Genetic Counseling Fall 2017 Applicants

[AspiringGC]

2 hours 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  

Hmm I'm basically expecting rejections from both of these schools as well, but I haven't received another from Stanilaus yet. 

[kds27]

2 hours ago, AspiringGC said:

Hmm I'm basically expecting rejections from both of these schools as well, but I haven't received another from Stanilaus yet. 

You never know!  There is still hope  Good luck!! I wish I knew each of the program's admission process so I would just know if I have a chance or not.  Waiting has been the hardest, so tough and stressful!  

[NHxx]

Was wondering, is everyone attending the night-before interview dinners with current students? I'm trying to schedule flights and unfortunately it looks like I won't be making it to some of the dinners because I'll fly into town too late (trying to schedule it around days off work too, so can't really fly in a day early). I know they're "optional" but I'm just hoping this doesn't look bad!

[kds27]

3 hours ago, GCInTraining said:

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!

Perfect!! Thank you so so much!

Also, did you get an official confirmation letter about the interview date?  I chose my date and she replied saying that she put me down for the date I selected and how they look forward to meeting with me, but I am not sure if I should be receiving another email or maybe one closer to the interview date?

[GCInTraining]

8 minutes ago, kds27 said:

Perfect!! Thank you so so much!

Also, did you get an official confirmation letter about the interview date?  I chose my date and she replied saying that she put me down for the date I selected and how they look forward to meeting with me, but I am not sure if I should be receiving another email or maybe one closer to the interview date?

I was actually just wondering about that. She confirmed my date but I don't have many details beyond that. I'm guessing there's another email coming because they didn't even tell us which building it's in or parking (which is a disaster) or where the dinner is. I was going to wait a week or two and then follow up if I still haven't heard anything.

[UTGC]

1 hour ago, NHxx said:

Was wondering, is everyone attending the night-before interview dinners with current students? I'm trying to schedule flights and unfortunately it looks like I won't be making it to some of the dinners because I'll fly into town too late (trying to schedule it around days off work too, so can't really fly in a day early). I know they're "optional" but I'm just hoping this doesn't look bad!

Don't worry about it too much! Everyone involved in the process knows that timing flights is tight. You'll have plenty of opportunities to show your interest in the program during the interview itself that will totally overshadow missing the optional dinner. At most of my interviews, the attendance rate for the dinner was usually in the 50-75% range. You'll miss out on some info from the students but there's often an opportunity at lunch to talk to the students in private, so that may not even be a huge concern for you.

[GCapplicant]

Hi everyone! New to this forum. 

I have 2 interviews and am worried about not getting in to either... seems like most schools only take 15-20% of the people they interview (at least mine do).

Does anyone who's applied before know how much the waitlist moves once results are released?

Also, does anyone know what CSU Stanislaus' cohort size is?

[UTGC]

35 minutes ago, GCapplicant said:

Hi everyone! New to this forum. 

I have 2 interviews and am worried about not getting in to either... seems like most schools only take 15-20% of the people they interview (at least mine do).

Does anyone who's applied before know how much the waitlist moves once results are released?

Also, does anyone know what CSU Stanislaus' cohort size is?

For the waitlists: it's a bit frustrating because there really isn't a good answer to that question. It depends a lot on the schools and random chance. You can't count on it moving - sometimes everyone in the program's top choice list accepts. This is probably more likely for schools that are affordable, in a good location and have been around long enough to be pretty established. When I was interviewing, I was reassured by the observation that most of the people I was interviewing with had several interviews, which I took to mean that they would get multiple offers and have to turn down some. I never waited around on the 2 waitlists I was on so I can't speak to how much they moved.

I don't remember exactly how big CSU was, but I'd say at least 6-8 students per class.

[GCFaith92]

Okay so I need to know If anyone knows how this works

 

Say I interview with 2 or 3 schools and I know I really want to go to 1 of them. Come April 24th say I hear from another school first that I am offered a position but I really want 1 of the other schools I interviewed with.... I obviously don't want to reject, because I do not want to give up a chance of going to a program. So what do we do. If we tell them we'd like to go but waiting on 1 other school first, would the reject me? Thanks!!

[minja134]

16 hours ago, GCapplicant said:

Hi everyone! New to this forum. 

I have 2 interviews and am worried about not getting in to either... seems like most schools only take 15-20% of the people they interview (at least mine do).

Does anyone who's applied before know how much the waitlist moves once results are released?

Also, does anyone know what CSU Stanislaus' cohort size is?

I second what @UTGC said, it's a lot of luck and based on the popularity of the school for the particular round of applicants. Maybe one school is all their accepted student's first choice, therefore the waitlist wouldn't move at all since everyone would accept. But on the other side you could have a school that few of the applicants have as their first choice, and they get accepted elsewhere and give up their slot. The waitlist itself can also be dynamic where there could be 10 students ahead of you, but they got accepted elsewhere, so you move up the waitlist. On match day (April 24th) you probably won't know much other than accepted, denied, or waitlisted, with some programs being able to tell you if you're in the top or bottom half of the waitlist. Otherwise you will know more the second or third day as other applicants make their decisions, with applicants being required to make a decision by April 26th end of day. The unmatched applicant process then begins on April 28th.

