2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[ruckaround]

On 12/19/2013, 11:45:48, rexzeppelin said:

Imagine where we all might be in 30 years, huddled around dimly lit tables in nameless departmental basements, snow piling up outside as night falls, slurping coffee while poring over stacks of applications for a fresh crop of students, laughing at bad essays and remarking to your colleagues about how you could never get in nowadays. 

 

Happy holidays guys! 

From the thread two years ago.

[biochemgirl67]

7 hours ago, jaesango said:

I didn't apply, but my PI is involved in admissions so I could subtly ask for you

Please?  Please?  PLEASE?    You would be my favorite!

[123hardasABC]

17 hours ago, Microburritology said:

Okay I can't feel my legs....I GOT AN INTERVIEW INVITE TO THE DBBS PROGRAM AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS 5 minutes ago via email!!!!! 

Confirmed right away, booking my tickets for the interview weekend of January 14th.

All the hard work f***ing paid off. I'm so on top of the world nowwww!!!

Omg congratulations! And now I'll anxiously wait, lol. About time a school I applied to showed up on these ridiculously early interview invite posts!

 

Enjoy St. Louis! I'm also originally from LA but I moved to STL this month. I'm loving it!

[weilongli1]

I'm kinda jealous that the Biological Sciences applications are already getting responses... My Genetic Counseling applications aren't even due until Jan 15 and Interviews aren't until March! 

[StemCellBio]

21 hours ago, Gram Neutral said:

Congrats! I need to clarify lol, I didn't get a Vanderbilt interview. I just saw it on the survey. I meant I wasn't expecting an interview in the first round, so I wasn't disappointed that I didn't get one yet. They send them out in a lot of waves. 

I forgot about this page until you posted this yesterday, now I have one more site to constantly check, lol. None of the schools I have applied to have showed up on this forum but there is one UC Davis program on the survey already, I'm so nervous!

[Island_grl]

I got an interview at Emory's Genetics and Molecular Biology Program!! It's my first interview invite, so I'm beyond excited

[Microburritology]

Umm as far as resume is concerned, I'm sure they allow you to make changes to it. In fact it is the only part of the application which most universities allow changes to after a deadline.

2 hours ago, Ash04 said:

Hi Guys,

Congratulations on your invitations!! 

I think I made a mistake in some of my applications, I am not sure if its a big deal. 

So in the work experience section i forgot include a job that i worked for 4 months but I still put it in my resume.

Do you think this would affect my applications? I am a bit worried

@123hardasABC Thank you!! Your recommendation letter tips helped me a lot. Would like to meet you if you'll be around in STL at the same time!

36 minutes ago, 123hardasABC said:

Omg congratulations! And now I'll anxiously wait, lol. About time a school I applied to showed up on these ridiculously early interview invite posts!

 

Enjoy St. Louis! I'm also originally from LA but I moved to STL this month. I'm loving it!

Patience, my friend, patience 

34 minutes ago, weilongli1 said:

I'm kinda jealous that the Biological Sciences applications are already getting responses... My Genetic Counseling applications aren't even due until Jan 15 and Interviews aren't until March! 

They gave me the option of purchasing it myself and reimbursing later, or booking it through their agent. I think everywhere they give you that option?

12 hours ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Okay, I have a question.  Do all these interviews work on reimbursement?  I have like no money and my credit card is half maxed with the Vandy trip alone... does anyone know?

 

[4eyes]

just wondering, what's everyone's back-up plan if they don't decide to do grad school?

also are there any psyc applicants on here or is that another forum?

[Sarahjc]

1 hour ago, Island_grl said:

I got an interview at Emory's Genetics and Molecular Biology Program!! It's my first interview invite, so I'm beyond excited

Congrats!  I got invited to interview there too for the same program.

[Sarahjc]

The two interviews I have been invited on so far work by booking with their travel agent. 

[Infinito]

4 hours ago, Ash04 said:

 

Hi Guys,

Congratulations on your invitations!! 

I think I made a mistake in some of my applications, I am not sure if its a big deal. 

So in the work experience section i forgot include a job that i worked for 4 months but I still put it in my resume.

Do you think this would affect my applications? I am a bit worried

You're fine.
It's not like they're just going to disqualify your application because of that. More than anything, they'll either skip your resume, or skip what your wrote on the work section. I doubt they'll read both unless your resume didn't include it. I personally uploaded a two page C.V. for that reason.

[Extra Espresso]

SO JEALOUS. I still have 8 applications to finish, and I don't think any of my programs start sending invites until January.... I JUST WANT TO KNOW!!

[StrongTackleBacarySagna]

1 hour ago, 4eyes said:

just wondering, what's everyone's back-up plan if they don't decide to do grad school?

also are there any psyc applicants on here or is that another forum?

