2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[ruckaround]

On 12/12/2015 at 10:51 AM, Caffeine Junky said:

Im sure no one knows for sure but does anyone think/know if all UPenn BGS will go out today? Or just certain concentrations? I saw neuro and I had heart palpitations, I applied for cancer bio!

 

On 12/12/2015 at 11:05 AM, parafilm said:

Me too. Fingers crossed! But I think immunology and CAMB are separate, so it may not mean anything for us.

For what it's worth, if you look at the CAMB public google calendar (on the front page of their website) the admissions committee is meeting tomorrow (potentially for the first time?)

Fingers crossed for everyone hoping for good news this week! <3

[Ferroportin]

This is only tangentially relevant to this thread, but does anyone have some helpful resources/links on how to prepare for interviews? Just things like dress code, typical interview questions, etc. 

[biotechie]

5 minutes ago, Ferroportin said:

This is only tangentially relevant to this thread, but does anyone have some helpful resources/links on how to prepare for interviews? Just things like dress code, typical interview questions, etc. 

I wrote a fairly detailed blog post in January 2014 that might be helpful, and @fuzzylogician gave some good additions in the comments. If something is not covered there, let me know and I will add it and comment it on here.

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/452-all-about-interviews-experiences-for-the-gc-minions/

Edited December 14, 2015 by biotechie
Updated to tag Fuzzylogician

[Ferroportin]

2 minutes ago, biotechie said:

I wrote a fairly detailed blog post in January 2014 that might be helpful, and @Fuzzylogician gave some good additions in the comments. If something is not covered there, let me know and I will add it and comment it on here.

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/452-all-about-interviews-experiences-for-the-gc-minions/

Thanks! Just what I was looking for 

[ms_green_genes]

50 minutes ago, biosci said:

May just be being paranoid and reading too much into things, but does it mean anything which interview date they offer you?  If they have 2 interview dates listed on their website but they offer you the second, is that bad?

At least for UNC-Chapel Hill, based on what I read on their website, they have several different weekends, each focused on particular areas. They prefer you come to the weekend that focuses on your area, but they recognize conflicts may exist, and you can arrange to go to any weekend.

[Bioenchilada]

56 minutes ago, ruckaround said:

 

For what it's worth, if you look at the CAMB public google calendar (on the front page of their website) the admissions committee is meeting tomorrow (potentially for the first time?)

Fingers crossed for everyone hoping for good news this week! <3

Oh god, that means that they'll start sending invites tomorrow (based on last years' survey) D: 

[123hardasABC]

Welcome back to Anxiety Anonymous tread, everyone

 

Just kidding. It's good to finally be rid of negative trolls. 

[biosci]

2 hours ago, Infinito said:

Don't read too much into it.

There are many reasons for that. You could also, if you have a conflict, say you need the first weekend. 

But, it's usually either due to the following.

a. The department of interest you have (within an umbrella program) puts on you a different weekend;

b. It's set by the graduate school and not the department, so it's to make sure the whole campus isn't flooded one weekend;

c. It's based on rolling admissions (i.e. someone's app was approved first so they designated them to come the first weekend until all slots filled up, then you got bumped to the second weekend);

d. The lowest probability option is that the first weekend interviewees have a higher rank, but this isn't viable in most places because schools don't send invites unless they have too low applicants, or you have a 70% chance of being admitted because they want you. It's not cost effective to make people interview and pay for them to come if the department thinks you aren't already a viable candidate.

So breathe. Don't think about it. Just go with it.

 

1 hour ago, AmyShelton said:

At least for UNC-Chapel Hill, based on what I read on their website, they have several different weekends, each focused on particular areas. They prefer you come to the weekend that focuses on your area, but they recognize conflicts may exist, and you can arrange to go to any weekend.

Thanks. Once the shock wore off I started getting worried again

[adiJ]

Is 2 business days good for replying back to accept the interview and date? (got it Friday morning and hopefully will reply monday night) Duke gave me two weekends and did not specify a response time, just ASAP. I know that one might conflict with another school's. I might be too optimistic but should I just pick one weekend and hope for the best?

[jaesango]

3 minutes ago, adiJ said:

Is 2 business days good for replying back to accept the interview and date? (got it Friday morning and hopefully will reply monday night) Duke gave me two weekends and did not specify a response time, just ASAP. I know that one might conflict with another school's. I might be too optimistic but should I just pick one weekend and hope for the best?

I replied about an hour after I received the email. I'm not sure if there's an appropriate wait time but I replied as soon as I confirmed my schedule

[adiJ]

14 minutes ago, jaesango said:

I replied about an hour after I received the email. I'm not sure if there's an appropriate wait time but I replied as soon as I confirmed my schedule

Yeesh, the problem is that I have no schedule and this is my first interview lol. Whatever, I guess I will send it tonight. Thanks!

