2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[bdnf_13.1]

1 minute ago, aaahhhmyfuture said:

This would have been a great idea if I had noticed they had recommended pre-requisites that included calculus before I submitted my app.  Future students reading this thread, read all the tabs on your departments page carefully.  I'm hoping they really mean the *recommended* part of their sentence. 

I got an interview at a place that asks for a year of calculus, when i only have AP calculus from high school and withdrew from calc 2 first semester freshman year. I replaced it with an A in stats which for neuro is arguably more important but hopefully this makes you feel a little better

[Gram Neutral]

33 minutes ago, Caffeine Junky said:

I really wish if you weren't accepted to a program that at the same time they sent out interview invites they sent out rejections. Idk if i should give up on Vanderbilt IGP now because I didn't get an email today or if there's another wave coming :/ but it will be okay if so!! It'll all work out for the best  

I didn't get one either. Based off past years it looks like they sent out another wave in January. 

[Earl]

18 minutes ago, Metbio2016 said:

Interview from UCSD BMS this afternoon! Very excited!!!.. unfortunately the date is conflicting with my Berkeley date, so hopefully I can reschedule  I guess there are some downsides to applying to a lot of schools. 

congrats!! which UCSD BMS track did you apply for?

[RM17]

15 minutes ago, aaahhhmyfuture said:

This would have been a great idea if I had noticed they had recommended pre-requisites that included calculus before I submitted my app.  Future students reading this thread, read all the tabs on your departments page carefully.  I'm hoping they really mean the *recommended* part of their sentence. 

Ehhh if it's recommended I wouldn't sweat it as much! I ignored it at the one other school I applied to where it was "recommended" -- though again, I am still waiting to hear about interviews (which I think are only just starting to come out for my programs). I figured that my (hopefully not imagined) strengths would be enough if it was the right school for me. Maybe naive, but alas...too late to do anything about now!

[biotechie]

4 hours ago, Infinito said:

Me to Adcoms: "Hello... It's me... I was wondering if after all these year's you'd like to meet..."

Adcoms: "YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO X."

Months later when you're staring at people that were rejected and haters that didn't believe in you:

"HELLLLOOO FROM THE OOOOOTHER SIIIIIIIIIDDDDE~"

This is EXACTLY how it feels.

3 hours ago, jdkent6 said:

Just got my first interview! Hearing people were getting interviews from programs I applied to did get me nervous, so I agree with @Infinito and don't want to make people more anxious, but for that one post about losing your cell phone, Baylor College of Medicine (Molecular Virology and Microbiology) called and left a message and asked that I call back. No mention of an e-mail coming. Hopefully it's just this one program, but if you are worried, I believe there are ways you can check your voicemail from another phone.

When I got invited to interview at BCM for a different program, they emailed. You can check your voicemails from another phone so long as they run through your phone company.

[2016biostat]

Any of you all apply to the Medical University of South Carolina? 

[pcc2129]

1 hour ago, Earl said:

..aaaand rejected from yale bbs immuno *tear..

Did you get an email?

[emk9312]

22 minutes ago, 2016biostat said:

Any of you all apply to the Medical University of South Carolina? 

I applied to the MUSC Neuro program!

[2016biostat]

1 minute ago, emk9312 said:

I applied to the MUSC Neuro program!

Cool, I've been keeping an eye on the survey, but any news?

I'm a bit perplexed by this statement on their website re: invites: "correspondence is handled via telephone and mail" --  which seems odd because all instances on the survey list invites via email. 

[Earl]

20 minutes ago, pcc2129 said:

Did you get an email?

i emailed to ask when yale bbs immuno invitations would be sent out.. apparently the admissions met last week to pick candidates for interviews and I wasn't selected :(.  i'm not sure if they'll send the invites out in waves, but they did release a bunch of invites last week.  hope this helps!

[emk9312]

1 minute ago, 2016biostat said:

Cool, I've been keeping an eye on the survey, but any news?

I'm a bit perplexed by this statement on their website re: invites: "correspondence is handled via telephone and mail" --  which seems odd because all instances on the survey list invites via email. 

Surveys from past years made it sound like invites went out in January, so I haven't been expecting that one yet.

Maybe they meant email? It seems like mail would be the least efficient way to go about this...

[2016biostat]

3 minutes ago, emk9312 said:

Surveys from past years made it sound like invites went out in January, so I haven't been expecting that one yet.

Maybe they meant email? It seems like mail would be the least efficient way to go about this...

Yeah, it's somewhat difficult to extrapolate (for me, at least) to this year because there isn't a lot on data relative to bigger programs on the survey. From earlier years (2012-13), it seems like the invites got sent out about a month before the earliest interview date, which this year is January 21st. 

