2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[scilinny]

2 hours ago, AstronautSteve said:

So is all hope lost for Harvard BBS? I tried to contact an admin but had no luck. Think all invites have been sent out?

 

2 hours ago, Jmoney$$ said:

Hey Steve that's my working theory based on other posts in this thread. Plus a fair few results came out on the boards for BBS.

 

Im in same boat btw.

I'm in the same boat too, but also havent heard back from other schools people have already heard back from too... 
im trying to be hopeful, but...

[Immunolog]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker here! congrats/good luck to everyone. I'm still waiting for the jan4 decisions from Stanford and Berkeley. 

Not sure if I'm giving false hope or not, but Im a tech at UCSF, and a lot of the BMS students I've talked to said their invitations came in January, so theres still a chance until that rejection letter comes.

[Jmoney$$]

5 minutes ago, scilinny said:

 

I'm in the same boat too, but also havent heard back from other schools people have already heard back from too... 
im trying to be hopeful, but...

Yeah BBS is super tough I hear. My PI said he called people he knew in admissions a few years back and they said there's not much pull they can give to anyone in particular because its so competitive.

 

In other news does anybody know about MIT bio? Or has anyone heard yet from them?

[ForScience!]

5 hours ago, keviv1692 said:

Has anybody heard back from University of Chicago (CMB), University of Rochester (BMB) and WUSTL (MCB)..?? Also want to mention that I am an international applicant.

Yes, I am an international student as well, and I got an interview from them. I applied for Cancer Biology.

[Effloresce]

1 hour ago, AmyShelton said:

My daughter has received 4 invites so far; the other 3 schools don't invite until January. She is determined to go to all of them if the schedule allows. She was afraid she'd get no invites; now she's afraid she'll get no admission offers, so she feels she needs to go to them all just in case. She is now scheduled for the last weekend of Jan and the first 3 weekends of Feb. She's holding the last weekend of Feb and the first weekend of Mar open, based on historical and current info. No clue when interviews for the 7th school might be, so she's thinking she may have to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Luckily, it's the school at the bottom of her list. (Daughter doesn't do forums, while I'm a forum junkie, which is why you're hearing from me and not her. She doesn't mind me sharing with you, as she's thankful for all the info Ive learned demo all of you and passed along to her.)

i feel like your daughter. i'm happy with interviews, but now i'm worried about admittances.

[Emorphous]

Anyone for Duke Immunology? I received an interview invitation on Dec.15th. It is a skype interview invitation but I think all domestic students visit the campus on recruiting weekend? I'm an international student currently studying in the US so I'm totally able to travel to Duke campus. One explanation is that they mistook me as being outside US. But does it imply anything if they do mean a skype interview regardless of where I am?

[roostah536]

On December 18, 2015 at 3:42 PM, peachypie said:

Do you not have an option to schedule an alternative interview?

Not for UW, but I'll ask JH and Duke. Thanks for the suggestion! It's just that I already told those two I was coming because I heard from them first and was excited. Oops.

[peachypie]

41 minutes ago, Emorphous said:

Anyone for Duke Immunology? I received an interview invitation on Dec.15th. It is a skype interview invitation but I think all domestic students visit the campus on recruiting weekend? I'm an international student currently studying in the US so I'm totally able to travel to Duke campus. One explanation is that they mistook me as being outside US. But does it imply anything if they do mean a skype interview regardless of where I am?

It might be too late for them to accommodate you.  There is a budget and maybe they slotted all their spots and can't change it.  I wouldn't take too much from it. 

[biosci]

So, I am trying to choose my 10-12 faculty for my UMich-PIBS interview and would like some advice. The instructions say that at least 5 of them have to be from my first choice track.  I currently have 6 from this track, MCDB, but I am worried whether I should choose more from this track.  One of the things I like about umbrella programs is that you get to try out different things, and there are multiple researchers outside of the track that really interest me, but I don't know if it is the track that is having the say in whether to offer me admission and therefore I should choose almost all my faculty picks from MCDB?  I really appreciate any feedback!  Thanks so much

[peachypie]

15 minutes ago, biosci said:

So, I am trying to choose my 10-12 faculty for my UMich-PIBS interview and would like some advice. The instructions say that at least 5 of them have to be from my first choice track.  I currently have 6 from this track, MCDB, but I am worried whether I should choose more from this track.  One of the things I like about umbrella programs is that you get to try out different things, and there are multiple researchers outside of the track that really interest me, but I don't know if it is the track that is having the say in whether to offer me admission and therefore I should choose almost all my faculty picks from MCDB?  I really appreciate any feedback!  Thanks so much

Typically anyone you interview with will be given the opportunity to decide your admission.  They will likely have only so many spots for each track in an effort to  make sure they don't have 15 entering interested in one track and only 4 faculty in that track that are able to take students.  These decisions will likely be made with all tracks in consideration with representatives from each.  They try to keep a balance when admitting.  I would pick 6/7 from your first track of interest and then select from others.  Obviously select people you are interested in and not just randoms.  They will likely try to accommodate you but you are honestly going to interview with probably 6 people.  I'd guess they'll try to schedule you with at least 1/2 from your first track but you will have to get others. 

