2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Superres]

On 2/4/2016 at 2:15 PM, mwgskol said:

Lol I'm on the same boat but I'm already half way there.... Hopefully I could just stay in the hotel today and get better for the interview. Did they offer you any alternative?

Yes, they were super accommodating and are letting me come in a couple of weeks. It's an umbrella program, so they will be having interviews, but may not have many other recruits with my interests. They did say that they would still try to put together a list of faculty with my interests though. I am very grateful!

[ms_green_genes]

On February 4, 2016 at 9:02 AM, Bioenchilada said:

OMG! I WAS JUST ADMITTED INTO MY TOP CHOICE. I'M GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL!!

Congratulations!

[HopefulPHD14]

Have any of you received offers yet that are contingent on you accepting by a particular date?  

I received an offer from a school (which is now my first choice between the two schools I have offers at), but they want to know in the next couple of days....  I still have two schools I am waiting to interview at!  I don't know what to do.  I really liked the school.  The faculty, research, students, and location were all great!  It really did feel like a good fit..... But I feel weird giving up on a bunch of schools that I like a lot on paper without ever visiting or actually giving them a chance. 

What would you guys do?  Stick it out for the other schools?  Or accept an offer at a school that you like and just be happy to be going there?

[bornea]

1 hour ago, HopefulPHD14 said:

Have any of you received offers yet that are contingent on you accepting by a particular date?  

I received an offer from a school (which is now my first choice between the two schools I have offers at), but they want to know in the next couple of days....  I still have two schools I am waiting to interview at!  I don't know what to do.  I really liked the school.  The faculty, research, students, and location were all great!  It really did feel like a good fit..... But I feel weird giving up on a bunch of schools that I like a lot on paper without ever visiting or actually giving them a chance. 

What would you guys do?  Stick it out for the other schools?  Or accept an offer at a school that you like and just be happy to be going there?

If your school is on this list they should not be forcing you to make a decision so soon. Not sure how it is enforced but maybe you could contact the council of graduate services for help.

http://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGSResolution_Rev2015.pdf

Edited February 7, 2016 by bornea
Misspelling

[HopefulPHD14]

Just now, bornea said:

If your school is on this list they should not being forcing you to make a decision so soon. Not sure how it is enforced but maybe you could contact the council of graduate services for help.

http://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGSResolution_Rev2015.pdf

They are not on that list.  I already checked.  My other school I have an offer from is on that list and told me I had time to decide.

[swiftninja]

Hi guys, I just received an interview invitation for one of the programs I applied to, but they asked if we could have a video interview on Monday morning. I have a test and a paper due on Monday. And this would be my first interview since the other ones are later in February, and since it's my top choice I would really like a tiny bit more time to prepare. So I was wondering if it would be detrimental to my chances if I asked if there another time that I could interview? I was just not expecting such short notice for the interview.

[PASD693]

53 minutes ago, swiftninja said:

Hi guys, I just received an interview invitation for one of the programs I applied to, but they asked if we could have a video interview on Monday morning. I have a test and a paper due on Monday. And this would be my first interview since the other ones are later in February, and since it's my top choice I would really like a tiny bit more time to prepare. So I was wondering if it would be detrimental to my chances if I asked if there another time that I could interview? I was just not expecting such short notice for the interview.

Call me a pessimist, but I think it would be detrimental to your chances unless you can come up with a really great reason as to why you can't do Monday morning- unfortunately, I don't think telling the committee that you have a test and a paper counts as one.  It's likely that you're not the only one who was asked for a Monday interview, which means that you'd be asking them to make an exception for you.  Sounds like a tough situation, but I think you should try your best to be ready for Monday.  Good luck!

[biochemgirl67]

9 hours ago, swiftninja said:

Hi guys, I just received an interview invitation for one of the programs I applied to, but they asked if we could have a video interview on Monday morning. I have a test and a paper due on Monday. And this would be my first interview since the other ones are later in February, and since it's my top choice I would really like a tiny bit more time to prepare. So I was wondering if it would be detrimental to my chances if I asked if there another time that I could interview? I was just not expecting such short notice for the interview.

I would just do it.  These interviews shouldn't take that long and you should be prepared to answer their basic questions about you research, why their program, what are your goals, etc.

But if you truly think it will all be too much to handle, you can decline and reschedule.  No one on here can actually tell you if it is truly detrimental.  It's all just guessing.

[cephnerd]

Oh man. The first acceptance feels so good. (Especially when it comes at the end of your first interview! Cheezin all day.  )

 

[levodopa]

1 hour ago, cephnerd said:

Oh man. The first acceptance feels so good. (Especially when it comes at the end of your first interview! Cheezin all day.  )

 

Congrats!

[Infinito]

So I received my first post-interview rejection while at one of my interviews. So that totally changed my drive, haha.

Was obviously disappointed, even more so when I inquired how to improve for the future, and they said I was unengaged/seemed disinterested about the program; which was ironic since it was my one of my top choices at the time. When I told some of the grad student interviewers, they were like WTF?

So, just a friendly reminder to BEWARE OF RESTING BITCH FACE. Cuz clearly you don't realize how bad it is till you get a rejection over it. And to not feel too bad about rejections because they really can be a crapshoot.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Infinito

[biosci]

7 hours ago, Infinito said:

So I received my first post-interview rejection while at one of my interviews. So that totally changed my drive, haha.

