MOR_embryo Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hello!! Congrats on Emory Hope to see you in the fall! As for your concerns, you are right, since the molecular and systems pharmacology program is actually under Emory's umbrella program, you can rotate with any of the faculty associated with GDBBS (so if you're interested in a lab in cancer bio or neuroscience, for example, you can still rotate with them and even do your thesis in those labs outside of MSP) Thanks for the advice, and this just adds so much more to research in the next month. I am really interested in the programs for career development and Emory is on the list for receiving the BEST grant (along with UNC and Vanderbilt). What types of seminars are they holding for careers in industry and have you applied for the internship that this grant supports? What is your take on the MS in Clinical Research and Certificate Program in Translational Research? They seem like great programs and I've heard one anecdote of the Translational Research Certificate landing an Emory student a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanaxurato Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Fingers crossed. Remember the stats they showed us? Last year they offered position to some 152 applicants and 57 out of them enrolled. So there is a chance that we are in the waiting list, although I am too afraid to be even this optimistic. Let's hope for the best. And hearing about the third interview session is a relief. Was Columbia your first preference? Yeah, I thought it was funny that they gave us all the stats. None of the other programs I've interviewed at bothered to include that information. I am still unsure about what my first preference is. Today I got admission to the Rockefeller University. Rockefeller's program sounds really, really good, and I loved talking to all the scientists I met there. However, the work they do is much more heavy on the experimental side, rather than the computational biology which I would prefer to pursue. If I get admitted to Columbia's computational biology and bioinformatics program as well it will be a really hard decision to make. I assume Columbia is your first choice? I hope you get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalish Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Yeah, I thought it was funny that they gave us all the stats. None of the other programs I've interviewed at bothered to include that information. I am still unsure about what my first preference is. Today I got admission to the Rockefeller University. Rockefeller's program sounds really, really good, and I loved talking to all the scientists I met there. However, the work they do is much more heavy on the experimental side, rather than the computational biology which I would prefer to pursue. If I get admitted to Columbia's computational biology and bioinformatics program as well it will be a really hard decision to make. I assume Columbia is your first choice? I hope you get it! That's great news. Congratulations for your success and I hope good news will keep coming. Columbia is my first preference. since I am willing to stay here in NY and I am quite familiar with Columbia because of my master's. I also have a PhD offer from Cambridge, but funding in UK is always an issue. I have the Gates-Cambridge scholarship interview next month and that can settle the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanaxurato Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 That's great news. Congratulations for your success and I hope good news will keep coming. Columbia is my first preference. since I am willing to stay here in NY and I am quite familiar with Columbia because of my master's. I also have a PhD offer from Cambridge, but funding in UK is always an issue. I have the Gates-Cambridge scholarship interview next month and that can settle the problem. Thanks! Wow, getting to go to Cambridge sounds like an amazing opportunity, and that is no slouch of a second choice. Good luck with the scholarship interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickie Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I didn't get accepted to the school I wanted. Is it frowned upon to apply the following year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velli Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I didn't get accepted to the school I wanted. Is it frowned upon to apply the following year? It's normal for someone to apply to a given program twice, but I might disagree with reapplying to a program that rejected you post interview if there were issues with your fit in the program. I'm not sure if that's your case but I'd hesitate to call anything my outright top choice until visiting and seeing what they're all about in person. Forgive me if this is an incorrect assumption, but the way you worded your post sounds like you have offers from other programs. If you decline an offer, you should not reapply to that program. I think it's irresponsible decline your offers for a chance to reapply for one program, even though that's the dream. You wouldn't have applied to 2nd, 3rd, etc choices if you didn't think you might attend them, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reformedlearner Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 On the topic of declining offers: Who do you contact? The graduate secretary? The faculty member that offered acceptance? Both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickie Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 It's normal for someone to apply to a given program twice, but I might disagree with reapplying to a program that rejected you post interview if there were issues with your fit in the program. I'm not sure if that's your case but I'd hesitate to call anything my outright top choice until visiting and seeing what they're all about in person. Forgive me if this is an incorrect assumption, but the way you worded your post sounds like you have offers from other programs. If you decline an offer, you should not reapply to that program. I think it's irresponsible decline your offers for a chance to reapply for one program, even though that's the dream. You wouldn't have applied to 2nd, 3rd, etc choices if you didn't think you might attend them, right? I did have an onsite interview, I think that's what makes it worse. I figured reapplying would be daft but I wanted to get the consensus of the people. And your assumption was rightish, had other interviews haven't an offer yet on those. And I would take one in heartbeat if it meant that I can continue my passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meep_Meep Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 On the topic of declining offers: Who do you contact? The graduate secretary? The faculty member that offered acceptance? Both? I think it depends on how you were contacted. I have some that I know I can just fill out an online form and leave it at that. However, there are several that the program directors have specifically asked that I email them personally as soon as I know my decision. I think it depends on the school and size of program, but they'll often specify? