Ask questions about the PhD application process!

[StemCellFan]

1 hour ago, Jacklynnve said:

Hi everyone,

Please bear with me, I’m new to this page and I’m a little embarrassed to be posting and subjecting myself to potentially painful responses LOL. Anyways, I’m applying to pathobiology programs at Hopkins, Boston U, and Columbia, but my GRE scores aren’t great. I’m pretty confident in the rest of my application - 3.6 GPA in undergrad, 3 years of breast cancer research with two publications - one first author and two AACR abstracts. I currently work at Memorial Sloan Kettering as the Biospecimen Coordinator for the Pancreas Center for almost two years, 3 awesome letters of rec all from MSK (Two from well known PI’s who happened to move their labs from Hopkins to Memorial Sloan Kettering where I work. One of those PI’s started a research autopsy program at Hopkins which I participate in at Sloan, harvesting organs from people with extensive disease. The third letter is from a medical oncologist who I created the workflow for a 18 million dollar multi-institutional grant for and speaks very highly of me). I’m very passionate about pathology and I’m positive that I displayed that in my SOP. My only concern is my GRE scores. I just barely broke 300 with verbal and quant, and got a 4.5 in the analytical writing, but I’m so nervous that the schools are going to see this part of my application and run. I did happen to hear from Boston already about reviewing my application and requesting my scores so they could fully evaluate my application before the December 1st deadline, so maybe that’s a good sign? Any positive thoughts? I’m so ready to move on to the next step in my career and THE WAITING IS KILLING ME!  Good luck to everyone else who is going through similar things, I’m definitely getting some grays from this process.

 

3 is kind of a small number of programs to apply to, but I'm sure there is a reason those are the programs you're specifically aiming for.  I don't know what your chances are, but I wouldn't look into anything too closely right now since the first application deadline for many places isn't even here yet.  I think everything in your application looks good, but your GRE scores might hurt you.  If the adcomms are willing to look past that and look at the rest of your application, with good LoRs and statements, I think you'd be competitive.  There are programs out there that weigh GRE scores more heavily than others do (some programs are planning to remove the GRE requirement all together), and I don't know which direction the programs you're applying to will go in.  You might want to aim for schools where you have an excellent research fit who care about research experience/LoRs over a standardized test.

Anecdotally, I applied a few years ago with a 152V/149Q/3.5AWA.  I applied to a range of programs.  I had 4 years of research experience (both undergrad and working as a tech), GPA of 3.67, great LoRs and statements, so everything else looked good.  I was outright rejected at the top tier programs I applied to, but 3 of the mid to low-tier programs I applied to offered me interviews.  I didn't get in anywhere post-interview.  Whether I botched the interview or they had to cut people based off of other aspects of their application (i.e. my GRE scores), I'm not sure.  Either way, despite having abysmal GRE scores, I managed to get interviews somewhere.

This cycle I'm going in with a 152V/152Q/5.0AWA.  My scores still suck, but I just suck at taking standardized tests in general.  Sending positive vibes your way and best of luck with your applications!  The wait is killing me too!

[Jacklynnve]

Thanks for your response @StemCellFan. I was only able to afford to apply to three programs unfortunately, otherwise I would have submitted more applications. Fingers crossed for you as well!!

[blc073]

@Jacklynnve

The GRE is not a big deal, but anything below a 310 is cutting it close. I would have advised you to retake the exam. Alas, there is nothing to do about it now. 

Your GPA is fine and your research is stellar. Hopefully your SOP was cogent and in line with your background. Pathology isn't really a research area, so hopefully you narrowed down your interests to cancer biology, or anything more specific than pathology. 

Three programs is not nearly enough, especially when your three schools are two top tiers and another competitive private school. My advice: do what you need to do to get together another few hundred bucks and submit more applications. You still have time! Also, why are you not applying to GSK? 

Overall, you should be a competitive applicant. However, you should try to submit more applications. 

