2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[aufish92]

It's looking like it is going to be MIT for me  

[YouCantBcereus]

9 hours ago, Effloresce said:

awesome! the only thing kinda worrying me about UVA is the timing..i end my current position in mid-June and they start beginning of July so it's very little time to transition. 

yeah, that's kinda weird that it's taking so long for vandy to get back to you..i hope you hear back soon! everyone seems to love vandy so I'm feeling pretty positive about the program already based on others' experiences and what I've been reading.

Yeah that is a really short amount of time! Hopefully it would work out fine though.

I was worried from the start they wouldn't accept me, it was my first interview and I was very nervous and didn't really know what to expect so I probably gave off a bad vibe some of the time. But whatever's meant to happen will happen! I'm sure you'll have a great time at Vandy, it really is an awesome school!

9 hours ago, dinny said:

Can you speak more to their infectious disease strength? I was admitted thru bio chem and molecular genetics but that's not my main area of interesr

 

My interests are in microbiology, especially pathogenesis, so that department itself was really appealing to me. They have professors working on lots of relevant pathogens, and those working on potential antibiotic targets and vaccine development. I believe they said Most/All professors are affiliated with the college of medicine, and the labs are in or really close to the hospital. To me it seemed like there was a good, collaborative environment, and not that much intradepartmental competition. There's lots of funding, and many students end up on NIH training grants. 

[breaker746]

So happy the interviews and everything done but really torn between east coast and west coast -- none of the schools really made me go head over heels which is making the decision process tougher. I guess at the end of the day for most of us there are no "wrong" choices but for those who have to make tough choices what are some deciding factors you are/have used? I wonder how much I should weight: where I think I would have most fun, alignment of research interest, access to post-grad opportunities, where I'd want to settle long term among other things.

[orangelc]

A new user here.

Have been using the results research during this whole application season. And only tried to sign in today and found this... There are so many useful and detailed messages.

Still waiting for WUSTL. That would be my first choice 

A little nervous - -

[adiJ]

7 hours ago, aufish92 said:

It's looking like it is going to be MIT for me  

Boston/Cambridge is going to be awesome! (Albeit expensive as hell, I'm signing up for University housing and holy shit)

[SpartanNerd1021]

4 hours ago, breaker746 said:

So happy the interviews and everything done but really torn between east coast and west coast -- none of the schools really made me go head over heels which is making the decision process tougher. I guess at the end of the day for most of us there are no "wrong" choices but for those who have to make tough choices what are some deciding factors you are/have used? I wonder how much I should weight: where I think I would have most fun, alignment of research interest, access to post-grad opportunities, where I'd want to settle long term among other things.

I was in the same boat choosing between Notre Dame and Boston College. I had a good time at both and there was research happening at both that I liked. It was one of the hardest decisions to make. But I asked for a lot of advice from advisors and current PhD students at my school. They all said Boston because I'd have access to a lot of collaborators, conferences, seminars, etc. And it would be better for networking so it potentially would be easier getting a postdoc position later on. Those factors and locations ultimately made my choice in the end since everything else was similar at both schools. I knew I'd have more fun in Boston for 6 years than in Indiana. Hope that helps you!!!

[Earl]

4 hours ago, breaker746 said:

So happy the interviews and everything done but really torn between east coast and west coast -- none of the schools really made me go head over heels which is making the decision process tougher. I guess at the end of the day for most of us there are no "wrong" choices but for those who have to make tough choices what are some deciding factors you are/have used? I wonder how much I should weight: where I think I would have most fun, alignment of research interest, access to post-grad opportunities, where I'd want to settle long term among other things.

I'm also having this issue on deciding between east coast and west coast schools, so if anyone has advice, would greatly appreciate...  

breaker746, I see actually that we have similar school offers to decide on (besides Harvard :P).

 

 

[dinny]

7 hours ago, YouCantBcereus said:

My interests are in microbiology, especially pathogenesis, so that department itself was really appealing to me. They have professors working on lots of relevant pathogens, and those working on potential antibiotic targets and vaccine development. I believe they said Most/All professors are affiliated with the college of medicine, and the labs are in or really close to the hospital. To me it seemed like there was a good, collaborative environment, and not that much intradepartmental competition. There's lots of funding, and many students end up on NIH training grants. 

Another thing I liked about UVAs program: No TA requirements and class and rotations are not conducted at the same time.

[kimmibeans]

14 hours ago, C5aC5b said:

Congratulations to all those with acceptances!  I'm especially happy for you if you're able to make a final decision.  

