2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[biochemgirl67]

5 hours ago, Effloresce said:

just got an offer, 98% sure i'm going to go!!!!

YAAAAAAAAY!  I really hope you do!  If it has the right feeling, it's the right place.  If you're so excited about the program, the faculty, and Nashville you keep talking about it to your friends, family, and partner, then my advice would be to let yourself fall in love.  I wouldn't shut up about it for weeks and my now fiance kept asking me if I would accept and I would just say, "oh, I don't know, depends on the others."  Every time I went somewhere else all I could think about was Vandy and the faculty/research there plus the environment.  I didn't wait for any other offers and accepted immediately once my interviews were over.

Like I said, I really hope you decide to go!    But congratulations either way!

[Gram Neutral]

I accepted the offer from Notre Dame. Excited to start my PhD!

[pcc2129]

Did anyone hear back from Stanford M&I today? Wondering if since it's been a week since their first round of admissions if they did anymore...

[cephnerd]

Ah! I sent my first e-mail from my new "@duke.edu" address, today! So official. 

[Gram Neutral]

2 hours ago, cephnerd said:

Ah! I sent my first e-mail from my new "@duke.edu" address, today! So official. 

Best part about a new @school.edu address is 6 more free months of Amazon Prime. 

[Guest]

Greetings All,

Question: How does one go about denying an offer of admission? I feel bad just responding to the decision letter with a "no" and that's it. Should I actually write something other than submitting the "no"? Like a very brief letter thanking them and offering a brief insight into my choice (nothing too detailed)? Or is nothing further than a "no" warranted?

Thanks!

[gyrase]

42 minutes ago, neurogirl10 said:

Greetings All,

Question: How does one go about denying an offer of admission? I feel bad just responding to the decision letter with a "no" and that's it. Should I actually write something other than submitting the "no"? Like a very brief letter thanking them and offering a brief insight into my choice (nothing too detailed)? Or is nothing further than a "no" warranted?

Thanks!

I found this Quora thread very helpful: https://www.quora.com/When-declining-an-offer-of-admission-to-a-PhD-program-is-it-better-to-give-an-explanation-for-the-decision-or-to-keep-things-short

tldr: keep it short.

[shadenitro]

So I got into the Bioinformatics Masters' programs in at Georgia Institute of Technology and Boston University. I also have an offer for the Biomedical and Molecular research Masters' program at King's College London.

An advice on which program to choose?

And I really hope this strengthens my PhD App in the future  

[ballwera]

10 hours ago, shadenitro said:

So I got into the Bioinformatics Masters' programs in at Georgia Institute of Technology and Boston University. I also have an offer for the Biomedical and Molecular research Masters' program at King's College London.

An advice on which program to choose?

And I really hope this strengthens my PhD App in the future  

If you want to do your PhD in the states, I would stay in the U.S. Bioinformatics experience is highly sought after for PhD admissions and BU and GT both have good programs. I'd pay more attention to how much it's going to cost you, whether it's research based, and where each of the programs' alumni have gone after completing the degree. 

[shadenitro]

2 hours ago, PlanB said:

IMO, it depends on what are you want to specialize in for your PhD.  If you want to get a PhD in bioinformatics, I would strongly recommend Georgia Tech(they have a really, really strong program). If you want to focus on bench research in the future, then the masters program at King's college would probably be the way to go.

I'm a bit confused here. I've always wanted to work at the interface - generating my own data and then analyzing it (or something like this).

Any more pearls of wisdom?
And thanks  

[shadenitro]

2 hours ago, ballwera said:

If you want to do your PhD in the states, I would stay in the U.S. Bioinformatics experience is highly sought after for PhD admissions and BU and GT both have good programs. I'd pay more attention to how much it's going to cost you, whether it's research based, and where each of the programs' alumni have gone after completing the degree. 

HI!

Thanks for replying!

The cost is quite high (as an Indian student), but things should work out. The course at GaTech is course based with an optional thesis, while the one at BU has a thesis requirement. In any case, I will pursue a project.

Alumni from both have jobs or PhDs - so fingers crossed   

[firmicutie]

On 3/23/2016 at 8:59 PM, pcc2129 said:

Did anyone hear back from Stanford M&I today? Wondering if since it's been a week since their first round of admissions if they did anymore...