Was obviously disappointed, even more so when I inquired how to improve for the future, and they said I was unengaged/seemed disinterested about the program; which was ironic since it was my one of my top choices at the time. When I told some of the grad student interviewers, they were like WTF?

So, just a friendly reminder to BEWARE OF RESTING BITCH FACE. Cuz clearly you don't realize how bad it is till you get a rejection over it. And to not feel too bad about rejections because they really can be a crapshoot.
 

Oh man.  I'm sorry :(.  That's one of my biggest concerns.  I'm naturally an introvert so interviews are so exhausting!

[biosci]

Once you are accepted to a program, is it appropriate to email professors you met with (had previously sent thank you note and gotten nice response) asking if they plan to take on students? Thanks

[biochemgirl67]

Has anyone interviewing at Princeton Molecular Biology this weekend received any information about who you'll be meeting with?  I just want to be preparedddddd

[Liverbird_93]

1 hour ago, biosci said:

Once you are accepted to a program, is it appropriate to email professors you met with (had previously sent thank you note and gotten nice response) asking if they plan to take on students? Thanks

if you're serious about working with them, go for it. 

[mrpoopybutthole]

4 hours ago, biosci said:

Once you are accepted to a program, is it appropriate to email professors you met with (had previously sent thank you note and gotten nice response) asking if they plan to take on students? Thanks

If you've already sent them a thank you before I don't think another one is really necessary. I would definitely reach out to anyone who you could see yourself rotating with whether you interviewed with them or not and ask if they're accepting students. The advice I got from grad students at all three of my interviews was to start as soon as you can in the process of trying to decide what labs to join and contact your POIs. It's a lot of work especially if you have multiple schools but you'll be so much more prepared when you start.

[123hardasABC]

6 hours ago, biosci said:

Once you are accepted to a program, is it appropriate to email professors you met with (had previously sent thank you note and gotten nice response) asking if they plan to take on students? Thanks

Yeah of course, if you want to rotate with them and...well, if you actually plan on attending that school. Otherwise, I would let it go. 

[ms_green_genes]

Has anybody heard back yet after Vandy's IGP Jan 28-30 interview weekend? They had 40 students that weekend instead of the usual 20, and warned ahead of time they might not be able to complete their review the Monday after the interview, but that they should be able to get through everything today. Getting a bit anxious with less than 90 minutes left in the business day today. 

[biosci]

10 minutes ago, 123hardasABC said:

Yeah of course, if you want to rotate with them and...well, if you actually plan on attending that school. Otherwise, I would let it go. 

Thanks.  I only wanted to do it at the school I think I want to go to.

[AtomDance]

If anyone is waiting on Hopkins Human Genetics, I just got an interview invite that I declined. Hopefully it goes to someone who is super excited about this program! 

Also got my first acceptance today and it made all the application stress and ugly-crying on my bf's shoulder worth it 

[bicsy]

Currently at an interview, and just saw that I was accepted to my top choice program! 

I'm so happy, and I can finally relax after ~5 months of stress and worry.

Congrats to everyone else who has received acceptances so far, and good luck to everyone still awaiting interviews and acceptances!

[ms_green_genes]

43 minutes ago, bicsy said:

Currently at an interview, and just saw that I was accepted to my top choice program! 

I'm so happy, and I can finally relax after ~5 months of stress and worry.

Congratulations! Now you can totally relax and just have fun at all your remaining interviews.

[biotechie]

5 hours ago, ms_green_genes said:

Has anybody heard back yet after Vandy's IGP Jan 28-30 interview weekend? They had 40 students that weekend instead of the usual 20, and warned ahead of time they might not be able to complete their review the Monday after the interview, but that they should be able to get through everything today. Getting a bit anxious with less than 90 minutes left in the business day today. 

Give them a few days. Even if the adcom met today, they may not send out anything today. Sometimes it takes a while to craft the emails and some programs have to submit the paperwork for the applicant post-interview for the school itself to accept their applicant before they can contact them.

[ms_green_genes]

14 minutes ago, biotechie said:

Give them a few days. Even if the adcom met today, they may not send out anything today. Sometimes it takes a while to craft the emails and some programs have to submit the paperwork for the applicant post-interview for the school itself to accept their applicant before they can contact them.

I know, it's just hard waiting. The adcom meets every Monday and only on Monday.

I'm thinking even if they finished the reviews and their decisions today, it may have been late enough that they wouldn't be able to get emails out to all 40 today. They made it a point that they'll let everyone know at the same time instead of letting people know a few at a time over days or weeks.

They let people in the first interview weekend know the Monday (2 days) after the interview, but that group didn't have as many candidates as this last weekend. 

Patience was never my strong suit!

Edited February 9, 2016 by ms_green_genes

[adiJ]

11 hours ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Has anyone interviewing at Princeton Molecular Biology this weekend received any information about who you'll be meeting with?  I just want to be preparedddddd

They don't provide info until you receive your packet on the day of arrival. (It doesn't matter anyway they talked about their research like you knew nothing about it and no one grilled me)