Edited December 14, 2015 by adiJ

[biochemgirl67]

7 minutes ago, adiJ said:

Is 2 business days good for replying back to accept the interview and date? (got it Friday morning and hopefully will reply monday night) Duke gave me two weekends and did not specify a response time, just ASAP. I know that one might conflict with another school's. I might be too optimistic but should I just pick one weekend and hope for the best?

the only problem with waiting is the weekend you want may fill up anyway, but I don't think there should be an issue with the timeline you've proposed.

[Ferroportin]

3 minutes ago, adiJ said:

Yeesh, the problem is that I have no schedule and this is my first interview lol. Whatever, I guess I will sent it tonight. Thanks!

Yeah I'm realizing that scheduling is going to be a big problem now that I've laid out the interview dates for my programs...

[Gvh]

Ugh! So of course today my phone got stolen :/ Excellent timing. Does anyone know if interview invites that occur via phone also send emails? I won't have a replacement for a couple days and it would be ridiculous if I missed out on an interview because I temporarily my lost my phone! :/

[Ferroportin]

Just now, Gvh said:

Ugh! So of course today my phone got stolen :/ Excellent timing. Does anyone know if interview invites that occur via phone also send emails? I won't have a replacement for a couple days and it would be ridiculous if I missed out on an interview because I temporarily my lost my phone! :/

The interview invite I got via phone followed up with a more detailed email. I'm pretty sure all programs will send an email since you still need to coordinate flights and interview dates with them, which is harder to do over the phone. 

[Earl]

does anyone know if all of the invites for Yale BBS Immunology have gone out?  ....  or if the invites go out in waves?

[Tanids]

Just my first interview invite (email) from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston)!! Was a total shock!! I didn't think invites would go out on the weekend let alone in the evening! Sooo excited!!!

[laxgoal100]

Congrats to the people receiving interviews. Man I'm nervous... I hope one comes soon!

[biosci]

1 hour ago, Tanids said:

Just my first interview invite (email) from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston)!! Was a total shock!! I didn't think invites would go out on the weekend let alone in the evening! Sooo excited!!!

Congrats!

[partydon'tstarttillIwalkin]

Here I throw my application info, too. As an international, though, I really hope I just get a couple of interviews among about ten schools I applied.  

 

Undergrad Institution: small liberal arts college in MA, well respected in biology. transferred from a big state school (in AR) after freshmen year
Major(s): biological sciences
Minor(s): philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.53 (two schools combined)
Overall GPA: 3.67 (two schools combined)
Position in Class: no idea
Type of Student: international female 

GRE Scores (revised version):
Q: 164
V: 154
W: 4.0
B: -

Research Experience: My research experience is rather a mix of short internships, but all of them are well connected to my graduate research interest. Majority of my applications are to molecular biology or cancer biology. 

1. 2 summers at big hospitals, researched on breast cancer progression and metabolism

2. 2.5 years college honors thesis research on the fruit fly metabolism and cell death. In my SOP I elaborated much on the independent research aspect of this project. 

3. half a year postbac internship at an international institution (in South Korea) focused on autophagy and liver cancer 

= total 3 years of experience with no publication  

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

chancellor's list 

3 research fellowships, inside and outside school

graduated with cum laude

high honor in biology 

another honor  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

taught students for half a year and did volunteer work at a hospital for years (long ago)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:  
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I think I well elaborated in my SOP on what I want to learn and what I want to contribute as a student, besides research interest match. Although my LORs might not be some of the best written or highly ranked (of my performance), I think they well support my strengths written on my SOP. 

Applying to Where: all focused on cancer metabolism and microenvironment.

Stanford - biosciences - cancer biology 

MIT - biology - cancer biology

Harvard - BBS - cancer biology 

UCSF - biomedical sciences - Tissue/Organ Biology and Endocrinology

Duke - molecular cancer biology

Baylor College of Medicine - interdepartmental biology program 

Princeton - molecular biology 

Cornell - allied biology program

Yale - BBS

 

I know, especially as an international applicant, my short experience and lack of publication would hurt my chances of getting into those top notch schools. Still, I believe there are more things in my SOP than numbered specs (well, anyone would think so) that speak out what I want to get into and out of each specific grad program. So, what do you guys think are my changes of getting into those all reach schools? 

 

[Bioenchilada]

30 minutes ago, partydon'tstarttillIwalkin said:

Here I throw my application info, too. As an international, though, I really hope I just get a couple of interviews among about ten schools I applied.  

 

Undergrad Institution: small liberal arts college in MA, well respected in biology. transferred from a big state school (in AR) after freshmen year
Major(s): biological sciences
Minor(s): philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.53 (two schools combined)
Overall GPA: 3.67 (two schools combined)
Position in Class: no idea
Type of Student: international female 

GRE Scores (revised version):
Q: 164
V: 154
W: 4.0
B: -

Research Experience: My research experience is rather a mix of short internships, but all of them are well connected to my graduate research interest. Majority of my applications are to molecular biology or cancer biology. 

1. 2 summers at big hospitals, researched on breast cancer progression and metabolism

2. 2.5 years college honors thesis research on the fruit fly metabolism and cell death. In my SOP I elaborated much on the independent research aspect of this project. 