Hey, don't worry, I'm positive they're still going through the waiting list. I asked for another week to decide because I'm torn between Stanford M&I and another program. I do feel bad for taking so much time. But at this point I'm like 90% sure I'll decline Stanford, so hopefully someone who's a better fit for the program will get in

[Hr. Gore]

4 hours ago, shadenitro said:

HI!

Thanks for replying!

The cost is quite high (as an Indian student), but things should work out. The course at GaTech is course based with an optional thesis, while the one at BU has a thesis requirement. In any case, I will pursue a project.

Alumni from both have jobs or PhDs - so fingers crossed   

Hi! Being graduated from one of the universities in London as an Indian, I can tell that you have ample opportunities there ( I guess, quite comparable to Boston).  Also, the British masters courses have different structure than those in the US. If you feel prepared to jump into thesis within an year and want to follow a fast track to PhD, then King's course is a valid option. As PlanB has said, go for the place that best prepares you for your intended PhD coursework, network and research experience wise. 

Good luck!
And PM me if you need.
 

[shadenitro]

15 hours ago, PlanB said:

All scientists generated their own data and analyze it. Most biomedical PhD programs offer a course in statistics/bioinformatics, so there is no need to get a PhD or MS in bioinformatics if you want to be a bench scientist. Bioinformaticians primarily design software/algorithms for analyzing biological data. 

Hi!

I am sorry for not phrasing it better before - I want to generate my own data and create pipelines to analyze it.

But yes, I do realize that I see myself doing at least some benchwork. 

Thanks, again  

[Gram Neutral]

Random question, does anyone know when stipends normally begin? Like if I start school august 20th will I get paid that day, a month from then, August 1st? Does it vary? 

Edited March 28, 2016 by Gram Neutral

[ballwera]

33 minutes ago, Gram Neutral said:

Random question, does anyone know when stipends normally begin? Like if I start school august 20th will I get paid that day, a month from then, August 1st? Does it vary? 

Depends on how the university handles students. In my program we are "employed" by the university for the first 2 years, so we are on the normal payroll. That meant I didn't get paid til the week after classes started because that was when the next scheduled pay day was. 

[HopefulPHD14]

57 minutes ago, Gram Neutral said:

Random question, does anyone know when stipends normally begin? Like if I start school august 20th will I get paid that day, a month from then, August 1st? Does it vary? 

Every school I talked to did it different.  Most seemed to have you "employed" for at least the first year meaning that you will get paid a week or two into starting.  

Some programs did pay a stipend up front and then additional stipends either biweekly or monthly after that.

[taha89]

Did any international student hear from Case Western Reserve (Biochemistry department) ?  
 

They said they are going to interview me two weeks ago, but no news yet!!

[lilacs]

4 hours ago, Gram Neutral said:

Random question, does anyone know when stipends normally begin? Like if I start school august 20th will I get paid that day, a month from then, August 1st? Does it vary? 

Depends on the program. Some of the programs I interviewed at didn't distribute stipends for 2-5 weeks, so you have to support yourself until then.

[biotechie]

7 hours ago, Gram Neutral said:

Random question, does anyone know when stipends normally begin? Like if I start school august 20th will I get paid that day, a month from then, August 1st? Does it vary? 

I actually didn't get paid the first time for nearly 3 weeks after I started, and it was a little tough. Build yourself a little cushion in your funds to tide you over in case you don't get paid right away!

[genetix12]

Has anyone heard from Tufts CMDB? Was told I am on the wait list, not too sure what my next move should be other than saying I'm still interested. Any advice?

[SpartanNerd1021]

Finally heard back from UMass Boston saying that I have been accepted, but already accepted an offer at Boston College. Oh well!

[abbythespoon]

NSF-GRFP results came out today! 

[Bioenchilada]

1 hour ago, abbythespoon said:

NSF-GRFP results came out today! 

I know like 4 people that got it!

[biosci]

1 hour ago, abbythespoon said:

NSF-GRFP results came out today! 

In one of life's great ironies I got the award writing as if I was going to a school I got rejected from