Seppuku

Also it's another forum at the bottom of the board

[4eyes]

49 minutes ago, StrongTackleBacarySagna said:

Seppuku

Also it's another forum at the bottom of the board

loooooool lol'd too hard.

hm yeah looks like the psyc/ neuro cog neuro boards are not very active 

[Extra Espresso]

Just now, 4eyes said:

hm yeah looks like the psyc/ neuro cog neuro boards are not very active 

Same with bioeng...  

[Gram Neutral]

2 hours ago, 4eyes said:

just wondering, what's everyone's back-up plan if they don't decide to do grad school?

also are there any psyc applicants on here or is that another forum?

I already did my backup plan for 2 years after applying originally as a Senior and not getting in. So... Lol. 

Edited December 8, 2015 by Gram Neutral

[4eyes]

1 minute ago, Gram Neutral said:

I already did my backup plan for 2 years after applying originally as a Senior and not getting in. So... Lol. 

a master's?

[parafilm]

1 minute ago, Gram Neutral said:

I already did my backup plan for 2 years after applying originally as a Senior and not getting in. So... Lol. 

Ditto. I did a master's, then got a cushy job in industry. It worked out-- I've been super happy. I hope I'll get in this time, but having been through it before I know life goes on. I still have a great job where I do real science (plus I currently make more than most post-docs, sighhh), and if I don't get in again, I may just stay in industry and eventually get an MBA. I really want to be a researcher (I wouldn't be giving up my salary and project if I didn't), but I'm closing in on 28 and I don't want to be a 35-year-old phd student. I feel like it's a win-win at this point. If I'm accepted, I get to go for a phd. If I don't, I already do cool science and have industry connections, I'll be ok.

So for you younger guys, it's gonna be fine! Hopefully you get in. If you don't, you'll feel devastated, but you'll figure it out. Hopefully I'm proof that experience and passion will eventually make up for mediocre grades. 

[Extra Espresso]

2 hours ago, 4eyes said:

just wondering, what's everyone's back-up plan if they don't decide to do grad school?

My back-up plan is to get some type of research assistant job. I'd love to do a post-bac at the NIH, or there are a couple labs I know that I could work in for a year before re-applying. 

[biosci]

3 hours ago, 4eyes said:

just wondering, what's everyone's back-up plan if they don't decide to do grad school?

If I don't get in anywhere is there any way to get any feedback from any of the ad-coms?

[Bioenchilada]

Lol all this talk about a plan B reminds me of the time I met a guy that got into Cornell for graduate school but decided to take a year off anyway because he wanted to go to Harvard Med .____.

[TheKinaser]

5 minutes ago, Bioenchilada said:

Lol all this talk about a plan B reminds me of the time I met a guy that got into Cornell for graduate school but decided to take a year off anyway because he wanted to go to Harvard Med .____.

Did he end up going to HMS or did he give up Cornell for nothing?

[Bioenchilada]

4 minutes ago, TheKinaser said:

Did he end up going to HMS or did he give up Cornell for nothing?

He took a year off and is reapplying to grad school soon lol

So you could say that he gave it up for nothing haha

[biosci]

Physiology final tomorrow... Literally studying how all this stress is damaging my brain...

[Gram Neutral]

1 hour ago, parafilm said:

Ditto. I did a master's, then got a cushy job in industry. It worked out-- I've been super happy. I hope I'll get in this time, but having been through it before I know life goes on. I still have a great job where I do real science (plus I currently make more than most post-docs, sighhh), and if I don't get in again, I may just stay in industry and eventually get an MBA. I really want to be a researcher (I wouldn't be giving up my salary and project if I didn't), but I'm closing in on 28 and I don't want to be a 35-year-old phd student. I feel like it's a win-win at this point. If I'm accepted, I get to go for a phd. If I don't, I already do cool science and have industry connections, I'll be ok.

So for you younger guys, it's gonna be fine! Hopefully you get in. If you don't, you'll feel devastated, but you'll figure it out. Hopefully I'm proof that experience and passion will eventually make up for mediocre grades. 

Same boat. Great industry gig here with a ton of really cool research. Just would really like to further my research career because I know you hit a hard ceiling without a PhD, even if I will be taking a huge pay cut. My company also offered to pay for my Master's at the school nearby, so I've been taking free courses. If I don't get in I will just finish my Master's, and call it a day. By then though I would be 28 going into phd and that's just too hard for me, especially if I want to settle down. 26 will be bad enough. 

Long story short, a rejection isn't the end of the world. I volunteered at a lab to gain experience while working another job, and that experience landed me a paid research job, which then landed me an internship in Europe(amazing) which got me my super cool job today that pays for my masters. You never know where life will take you, you just gotta make the best of it all. Story time over.