBrates2014-15.pdf

 

Honestly curious.

That is right, I think Appsitude was referring to single rooms, not entire apartments/studios. I only moved to SF a year and half ago and found a room for $800/month, there are more affordable places if you are a savvy apartment hunter. 

[expandyourmind]

Hey y'all,

 

Anyone hear from UChicago Molecular Biosciences?

 

I heard from UChicago early last week

[Vene]

That is right, I think Appsitude was referring to single rooms, not entire apartments/studios. I only moved to SF a year and half ago and found a room for $800/month, there are more affordable places if you are a savvy apartment hunter.

I tend to prefer to live someplace where I can afford to not have roommates. It can make married life awkward.

[nutellarain]

I tend to prefer to live someplace where I can afford to not have roommates. It can make married life awkward.

Then you split a 1 bedroom and it comes out to 800/person But yeah, I understand. If you are making a post-doc/grad student salary, it is only a city for younger people who don't have kids and are not planning on buying house/apt. I enjoy not owning a car and being in walking distance of amazing restaurants, bars, events, etc. You are paying for the convenience factor of always having something to do walking/biking distance from your door.   For people who prefer smaller towns or have children, I would definitely recommend going to school in another city. 

[StemCellFanatic]

Hi! Has anyone heard from Yale BBS MCGD?

[peachypie]

oranger-  It is I think fine to wait a few days to respond to a request.  Typically i'd say maybe 2-3 business days isn't out of the norm at all even if you aren't waiting on another school.  i think if there is no deadline noted I'd be ok waiting up to 5 business days.  Hope you get it all sorted out shortly.

[ss2player]

Then you split a 1 bedroom and it comes out to 800/person But yeah, I understand. If you are making a post-doc/grad student salary, it is only a city for younger people who don't have kids and are not planning on buying house/apt. I enjoy not owning a car and being in walking distance of amazing restaurants, bars, events, etc. You are paying for the convenience factor of always having something to do walking/biking distance from your door.   For people who prefer smaller towns or have children, I would definitely recommend going to school in another city. 

 

Well said, thank you! Yes, I was comparing having your own place. I'm with Vene and like having the ability to live on my own if I so choose; we shouldn't be forced into undergrad-like situations just to go to a great school/live in a great city, but of course for some folks it's not an issue.

I think I'm just sad some cities are pricing out a large portion of their residents. I come from the East Coast and NYC is doing the same thing; Manhattan is now just an amusement park for the rich for the most part, no working class people can afford to live there anymore. But this is a topic for the sociology forum.

[Ragneo]

Woke up and got an interview from BCMB Johns Hopkins! I'll probably be heading there for the Feb. 26-28th weekend.

 

I have a question: How important is it to make it to the first interview weekend? I know UCSF CCB has their interview Feb. 28th- March 2, and a second one on March 8th - 9th. UCSF is technically my first choice, and I feel like I should reserve that weekend for UCSF. But at the same time, I don't want to decline an interview at Johns Hopkins. Also, I haven't heard from UCSF yet, so I don't know if I'll even get an interview.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Ragneo

[peachypie]

If you can make it...and it is a school of importance to you...you should make every effort to make it to the first interview weekend.  Adcoms will sometimes extend invites between weekends, the top picks are offered the first round for a reason, they want to get you before someone else does.  

I can't tell based on your post if you already got an invite from UCSF....if you haven't I'd strongly consider taking the Johns Hopkins first weekend.  I think UCSF has been inviting already?  Did John Hopkins give you a "give response by date?"  If they did then you can wait, if not then I'd try to make the decision before the holidays this week.  You can always reach out to UCsF and express your interest in them to see if they can let you know if/when invites will be sent out so you know how long to wait before you give a response to your other programs.  They may tell you then that all invites are out or when the remaining ones should go out.  Hopkins is a great school so I wouldn't string them along too long if you are waiting for a UCsF invite that MAY never come.  Best of luck.

[Appsitude]

Well said, thank you! Yes, I was comparing having your own place. I'm with Vene and like having the ability to live on my own if I so choose; we shouldn't be forced into undergrad-like situations just to go to a great school/live in a great city, but of course for some folks it's not an issue.

I think I'm just sad some cities are pricing out a large portion of their residents. I come from the East Coast and NYC is doing the same thing; Manhattan is now just an amusement park for the rich for the most part, no working class people can afford to live there anymore. But this is a topic for the sociology forum.