 

Also for @GCFaith92, you have until the end of the day on April 26th to make your decision on any outstanding offers, or else they expire, so don't have to make any decisions until then and no school will penalize you for it.

[GCFaith92]

@minja134 Thank you so much. I thought we had to call them back the day they called us and give an answer!

[WBGC]

Finished my first interview at UCI on Monday.. I was the only applicant there the whole day, which was an interesting experience! Enjoyed the day though, everyone I met was amazing. 

Heading to Boston this weekend, has anyone ever interviewed there and able to offer some insight? Thanks!

Edited March 8, 2017 by WBGC

[Ellaie]

1 hour ago, GCFaith92 said:

@minja134 Thank you so much. I thought we had to call them back the day they called us and give an answer!

Nope!  But also keep in mind that if you get in somewhere and are holding that spot waiting for another school to accept, then you're holding a spot that others who applied to that school might really want.  If you wait until the last minute on April 26th to reject an offer, then there won't be time to contact that other student.  So I think it's good etiquette to try to make a decision sooner rather than later if possible. That being said, you have to do what's best for you too.  

Had my SLC interview yesterday!  It went good I think!  I really liked everyone involved in the program, and they were all really easy to talk to.  It was two individual interviews and then a group interview.  Also the school recommends taking the shuttle bus from Laguardia to grand central and then the metro north to campus.  You can also take the M60-SDS bus to Harlem-125th street station and catch the metro north there.  It'll save you about $30 to do it this way, and I found it super easy.  I can give anyone more details on it if anyone wants.

Also I got an interview at UCI!!  So excited about that one!  They also said that since I interviewed there last year I only have to do a skype interview if I don't have the money or time to come in person.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Ellaie

[metabolismo]

1 hour ago, Ellaie said:

Had my SLC interview yesterday!  It went good I think!  I really liked everyone involved in the program, and they were all really easy to talk to.  It was two individual interviews and then a group interview.  Also the school recommends taking the shuttle bus from Laguardia to grand central and then them metro north to campus.  You can also take the M60-SDS bus to Harlem-125th street station and catch the metro north there.  It'll save you about $30 to do it this way, and I found it super easy.  I can give anyone more details on it if anyone wants.

Also I got an interview at UCI!!  So excited about that one!  They also said that since I interviewed there last year I only have to do a skype interview if I don't have the money or time to come in person.

Glad your interview at SCL went well! (And congrats on UCI!).  I am also planning to take the Metro North/M60 Bus combo (took the bus last time I flew into New York w/ no problems). Did you have the morning session, and did you do the optional campus tour? How long did it take you to get from campus to the airport? Google Maps estimates 1h 30 min.

I'm trying to figure out which flight to book.  Not sure if a 6:00pm departure will leave me enough travel time + buffer for security. It looks like it's only ~25 minutes by car if you take the highway, so I wonder if trying to split an uber to laguardia would be a better option to save time.  

[Ellaie]

35 minutes ago, metabolismo said:

Glad your interview at SCL went well! (And congrats on UCI!).  I am also planning to take the Metro North/M60 Bus combo (took the bus last time I flew into New York w/ no problems). Did you have the morning session, and did you do the optional campus tour? How long did it take you to get from campus to the airport? Google Maps estimates 1h 30 min.

I'm trying to figure out which flight to book.  Not sure if a 6:00pm departure will leave me enough travel time + buffer for security. It looks like it's only ~25 minutes by car if you take the highway, so I wonder if trying to split an uber to laguardia would be a better option to save time.  

I had the afternoon session.  I did the tour, but it was completely optional.  A couple current students walked us around campus. Super informal and I really doubt anyone would notice if you didn't go to it.

I wasn't really in any hurry to get back because my flight wasn't until 10PM.  I stayed later than I had to chatting with some of the currentl students.  I walked to the Fleemont Metro North station, which was about a 15 minute walk from campus.  I called a friend when I got there and my phone says I made that call at 6:40.  I called my mom when I got to the airport and I made that call at 7:56.  When I was in the airport security was super fast.  Less than ten minutes for sure.  I think it'd definitely be a safer option to do a later departure than 6PM.  But if that was the only option then I'm sure they would be willing to work around it.  The last part of the day was very informal and if you had to I don't see why they wouldn't let you skip the refreshments portion after the interviews.

It probably would be faster to take a car, but I didn't do that so I'm not really sure.

@WBGC That's interesting that you were the only one there.  I wonder why no one else was scheduled for the same day.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Ellaie

[AspiringGC]

I tried calling both UCI and CSUStan to inquire about my application status. Both went to voicemail so that's kind of annoying. I'm going to call back later today to see if they answer. 

[kds27]

1 minute ago, AspiringGC said:

I tried calling both UCI and CSUStan to inquire about my application status. Both went to voicemail so that's kind of annoying. I'm going to call back later today to see if they answer. 

