Genetic Counseling Fall 2017 Applicants

[UTGC]

10 hours ago, GCapplicant said:

So I have a quick question for everyone -- it may be a bit premature considering admission results haven't been released yet, but I've been thinking about it quite a bit so I figured I'd get some second opinions.

I have a few interviews for this cycle, but I just received a fantastic (and very GC-relevant) job offer to begin in a few months. It should increase my chances of getting into my dream school *tremendously* for the next application cycle.

So what would be a better option -- go to a program this year that I really like but isn't my dream school, or spend another year and (potentially) get into a top choice school next cycle? It seems like a tough call considering there's no guarantee I'll get in to it if I have to reapply -- plus having to going through the whole application process all over again and missing out on a guaranteed chance of becoming a genetics counselor -- but this particular school has been my dream school since I was a child and I'd like to see what my chances are of actually getting in.

 

When do you have to have a decision in by?

It's important to consider that your dream school is not necessarily harder to get into than any other school on your list because everyone has wildly different rankings of schools. If you feel like a school is a great fit for you, they are probably more inclined to feel the same way than a school you aren't as interested in. Also consider that it's hard to know what your ranking of programs is before you've finished the whole interviewing process and get a good sense of the program. It's not uncommon for people to completely reverse their feelings about a program after doing an interview there. I understand this is a school that has been significant to you for many years, but who can say if the GC program in particular at that place is truly the best one for you?

I think it's more reliable to make your decision based on whether or not you want to take a gap and work this really cool job. Put aside the thoughts about the program you'd go to after working being "better" than the one that you'd go to if you matriculated this cycle and turned down the job.

[hb_94]

Have people still not heard back from UC Irvine?

I know at this point it's not looking good, but I just want to get the official e-mail. I know people have tried contacting them about the issue, but has anyone received a response?

[GC15]

26 minutes ago, hb_94 said:

Have people still not heard back from UC Irvine?

I know at this point it's not looking good, but I just want to get the official e-mail. I know people have tried contacting them about the issue, but has anyone received a response?

I still have not received any information. They never emailed me back.

[GC15]

Did anyone interview at Utah yesterday? How was it? Any advice?

[AnonymousGC]

Anyone interview at SLC and can give me some tips and enlighten me with questions they asked? What was it like? 

[atx09]

13 hours ago, UTGC said:

You don't even have to make a mention of waiting for another school. You can just say "Thank you so much, I'm really excited to get that offer. I'm taking some time to think today and I will be in touch when I reach a decision". They're very accustomed to students not immediately accepting an offer, it's the norm.

 

That said: if you get accepted by your 3rd ranked school and then get an offer from your 2nd ranked school, go ahead and call back school 3 ASAP and tell them you won't be accepting. You don't need to wait until you get in to your top choice to start turning down offers - only a better choice.

Thank you, this is definitely helpful! The last thing I want to do is make it seems as though I don't appreciate their offer or want to attend their program

[atx09]

14 hours ago, Nefelibata said:

 

I agree, something along the lines of "I would like to hear from all my options before I make my decision". I'm sure most schools expect that response from a majority of the people they call, which is why not a lot of movement happens until day 2. I also agree with adragonisnoslave above.. By match day you should have a ranking of your schools so if you are offered more than one acceptance, you already know that you would prefer one school over the other so the best etiquette there is to turn down the offer from your lower ranked school. This will also help move things along for everybody. 

Totally right, I do not want to hold onto a spot longer than I should. I thought ranking the schools would be easier and I've only interviewed at a couple but still I'm finding it tough to decide on a clear 'winner'

[Ellaie]

Just called Northwestern to ask them about the interview waitlist.  They told me that at this time they're not expecting any movement on the waitlist and have most likely contacted everyone already for an interview that's going to receive one.  I'm sure most people were already assuming this.  I just wanted to let everyone here know.  

[minja134]

On 3/27/2017 at 11:13 AM, GCapplicant said:

So I have a quick question for everyone -- it may be a bit premature considering admission results haven't been released yet, but I've been thinking about it quite a bit so I figured I'd get some second opinions.

I have a few interviews for this cycle, but I just received a fantastic (and very GC-relevant) job offer to begin in a few months. It should increase my chances of getting into my dream school *tremendously* for the next application cycle.

