Genetic Counseling Fall 2017 Applicants

[Gadgette]

1 hour ago, r_cooper said:

I have my first interview next week and reading about everyone else's has me so nervous! I've been trying to make sure I'm informed on current trends going on in genetic counseling and I thought I'd reach out to you guys for any suggestions of topics I should be reading about. I've been browsing NSGC conference talk titles, but any other input would be appreciated! 

Also, if anybody needs a ride from the Cincinnati airport to wherever they're staying, I'm from Cincy and would be glad to try and help out!

I think the most important and hardest part of preparing for interviews is to relax and be confident! At least it is for me (Hello, Imposter Syndrome, my old friend). Remember that you've made it this far and that's saying something.

I'm blanking out on who sent the bioethics pdfs out, but they were really helpful. Also, take time to think about experiences that you can related to genetic counseling.

17 minutes ago, Ellaie said:

Hi guys!  So I have my interview at Arkansas on Monday.  I'm looking into hotels there now.  I know the schools provide a list of hotels, but I've found that a lot of times you can find cheaper or nicer places doing your own research.  I'm driving down, which means I don't mind being a little farther away from campus.  Anyone have any hotel recommendations for Little Rock?  I've never even been to Arkansas before.

@GCInTraining I have my interview at SLC tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Did you get the list of hotels from UAMS?

[Ellaie]

27 minutes ago, Gadgette said:

Did you get the list of hotels from UAMS?

I did, but I feel like the school just lists the hotels that are most convenient by location.  I'll have my car so being walking distance isn't super important, and I was wondering if there were any better options.

[Gadgette]

43 minutes ago, Ellaie said:

I did, but I feel like the school just lists the hotels that are most convenient by location.  I'll have my car so being walking distance isn't super important, and I was wondering if there were any better options.

That makes sense, and it'll give you more of a feel for the area!

[minja134]

Tip for anyone looking for hotels, try calling and see if you can get the university rate for the school you are interviewing with. I've only tried it with Hilton brand hotels, but you never know where might honor a special rate for "University business". Also Hilton has a free Honors program you can sign up for that you automatically get lower rates, also you accumulate points for anyone interested in that. I still found calling and booking a reservation under your honors number tends to get you a cheaper rate than online in the rewards sign-in, not really sure why though. 

[Ellaie]

I'm trying to decide what to wear to my interview tomorrow.  I thought I'd have more time to shop today because I wanted to buy another shirt, but I didn't.  I did buy a new pair of flats because the ones I have kill my feet and I'm going to be walking around NY all day tomorrow.  I also bought a big bag, so I can can carry everything for my interview as well as my computer to pass the time when I'm not in the interview.  What do you all think of this outfit and the purse?  Also would you recommend black or nude tights?

 

http://imgur.com/a/zbEp2

[bubusaur]

52 minutes ago, Ellaie said:

I'm trying to decide what to wear to my interview tomorrow.  I thought I'd have more time to shop today because I wanted to buy another shirt, but I didn't.  I did buy a new pair of flats because the ones I have kill my feet and I'm going to be walking around NY all day tomorrow.  I also bought a big bag, so I can can carry everything for my interview as well as my computer to pass the time when I'm not in the interview.  What do you all think of this outfit and the purse?  Also would you recommend black or nude tights?

 

http://imgur.com/a/zbEp2

Everything looks good! If you have nude tights, I'd prefer nude tights. I don't have one so I'm going with black. Make sure your new flats don't kill your feet either! I bought new flats and it killed my feet...gonna take a while longer to break them in.

I'm also wearing a skirt to my interview but I've been warned that since it's in NY, I'm gonna freeze. People have been telling me to wear dress pants, but they simply don't look good on me (hence I'm not comfy in them either).

[allele1]

6 hours ago, r_cooper said:

I have my first interview next week and reading about everyone else's has me so nervous! I've been trying to make sure I'm informed on current trends going on in genetic counseling and I thought I'd reach out to you guys for any suggestions of topics I should be reading about. I've been browsing NSGC conference talk titles, but any other input would be appreciated! 

Also, if anybody needs a ride from the Cincinnati airport to wherever they're staying, I'm from Cincy and would be glad to try and help out!

Any specific trends you've found for genetic counseling? I keep finding a lot on genetics in general, a lot of which relate to crispr-cas, but it's hard to find specific GC related stuff!

[Ellaie]

1 hour ago, bubusaur said:

Everything looks good! If you have nude tights, I'd prefer nude tights. I don't have one so I'm going with black. Make sure your new flats don't kill your feet either! I bought new flats and it killed my feet...gonna take a while longer to break them in.

I'm also wearing a skirt to my interview but I've been warned that since it's in NY, I'm gonna freeze. People have been telling me to wear dress pants, but they simply don't look good on me (hence I'm not comfy in them either).

I have black tights, but I could easily stop at walgreens and pick up a pair of nude ones.  I have such a hard time with shoes!  They always destroy the back of my ankles.  These ones feel great so far and they're Michael Kors, which makes me hopeful that they'll be a little more comfortable.  I'm still gonna bring my gym shoes just in case I need them.

