2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[biochemgirl67]

1 minute ago, daniolabtest said:

 

Me three!!! 
What research areas are you guys looking at?

Immunology/Virology/Microbiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Stem Cells/Developmental Biology.  What about you?

[daniolabtest]

1 minute ago, Gram Positive said:

Microbiology (especially bacteriology). How about you? Developmental biology, I presume?

I actually do like development! But I'm neuroscience, I really like the visual system a lot but I enjoy sensory systems generally. 

[Ferroportin]

Just got an interview with UCLA MCIP! But their recruitment date conflicts with Scripps... 

[HopefulPHD14]

24 minutes ago, Ferroportin said:

Just got an interview with UCLA MCIP! But their recruitment date conflicts with Scripps... 

Ill take it off your hands then  

[aichan93]

46 minutes ago, Ferroportin said:

Just got an interview with UCLA MCIP! But their recruitment date conflicts with Scripps... 

The Scripps date conflicted for me and Scripps accommodated me for their Feb slot though it was full. Just let them know you can't make it, and try to get an unofficial visit or get another slot. 

[biotechie]

4 hours ago, peachypie said:

Disclaimer: this is my experience from interviewing and wanted to touch on these points.

1.  Jeans were not considered OK for any of my interviews and no one wear them.  At this point I say: wear at your own risk.  The cost of a nice pair of jeans and a nice pair of regular standard pants is not going to be different if not at times less expensive than the jeans.  No reason you can't for one day not wear jeans. 

2.  The truth is no one is really judging you for your outfit but more about how you act when you are trying to put your best foot forward.  Believe it or not graduate schools take into account more than your scientific persona into question as an applicant.  I have seen very qualified people get rejected from programs due to their personality and how they carry themselves.  Don't seem confident?  Can't look people in the eye when you talk?  Showed up wearing a t-shirt and jeans?  These are all things that may not get you on the reject side but as things add up could make their overall impression of you as less than stellar.  Why risk it?  Judging by this comment if you were to say that its not about what you wear then I challenge you to wear a tshirt with obscenties on it and see if you get admitted or maybe just like a bud light promo shirt?  think that if a grad school rejects you for that its because "its not a school you want to go to anyway" or do you think it is maybe because you look unprofessional?  As philosophically as you want to believe its not about what you are wearing it does have an impact when they are putting together a profile of who you are, often what you wear conveys what you are as a person (sorry thats the real world way).

3.  No one does care what your bag/purse is unless it has something obscene on it.  They however do not have a closet or place for you to stash your stuff.  None of my interviews did.  I had to carry stuff with me, just like I had to carry my coat and all that stuff with me.  Why?  Well because you all move around and you may start the morning having a breakfast and welcome and then leave for some interviews and then come back for a lunch in a totally different area.  No one ever left anything behind because you didn't have a central place to go.  Only bring with you what you are going to carry around.  However you will be able to set these items down in the offices of PIs and on chairs at dinners/lunches.  No one is going to be babysitting your stuff though.  Many schools will provide you with a nice little tote/folder with your important materials upon check-in or at the very start of the visit.  Many people just used that for the remainder of their trip or combined it with their own.  yeah its true, you get swag from your interviews.  I got pens, totes, water bottles, candy, fruit, granola bars, usbs, notepads, leather portfolios etc. 

I can confirm all of this is true, especially the jeans thing. Colored pants are okay. Khakis are okay. A business suit or something similar is okay. Jeans are NOT okay. I know this from experience watching two years of students come in after me. We as current students are asked not to wear jeans when we help with interviews, so I'll also be dressed nicely when I help at interviews at my school.

For interview day, you should be pushing more towards business formal, but not quite there. I talk a lot about it in that blog post I keep posting. You have some room to throw your own style into it, and there are interviews that aim more toward business casual the whole time rather than business formal. They're not judging you on your style, and jeans are generally okay for every day once you get to grad school, but they really do want to see that you are putting in the effort. The fact that you care about your interview enough to dress up appropriately does say a lot about you and how serious you are about graduate school and the program, but it really is also important that your outfit be "you." You can probably get away with jeans for a grad student outing where there won't be faculty, but remember, those students are also working with the adcom.

Keep what you carry around on interview day to a minimum; they all seem to do a good job of giving you lots of snacks and water to keep you going during the day. I got nice little laptop bags at my interviews, and I still use one of them. The swag is because on interview day, they're trying to recruit you as much as they're interviewing you. 

Relax. Stop stressing. It will be okay. Interviews are actually VERY fun.

[Immunolog]

12 hours ago, Earl said:

For Weill Cornell folks, have any of you received interview schedules yet?

 

Called IMP coordinator today and she said she's still working on them. 

8 hours ago, 123hardasABC said:

Geez. And I thought 20 degrees this morning in STL was cold. 

I'm seriously scared of this cold weather when I visit! As a Californian, I am a complete wimp! Even snowboarding in California is only ~40F. Is it snowing there? Just wondering if my leather booties can withstand the snow, or if I should invest in actual snow-appropriate shoes. 

8 hours ago, Microburritology said:

WUSTL DBBS interview the day after. SOO nervous. Plus the weather there is not exactly welcoming.