Edited November 15, 2017 by blc073

[Jacklynnve]

@blc073 Thanks for your advice. I will definitely try to get in some more applications. I tried to stick to schools who have pathobiology programs with a focus in neoplasia or umbrella programs with pathology & laboratory medicine as a focus so GSK was not on my list.

[StemCellFan]

Okay, I have a weird/stupid question.  I have a couple interviews scheduled already, which I know is pretty early.  One of them is in mid January and the other in early March.  The one in March is the later interview weekend for that program (which is one of my top choices) and I'm wondering if that will put me at a disadvantage interviewing later, because they would have already admitted others by that time.  I already booked the other date with the other program, so I had to pick the later interview weekend.

Edited November 16, 2017 by StemCellFan

[jougami]

On 11/16/2017 at 12:33 PM, StemCellFan said:

Okay, I have a weird/stupid question.  I have a couple interviews scheduled already, which I know is pretty early.  One of them is in mid January and the other in early March.  The one in March is the later interview weekend for that program (which is one of my top choices) and I'm wondering if that will put me at a disadvantage interviewing later, because they would have already admitted others by that time.  I already booked the other date with the other program, so I had to pick the later interview weekend.

It shouldn't matter unless the program is really small and more people from the earlier weekend accept their offer than they can take. Otherwise, schools usually know how many offers they can make and treat the interviews independently.

[Logic]

I'll be applying in Fall 2018 to a wide range of PhD programs in bioinformatics and computational neuroscience. 

I'm currently a post-baccalaureate researcher at a government institution. I'll have 5.5 years of research experience by the time I apply. I've also done 2 summer internships, received a second-place award in a national research competition, and authored one paper. There's a good chance I can get a second paper in the next year. 

3.3 undergrad GPA, 4.0 post-baccalaureate GPA. (I'm currently taking math/science courses). GRE's 161 V, 164 Q. I plan on taking the subject Biology test. 

I know my GPA is low but I'm hoping the other parts of my application (such as my post-bac GPA) will make up for it. 

My questions: 

1. Will my undergrad GPA be offset by other parts of my application?

2. What are my chances at top-tier programs? 

3. Should I re-take the GRE and try to do better?

Edited December 12, 2017 by Logic
formatting, better questions, more info

[StemCellFan]

8 hours ago, Logic said:

I'll be applying in Fall 2018 to a wide range of PhD programs in bioinformatics and computational neuroscience. 

I'm currently a post-baccalaureate researcher at a government institution. I'll have 5.5 years of research experience by the time I apply. I've also done 2 summer internships, received a second-place award in a national research competition, and authored one paper. There's a good chance I can get a second paper in the next year. 

3.3 undergrad GPA, 4.0 post-baccalaureate GPA. (I'm currently taking math/science courses). GRE's 161 V, 164 Q. I plan on taking the subject Biology test. 

I know my GPA is low but I'm hoping the other parts of my application (such as my post-bac GPA) will make up for it. 

My questions: 

1. Will my undergrad GPA be offset by other parts of my application?

2. What are my chances at top-tier programs? 

3. Should I re-take the GRE and try to do better?

I can't chance anyone, but your undergrad GPA isn't awful.  A 3.0 is the stated cutoff for a lot of programs, and even then, a 3.2/3.3 is the next stated cutoff.  The fact you took post-bacc courses and did well in them will be good.  Other than that, you have a TON of research experience.  Research experience, letters of rec, and excellent SoPs will offset poor GRE scores or GPA.  I don't know what your AWA score is, but I wouldn't bother retaking the GRE.  Overall, I think you're pretty set to apply to programs.  Good luck!

[Bio-warrior]

A school I applied to reached out to me for a letter of rec from my PI, who hasn't got back to me. I already had three letters submitted for my applications and for all intents/purposes, they were completed on time. Should I take this as a sign of interest in my application or am I overthinking?