I was talking to my friend that lives there and she said it's supposed to be pretty nice tomorrow.  I definitely understand the dress pants thing.  I'm 5'11, which makes finding a good pair of dress pants extremely difficult.  

[GC19]

7 hours ago, GCFaith92 said:

Unfortunately I did not get an interview there but I did come to visit in the summer. The Sheradon was a great hotel! About 15 minutes way at most. At first I went to a motel across the road from Sheradon, call the "Baymont inn" as the reviews weren't bad. And once we arrived at the motel, there was a lady nodding out outside of the hotel (on drugs of course) and followed us into the hotel registration area. The staff knew her and allow her to hangout in there, and not once tried to get her away from us as she tried to hug both my boyfriend and I and kept babbling to us. It was very uncomfortable and we left despite having reservations, and spent an extra 150 to get away from that place. I also had to fight to get refunded from them, despite the situation we were in . So with that being said be careful of the motels in the area and avoid Baymont inn at all cost!!

Good to know. Thanks for your insight!

[gc843]

Anyone else who got rejected from South Carolina- what was the subject line of your email?? Mine was so misleading!

[minja134]

2 hours ago, Ellaie said:

I have black tights, but I could easily stop at walgreens and pick up a pair of nude ones.  I have such a hard time with shoes!  They always destroy the back of my ankles.  These ones feel great so far and they're Michael Kors, which makes me hopeful that they'll be a little more comfortable.  I'm still gonna bring my gym shoes just in case I need them.

I was talking to my friend that lives there and she said it's supposed to be pretty nice tomorrow.  I definitely understand the dress pants thing.  I'm 5'11, which makes finding a good pair of dress pants extremely difficult.  

For the back of your ankles I would recommend getting the real thick fabric bandages and putting them anywhere on your feet you think your shoes might rub, then put your tights on. Also your outfit is cute and I too recommend nude tights and maybe a blazer of some sort of you have one?

[AspiringGC]

Pretty sure I'm out this cycle. Just got rejected from Augustana, haven't heard from CSU or UCI but they already sent out invites sooo.. Good luck everyone who has interviews! You'll see me back here next year for sure. Gonna take some much needed days to focus on me and plan for what is my new future (applying to more jobs, hitting up my school's career fair, the whole 9 yards). 

Sucks my week started out like this (plus I have strep), but gonna try to be positive about it and just keep working to improve my application for the next cycle. 

[Ferris604]

3 hours ago, Ellaie said:

I have such a hard time with shoes!  They always destroy the back of my ankles.  These ones feel great so far and they're Michael Kors, which makes me hopeful that they'll be a little more comfortable.  I'm still gonna bring my gym shoes just in case I need them.

I have the same problem, and I cannot recommend these bandages enough: http://www.target.com/p/band-aid-heal-blister-bandages-6-count/-/A-14517967

You can pop them on at the first sign that your ankle is getting torn up.  Not only do they prevent further damage, but they're stiff enough that continuing to walk in those shoes won't be a problem!  And they're skin tone-ish, so they won't show too much through tights!

[Ellaie]

5 hours ago, minja134 said:

For the back of your ankles I would recommend getting the real thick fabric bandages and putting them anywhere on your feet you think your shoes might rub, then put your tights on. Also your outfit is cute and I too recommend nude tights and maybe a blazer of some sort of you have one?

I was actually wearing a blazer in the second picture. But funny story. I got on the train to go to the airport and realized that I had forgotten my blazer. I blame it on it being 3am as I was trying to get ready. So I guess I'm going to rock this interview without a blazer. I'm going to pull my skirt up a little bit from where it was in the picture I sent. I'd feel more comfortable having my blazer on, but I think I still look professional enough without it.  I'm gonna have to cuz I don't have another option at this point haha. 

@Ferris604 thanks for the info on the bandaids!  In the past I've usually just bought whatever's cheapest and layered them, but I'll have to look into that specific type. 

[gc2017]

8 hours ago, gc843 said:

Anyone else who got rejected from South Carolina- what was the subject line of your email?? Mine was so misleading!

I agree mine said " Admissions Status: University of South Carolina: Genetic Counseling Program Interview "

[GCFaith92]

9 hours ago, gc843 said:

Anyone else who got rejected from South Carolina- what was the subject line of your email?? Mine was so misleading!

Mine was misleading as well so I guess we got the same one :-(

[GCInTraining]

9 hours ago, AspiringGC said:

Pretty sure I'm out this cycle. Just got rejected from Augustana, haven't heard from CSU or UCI but they already sent out invites sooo.. Good luck everyone who has interviews! You'll see me back here next year for sure. Gonna take some much needed days to focus on me and plan for what is my new future (applying to more jobs, hitting up my school's career fair, the whole 9 yards). 

Sucks my week started out like this (plus I have strep), but gonna try to be positive about it and just keep working to improve my application for the next cycle. 