I found out I'm wait-listed at my #1 choice but I have two other offers from excellent programs.  The email was rather generic and didn't include specifics as to the size of the list or my position in the stable.  Anyone have any suggestions on finding this information?  I'm hesitant to email coordinators as I'm sure they are deluged with similar inquiries...

I emailed the coordinators when I was wait listed. I told them thank you for the update and that they were my number one choice. I was accepted a week later.

Edited March 9, 2016 by kimmibeans

[aufish92]

5 hours ago, adiJ said:

Boston/Cambridge is going to be awesome! (Albeit expensive as hell, I'm signing up for University housing and holy shit)

Yeah looking at apartments is kind of scary, especially because I live in a very cheap part of the country right now.  It will be worth it though, I hope.   

[Bioeng123]

6 hours ago, adiJ said:

Boston/Cambridge is going to be awesome! (Albeit expensive as hell, I'm signing up for University housing and holy shit)

Coming from San Francisco, it's actually not that bad haha. That being said, I heard Cambridge was pricier than Boston. Anyone know if that's true?

[swiftninja]

If I get wait listed at a school would it be inappropriate to ask how many people got acceptance offers and how many they waitlisted? Or should I just be patient and wait?

[lord_dracarys]

7 minutes ago, swiftninja said:

If I get wait listed at a school would it be inappropriate to ask how many people got acceptance offers and how many they waitlisted? Or should I just be patient and wait?

Depending on the school many of them will give you rough estimates of how many students they accept on average on their program website. However, if you can't find it then I don't see why it would be frowned upon to ask how many students they expect to take. I don't think there's anything wrong with asking how many people are on the wait list and your position on it. I imagine most coordinators expect to be asked that sort of thing by people placed on wait lists. The one coordinator I sent a similar email to was very open about what they knew.

In the end I think it comes down to just making sure you're polite in the email you send.

[HopefulPHD14]

32 minutes ago, swiftninja said:

If I get wait listed at a school would it be inappropriate to ask how many people got acceptance offers and how many they waitlisted? Or should I just be patient and wait?

I would totally ask.  I find that most programs are pretty transparent about your chances.

[biochemm]

21 hours ago, Earl said:

are you planning to attend bu pibs?

Decided on UW Madison. I ended up emailing in my declining decision to BU like I said since the site wasn't working.

Edited March 9, 2016 by biochemm

[Ash04]

2 hours ago, Bioeng123 said:

Coming from San Francisco, it's actually not that bad haha. That being said, I heard Cambridge was pricier than Boston. Anyone know if that's true?

Not really, both cost you about the same. If you have roommates its not that bad. (Also, it depends on your lifestyle)

[Ferroportin]

For the schools that you can accept/decline offers online - is everyone following up with an email to the program coordinator for the programs you're declining? Or should we just decline online and leave it be?

[lord_dracarys]

6 minutes ago, Ferroportin said:

For the schools that you can accept/decline offers online - is everyone following up with an email to the program coordinator for the programs you're declining? Or should we just decline online and leave it be?

I think it's considered polite/professional to send them a short email, so I've written a template letter of sorts. You don't need to say much really other than a more verbose  "thanks but no thanks" based on what I've seen others write on the topic.

[dinny]

Just found out I got into UNC-CH BBSP!!!!!! 

 

Ah. 3 weeks of waiting over since the interview and I'm through the moon.

[lilacs]

1 hour ago, dinny said:

Just found out I got into UNC-CH BBSP!!!!!! 

 

Ah. 3 weeks of waiting over since the interview and I'm through the moon.

Congrats!!

[Metbio2016]

Has anyone heard back from Stanford Biosciences and if so, what home program?

[Earl]

43 minutes ago, Metbio2016 said:

Has anyone heard back from Stanford Biosciences and if so, what home program?

immuno

[jaesango]

58 minutes ago, Metbio2016 said:

Has anyone heard back from Stanford Biosciences and if so, what home program?

Cancer bio, and a friend told me chemical and systems biology has started sending out invites too

[Metbio2016]

17 minutes ago, jaesango said:

Cancer bio, and a friend told me chemical and systems biology has started sending out invites too

Damn. I'm Chemical and Systems bio.. I guess ill just keep an eye out

[jaesango]

16 minutes ago, Metbio2016 said:

Damn. I'm Chemical and Systems bio.. I guess ill just keep an eye out

Hope you hear back soon! I think a lot of home programs are doing rolling admissions