Dubblebubble898 Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 I haven't heard from 6 out of 9 schools I applied to (but others have heard according to the results page), should I be worried? Aughhh, the wait is killing me.
ghanada Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 Current UMich BME PhD (neural engineering, BCI, rehab robotics) student here. Just thought I would chime in with "insider" info since I know you are all in freak-out mode at this point. 1. UMich BME invites have mostly already went out. The Feb. 19-20 visit is completely set, there are 35 people coming. There's also a March 12-13 visit as well, but from the results page it sounds like those invites have been sent out as well. It may be possible to still get invited to the March interviews, but I'm guessing that is fairly unlikely at this point. Also, regarding UMich, I have heard from various faculty that the BME acceptance rate is around 5%, which I think is probably about right for all the top 10ish schools. So don't feel terrible about yourself if you don't get accepted to those schools, it is INCREDIBLY competitive and often just a luck of the draw. I only got into 3/18 schools when I applied. 2. Not all schools do interviews. As someone mentioned earlier, I can tell you Boston U will admit you straight up with full funding, no interviews. But there is still a recruitment weekend. However, pretty much all the top 10 schools have interviews. 3. The chances of acceptance after interview varies a lot from school to school. It particularly matters a lot on whether the school uses a "match-based" system. UMich is match-based so that means they won't accept you unless a faculty member puts in a contract to provide you funding for at least 5+ years. Columbia is the same. These types of schools often have lower acceptance rates, prob in the 70-85% range would be my guess. Other schools that don't use this system and offer you funding regardless if you find a match will have a higher post-interview acceptance rate. 4. Someone asked about Columbia. That was my second choice and I was almost committed to going there. The dept. is a bit newer than most and still working out some kinks. But the main challenge is space. They are a tiny campus and lab spaces are very small and cramped. But there's definitely some good work there, and if it is a good fit you should definitely consider it. Also, goto the interview weekend, it was awesome. We went on a booze cruise... 5. NSF/external funding is a game changer. I know of a handful of students here at UMich that were initially rejected but after receiving NSF reached out to many of their top choice schools and were granted immediate admissions. Seriously, if you get it, and you are a decently qualified applicant, you should have a lot more power in getting into top schools, even the ones that already rejected you. 6. If you haven't heard back yet from any schools, things are definitely not looking good. But that isn't to say all hope is lost. It is late in the game, but not completely over. I think admissions still get sent out throughout February. Once you get into March, then it will start to become less likely. The best thing you can do is reach out to POIs. If you can find someone that really wants you and has funding, they can often circumvent the regular admission procedures. But you really need to find someone that wants you. Good luck all, feel free to ask any questions if you have any. ballwera and braindump 2
unforseen Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 Suppose a school gives you the option of two different recruitment weekends and you choose the one on a later date. Can that negatively impact your acceptance chances? Does the school wait until both visitation weekends are over before sending out acceptances or do they start to match students with labs immediately after the first visitation weekend?
braindump Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 Good luck all, feel free to ask any questions if you have any. This was immensely helpful - thank you!! I will actually be attending the Michigan interview session in March (hopefully.. just emailed them and today was the deadline ). I applied for tissue engineering/biomaterials track, but I saw someone last year say they got rejected from UMich because there was no tissue engineering funding. Since you go there, do you know anything about this? Would this have any impact on this year's funding?
ghanada Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Suppose a school gives you the option of two different recruitment weekends and you choose the one on a later date. Can that negatively impact your acceptance chances? Does the school wait until both visitation weekends are over before sending out acceptances or do they start to match students with labs immediately after the first visitation weekend? Hmm, I can't say for sure. But I am pretty sure most schools (at least UMich) waits to send out post-interview acceptances until both interview sessions are over. They know that there are time conflicts and you may be choosing the later dates for accommodation (rather than priority). So unless a prof sees all the people they are interested in during the first interview round, I am sure they would wait until the second round is over to make final decisions. Which also means if you are attending the first round, you might be waiting a month or so to hear back about your acceptance. This was immensely helpful - thank you!! I will actually be attending the Michigan interview session in March (hopefully.. just emailed them and today was the deadline ). I applied for tissue engineering/biomaterials track, but I saw someone last year say they got rejected from UMich because there was no tissue engineering funding. Since you go there, do you know anything about this? Would this have any impact on this year's funding? No problem, I used this forum a lot when I was applying so I try to pay it forward. And yeah, I saw those comments about tissue engineering here at UMich. I am a bit surprised because that is a big field here and I have lots of friends doing tissue engineering. It must have just been a weird year last year. And again, it really isn't a dept thing either, it comes down to faculty funding. So it could have just been that all the faculty in tissue engineering weren't recruiting for last year? When you are at the interviews you should definitely ask and find out who has money for new students. It varies so much year to year. For instance, my class (2012) only had like 8 people. But I think this last 2014 class had like 30+. So it definitely fluctuates year to year. Good luck though, hopefully I'll meet you during the interviews! braindump 1
disasterprone Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 Hey ghanada, thanks for your great input and advice! You lay out your thoughts very well. I have family in Michigan and almost applied to UMich as well! The best thing you can do is reach out to POIs. If you can find someone that really wants you and has funding, they can often circumvent the regular admission procedures. But you really need to find someone that wants you. This is the only thing you said that I'm half-hesitant about/want to clarify. It seems like not such a good idea to cast a wide net of POI emails just because you're desperate for admission. This just wastes both their time and yours. I don't think that's what you're saying, but I want to make sure. Reaching out to POIs in the specific field that you're interested in or have done research before and that you perhaps have a connection to through research mentors or fellow students seems like the best way to go about it. And I think in those circumstances, you often can be taken in outside of "normal" admissions. Is that pretty much what your take on it is?