[Logic]

On 12/12/2017 at 8:06 AM, StemCellFan said:

I can't chance anyone, but your undergrad GPA isn't awful.  A 3.0 is the stated cutoff for a lot of programs, and even then, a 3.2/3.3 is the next stated cutoff.  The fact you took post-bacc courses and did well in them will be good.  Other than that, you have a TON of research experience.  Research experience, letters of rec, and excellent SoPs will offset poor GRE scores or GPA.  I don't know what your AWA score is, but I wouldn't bother retaking the GRE.  Overall, I think you're pretty set to apply to programs.  Good luck!

Thanks for the response. If you can’t chance, that’s fine. I’ll be applying to a healthy mix of mid and high tier programs.

[fbuicok]

Just got an interview from UCSF BMS!

[virology_2018]

This is maybe a little silly, but now that I'm getting interview invites, I'm worried that even if I interview I won't actually get accepted to any schools...

Does anyone have a sense of post-interview acceptance rates? I know it varies from school to school, but in general how competitive is it to get an acceptance after interviewing somewhere? 

 

[siliconchins]

29 minutes ago, virology_2018 said:

This is maybe a little silly, but now that I'm getting interview invites, I'm worried that even if I interview I won't actually get accepted to any schools...

Does anyone have a sense of post-interview acceptance rates? I know it varies from school to school, but in general how competitive is it to get an acceptance after interviewing somewhere? 

 

Here is the data for Northwestern DGP (http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/documents/program-statistics/L20PH_adm_enr.pdf). Seems like they extend acceptances to most interviewees, although it's no guarantee. 

[sqxz]

1 hour ago, virology_2018 said:

This is maybe a little silly, but now that I'm getting interview invites, I'm worried that even if I interview I won't actually get accepted to any schools...

Does anyone have a sense of post-interview acceptance rates? I know it varies from school to school, but in general how competitive is it to get an acceptance after interviewing somewhere? 

 

For me (speaking qualitatively and anecdotally), three of eight programs accepted almost all of those who were interviewed, and five of eight accepted about half of those who were interviewed.

[synapticcat]

On 11/14/2017 at 10:30 PM, Jacklynnve said:

Hi everyone,

Please bear with me, I’m new to this page and I’m a little embarrassed to be posting and subjecting myself to potentially painful responses LOL. Anyways, I’m applying to pathobiology programs at Hopkins, Boston U, and Columbia, but my GRE scores aren’t great. I’m pretty confident in the rest of my application - 3.6 GPA in undergrad, 3 years of breast cancer research with two publications - one first author and two AACR abstracts. I currently work at Memorial Sloan Kettering as the Biospecimen Coordinator for the Pancreas Center for almost two years, 3 awesome letters of rec all from MSK (Two from well known PI’s who happened to move their labs from Hopkins to Memorial Sloan Kettering where I work. One of those PI’s started a research autopsy program at Hopkins which I participate in at Sloan, harvesting organs from people with extensive disease. The third letter is from a medical oncologist who I created the workflow for a 18 million dollar multi-institutional grant for and speaks very highly of me). I’m very passionate about pathology and I’m positive that I displayed that in my SOP. My only concern is my GRE scores. I just barely broke 300 with verbal and quant, and got a 4.5 in the analytical writing, but I’m so nervous that the schools are going to see this part of my application and run. I did happen to hear from Boston already about reviewing my application and requesting my scores so they could fully evaluate my application before the December 1st deadline, so maybe that’s a good sign? Any positive thoughts? I’m so ready to move on to the next step in my career and THE WAITING IS KILLING ME!  Good luck to everyone else who is going through similar things, I’m definitely getting some grays from this process.

hey! I know your post here was over a month ago, but I was reading your post and I was curious if you ended up applying to more programs. I see that you're interested in pathobiology, and specifically cancer path-related things. 

If you're interested in applying to more programs, I was wondering if you've considered Case Western? I promise I'm not like, a shill for the BSTP program haha but I do have an interview there and I'm really excited about it! I won't claim to know the intricacies of cancer path research, but they're one of my top choices as a neuropath focused person. They have a cancer biology training program in their pathology department that looks pretty neat (doing my research and picking faculty for my interview pool rn and stumbled across that section of their website). 