Nonetheless, onto sartorial questions - I'm beginning packing now, so I needed some specific information for specific days:

1) The first evening, i.e., tomorrow, is just dinner. Will khaki's and a formal button down shirt, with a suede jacket and boots do? Are jeans and henleys ok, for the first dinner evening or the last day when students will show us about town?

2) I have a lovely suit for the interview day, and since I dont want to seem overdressed, should I even wear the suit/blazer, or just keep it down to a pant, shirt and tie?

Thanks peeps. 

Good luck! Please tell me how it goes as I will be visiting in a couple weeks!

[Earl]

48 minutes ago, Immunolog said:

Called IMP coordinator today and she said she's still working on them. 

I'm seriously scared of this cold weather when I visit! As a Californian, I am a complete wimp! Even snowboarding in California is only ~40F. Is it snowing there? Just wondering if my leather booties can withstand the snow, or if I should invest in actual snow-appropriate shoes. 

Good luck! Please tell me how it goes as I will be visiting in a couple weeks!

Thanks for the update!  

[123hardasABC]

50 minutes ago, Immunolog said:

 I'm seriously scared of this cold weather when I visit! As a Californian, I am a complete wimp! Even snowboarding in California is only ~40F. Is it snowing there? Just wondering if my leather booties can withstand the snow, or if I should invest in actual snow-appropriate shoes. 

It's not snowing here at the moment, anyway. It snowed last weekend and it will snow next Friday (not this upcoming one), on my interview date. Fun, I know. But I'll have you know that I'm originally from Orange County, CA and did my undergrad in the Bay Area...and I'm still alive! I didn't see my first winter until last year when I moved to NYC. If I can do it, you can too!

For right now, leather booties are fine. Those are my current day-to-day shoes and I plan on wearing booties to my interview too. If you're really worried, I would buy some Merino wool socks. 

Bring a scarf though, a wool one preferably. Your face will thank you, and you definitely don't want to show up to your interview with a snot hydrant.

[Immunolog]

23 minutes ago, 123hardasABC said:

It's not snowing here at the moment, anyway. It snowed last weekend and it will snow next Friday (not this upcoming one), on my interview date. Fun, I know. But I'll have you know that I'm originally from Orange County, CA and did my undergrad in the Bay Area...and I'm still alive! I didn't see my first winter until last year when I moved to NYC. If I can do it, you can too!

For right now, leather booties are fine. Those are my current day-to-day shoes and I plan on wearing booties to my interview too. If you're really worried, I would buy some Merino wool socks. 

Bring a scarf though, a wool one preferably. Your face will thank you, and you definitely don't want to show up to your interview with a snot hydrant.

Thanks for the encouragement

[peachypie]

4 hours ago, 123hardasABC said:

This is kinda off-topic, but can anyone share their past interviewing experiences? Seeing as how I likely only got one shot at it this application cycle, I'm a bit nervous.  

Could you be more specific?  That is a really large general question to ask that is way too much to answer on a forum.

[tuckbro]

2 hours ago, biotechie said:

I can confirm all of this is true, especially the jeans thing. Colored pants are okay. Khakis are okay. A business suit or something similar is okay. Jeans are NOT okay. I know this from experience watching two years of students come in after me. We as current students are asked not to wear jeans when we help with interviews, so I'll also be dressed nicely when I help at interviews at my school.

For interview day, you should be pushing more towards business formal, but not quite there. I talk a lot about it in that blog post I keep posting. You have some room to throw your own style into it, and there are interviews that aim more toward business casual the whole time rather than business formal. They're not judging you on your style, and jeans are generally okay for every day once you get to grad school, but they really do want to see that you are putting in the effort. The fact that you care about your interview enough to dress up appropriately does say a lot about you and how serious you are about graduate school and the program, but it really is also important that your outfit be "you." You can probably get away with jeans for a grad student outing where there won't be faculty, but remember, those students are also working with the adcom.

Keep what you carry around on interview day to a minimum; they all seem to do a good job of giving you lots of snacks and water to keep you going during the day. I got nice little laptop bags at my interviews, and I still use one of them. The swag is because on interview day, they're trying to recruit you as much as they're interviewing you. 

Relax. Stop stressing. It will be okay. Interviews are actually VERY fun.

I completely agree. 

[biochemgirl67]

5 hours ago, ms_green_genes said:

Congratulations to both of you!

Thank you!  I hope your daughter got an invite if she's still interested!

[ms_green_genes]

18 minutes ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Thank you!  I hope your daughter got an invite if she's still interested!

Thanks, but unfortunately she has not received one yet. She's happy that she did get 5 of 7, though.

[biochemgirl67]

23 minutes ago, ms_green_genes said:

Thanks, but unfortunately she has not received one yet. She's happy that she did get 5 of 7, though.

5 is a huge amount!  I almost don't envy her the traveling and scheduling!  But she has some really great options, I know, and will end up somewhere spectacular.  Hopefully we all will.

[biosci]

5 hours ago, daniolabtest said:

 

Me three!!! 
What research areas are you guys looking at?