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glow_gene Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think it depends on how you were contacted. I have some that I know I can just fill out an online form and leave it at that. However, there are several that the program directors have specifically asked that I email them personally as soon as I know my decision. I think it depends on the school and size of program, but they'll often specify? ^^^Good advice. I mostly got in touch with the program coordinator. He/She is usually the one doing all the paperwork and any message you send to anyone else will ultimately have to go to him/here to be official. I then usually sent a thankful/regretful e-mail to any POI I had been in touch with. Be careful with your order of operations, though. I did this at one school and got a "WAIT! But we have this extra-funding for you!" after I had already officially declined. Awkward turtle. I feel like I burned a bridge there because I declined to hear about the funding offer, despite her insisting.....I could/should have handled it better but I was caught off-guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeee1923 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Well all my decisions are in - it's time to make one of the biggest choices in my life (at least for the next few years). Hopefully I should reach a decision within the next 2 weeks. gliaful, elkheart, kimmibeans and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmibeans Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Good luck eteshoe! You have a lot of great choices eeee1923 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amertume Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Thanks for the advice, and this just adds so much more to research in the next month. I am really interested in the programs for career development and Emory is on the list for receiving the BEST grant (along with UNC and Vanderbilt). What types of seminars are they holding for careers in industry and have you applied for the internship that this grant supports? What is your take on the MS in Clinical Research and Certificate Program in Translational Research? They seem like great programs and I've heard one anecdote of the Translational Research Certificate landing an Emory student a job. I'll message you! amertume and tito balisimo 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunnyCurrent Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Vollum/OHSU NGP acceptances are rolling out. I absolutely loved the program - will be deciding between there and Columbia within the week. gliaful 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eznai Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Yeah, I thought it was funny that they gave us all the stats. None of the other programs I've interviewed at bothered to include that information. I am still unsure about what my first preference is. Today I got admission to the Rockefeller University. Rockefeller's program sounds really, really good, and I loved talking to all the scientists I met there. However, the work they do is much more heavy on the experimental side, rather than the computational biology which I would prefer to pursue. If I get admitted to Columbia's computational biology and bioinformatics program as well it will be a really hard decision to make. I assume Columbia is your first choice? I hope you get it! I think you can view these stats for most programs. Have a look on the petersons website! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meep_Meep Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I attend my final interview weekend tomorrow but already know I want to go elsewhere...I have already written the acceptance email for the program and am itching to hit send. I should wait until after this interview...right? It would be rude to accept my top choice before then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username1824 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I attend my final interview weekend tomorrow but already know I want to go elsewhere...I have already written the acceptance email for the program and am itching to hit send. I should wait until after this interview...right? It would be rude to accept my top choice before then? Well, what if you accept your school that you wanna go to, then you go to the interview, are BLOWN AWAY at the interview, and can't accept their offer. Your offer at the school you wanna go to will still be there after the weekend, so it's safe to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliaful Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Well, what if you accept your school that you wanna go to, then you go to the interview, are BLOWN AWAY at the interview, and can't accept their offer. Your offer at the school you wanna go to will still be there after the weekend, so it's safe to wait. It's definitely better to wait to formally accept because, as username 1824 said, you might be blown away. However, if both schools are part of the CGS agreement, then you are technically free to accept an offer and then retract your acceptance in order to accept a different offer (all before April 15th, of course). However, I am not sure how one could ever write a retraction email -- that sounds like the worst experience ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meep_Meep Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) It's definitely better to wait to formally accept because, as username 1824 said, you might be blown away. However, if both schools are part of the CGS agreement, then you are technically free to accept an offer and then retract your acceptance in order to accept a different offer (all before April 15th, of course). However, I am not sure how one could ever write a retraction email -- that sounds like the worst experience ever. Well, what if you accept your school that you wanna go to, then you go to the interview, are BLOWN AWAY at the interview, and can't accept their offer. Your offer at the school you wanna go to will still be there after the weekend, so it's safe to wait. Sigh, I know. It is just so hard, I'm ready to know what I'm doing for the fall! Edited March 5, 2015 by Meep_Meep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliaful Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) Sigh, I know. It is just so hard, I'm ready to know what I'm doing for the fall! Just have fun at this final interview, if you truly feel like you've informally made your decision. I learned so much at my interviews! You really get a good sampling of how a variety of people in your field are approaching the same (or a family of closely related) questions. If you plan on doing a postdoc and going into academia, you can also use the experience to assess whether you might like to return to the university in the future. Edited March 5, 2015 by pasteltomato elkheart and amertume 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballwera Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Just got an interview invite for a program at Case. Better late than never I suppose. kimmibeans 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expandyourmind Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I attend my final interview weekend tomorrow but already know I want to go elsewhere...I have already written the acceptance email for the program and am itching to hit send. I should wait until after this interview...right? It would be rude to accept my top choice before then? it's also VERY good to just keep networking! my PI told me that it's pretty common for people who have already had their PhD to come back around and say "hey, remember me from the interviews a few years ago?" these could be your future bosses, collaborators, mentors or even friends. now that you've almost decided where to go, some of these people you could ask for a postdoc position if everything goes well! insaneinthemembrane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkheart Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 (Sorry in advance to those who are having a rough time with things this application cycle, but...) Getting accepted into several programs is obviously great, and having been accepted to all the programs I applied to is even better (pending), but this honestly feels like a low point for me. Knowing that the ball is now squarely back in my court is stressing me out more than waiting to hear back was! I enjoyed every single visit, and if I could accept every offer I would. I genuinely feel bad about having to pick just one. Also, to add to the stress, it seems hard to overstate how significant this choice it will actually be for my life. What is wrong with my brain? Does this make sense to anyone but me? I guess a part of me didn't believe I'd get this far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwesternAloha Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 (Sorry in advance to those who are having a rough time with things this application cycle, but...) Getting accepted into several programs is obviously great, and having been accepted to all the programs I applied to is even better (pending), but this honestly feels like a low point for me. Knowing that the ball is now squarely back in my court is stressing me out more than waiting to hear back was! I enjoyed every single visit, and if I could accept every offer I would. I genuinely feel bad about having to pick just one. Also, to add to the stress, it seems hard to overstate how significant this choice it will actually be for my life. What is wrong with my brain? Does this make sense to anyone but me? I guess a part of me didn't believe I'd get this far... It definitely makes sense and you do not need to apologize for feeling the way you do. I, personally, struggle with making decisions, so I can relate. It's easier when the decision is made for you, since, from what you mentioned - it seems you'd be happy at any/most of the institutions. Take some time, step back from the situation, then when you come back and revisit the decision making process, it may be very clear to you. Trust your gut. amertume 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutellarain Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 (Sorry in advance to those who are having a rough time with things this application cycle, but...) Getting accepted into several programs is obviously great, and having been accepted to all the programs I applied to is even better (pending), but this honestly feels like a low point for me. Knowing that the ball is now squarely back in my court is stressing me out more than waiting to hear back was! I enjoyed every single visit, and if I could accept every offer I would. I genuinely feel bad about having to pick just one. Also, to add to the stress, it seems hard to overstate how significant this choice it will actually be for my life. What is wrong with my brain? Does this make sense to anyone but me? I guess a part of me didn't believe I'd get this far... Same here! I want to go to every school I interviewed at for varying reasons. Everyone keeps saying that you will know which one is the best fit or to go with your gut, but I just feel like splitting into four people and going to every school. If it comes down to it, I may try a coin flip march madness-style bracket: heads is one school, tails the other. Take note if you feel happy or sad when a school wins and the winner moves on to compete against the next school. I'll probably throw in some pro and con tables too insaneinthemembrane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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