2017 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[SysEvo]

7 minutes ago, charmquarkz said:

Wow congrats!!! I applied too and haven't received an invitation... but, the day isn't *quite* over so I won't give up hope just yet!

I emailed them because of the overlap with Gatech recruitment, and they sent me the invitation as reply

[charmquarkz]

2 minutes ago, SysEvo said:

I emailed them because of the overlap with Gatech recruitment, and they sent me the invitation as reply

Oh! Perhaps I should consider doing the same... I have a similar concern with two other recruiting events which coincide with both of MIT Micro's! Also looks like we've applied to a few of the same programs. Good luck!

[SysEvo]

2 minutes ago, charmquarkz said:

Oh! Perhaps I should consider doing the same... I have a similar concern with two other recruiting events which coincide with both of MIT Micro's! Also looks like we've applied to a few of the same programs. Good luck!

Thanks! You too! 

[Bubbles_L]

3 hours ago, MCF10A said:

Just got a Skype interview (?????) invite from UPenn CAMB-Cancer Bio.....

me too,  I thought i was already rejected... surprised

[Bioenchilada]

3 hours ago, MCF10A said:

I think all cancer bio people this year have to attend the one on Jan 19-21?  

I don't think that's true lol

I'll check and get back to you. 

[thegriffin]

Hello everyone. I have been following this thread for a long time, however I have just been a lurker. 

Since a lot of people are waiting on Stanford Cancer Biology.  I was offered an interview fifty minutes ago for 3/1-3/5.

[desmond.bo]

8 hours ago, hippopotamus said:

I applied to cancer biology!

Saw somebody post an interview in the results search tab.

[L543]

Anyone waiting on Wisconsin IPiB? I've only seen a couple interviews on the results page

[Shero]

On January 9, 2017 at 5:28 PM, Gazret said:

I haven't heard from UW biochem either.

Just heard from Michigan State (BMS) for an interview earlier today.

Have you asked UW biochem if all invites have been sent out 

[Katyya]

On 1/13/2017 at 11:45 PM, MCF10A said:

Just got a Skype interview (?????) invite from UPenn CAMB-Cancer Bio.....

WHAT

[DGD4L]

Anyone going to Loyola Chicago's interviews for the IPBS this upcoming Thursday and Friday?

[bionerd111]

I just was sent the list of professors that will be interviewing me for a recruiting weekend in an umbrella program. However, only 1/3 is one I actually requested/want to work with. The other 2 have interesting research but not what I want to do. Is the interview for the sole purpose of identifying a potential supervisor? Will I ruin my chances of being accepted if I tell these professors I wouldn't want to do a rotation with them? 

[charmquarkz]

5 minutes ago, bionerd111 said:

I just was sent the list of professors that will be interviewing me for a recruiting weekend in an umbrella program. However, only 1/3 is one I actually requested/want to work with. The other 2 have interesting research but not what I want to do. Is the interview for the sole purpose of identifying a potential supervisor? Will I ruin my chances of being accepted if I tell these professors I wouldn't want to do a rotation with them? 

I'm sure someone who has already gone through the interview process will comment but it is my understanding that these interviews aren't strictly with potential mentors... I am scheduled to meet with several faculty in the department I applied to but that are completely outside my area of research.  They could be part of the admissions committee or simply faculty who have been tasked to "get to know you" and how you discuss your science for the purposes of deciding whether or not to admit you! I wouldn't flat out say that you don't want to work with them, as that might not be the intention to begin with. Although if they ask you if you would like to do a rotation in their lab, I'm not sure exactly how you should address the fact that you are not interested (perhaps someone who has been in this situation can help!)

[eyesandheart]

43 minutes ago, bionerd111 said:

I just was sent the list of professors that will be interviewing me for a recruiting weekend in an umbrella program. However, only 1/3 is one I actually requested/want to work with. The other 2 have interesting research but not what I want to do. Is the interview for the sole purpose of identifying a potential supervisor? Will I ruin my chances of being accepted if I tell these professors I wouldn't want to do a rotation with them? 