[biotechie]

6 hours ago, AmyShelton said:

My daughter has received 4 invites so far; the other 3 schools don't invite until January. She is determined to go to all of them if the schedule allows. She was afraid she'd get no invites; now she's afraid she'll get no admission offers, so she feels she needs to go to them all just in case. She is now scheduled for the last weekend of Jan and the first 3 weekends of Feb. She's holding the last weekend of Feb and the first weekend of Mar open, based on historical and current info. No clue when interviews for the 7th school might be, so she's thinking she may have to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Luckily, it's the school at the bottom of her list. (Daughter doesn't do forums, while I'm a forum junkie, which is why you're hearing from me and not her. She doesn't mind me sharing with you, as she's thankful for all the info Ive learned demo all of you and passed along to her.)

Being selected for interview is a very positive thing, especially this early in the game. Interviews serve to make sure the person on paper is the same person they would be getting if you attended, and it allows both the applicant and the people at the school to determine if the applicant is a good fit. At the same time, this is also the chance for the schools to woo and market themselves to you in person. If she's gotten 4 invites, odds are she'll get offers from one of them, or at the very least be wait-listed. If you get rejected post-interview, something is up, either with you or how the program received you. I view interviews as more of a formality to make sure you're not a psychopath.

I only applied to 6 schools and ended up being fine. The only reason I declined two of the interviews was because I loved one of my programs so much that my second interview was less than impressive and I knew my other two wouldn't live up to it as I had been to the campuses before. Your daughter will be fine.

Feel free to ask me questions about interviews, etc if needed. I also have a blog post that's showing up on the front page about interview expectations that you guys might find useful. http://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/452-all-about-interviews-experiences-for-the-gc-minions/

Edited December 20, 2015 by biotechie
Added more info and interview expectations link. :)

[pot8o]

31 minutes ago, biotechie said:

Feel free to ask me questions about interviews, etc if needed. I also have a blog post that's showing up on the front page about interview expectations that you guys might find useful. http://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/452-all-about-interviews-experiences-for-the-gc-minions/

Thanks a bunch for sharing this awesome resource. This will be super helpful when it come time to prepare for interviews! 

Edited December 20, 2015 by pot8o

[ms_green_genes]

42 minutes ago, biotechie said:

Being selected for interview is a very positive thing, especially this early in the game. Interviews serve to make sure the person on paper is the same person they would be getting if you attended, and it allows both the applicant and the people at the school to determine if the applicant is a good fit. At the same time, this is also the chance for the schools to woo and market themselves to you in person. If she's gotten 4 invites, odds are she'll get offers from one of them, or at the very least be wait-listed. If you get rejected post-interview, something is up, either with you or how the program received you. I view interviews as more of a formality to make sure you're not a psychopath.

I only applied to 6 schools and ended up being fine. The only reason I declined two of the interviews was because I loved one of my programs so much that my second interview was less than impressive and I knew my other two wouldn't live up to it as I had been to the campuses before. Your daughter will be fine.

Feel free to ask me questions about interviews, etc if needed. I also have a blog post that's showing up on the front page about interview expectations that you guys might find useful. http://forum.thegradcafe.com/blogs/entry/452-all-about-interviews-experiences-for-the-gc-minions/

Thanks, biotechie. She was in the first round of invites for her track in each of these 4 schools, so I'm trying to get her to believe that they'll be trying to convince her to pick their school. My sister, a journalism prof who has sat on many adcoms, read my daughter's SOP and offered some input. She's trying to reassure my daughter, too. Thank goodness daughter knows how to get along well with all sorts of people. 

Daughter has no prior experience with this. She refused to consider any college except our state flagship, and they were courting her from her junior year of high school. She also knows acceptance at Tier 1 schools can be a crap shoot, since there are plenty of other students with high stats like hers, so she won't take anything for granted. 

[ms_green_genes]

Biotechie, I saw that post the other day and sent my daughter a link to it. Very helpful!

[Immunolog]

@biotechie when asked about your research interests did you adjust your answer to somewhat cater to each interviewer, i.e. bridge the gap to make it more relevant to their work or be very upfront. 

When I was speaking with a POI, I started off saying I'm interested in the very topics covered by his lab, and he got very excited. Then I continued about my interest in utilizing bioinformatics, and his voice seemed a little taken aback. He then began suggesting other faculty members I might be interested in. I cannot tell if he's trying to be helpful, or if I should have stopped talking while I was ahead. Or I am looking to much into this and should relax. 

Thanks in advance! 

[biotechie]

4 minutes ago, Immunolog said:

@biotechie when asked about your research interests did you adjust your answer to somewhat cater to each interviewer, i.e. bridge the gap to make it more relevant to their work or be very upfront. 

When I was speaking with a POI, I started off saying I'm interested in the very topics covered by his lab, and he got very excited. Then I continued about my interest in utilizing bioinformatics, and his voice seemed a little taken aback. He then began suggesting other faculty members I might be interested in. I cannot tell if he's trying to be helpful, or if I should have stopped talking while I was ahead. Or I am looking to much into this and should relax. 

Thanks in advance! 