3. half a year postbac internship at an international institution (in South Korea) focused on autophagy and liver cancer 

= total 3 years of experience with no publication  

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

chancellor's list 

3 research fellowships, inside and outside school

graduated with cum laude

high honor in biology 

another honor  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

taught students for half a year and did volunteer work at a hospital for years (long ago)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:  
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I think I well elaborated in my SOP on what I want to learn and what I want to contribute as a student, besides research interest match. Although my LORs might not be some of the best written or highly ranked (of my performance), I think they well support my strengths written on my SOP. 

Applying to Where: all focused on cancer metabolism and microenvironment.

Stanford - biosciences - cancer biology 

MIT - biology - cancer biology

Harvard - BBS - cancer biology 

UCSF - biomedical sciences - Tissue/Organ Biology and Endocrinology

Duke - molecular cancer biology

Baylor College of Medicine - interdepartmental biology program 

Princeton - molecular biology 

Cornell - allied biology program

Yale - BBS

 

I know, especially as an international applicant, my short experience and lack of publication would hurt my chances of getting into those top notch schools. Still, I believe there are more things in my SOP than numbered specs (well, anyone would think so) that speak out what I want to get into and out of each specific grad program. So, what do you guys think are my changes of getting into those all reach schools? 

 

Not having publications really doesn't matter, and 3.5 years of experience is a lot. I really don't know how expectations change for international students, though I'm certain the focus would be placed more on numbers, not publications. How strong do you expect your LORs to be? That might be the decisive factor. 

[eeee1923]

1 hour ago, partydon'tstarttillIwalkin said:

Here I throw my application info, too. As an international, though, I really hope I just get a couple of interviews among about ten schools I applied.  

 

Undergrad Institution: small liberal arts college in MA, well respected in biology. transferred from a big state school (in AR) after freshmen year
Major(s): biological sciences
Minor(s): philosophy
GPA in Major: 3.53 (two schools combined)
Overall GPA: 3.67 (two schools combined)
Position in Class: no idea
Type of Student: international female 

GRE Scores (revised version):
Q: 164
V: 154
W: 4.0
B: -

Research Experience: My research experience is rather a mix of short internships, but all of them are well connected to my graduate research interest. Majority of my applications are to molecular biology or cancer biology. 

1. 2 summers at big hospitals, researched on breast cancer progression and metabolism

2. 2.5 years college honors thesis research on the fruit fly metabolism and cell death. In my SOP I elaborated much on the independent research aspect of this project. 

3. half a year postbac internship at an international institution (in South Korea) focused on autophagy and liver cancer 

= total 3 years of experience with no publication  

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

chancellor's list 

3 research fellowships, inside and outside school

graduated with cum laude

high honor in biology 

another honor  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

taught students for half a year and did volunteer work at a hospital for years (long ago)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:  
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I think I well elaborated in my SOP on what I want to learn and what I want to contribute as a student, besides research interest match. Although my LORs might not be some of the best written or highly ranked (of my performance), I think they well support my strengths written on my SOP. 

Applying to Where: all focused on cancer metabolism and microenvironment.

Stanford - biosciences - cancer biology 

MIT - biology - cancer biology

Harvard - BBS - cancer biology 

UCSF - biomedical sciences - Tissue/Organ Biology and Endocrinology

Duke - molecular cancer biology

Baylor College of Medicine - interdepartmental biology program 

Princeton - molecular biology 

Cornell - allied biology program

Yale - BBS

 

I know, especially as an international applicant, my short experience and lack of publication would hurt my chances of getting into those top notch schools. Still, I believe there are more things in my SOP than numbered specs (well, anyone would think so) that speak out what I want to get into and out of each specific grad program. So, what do you guys think are my changes of getting into those all reach schools? 

 

You seem like a solid applicant and a lot of the private universities in the US are more accommodating to international applicants.

[Omarou498]

Hey guys. On a somewhat related note to interviews and admissions, I was wondering if anyone knew about differences in the time at which interview and admission offers are sent to international students. Are they processed separately after domestic applicants i.e. March/April or do some schools start sending out offers in late December/Mid-January? And congratulations to everyone who get replies from their universities.

[hippyscientist]

1 hour ago, Omarou498 said:

Hey guys. On a somewhat related note to interviews and admissions, I was wondering if anyone knew about differences in the time at which interview and admission offers are sent to international students. Are they processed separately after domestic applicants i.e. March/April or do some schools start sending out offers in late December/Mid-January? And congratulations to everyone who get replies from their universities.

Omarou498, I am an international student and have been offered an interview for one of my programmes so I assume they come out at the same time as other offers for domestic students. Of course this is circumstantial based on my own experiences, but a quick browse of the results board shows similarly. I would therefore hazard a guess that all applicants who are invited to interview are notified in a similar timeframe irrespective of nationality.

[pot8o]

Just got an email over the weekend for my first interview invite from UCLA MBIP! Needless to say I'm stoked! Hope my luck holds for Penn CAMB and UCSF Tetrad this upcoming week. 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2015 by pot8o