So what would be a better option -- go to a program this year that I really like but isn't my dream school, or spend another year and (potentially) get into a top choice school next cycle? It seems like a tough call considering there's no guarantee I'll get in to it if I have to reapply -- plus having to going through the whole application process all over again and missing out on a guaranteed chance of becoming a genetics counselor -- but this particular school has been my dream school since I was a child and I'd like to see what my chances are of actually getting in.

 

I would suggest taking a few things into account: 

1. Is this dream school really your dream school? Have you visited the program, spoke with the faculty and students, etc.? If you haven't interviewed with this program you do not necessarily know if it will be your best fit as you do not have anything to compare to other programs.

2. Any sunk costs associated with the current application cycle, essentially do you care if are "throwing" this money away? Plus the costs with reapplying next year. Keep in mind some programs require you to resend everything, so you would be repaying to send your transcripts and GRE scores. Remember the stress associated with applying, and if you would be able to handle this with a new job. Also remember you will be reassign your recommenders to resubmit letters, and potentially having to ask your new employer for a letter. So you are also putting additional work onto other people, so be mindful of others time as well.

3. The job offer you get might not still guarantee your admission into your dream program, and it might hurt your chances with other programs you denied this year when you are reapplying next year, as I would highly suggest you apply to more then just your dream program. If you applied to your dream program this year and did not get and interview, you would need to contact them to see why you did not get and interview, unfortunately most programs will not speak with you until a 2-3 months from now, so this would not help you gauge whether to accept an offer for a different program or not. You could have been lacking in several other items besides your current job, especially since there are tons of qualified applicants that get into programs on all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, so you would have to question how much you think this job would improve your application. Keep you mind your grades, GRE, personal statement, letters of rec, other experiences, etc. And on top of this once you get an interview a lot of times you are on equal footing with all the applicants, and your interview is what sets you apart, and a lot of the time it seems like it is luck of the draw on who they choose as everyone is highly qualified at this stage. So you would have to be confident in your ability to interview towards this particular programs interview style.

Sorry if it all came off as a bit negative, but I wanted to give you a good amount of insight to the other side of the argument. If you do choose to take the year off, know that it is only a year of your life that will be long forgotten once you go into your career.

 

[GCFaith92]

For those who are interviewing with Jefferson tomorrow, were you given any details? I go next Friday the 7th, but have not received a schedule or address for the building we will be in. Thanks!

[GCapplicant]

23 hours ago, minja134 said:

I would suggest taking a few things into account: 

1. Is this dream school really your dream school? Have you visited the program, spoke with the faculty and students, etc.? If you haven't interviewed with this program you do not necessarily know if it will be your best fit as you do not have anything to compare to other programs.

2. Any sunk costs associated with the current application cycle, essentially do you care if are "throwing" this money away? Plus the costs with reapplying next year. Keep in mind some programs require you to resend everything, so you would be repaying to send your transcripts and GRE scores. Remember the stress associated with applying, and if you would be able to handle this with a new job. Also remember you will be reassign your recommenders to resubmit letters, and potentially having to ask your new employer for a letter. So you are also putting additional work onto other people, so be mindful of others time as well.

3. The job offer you get might not still guarantee your admission into your dream program, and it might hurt your chances with other programs you denied this year when you are reapplying next year, as I would highly suggest you apply to more then just your dream program. If you applied to your dream program this year and did not get and interview, you would need to contact them to see why you did not get and interview, unfortunately most programs will not speak with you until a 2-3 months from now, so this would not help you gauge whether to accept an offer for a different program or not. You could have been lacking in several other items besides your current job, especially since there are tons of qualified applicants that get into programs on all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, so you would have to question how much you think this job would improve your application. Keep you mind your grades, GRE, personal statement, letters of rec, other experiences, etc. And on top of this once you get an interview a lot of times you are on equal footing with all the applicants, and your interview is what sets you apart, and a lot of the time it seems like it is luck of the draw on who they choose as everyone is highly qualified at this stage. So you would have to be confident in your ability to interview towards this particular programs interview style.

Sorry if it all came off as a bit negative, but I wanted to give you a good amount of insight to the other side of the argument. If you do choose to take the year off, know that it is only a year of your life that will be long forgotten once you go into your career.

 

Hey Minja and UTGC, thank you so much for the different perspective! I agree, putting it off another year seems like a bad call. It definitely eases the stress knowing I have options if I don't get in this cycle, but I'll wait and see what happens with admissions.