ghanada Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Hey ghanada, thanks for your great input and advice! You lay out your thoughts very well. I have family in Michigan and almost applied to UMich as well! This is the only thing you said that I'm half-hesitant about/want to clarify. It seems like not such a good idea to cast a wide net of POI emails just because you're desperate for admission. This just wastes both their time and yours. I don't think that's what you're saying, but I want to make sure. Reaching out to POIs in the specific field that you're interested in or have done research before and that you perhaps have a connection to through research mentors or fellow students seems like the best way to go about it. And I think in those circumstances, you often can be taken in outside of "normal" admissions. Is that pretty much what your take on it is? Thanks! Looking at your stats and school lists I was actually surprised you didn't apply to UMich. And yeah I think that is a good clarification. I can't emphasize enough how important advisor/research fit is. IT. IS. EVERYTHING. If you are serious about doing what is best for your future, this alone trumps school rank, reputation, ivy league name dropping, location, etc. If you are not happy with your advisor and/or research, it doesn't matter how awesome the school is, you will be miserable and continually question why you are doing what you are doing. But on the other hand, if you find an excellent fit (fortunately, I did), you will fly through your PhD. I am on track to finish my PhD in a total of 3.5 years. Not to say it is easy, believe me, it is a ton of work either way, but your daily satisfaction and sanity will make all the difference. I wake up looking forward to going into work and I get sad at the end of the day when I have to go home to sleep. But even in my own lab, there are people that didn't mesh well, and they are hating life. The way you fit in is a very personal experience. Don't take that for granted. So with that, I agree that you shouldn't spam e-mail a billion people that are just slightly relevant to your interests. That is definitely a waste of time. Only reach out to people you are genuinely interested in that are doing work that excites you. And also don't be surprised if you never hear a response back. Profs are super crazy busy and there are many situations in which a school won't let profs have a say in admissions. But I still recommend trying to contact the POIs that are good fits and at least just seeing what happens. The worst case is you just don't get a reply. And best case scenario (as in my case) is that even if you were set to be rejected your POI can circumvent the standard routes and find a way to get you in. mrobez 1
BME15 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Hello Everyone and ghanada, Thanks for the valuable information! What is the interview weekend and post-interview process like at Michigan (post-interview acceptance rate, etc.)?
beserkerolaf Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Any idea when we should hear from MIT BE? I saw some people got interviews and one person said they were rejected but I haven't heard anything from them.
shp9n0108 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 No word from MIT BE here too. and I haven't heard anything from Penn, UCSD, JHU as well
BME15 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Apparently we should hear something from MIT by the end of this week. Also no word on JHU, UPenn, and UCSD. I am guessing Stanford is done with all their interview invites?
beserkerolaf Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Out of curiosity, how do you know we should hear back from MIT BE by the end of the week?
Dubblebubble898 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I know, I haven't heard back from 6 out of 9 schools. I'm pretty sure it'll be a rejection from MIT BE, why can't they just email us now? Also, UCSD has been sending interview invites and rejections, but I haven't gotten any news, what should this mean? I also think that by now, an invite for UCSD is also very unlikely. Aughhh, the anticipation
BME15 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Out of curiosity, how do you know we should hear back from MIT BE by the end of the week? POI email
beserkerolaf Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Wow speak of the devil just heard back....oh well at least I got one of my top schools.
shp9n0108 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 same here just after I replied to your post.
disasterprone Posted February 4, 2015 Author Posted February 4, 2015 Just got my rejection email from MIT BE also! Guess the fit really was less than good haha. So much for 8/8 interviews...gotta stay humble somehow.
mrobez Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I'm actually a little glad I got rejected, I think I applied mainly for the name and to stick it to them for rejecting me from undergrad 5 years ago... In retrospect I didn't feel too attached to any of the research there and they could probably tell in my app. I should not have thrown all that money down the drain, oh well.
bme15Applicant Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Just got my acceptance from BU! Apparently it really isn't too late to be hearing...!
ChineseAmigo Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Just got my acceptance from BU! Apparently it really isn't too late to be hearing...! Same here, but I got a rejection from MIT afterwards. Oh well, it was a long shot anyways
Dubblebubble898 Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Has anyone heard back from Harvard yet? I haven't but my friend has
ghanada Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Hello Everyone and ghanada, Thanks for the valuable information! What is the interview weekend and post-interview process like at Michigan (post-interview acceptance rate, etc.)? Usually on the first day everyone comes in at different times, usually afternoon/evening. Maybe some lab tours earlier in the day if you arrive in time. But these tours are pretty rushed as the campus is huge and there are tons of labs. Then there is just an informal dinner at a pizza restaurant with current grad students. In the next morning, there is usually an Ann Arbor tour, sometimes they take you to the football stadium for a private tour. Then the first full day is interviews with POIs, I think 30 min each. Also, a designated current grad student will take you off campus to get lunch. There might be more lab tours in the afternoon. That night is a nicer, catered dinner with both grad students and profs. After dinner, you go out to the bars with the grad students. You head home the next day. Another "already attending" BME person in this forum actually wrote up a blog about her interview visits to UCSD, UW, UPitt, Cornell, and UMich. Her username is budgie and in her signature she links to her blog here: https://gradinterviewadventures.wordpress.com/page/2/ She did a really good job detailing each school's interview weekends and gives great advice in narrowing down your choices. And as far as UMich post-acceptance rate, I have no clue. Like I said earlier, 70-85% would be my best guess, but it changes so much every year. Try to focus on finding a good advisor fit and make sure you present yourself well and show how you would make great contributions to the lab.
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