No shame in being a second round applicant! I know it sucks right now but you can make so many improvements in a year. It'll also give you time to make sure this is truly what you want to do. Plus if you do re-apply, you'll probably get multiple offers and be able to choose rather than going to a school you're not excited about just because it's the only offer you got.

[Gadgette]

9 hours ago, AspiringGC said:

Pretty sure I'm out this cycle. Just got rejected from Augustana, haven't heard from CSU or UCI but they already sent out invites sooo.. Good luck everyone who has interviews! You'll see me back here next year for sure. Gonna take some much needed days to focus on me and plan for what is my new future (applying to more jobs, hitting up my school's career fair, the whole 9 yards). 

Sucks my week started out like this (plus I have strep), but gonna try to be positive about it and just keep working to improve my application for the next cycle. 

A lot of the GCs I've talked to applied 2 or 3 times. I know it sucks, but you'll get there! And you can pull from this for all of the interviews you'll get next year! (How did you respond, what did you learn about yourself from the experience...etc). Plus it'll show your commitment to the field that you reapplied.

And you never know, silence from UCI and CSUS isn't a no yet. Crossing my fingers for you!

[Nefelibata]

Just discovered this forum yesterday. Heads up to all waiting to hear from Augustana -- all the interview dates are full. I was offered an interview last week (I chose April 3rd) and just checked the reservation page and it said all were full, so if you haven't received an interview offer yet it's probably a rejection /:

Congrats to everyone so far on interviews! The waiting game is tough.

[kds27]

Hey everyone!  I received my rejection from Stanislaus, so they may be starting to send them out!  I am also waiting to hear from UCI  

This is my first time applying.  I received one interview invite for Utah!  Anyone else going to be there on April 3rd or earlier? Does anyone know how many people programs typically interview? I am very grateful to interview there, but also scared since it was the only one I received. But who knows, it can just take one! 

 I have a question for second and third time applicants, what did you do to improve your application?  What jobs did you apply for? What did you do differently the second or third time around?  Any advice? Sorry if this was already talked about, I am just trying to get ideas about the future just in case I apply for the next cycle.

This forum has been so helpful.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I wish you all the best of luck on your interviews and future endeavors!!

 

[Nefelibata]

Also some inside information on the U of Minnesota -- this year they had ~170 applicants and selected 40 to interview for 10 slots.

[GCInTraining]

59 minutes ago, kds27 said:

Hey everyone!  I received my rejection from Stanislaus, so they may be starting to send them out!  I am also waiting to hear from UCI  

This is my first time applying.  I received one interview invite for Utah!  Anyone else going to be there on April 3rd or earlier? Does anyone know how many people programs typically interview? I am very grateful to interview there, but also scared since it was the only one I received. But who knows, it can just take one! 

 I have a question for second and third time applicants, what did you do to improve your application?  What jobs did you apply for? What did you do differently the second or third time around?  Any advice? Sorry if this was already talked about, I am just trying to get ideas about the future just in case I apply for the next cycle.

This forum has been so helpful.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I wish you all the best of luck on your interviews and future endeavors!!

 

Hey! I'm interviewing at Utah on April 3rd as well! I live downtown (about 15 minutes from the university) so if you need anything, let me know! The assistant director told me they're interviewing around 40 people. I think that's about average.

I'm also a second round applicant. If I get in this round, I'd be happy to give advice to anyone that didn't get in. Hopefully my application improvements work and I can spread my wisdom  Just message me after D day and I'll be happy to look over your application and/or tell you about my experiences! 

Edited March 7, 2017 by GCInTraining

[kds27]

41 minutes ago, GCInTraining said:

Hey! I'm interviewing at Utah on April 3rd as well! I live downtown (about 15 minutes from the university) so if you need anything, let me know! The assistant director told me they're interviewing around 40 people. I think that's about average.

I'm also a second round applicant. If I get in this round, I'd be happy to give advice to anyone that didn't get in. Hopefully my application improvements work and I can spread my wisdom  Just message me after D day and I'll be happy to look over your application and/or tell you about my experiences! 

Thank you so much, you are so kind!  I will see you soon  Have you interviewed at Utah before?

I would love to hear your advice and will reach out soon.  Thanks again!

[GCInTraining]

1 minute ago, kds27 said:

Thank you so much, you are so kind!  I will see you soon  Have you interviewed at Utah before?

I would love to hear your advice and will reach out soon.  Thanks again!

See you in April! Nope, I actually didn't even apply there last year. I just moved out here so it didn't even occur to me to apply last time.

No problem! I wish someone had given me advice last year so I'm happy to help!  It's so competitive that a lot of it is just jumping through hoops and knowing what they're looking for. But you still have a chance this year so don't give up hope!

[ra42890]

Some strategies I have been using to help ease my anxiety:

-Only one tab open at a time on my internet browser.
-Only allowing myself to check my email twice per hour.
-Keeping my phone on silent in my desk (especially when I am trying to teach).
-I have forbidden myself from talking about admissions with my friends, family, and fiance.
-Anytime I get anxious while at home, I go for a walk (with no phone).

This all seems to help a bit!