[Microburritology]

1 hour ago, Earl said:

i emailed to ask when yale bbs immuno invitations would be sent out.. apparently the admissions met last week to pick candidates for interviews and I wasn't selected :(.  i'm not sure if they'll send the invites out in waves, but they did release a bunch of invites last week.  hope this helps!

@Earl Still doesn't mean that they won't send you an invite in the next wave! Or did they explicitly state that you weren't selected for fall 2016?

[ComradeScienist]

Undergrad Institution: Top 100 large state univesity
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): Psychology
GPA in Major: 3.54
Overall GPA: 3.31

Masters: Large state university

Major: Virology and Neuroscience 

GPA: 3.9

Research Experience: 6 months of undergraduate research in molecular biology mostly doing lab monkey/tech work. 2 years of self directed graduate research in viral oncolytics and retinal regeneration between two different labs (concurrently). 6 papers as first or second author, 4 peer reviewed research, 2 reviews. (I was productive, to say the least)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Distinguished undergraduate in biology in a class of 300.  

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Teaching assistant in microbiology for 2 years, including reworking the class to reflect current techniques in molecular biology. Was in charge of writing tests, quizzes, lesson plans, etc. 
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Paid union steward for my graduate student's union

Special Bonus Points: Two of my reviewers are well known within their fields. One is a well known pox virologist, the other was the first to publish evidence that overturned dale's principle in neuroscience. They have both ranked me in the top 2% of students they have had, and wrote strong letters of recommendation. 

Position in Class: GPA top-middle.
Type of Student: Ex-military, first generation college student, non-traditional 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:160 (78%)
V:166(96%)
W:5  (90%)
B:Didn't take



Applying to Where:

University of Wisconsin: Microbiology, Cellular and molecular, and Cancer biology.

University of Florida College of Medicine: IDP Microbiology and Immunology (Invited for an interview in early February)

University of Texas Medical Branch: Experimental Pathology (Phone interview the week after the application deadline, interviewer gave me the 'I can't guarantee you will be admitted, but you are a strong candidate... Hoping this negation is an indication that they are looking at me closely) 

Indiana University: Microbiology 

Edited December 15, 2015 by ComradeScienist

[Farafeelo]

hey a question for you all - i got an interview on friday by phone and i accepted .. they said they would follow up with an email but they never did ... has this happened to any of you? how long should I wait? should i email them? 

[Focus]

21 minutes ago, Farafeelo said:

hey a question for you all - i got an interview on friday by phone and i accepted .. they said they would follow up with an email but they never did ... has this happened to any of you? how long should I wait? should i email them? 

I would wait at least another full business day; these admissions committees are understandably busy right now.
That being said, I'd email by early Thursday to ensure you weren't forgotten in the shifting paperwork!

Congratulations on the interview.

[daniolabtest]

Saw some people on the survey got interviews from Wisconsin already. Did you get an email or did you find out through their MyUW platform?

[Chocolosaurus]

30 minutes ago, daniolabtest said:

Saw some people on the survey got interviews from Wisconsin already. Did you get an email or did you find out through their MyUW platform?

I got a Wisconsin NTP interview via email. MyUW platform still says my application is pending, though there are a lot more options there today than there were yesterday.

[TheKinaser]

43 minutes ago, daniolabtest said:

Saw some people on the survey got interviews from Wisconsin already. Did you get an email or did you find out through their MyUW platform?

It is probably a different program, but for the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology program, I received a phone call then an email to notify of the interview invite.

[biosci]

15 minutes ago, Chocolosaurus said:

I got a Wisconsin NTP interview via email. MyUW platform still says my application is pending, though there are a lot more options there today than there were yesterday.

My platform has a lot more options too, but I haven't gotten an invite, so I think they probably just updated their platform system.

[daniolabtest]

42 minutes ago, Chocolosaurus said:

I got a Wisconsin NTP interview via email. MyUW platform still says my application is pending, though there are a lot more options there today than there were yesterday.

Hmm, ok. I saw all the extra options in the platform so I freaked out a little bit. Still no email though. 

 

biosci, saw your response after I posted, but in some ways glad it wasn't just me haha let's hope it's a positive!

Edited December 15, 2015 by daniolabtest

[2016biostat]

Ha, after asking on this thread yesterday, I just got my first invite today to MUSC!

[biosci]

1 minute ago, 2016biostat said:

Ha, after asking on this thread yesterday, I just got my first invite today to MUSC!

Yay!  Congratulations!

[emk9312]

6 minutes ago, 2016biostat said:

Ha, after asking on this thread yesterday, I just got my first invite today to MUSC!

Me too! Yay!

[2016biostat]

1 minute ago, emk9312 said:

Me too! Yay!

Congrats!