disasterprone Posted February 9, 2015 Author Posted February 9, 2015 Anyone heard from UCSD BE? I wonder if they realize they have applications pending ... I'm pretty confident that UCSD has now sent out almost all of their invites. The dates we were given were Feb 13 (this Friday) and Feb 27. If you haven't gotten an invite or a rejection by now, you're probably on some sort of waitlist. You can see on the results search (http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=UCSD+Bioengineering) with different phrasings of "UCSD/UC San Diego Bioengineering" that some rejections have been sent out already.
madbiochemist Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 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? Hey guys! I worked at UCSD in the BE department several years ago and am still friends with my PI there. He said that SOME of the interview invites and rejections were sent out already, but the graduate admissions coordinator broke her arm recently and is slowly getting to the rest of them. So don't worry yet on that front! They should come in soon. braindump 1
BME15 Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 2015 One was sent today.. They are just running late then. Thanks!
disasterprone Posted February 10, 2015 Author Posted February 10, 2015 Hey guys! I worked at UCSD in the BE department several years ago and am still friends with my PI there. He said that SOME of the interview invites and rejections were sent out already, but the graduate admissions coordinator broke her arm recently and is slowly getting to the rest of them. So don't worry yet on that front! They should come in soon. Ahh, thanks for the insight!
mc738 Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 Question for everyone: How are you guys handling missing classes and work due to campus visits and traveling? I have four campus visits scheduled for this semester so far and, as a result, I'm going to be missing mandatory labs, exams, quizzes, etc., which really stresses me out. Obviously, arrangements can be made with professors, but I feel burdensome when every other week I would be asking for some sort of extension, exemption, or rescheduling. I also just feel bad that I'm missing so much class and am afraid I'll fall behind in some of the material. What do you guys think, especially those who have tons of interviews scheduled? Have most of your professors been receptive or not very accommodating? Is this what the last semester of undergrad is supposed to be like - a logistical nightmare? Should I even care this much at this point haha? I'd appreciate whatever feedback you guys can give! Thanks!
braindump Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 Question for everyone: How are you guys handling missing classes and work due to campus visits and traveling? I have four campus visits scheduled for this semester so far and, as a result, I'm going to be missing mandatory labs, exams, quizzes, etc., which really stresses me out. Obviously, arrangements can be made with professors, but I feel burdensome when every other week I would be asking for some sort of extension, exemption, or rescheduling. I also just feel bad that I'm missing so much class and am afraid I'll fall behind in some of the material. What do you guys think, especially those who have tons of interviews scheduled? Have most of your professors been receptive or not very accommodating? Is this what the last semester of undergrad is supposed to be like - a logistical nightmare? Should I even care this much at this point haha? I'd appreciate whatever feedback you guys can give! Thanks! I'm not a full-time student this semester, so I can't really imagine having double the stress I do now, but about a week or so ago I spoke with both of my professors and explained that I have interviews/graduate visits every weekend for a while, and will basically be missing over a month of Thursdays in a row, plus a Wednesday or two (I have no class on Fridays). They were both very accommodating and said the same thing: "interviews are the priority!" Which, if you think about it, is very true. At this point, as long as you pass your last few classes, the interviews/visits are the most important factor affecting your immediate future right now. I'm sure your professors would be willing to reschedule exams or give a makeup. I'm going to make up the labs I miss on Mondays or Tuesdays, and I'll just try my best to keep up with lectures I miss (lots of down time on planes/in airports!). At first I thought it was stressful, but now I think it's exciting. You get to travel and see new places, meet new people! Try to make the most out of it and maybe fall into a rigid schedule for keeping up with classwork. Congrats on so many visits.
commodork Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 Question for everyone: How are you guys handling missing classes and work due to campus visits and traveling? I have four campus visits scheduled for this semester so far and, as a result, I'm going to be missing mandatory labs, exams, quizzes, etc., which really stresses me out. Obviously, arrangements can be made with professors, but I feel burdensome when every other week I would be asking for some sort of extension, exemption, or rescheduling. I also just feel bad that I'm missing so much class and am afraid I'll fall behind in some of the material. What do you guys think, especially those who have tons of interviews scheduled? Have most of your professors been receptive or not very accommodating? Is this what the last semester of undergrad is supposed to be like - a logistical nightmare? Should I even care this much at this point haha? I'd appreciate whatever feedback you guys can give! Thanks! I specifically took less structured classes, cuz I figured this would be a nightmare. For my couple more conventional engineering courses, I'm just planning on putting together a schedule of all my anticipated conflicts and visiting the prof in office hours with it. I'm hoping they'll be more understanding if I'm really proactive and organized about it (and really apologetic as well). Honestly though, I feel like it will be fine. Every professor went through this once, and, in my experience, they looooove being involved in students' application process. I wouldn't sweat it too much, just be responsible about making arrangements.