I was directed to UCI's voicemail too.  Please let me know what they say if you get in touch with them!

Edited March 8, 2017 by kds27

[GCapplicant]

On 3/7/2017 at 5:52 PM, UTGC said:

For the waitlists: it's a bit frustrating because there really isn't a good answer to that question. It depends a lot on the schools and random chance. You can't count on it moving - sometimes everyone in the program's top choice list accepts. This is probably more likely for schools that are affordable, in a good location and have been around long enough to be pretty established. When I was interviewing, I was reassured by the observation that most of the people I was interviewing with had several interviews, which I took to mean that they would get multiple offers and have to turn down some. I never waited around on the 2 waitlists I was on so I can't speak to how much they moved.

I don't remember exactly how big CSU was, but I'd say at least 6-8 students per class.

Exactly what I wanted to know--thanks so much for your insight!

[Blizzard]

Hey everyone quick question and I hope everyone can share their experience on this: How did you get your GC shadowing experience while working full time? Any advice? 

[minja134]

28 minutes ago, Blizzard said:

Hey everyone quick question and I hope everyone can share their experience on this: How did you get your GC shadowing experience while working full time? Any advice? 

 

For shadowing itself you really only need to see a few sessions or at most a few days to be considered shadowing. All they want to know is that you saw the sessions and understand what a genetic counselor really does in a session. Otherwise after you feel you have a good grasp of a few sessions, you can see if you can arrange some phone call interviews for a larger variety of counselors that way maybe you could do it on you're lunch break or when it is slow where you work.

The only way to get shadowing is to have to find the time to take a few days off work, depending on how flexible you're work schedule and boss are, maybe you can work something out. If you can't or don't want to use your personal/sick days, see what you could do to get a day off here or there. Either see if come in on a weekend, come in early or stay late a few days, do some work at home, or do a really tedious task no one likes to do or has been put off for a long time. Maybe instead of a full day you could take a half day on a few different days. It really will depend on you're work place and how you can ask for the few days off you need, and it will give you a chance to have a professional conversation with your management. Also try to talk with the counselor you'll be shadowing to get a feel for how many clients they have in a day, how long the sessions are, what time's the sessions are scheduled for, and their no show rate for clients. This will all tell you if you need to spend a full day there or just a half day. Also important is how many counselors in staff that would be willing or able to let you shadow. As if there is only 1 then if a client cancels, you're stuck waiting around for the next one.

For me, the first full day I shadowed, there were 6 patients scheduled, but only 1 showed up, so I shadowed an other day where all 6 showed up. So it will depend on day and place you shadow.

[_GC19_]

1 hour ago, Blizzard said:

Hey everyone quick question and I hope everyone can share their experience on this: How did you get your GC shadowing experience while working full time? Any advice? 

I am currently working at a medical facility where there is a group of genetic counselors. I was able to work with my supervisor to adjust my schedule so that I can shadow the GC's a half day each week (I work 9 hour days 4 times a week and a half day on the days I shadow). I know this scenario won't be feasible for all but if you live relatively close to a medical facility, this is certainly something you can try!

[metabolismo]

1 hour ago, Blizzard said:

Hey everyone quick question and I hope everyone can share their experience on this: How did you get your GC shadowing experience while working full time? Any advice? 

Wow, that's a great arrangement @SJMcGC!  I also work at a medical center, and I took a few days/half days off to shadow when I knew things would be slow at my job. I made up some hours by staying late other days of the week & doing some work over the weekend.  If you have vacation/sick time you can also use that (technically, you are going to see the doctor, right?)

Also - for anyone having trouble finding a GC to shadow:

I couldn't find a Genetic Counselor who would let me shadow at any of the local medical centers.  A nearby program has their rotations in the area, so most GCs said I could do an interview, but they "couldn't accommodate" me in the clinic.  I was getting pretty annoyed by this nonsense, so I emailed all of the clinical geneticists (MDs) instead. Most just ignored my email, but two let me come shadow them in the clinic for several days, no problem. I saw all the cases with both the GC and the MD so it was the same experience either way. (And I never saw a GC student in the clinic, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't let me come in the first place!)

So if you're having trouble finding someone to shadow, I would recommend trying to contact the MDs in the clinic. They are more accustomed to pre-meds asking to shadow, and you won't have to worry about local a GC program restricting access to shadowing opportunities  *side eye*

[HSGC2017]

Hey guys!

unfortunately it seems I will only be interviewing at Arkansas this round---but I'm still psyched. I am kind of stressed because I know the odds are against me but I still want to use the opportunity to the fullest. 

Any tips? Advice? Also can whoever who was emailing the PDF a few pages earlier forward me it: hssayeda@ncsu.edu

any and all help is needed and welcomed, thanks!

[Gadgette]

@HSGC2017, when are you interviewing?

[HSGC2017]

3 minutes ago, Gadgette said:

@HSGC2017, when are you interviewing?

UAMS, they give interviews to everyone who applies though. But still it'll be good experience regardless the outcome