I'm sure every program is a little different, but I interviewed at an umbrella program this weekend and the interviews were more just to assess your ability to talk about research. Most of my interviewers asked me off the bat what sort of research I was most interested in and even if it wasn't directly aligned with their field we still had great discussions about my current research and their research. Even if you don't want to work with them, you can learn something about their research and show you can have conversation about a variety of scientific topics. I don't think anyone would ask you at this point if you want to rotate in their lab as these decisions are usually much later.

[jumbo1177]

Does anyone know if all the stanford cancer bio invites have been sent out? I only saw one on the results tab?

[Oddich55]

1 hour ago, jumbo1177 said:

Does anyone know if all the stanford cancer bio invites have been sent out? I only saw one on the results tab?

I know a guy who got an invite Friday evening. They may be still going out though... Cancer bio is definitely a bigger program. 

[lizie.johnson]

@geneticginger and @coffeenchem what are your interview dates? I'm interviewing with UNC BBSP the first weekend in February.

[lmb123]

1 hour ago, zam330 said:

 I read his most recent publications and gave a 1-2 sentence summary, then posed a question along the lines of: " I’d be curious to see if there are other donors to the electron pool in relation to ATP synthesis, other than the already determined ones (I obviously named those in detail)" because a paper mentioned that inhibiting one of the determined donors led to equivalent amounts of ATP generated.  In a different app I posed a question along the lines of: "I'd be interested in determining environmental changes that would promote or impede the motility of the bacterium, which could be done by restricting key elements such as phosphorous."  

I'm still going through the the app process now, so I guess take this with a grain of salt, but that is MUCH more specific than what I wrote.  My statements were much more along the lines of "I'm interested in the work of Dr. X and Dr. Y, particularly their projects related to innate immunity." 

[coffeenchem]

1 hour ago, lizie.johnson said:

@coffeenchem what are your interview dates? I'm interviewing with UNC BBSP the first weekend in February.

Im interviewing during the first weekend in February too.

[BigThomason51]

1 hour ago, zam330 said:

I understand that this thread is for admission results, but it also gets the most traffic so I'm sorry in advance. 

After not hearing anything back from my top school choice, I'm trying to determine what area of my application could use some work.

 

What schools did you apply to?  I saw in another thread your undergraduate GPA is a 3.12, and your graduate is 3.90.  Can you state your GRE scores?  How many credit hours are your Masters?  Did you have a thesis as well? Also, are you domestic or international?  How are your LOR's? 

I don't think your SOP is the problem.  It could be you applied to a lot of schools that are competitive.  If you give more information about what I stated, it would be helpful.You could also PM me if you don't feel comfortable posting that information in the public. 

[Marshall]

2 hours ago, zam330 said:

I understand that this thread is for admission results, but it also gets the most traffic so I'm sorry in advance. 

After not hearing anything back from my top school choice, I'm trying to determine what area of my application could use some work.  The only potential problem I could see would be with my statement of purpose, specifically my research interests and why I want to go to that school.  I'm interested in studying microbial life of extreme environments, and how that could relate to the environments of other planets.  This is quite vague, so I chose 1-2 professors whose research I was interested in (specifically one at this school).  I read his most recent publications and gave a 1-2 sentence summary, then posed a question along the lines of: " I’d be curious to see if there are other donors to the electron pool in relation to ATP synthesis, other than the already determined ones (I obviously named those in detail)" because a paper mentioned that inhibiting one of the determined donors led to equivalent amounts of ATP generated.  In a different app I posed a question along the lines of: "I'd be interested in determining environmental changes that would promote or impede the motility of the bacterium, which could be done by restricting key elements such as phosphorous."  

Did I misinterpret how I should go about stating my interests?  The thing is, I don't have a very specific set of interests. I'm open to molding my research based on the topics that my potential advisor is interested in.  I'm aware that unlike when I was choosing master's research based on projects available, a PhD advisor expects you to create your own project.  In my SOP I  wanted to show that I understand what is going on, and that I can develop a potential question relative to their research, even if it may be a small contribution to the subject.  

Hoping someone else can offer something up since  this is something I'm worrying about as well. I have an almost certain rejection from one place I applied and I'm starting to see interviews going out for another program. 

I also only applied to a lowish number (4) because I have very specific research interests and those places were the only places that matched those interests. I'm starting to become concerned that I've bottle-necked myself.

I was also under the impression that it would seem better to be able to put forth a proposal; however, my research interests are quite a bit outside everyone elses' in these threads. 