 

Woops I didn't see that chart, but for the most part that is correct. The one bedrooms that are 2200 are couples housing so it averages to ~1100 a person. About half of the first years currently live alone and on average pay ~1000-1100 near Parnassus. Some couples are paying less due to sharing a one bedroom. Honestly, the campus housing is nice but it is mainly transitional housing and finding housing near UCSF is difficult, but definitely possible. I would prefer an awesome city that isn't so damned expensive though haha.

 

Cost of housing was my biggest worry coming out here, but UCSF does everything in their power to make that a lesser worry so you can stay focused on your research

 

And for whoever asked about BMS invites: The large majority of interviews have been sent out but the list has not been finalized yet so there is still hope.

[Appsitude]

Woke up and got an interview from BCMB Johns Hopkins! I'll probably be heading there for the Feb. 26-28th weekend.

 

I have a question: How important is it to make it to the first interview weekend? I know UCSF CCB has their interview Feb. 28th- March 2, and a second one on March 8th - 9th. UCSF is technically my first choice, and I feel like I should reserve that weekend for UCSF. But at the same time, I don't want to decline an interview at Johns Hopkins. Also, I haven't heard from UCSF yet, so I don't know if I'll even get an interview.

 

Attending the later weekend won't hurt your chances. In fact, getting some interview experience before interviewing at your top choice is a viable strategy. I wouldn't turn down an interview from a great school like JHU if you can reschedule UCSF (if you receive an interview). CCB should be sending interviews on January 5th-January 7th if that helps rest your mind

[glow_gene]

Oh lordy...these prices are making me twitch. 

 

My sizable 1bedroom is $850/mo and I pay more than anyone else I know. ( I live a 4min metro-ride from the medical campus). 

 

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with living in a more expensive city, especially if you love the program...but there are benefits to low-cost living.

 

It helps that I love St. Louis as well

[gliaful]

While you're all talking about rent, how did you current grads relocate?

 

It's sounds silly, but I think this is what stresses me out the most about the whole process. But maybe it's because I drive a car that's as old as I am and I'm never quite sure if I'll make it to the grocery store alive. I'm planning to invest in a more reliable vehicle (I don't drive much now) but I don't know if I should do this before or after I move. Obviously having it before the move would be nice, but I would also have to pay to register it + insure it in both my current state and my future location. Did you make a trip to your school's city to go apartment-hunting for a few days? Or did you look at places online and set up viewings prior to the trip?

[Vene]

While you're all talking about rent, how did you current grads relocate?

 

It's sounds silly, but I think this is what stresses me out the most about the whole process. But maybe it's because I drive a car that's as old as I am and I'm never quite sure if I'll make it to the grocery store alive. I'm planning to invest in a more reliable vehicle (I don't drive much now) but I don't know if I should do this before or after I move. Obviously having it before the move would be nice, but I would also have to pay to register it + insure it in both my current state and my future location. Did you make a trip to your school's city to go apartment-hunting for a few days? Or did you look at places online and set up viewings prior to the trip?

For my program current students volunteer to mentor incoming students. I asked my mentor if he was willing to look at look at some apartments for me. Due to the distance I actually didn't see my current apartment until after the move. It worked out okay, but I'm not picky. I can say that I did not look into any apartment that didn't have pictures. I do recommend once you decide where you're going to attend you look into any off-campus apartments the university may own.

If you don't have much in the way of belongings spending a little bit of time in a hotel room while searching is doable.

As for transferring the car, I don't think that insurance is going to be an issue as you can always cancel the insurance in your current state and they will refund you. the registration can mean a bit more, but that's not going to be much compared to the cost of having to transport your vehicle to across the country.

 

Also feel free to ask current grad students when you interview about their experiences moving.

[CancerImmune]

While you're all talking about rent, how did you current grads relocate?

It's sounds silly, but I think this is what stresses me out the most about the whole process. But maybe it's because I drive a car that's as old as I am and I'm never quite sure if I'll make it to the grocery store alive. I'm planning to invest in a more reliable vehicle (I don't drive much now) but I don't know if I should do this before or after I move. Obviously having it before the move would be nice, but I would also have to pay to register it + insure it in both my current state and my future location. Did you make a trip to your school's city to go apartment-hunting for a few days? Or did you look at places online and set up viewings prior to the trip?