Edited March 30, 2017 by GCapplicant

[metabolismo]

4 hours ago, GCapplicant said:

Hey Minja and UTGC, thank you so much for the different perspective! I agree, putting it off another year seems like a bad call. It definitely eases the stress knowing I have options if I don't get in this cycle, but I'll wait and see what happens with admissions.

Also, in regards to waiting for next year's application cycle next...

I have heard from two schools during interviews that next year the GC Programs are switching from a Universal Acceptance Notification Day to a legit Match Day (like residencies for med school). That means each applicant will receive only one offer of admission to a GC program (with offers of admission generated from an algorithm based on student and program rankings of each other). 

Not sure if it will affect the odds of acceptance at any particular program that much, but definitely Something to consider since the dynamics of the application cycle, will be a little different next year! 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by metabolismo

[Ellaie]

4 hours ago, metabolismo said:

Also, in regards to waiting for next year's application cycle next...

I have heard from two schools during interviews that next year the GC Programs are switching from a Universal Acceptance Notification Day to a legit Match Day (like residencies for med school). That means each applicant will receive only one offer of admission to a GC program (with offers of admission generated from an algorithm based on student and program rankings of each other). 

Not sure if it will affect the odds of acceptance at any particular program that much, but definitely Something to consider since the dynamics of the application cycle, will be a little different next year! 

 

 

I just wanted to confirm that I have heard this from multiple sources as well.  It'll definitely be interesting to see how it goes doing a match day.  Hopefully it's not something I'll have to worry about though!

[AnonymousGC]

@GCFaith92, I'm wondering the same thing... My interview is Tuesday and I haven't gotten any other information other than a confirmation...

[minja134]

22 hours ago, GCFaith92 said:

For those who are interviewing with Jefferson tomorrow, were you given any details? I go next Friday the 7th, but have not received a schedule or address for the building we will be in. Thanks!

I have mine that day as well, so see you there! I have not gotten any information yet either, hopefully we receive something soon.

[GCFaith92]

@minja134 @Elisheva hopefully we get information ASAP. This isn't making for a good first impression on their part :-) I know they're interviewing us but we are also interviewing them.

[minja134]

5 hours ago, GCFaith92 said:

@minja134 @Elisheva hopefully we get information ASAP. This isn't making for a good first impression on their part :-) I know they're interviewing us but we are also interviewing them.

Just got an email from them with the information!

[gc2017]

On 3/26/2017 at 3:49 PM, HopefulGC said:

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, wish I'd found it earlier.

Is anyone else going to be at UAMS on the 10th? And if anyone has already interviewed there I would love some feedback about the process.

Hey! I just saw this, but I will be at UAMS on the 10th

[GCFaith92]

@minja134 yes! I just got it as well!!! Where are you traveling from?

[kds27]

Just to let you all know, UCI has sent out some of their rejection letters.

Edited March 31, 2017 by kds27

[minja134]

4 hours ago, GCFaith92 said:

@minja134 yes! I just got it as well!!! Where are you traveling from?

Chicago for me, how about you?

[HopefulGC]

18 hours ago, gc2017 said:

Hey! I just saw this, but I will be at UAMS on the 10th

Oh great! Did u get a schedule or anything for the day yet?

[Gadgette]

11 hours ago, HopefulGC said:

Oh great! Did u get a schedule or anything for the day yet?

I did the UAMS interview this past Friday! Be ready to do some walking. The process was really laid back and everyone was super nice and welcoming. I was really impressed with the program. Their website does not do it justice at all. Don't sweat it, they really are looking for good fit so they want to get to know you as a person. 

[NHxx]

On 3/28/2017 at 6:27 AM, GC15 said:

Did anyone interview at Utah yesterday? How was it? Any advice?

Group interviews were not as bad as they sound, so don't let interviewing with other applicants phase you/stress you out! I thought it was nice to hear other people's personal experiences and takes on some of the interview questions. and everyone was very friendly! Overall, I felt like interviewing at Utah was very welcoming. Good luck!

If anyone's interviewed at CSU Stan, any advice/tips?

[gc2017]

On 4/1/2017 at 11:52 AM, HopefulGC said:

Oh great! Did u get a schedule or anything for the day yet?

No not yet- I was going to follow up today.