mc738 Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 Thanks for the responses and the feedback! I really appreciate it!
bme15Applicant Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 Question for everyone: How are you guys handling missing classes and work due to campus visits and traveling? I have four campus visits scheduled for this semester so far and, as a result, I'm going to be missing mandatory labs, exams, quizzes, etc., which really stresses me out. Obviously, arrangements can be made with professors, but I feel burdensome when every other week I would be asking for some sort of extension, exemption, or rescheduling. I also just feel bad that I'm missing so much class and am afraid I'll fall behind in some of the material. What do you guys think, especially those who have tons of interviews scheduled? Have most of your professors been receptive or not very accommodating? Is this what the last semester of undergrad is supposed to be like - a logistical nightmare? Should I even care this much at this point haha? I'd appreciate whatever feedback you guys can give! Thanks! One of my professors won't let me makeup an exam Im missing so I will automatically fail it. At first I was frustrated, but this is a huge decision we are all making and I decided I'm not going to let a stubborn professor get in the way of finding my perfect fit. If I get a C in the class so be it! Like anyone can blame us for not having perfect grades after being gone 2 months straight...!
braindump Posted February 11, 2015 Posted February 11, 2015 One of my professors won't let me makeup an exam Im missing so I will automatically fail it. At first I was frustrated, but this is a huge decision we are all making and I decided I'm not going to let a stubborn professor get in the way of finding my perfect fit. If I get a C in the class so be it! Like anyone can blame us for not having perfect grades after being gone 2 months straight...! I feel like that's something you should be able to take to the department...
disasterprone Posted February 12, 2015 Author Posted February 12, 2015 Question for everyone: How are you guys handling missing classes and work due to campus visits and traveling? I have four campus visits scheduled for this semester so far and, as a result, I'm going to be missing mandatory labs, exams, quizzes, etc., which really stresses me out. Obviously, arrangements can be made with professors, but I feel burdensome when every other week I would be asking for some sort of extension, exemption, or rescheduling. I also just feel bad that I'm missing so much class and am afraid I'll fall behind in some of the material. What do you guys think, especially those who have tons of interviews scheduled? Have most of your professors been receptive or not very accommodating? Is this what the last semester of undergrad is supposed to be like - a logistical nightmare? Should I even care this much at this point haha? I'd appreciate whatever feedback you guys can give! Thanks! Yeah, kinda echoing what others said. I'm doing seven recruitment visits and am missing basically Wed-Sat for the next month+ with a 10-day/3program trip scattered in there somewhere. I'm lucky that I basically only have one lecture/commitment from Wednesday afternoons to the end of the week this quarter, so I'm not really missing much. Honestly, I haven't even told my professor I'm going to be gone...except for having to reschedule the final exam to make my last visit (yay quarter system). For the class I do miss, I have an awesome study group that I can get notes on and do hw with. If I didn't have that support, I don't know what I'd do! Really though, the advice I got from a 1st year BioE PhD student is that unless you're trying to keep a 4.0 (ha!) or otherwise graduate with summa cum laude or something, classes don't really matter at this point. Especially classes that don't have to do with your field of interest (even bioengineering classes). One of my professors won't let me makeup an exam Im missing so I will automatically fail it. At first I was frustrated, but this is a huge decision we are all making and I decided I'm not going to let a stubborn professor get in the way of finding my perfect fit. If I get a C in the class so be it! Like anyone can blame us for not having perfect grades after being gone 2 months straight...! Yikes. Does your school normally have students interviewing for PhD programs? From your bio post earlier, it seems like it would. I'd definitely try to bring it up with the department or try again to reschedule it. In the end, you're right...grades don't really matter a whole lot at this point. But that's still extra stress that doesn't need to be put on any of us right now :/
bkcsmn Posted February 12, 2015 Posted February 12, 2015 Slightly off topic Has anyone heard from Dartmouth College? Had an interview in Dec and have not heard anything. Thanks
madbiochemist Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Also off topic, does anyone have a rough idea of how many students the JHU BME Ph.D. program accepts post-interview? I have a visit this week and am excited, but pretty nervous as well. Since they accept ~70 students, I would imagine they wouldn't fly out many more than that, but they're also loaded... Any insight would ease my nerves.