 

5 hours ago, Gram Positive said:

Microbiology (especially bacteriology). How about you? Developmental biology, I presume?

 

5 hours ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Immunology/Virology/Microbiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Stem Cells/Developmental Biology.  What about you?

Congrats!  What date are you guys going?  I put Genetics and Genomics; Molecular and Cell Biology; Stem Cells, Development, Regeneration and Aging

[biochemgirl67]

1 minute ago, biosci said:

 

 

Congrats!  What date are you guys going?  I put Genetics and Genomics; Molecular and Cell Biology; Stem Cells, Development, Regeneration and Aging

I'm free both weekends, but I put that I preferred the Feb 27 - 29 weekend.  They haven't gotten back to me yet.  If I get that date, I'll be interviewing three weekends in a row which already sounds exhausting.

[biosci]

2 minutes ago, biochemgirl67 said:

I'm free both weekends, but I put that I preferred the Feb 27 - 29 weekend.  They haven't gotten back to me yet.  If I get that date, I'll be interviewing three weekends in a row which already sounds exhausting.

I'm going that weekend too, but I thought it was the 25-27? 

Edited January 14, 2016 by biosci

[biochemgirl67]

1 minute ago, biosci said:

I'm going that weekend too

Did they get back to you after you took the questionnaire?  (And what did you put for your "Friday night activities"???  I almost died laughing when I saw them.  Comedy club and dessert bar all the way.  )

[biosci]

5 minutes ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Did they get back to you after you took the questionnaire?  (And what did you put for your "Friday night activities"???  I almost died laughing when I saw them.  Comedy club and dessert bar all the way.  )

I emailed them to give them a different address and they confirmed the date.  I haven't had time to fill out the questionnaire yet. 

[biochemgirl67]

4 minutes ago, biosci said:

I emailed them to give them a different address and they confirmed the date.  I haven't had time to fill out the questionnaire yet. 

Ah.  Then I guess they'll get to the rest of us relatively soon!

[Superres]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before on this thread (my apologies if it has), but does anyone have any experience with or is anyone planning on doing two interviews in one week? One of the programs that invited me for an interview is interviewing Wed-Fri (the actual interview day is Thursday and faculty dinner if Friday), while another program has interviews that same week Thurs-Sat, with the main interview day being on Friday. Would it be crazy for me to attend both interviews if I leave the first program Thursday night?

 

Also, on top of this, I've committed to doing 7 interviews in a row because I honestly want to keep an open mind (I applied to all of these programs because I truly could see myself at all of them)...but I feel like I will be extremely exhausted by the end....

If anyone has any thoughts or insight, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by Superres

[Earl]

53 minutes ago, Superres said:

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before on this thread (my apologies if it has), but does anyone have any experience with or is anyone planning on doing two interviews in one week? One of the programs that invited me for an interview is interviewing Wed-Fri (the actual interview day is Thursday and faculty dinner if Friday), while another program has interviews that same week Thurs-Sat, with the main interview day being on Friday. Would it be crazy for me to attend both interviews if I leave the first program Thursday night?

 

Also, on top of this, I've committed to doing 7 interviews in a row because I honestly want to keep an open mind (I applied to all of these programs because I truly could see myself at all of them)...but I feel like I will be extremely exhausted by the end....

If anyone has any thoughts or insight, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

 

I'm committed to doing 7 interview weekends in a row as well, plus 1 Skype.  It's a lot, but I'm excited about traveling to all those places and learning more about the schools/programs.  I'll be exhausted probably by the end, but I feel it's worth it given all the work it's taken to get to this point.

Beyond that, I have another school that if I decide to interview at I'd have to do the back-to-back interview thing in a week (as you described), which I'm not sure I want to do.  I'd have a long flight to get from one school to the other, and then once I land, I would have to go straight to the other school.  I might be a zombie at that point, so I am thinking about asking for Skype if possible.  If not, I think I'll have to cancel it.

 

[Bourbaki]

2 hours ago, Superres said:

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before on this thread (my apologies if it has), but does anyone have any experience with or is anyone planning on doing two interviews in one week? One of the programs that invited me for an interview is interviewing Wed-Fri (the actual interview day is Thursday and faculty dinner if Friday), while another program has interviews that same week Thurs-Sat, with the main interview day being on Friday. Would it be crazy for me to attend both interviews if I leave the first program Thursday night?

 

Also, on top of this, I've committed to doing 7 interviews in a row because I honestly want to keep an open mind (I applied to all of these programs because I truly could see myself at all of them)...but I feel like I will be extremely exhausted by the end....

If anyone has any thoughts or insight, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

 

I also see it as a great opportunity to meet with PIs working in the specific field you're interested in. You can get some sense of the direction that things are going in, what kinds of approaches/projects people are working on next and most excited about. The PIs probably won't remember us, but it's nice to have a face and even a short conversation to match up to authors of some of the papers you'll read in the future.

[pavitraviswanath]

I just got my first invite to interview.. University of Cincinnati for their PhD in Cancer Biology.. Any idea on what to expect during the interview? And what is the dress code which should be followed? The interview will be held over Skype as I am an international student residing in India.