Good luck with the remainder of your applications! 

 

ETA- just saw your post. With the GRE score, most people acknowledge that it is not a good indicator of your abilities as a researcher but some institutions and departments (especially those who get a lot of apps) will most definitely use that to cut the deck and thin out the applications.  That score is quite low for someone in STEM and immediately stands out to me. Now, of course you can get into a program with those GRE scores, just like it is possible to get into a program with a lower GPA, but it definitely isn't helping. 

Edited January 16, 2017 by Marshall

[BigThomason51]

I agree with the above.  Most of the departments I've spoken to want at least 50th percentile. In fact, some mentioned that as long as your GRE scores meet that threshold, then you're good to go. 

[BigThomason51]

BTW, I just want to note that Zam, even with your GRE scores, there are schools that will take you with your academic record (especially since you have a Masters, research experience, ect.)  It's just that you only applied to 3 very competitive schools/programs.

[charmquarkz]

3 hours ago, zam330 said:

I understand that this thread is for admission results, but it also gets the most traffic so I'm sorry in advance. 

After not hearing anything back from my top school choice, I'm trying to determine what area of my application could use some work.  The only potential problem I could see would be with my statement of purpose, specifically my research interests and why I want to go to that school.  I'm interested in studying microbial life of extreme environments, and how that could relate to the environments of other planets.  This is quite vague, so I chose 1-2 professors whose research I was interested in (specifically one at this school).  I read his most recent publications and gave a 1-2 sentence summary, then posed a question along the lines of: " I’d be curious to see if there are other donors to the electron pool in relation to ATP synthesis, other than the already determined ones (I obviously named those in detail)" because a paper mentioned that inhibiting one of the determined donors led to equivalent amounts of ATP generated.  In a different app I posed a question along the lines of: "I'd be interested in determining environmental changes that would promote or impede the motility of the bacterium, which could be done by restricting key elements such as phosphorous."  

Did I misinterpret how I should go about stating my interests?  The thing is, I don't have a very specific set of interests. I'm open to molding my research based on the topics that my potential advisor is interested in.  I'm aware that unlike when I was choosing master's research based on projects available, a PhD advisor expects you to create your own project.  In my SOP I  wanted to show that I understand what is going on, and that I can develop a potential question relative to their research, even if it may be a small contribution to the subject.  

Can you comment on your previous research experience? Have you been doing this kind of research already? From the description you provided of your SOP, it sounds like you certainly did a good job explaining your interests, but how much did you talk about your practical/theoretical experience and how it ties into those interests? I ask because I am switching to geobiology/astrobiology/origins-of-life research myself from a completely different area of biology (mostly regenerative medicine and cancer biology), so the challenge for me has been justifying the disconnect between my practical skills and true interests! In fact, the number one questions I have been asked by prospective mentors during interviews is "so why the change in interest?" and that's usually followed up by something along the lines of "how has your formal training so far prepared you to do research you have limited experience in?" I will add that I have been mostly successful so far, and I think the key has been not only being specific about my interests but why I think I'm qualified to pursue them as a doctoral student!

[charmquarkz]

1 hour ago, zam330 said:

I applied to UW-Seattle Microbiology, UW-Seattle Oceanography, and University of S. Cal. MBBO.  These were the only schools that had research I was interested in. I personally don't see the point in applying somewhere just for the sake of getting a PhD.  I'm a domestic student.
Masters- GPA 4.0, 20 credit hours completed out of 36 ( started last spring and will finish this summer), and I'm on the back end of my thesis project after spending my summer in the lab. Received a grant and Teaching assistantships.
Undergrad- GPA 3.12 with strong upward trend, last 60 hours of course work which include my masters is a 3.95, undergrad research for a little over a year, rewarded a grant for it, poster at a big ASM conference. 
LORs- strong; my thesis advisor, a prolific prof at my university that I TA a course for, and a biochem prof to show cross departmental success
GRE- bad b/c I became interested in grad school in the fall of the year I applied, but I explained this briefly in my SOP. My assumption is that the GRE measures applicants coming straight from undergrad.  Q: 149 V: 147 W: 3.5
 

Also, I don't know if you've mentioned this already, but did you contact prospective mentors before applying to express your interest?