HopefulGrad555 Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Well, some of the training grants got cut earlier this year, so they're accepting less than normal. Plus one of the heads of graduate admissions died suddenly in November, so things are a little different than normal and no one knows what's going to happen. I'm a student at Hopkins who applied to PhD program, and I heard this from my PI.
shp9n0108 Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 What is the dress code for the recruitment visit or interview? Would business casual work or should I be more formal? I am confused because one of the school I am visiting says 'our dress code is your comfort'
BME15 Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Heard the same thing about Hopkins. I am a current MSE student in BME here. Wasnt sure if the different dates are each geared toward one of the subfields though. Seems this first one is more neuroeng and tissue?
madbiochemist Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 What is the dress code for the recruitment visit or interview? Would business casual work or should I be more formal? I am confused because one of the school I am visiting says 'our dress code is your comfort' I would err towards business or business casual. Maybe bring a nicer outfit or more casual outfit that you can change into if you grossly over or underestimated. I wouldn't imagine anyone would think business or business casual was weird. You could always email the coordinator if you're really concerned.
disasterprone Posted February 16, 2015 Author Posted February 16, 2015 Speaking of Hopkins, has anybody else had a miserable experience with booking flights? The travel agent that I'm in contact with has to be one of the most unprofessional people I have ever met. It's like she can't understand anything I say...and I can barely interpret her emails due to her poor grammar/punctuation and misspelling.
madbiochemist Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Speaking of Hopkins, has anybody else had a miserable experience with booking flights? The travel agent that I'm in contact with has to be one of the most unprofessional people I have ever met. It's like she can't understand anything I say...and I can barely interpret her emails due to her poor grammar/punctuation and misspelling. No, that was unfortunately my experience as well. I asked her if she could get me a late flight out on Wednesday and an early flight on Saturday. She was really confused and after a while I just let her book me a 7:45 am flight Wednesday and 7 pm flight on Saturday... I mean, visiting is great, but it's supposed to be a 2 day interview and it turned into a 4 day engagement. Getting reimbursed after the fact is also pretty odd.
disasterprone Posted February 16, 2015 Author Posted February 16, 2015 No, that was unfortunately my experience as well. I asked her if she could get me a late flight out on Wednesday and an early flight on Saturday. She was really confused and after a while I just let her book me a 7:45 am flight Wednesday and 7 pm flight on Saturday... I mean, visiting is great, but it's supposed to be a 2 day interview and it turned into a 4 day engagement. Getting reimbursed after the fact is also pretty odd. Yeah, I need an afternoon flight out from the West Coast. She's literally gone through 3 or 4 different itineraries and each time I repeat my original request (I already gave her the actual flight numbers I needed), she fixes one thing and regresses back on two others. It's beyond frustrating. Plus, she was haggling with me over a $40 difference in flight costs. And then didn't respond to my email for 5 days. By the time she got back to me, the flights were $200 more expensive and she expects me to pay the difference...smh
HopefulGrad555 Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 Hmm, sounds like Hopkins. On another note, does anyone have any idea why UPenn, UMich, and Northwestern are pretty late this year? I know there were a bunch of Northwestern earlier but they all seemed to be from one track? Does anyone know when UPenn interview dates will be?
braindump Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 Hmm, sounds like Hopkins. On another note, does anyone have any idea why UPenn, UMich, and Northwestern are pretty late this year? I know there were a bunch of Northwestern earlier but they all seemed to be from one track? Does anyone know when UPenn interview dates will be? I don't know if this helps but I know UMich has sent out at least a few interview invites (March 12-14). Not sure if they do waves or not.
disasterprone Posted February 17, 2015 Author Posted February 17, 2015 Hmm, sounds like Hopkins. On another note, does anyone have any idea why UPenn, UMich, and Northwestern are pretty late this year? I know there were a bunch of Northwestern earlier but they all seemed to be from one track? Does anyone know when UPenn interview dates will be? Don't know about UMich, but I think UPenn and Northwestern have already set out at least one set of invites. One of my undergrad classmates applied to UPenn and visited last week I think and I'm visiting Northwestern this week.
shp9n0108 Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 For those of you interviewing at Stanford or UCB/UCSF, do you know whom you are interviewing with? We were asked to provide list of faculties we would like to interview with, have you heard from the school since then regarding the interview schedule?
braindump Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 For those of you interviewing at Stanford or UCB/UCSF, do you know whom you are interviewing with? We were asked to provide list of faculties we would like to interview with, have you heard from the school since then regarding the interview schedule? Interviewing with Stanford and I haven't heard anything yet. I don't really expect anything more than a week in advance.
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