Unless you have insurance through a company that isn't licensed in your new state, you can just keep the same policy and change the location. If there is a difference in cost, you'll be charged or refunded. If the new vehicle is more fuel efficient, and the distance is far enough, it might negate the two registration fees. Maybe even save some money. Edited December 21, 2014 by CancerImmune

[lilbert5]

has anyone else applied to sloan kettering and not heard back yet?

 

also, any idea when NYU Sackler will send invites?  

 

the wait is killing me!!!

[pachydermatus]

While you're all talking about rent, how did you current grads relocate?

 

It's sounds silly, but I think this is what stresses me out the most about the whole process. But maybe it's because I drive a car that's as old as I am and I'm never quite sure if I'll make it to the grocery store alive. I'm planning to invest in a more reliable vehicle (I don't drive much now) but I don't know if I should do this before or after I move. Obviously having it before the move would be nice, but I would also have to pay to register it + insure it in both my current state and my future location. Did you make a trip to your school's city to go apartment-hunting for a few days? Or did you look at places online and set up viewings prior to the trip?

 

Remember, there's always a period of time after you move before you're allowed to change residency (generally 1 year), and in some states you can live there as a student without ever having to claim residency. Makes income taxes a pain in the butt, but it buys you some time before you'd have to pay a registration fee in your new state!

[visiblethinking]

Hi again all!

Rejoining this conversation now that interviews are a reality...I have been out of the country during all of this so I've been a bit removed. In the last week or so I've received the following recruitment weekend invites: Penn CAMB, UCSD BMS, UCSF BMS, and Gerstner Sloan Kettering. It's so exciting and unexpected and overwhelming! Looking forward to learning more about these programs and schools, still waiting on replies from two more schools. Good luck to everyone!

[KevAquarius]

Remember, there's always a period of time after you move before you're allowed to change residency (generally 1 year), and in some states you can live there as a student without ever having to claim residency. Makes income taxes a pain in the butt, but it buys you some time before you'd have to pay a registration fee in your new state!

 

I was distracted by the pizza cat as your avatar.

[sqxz]

If you're planning on packing up everything in your car and driving across the country, I would definitely recommend getting the more reliable vehicle before you move. Moving is stressful enough without having to worry about your car breaking down...

 

In my current city, people start signing leases for the next year in October. Since I had a laundry list of things I wanted in my new apartment, I decided that I needed to sign a lease ASAP after committing to my current program. As it was April at the time, I was finishing up my Honors thesis and getting ready for finals, so a trip to look at apartments was out of the question (especially after already having missed class to attend seven interviews). As such, I did as much research as I possibly could online and ended up signing the lease for my current apartment sight unseen. It has ended up working out for me, but I would definitely recommend against doing what I did if at all possible.

 

If you are going to take a trip to find your apartment, I would set up viewings beforehand. In my current city, landlords are required by law to give at least 24 hours notice prior to entering an apartment, and I suspect similar laws are in place in most parts of the country. Such delays between finding an apartment you are potentially interested in and getting to look at it will make your hotel stay longer. Setting up viewings before going will also allow you to iron out any scheduling problems beforehand rather than while you are on your trip.

 

Before planning such a trip, I would definitely check online to see if the timing of the trip is appropriate. In some cities (like my current one), housing options will be advertised months in advance of the start of the lease date. In my experience, this is especially true for companies that cater to students and have housing options close to campus. For these cities, it would be advantageous to take your trip as early as possible to prevent someone else from getting the apartment you want. For other cities, housing that is advertised will have leases that start anywhere from immediately to up to a month after the advertisement is posted. For those cities, it would obviously not make sense to plan an early trip as the options available then would most likely not be available for the time you wanted to move in.

 

 

While you're all talking about rent, how did you current grads relocate?

 

It's sounds silly, but I think this is what stresses me out the most about the whole process. But maybe it's because I drive a car that's as old as I am and I'm never quite sure if I'll make it to the grocery store alive. I'm planning to invest in a more reliable vehicle (I don't drive much now) but I don't know if I should do this before or after I move. Obviously having it before the move would be nice, but I would also have to pay to register it + insure it in both my current state and my future location. Did you make a trip to your school's city to go apartment-hunting for a few days? Or did you look at places online and set up viewings prior to the trip?