I did a little bit, but not really. The interviews I went to, I got to choose the professors I interviewed with, so I already knew my interests aligned with theirs. If you don't get to pick, it is okay to not have the same interests, but definitely do come in having read a few abstracts on their research. 

Believe it or not, at interviews, they're trying to recruit you to pick their program over other offers if you're accepted, and many of these professors may also be taking students next year, so they may be trying to recruit for their own labs as well. They also love talking about their own research. I would view that as a positive response from the POI. Good luck!

[Bacterrific]

I think this may have been addressed before, but two questions: 

1. Does it matter if you choose the earlier or later interview date?

2. Is it better to stay with a host student or in a hotel? 

Thanks!

[biotechie]

6 minutes ago, Bacterrific said:

I think this may have been addressed before, but two questions: 

1. Does it matter if you choose the earlier or later interview date?

2. Is it better to stay with a host student or in a hotel? 

Thanks!

1. Some schools don't pick their first choices until after all interviews, but others extend offers after each interview. The latter was the case at schools I applied to. That means you might have a higher chance of waitlist if those that interviewed earlier. However, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you're unavailable the earlier date, still interview if you're interested in the school, but if you can go to the earlier date, I would do it.

2. I didn't stay with host students at my interviews; they just automatically put me up in a hotel, once with a roommate student, but the other time by myself. At my M.S. institution, they had us host students when they interviewed. This meant that the interviewing student slept on my futon, which may not have been the most comfortable. However, she did get one-on-one time with me to talk about the program and ask whatever she wanted more privately than with normal grad school outings. If you're paying out of pocket for your interview, it isn't a bad thing to be hosted. My schools paid for my interview expenses.

[Bacterrific]

Hello friends, back with more questions. Is it possible to ask a school to fly you from another interview? Essentially could I ask UC-Berkeley to fly me out from Harvard? I would rather attend the earlier interview date which is January 31-February 2nd, but I will be at Harvard from January 28-January 31st. Would it look weird/hurt my chances? I could just fly home from Harvard and immediately hop on a new flight to Berkeley or I could just take Berkeley's later date. 

[peachypie]

4 minutes ago, Bacterrific said:

Hello friends, back with more questions. Is it possible to ask a school to fly you from another interview? Essentially could I ask UC-Berkeley to fly me out from Harvard? I would rather attend the earlier interview date which is January 31-February 2nd, but I will be at Harvard from January 28-January 31st. Would it look weird/hurt my chances? I could just fly home from Harvard and immediately hop on a new flight to Berkeley or I could just take Berkeley's later date. 

I'm not sure exactly where you are located and thus if there is a big difference between a flight from Boston to Berkley rather than where you live currently but flying from one interview to another does happen.  It is worth asking for, however if you live in like Phoenix and are flying to Berkley it may be difficult to get them to agree to that especially since it means Harvard won't have to fly you home either.  May be able to split the difference between the two and buy a one way and get reimbursed or see if they will fly you out.  I definitely know of people who did that but more like someone from California who was out on the east coast and just stayed on the east coast instead of flying home to fly back out east.

[Bacterrific]

9 minutes ago, peachypie said:

I'm not sure exactly where you are located and thus if there is a big difference between a flight from Boston to Berkley rather than where you live currently but flying from one interview to another does happen.  It is worth asking for, however if you live in like Phoenix and are flying to Berkley it may be difficult to get them to agree to that especially since it means Harvard won't have to fly you home either.  May be able to split the difference between the two and buy a one way and get reimbursed or see if they will fly you out.  I definitely know of people who did that but more like someone from California who was out on the east coast and just stayed on the east coast instead of flying home to fly back out east.

Hi! Thank you! Harvard BBS has you leave anytime Sunday morning so I think I will catch a red-eye from Boston to my hometown (about an hour flight) and then just catch another flight separately out to Berkeley (about a 5 hour flight  ) Wow, this is going to be absolutely exhausting haha Thank goodness for the West Coast timezone to give me three hours of my life back  

[biochemgirl67]

Okay, I know this is nitpicky but I was going over my Stanford app and it had said in the poster section that you should include every entry in a single line separated by semi colons with no extra carriage returns... I copied and pasted from my cv that had formatting and apparently either forgot to make it one line or my attempts failed.  Do you think this will be a huge issue?

[tempbiostud]

Does anyone know the status of the following schools and programs?

Emory - PBEE PhD

WashU - Microbiology PhD

UCSD - Biomedical Sciences PhD

Baylor CoM- Molecular Virology and Microbiology PhD

UPenn - Genomics and Computational Biology PhD

I'm thinking I got rejected across the board.

[peachypie]

6 minutes ago, biochemgirl67 said:

Okay, I know this is nitpicky but I was going over my Stanford app and it had said in the poster section that you should include every entry in a single line separated by semi colons with no extra carriage returns... I copied and pasted from my cv that had formatting and apparently either forgot to make it one line or my attempts failed.  Do you think this will be a huge issue?

No.

[biochemgirl67]

2 minutes ago, peachypie said:

No.

Lol thank you!  If I could vote you to "Superhero of Those Who are Plagued with Anxiety," I would.