I really mainly mention this because for me personally, I'd be nervous applying to 3 programs, and Case's BSTP takes applications on a rolling basis until January 15th, so if you happened to be looking for another to add to your list I thought it might be a good fit (and I hate to vouch for Ohio as a Michigan native, but Cleveland isn't a horrible place to live and the COL is relatively low) 

As far as the GRE goes, I'm applying with a rather uneven score - 160 V/153 Q/4.5 AWA and I'm not stoked about it. I had to take the test in the middle of my semester and really did not prepare adequately.  I almost retook it but my PI advised me to stick it out (he told me he scored in the 50th %ile on verbal and was almost offended  "I was like, hey! I know how words work!"), and I've been doing alright thus far! While my scores aren't the best, I don't think they have held me back, and I'm over the moon about the invites I have.

Anyways, just thought I'd drop in since I came across your post. Hopefully this makes you feel a bit better, and best of luck in your apps! 

 

[Jacklynnve]

Hey @synapticcat, thanks for your response! I thought a lot about applying to more programs and I decided not to. I don't want to apply to programs that I'm not absolutely positive that I want to go to. I really appreciate your suggestion about Case Western, I am looking into it now for sure! Initially, I was very nervous only applying to three schools (4 programs total), but I've actually come to terms with it at this point. I don't have much to lose and I have a good job, so if it doesn't work out, I guess I will try again next year! Thanks for sharing about your GRE, that does make me feel better. I also sort of came to terms with that as well, although sometimes it hits me and I panic a bit, haha. I'm very happy for you and your invites! Good luck!!

[_caffeinated]

Does anyone happen to have some type of idea regarding post-interview acceptance rate for University of Michigan PIBS/ have interview advice?

[synapticcat]

5 hours ago, Jacklynnve said:

Hey @synapticcat, thanks for your response! I thought a lot about applying to more programs and I decided not to. I don't want to apply to programs that I'm not absolutely positive that I want to go to. I really appreciate your suggestion about Case Western, I am looking into it now for sure! Initially, I was very nervous only applying to three schools (4 programs total), but I've actually come to terms with it at this point. I don't have much to lose and I have a good job, so if it doesn't work out, I guess I will try again next year! Thanks for sharing about your GRE, that does make me feel better. I also sort of came to terms with that as well, although sometimes it hits me and I panic a bit, haha. I'm very happy for you and your invites! Good luck!!

hey! I totally understand that, kudos to you for sticking to your guns with your programs and reconciling with all of that, it sounds like you know what you're doing! Well at least, totally more than me, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off since like November. Wishing you the best of luck! 

3 hours ago, _caffeinated said:

Does anyone happen to have some type of idea regarding post-interview acceptance rate for University of Michigan PIBS/ have interview advice?

I've heard fairly good post-interview acceptance rates for PIBS, generally around 2/3+ are accepted from what I've been told. A friend of mine is a 5th year student in the Biological Chemistry dept, and when I mentioned my interview he said that an invite "almost guarantees" acceptance. However, I think he was exaggerating a bit because he was excited for me . I imagine it might also depend on the program you intend to join if you matriculate, and how many spots they need to fill, etc. I know for example that a higher number of applicants than usual applied for MCB, and therefore there were more rejections on that front. I applied with neuro being my priority interest, and I was called by the assistant program director on 12/15 before invites were sent out on 12/18. 

His other advice/insight was mostly this (some of which was also echoed by commenters here) - the admissions committee takes the opinions of the faculty you interview with, and the student hosts you have, into consideration. I believe they write reports on you which are then forwarded to admissions. I've been told the interview weekends can be pretty overwhelming (~100 people interviewing for PIBS, and UMich is a big school with a large campus regardless). I was told to make sure I'm engaged and interested the whole time, and to not mention other schools as being your first choice, etc. They want to sell you their program just as much as they want to make sure you're a good fit, as they're already paying money to get you up to Ann Arbor and hosting you all weekend. From what I can tell, they'll email you your ~personal itinerary~ 1-2 weeks before the interview, with the names of the 5 faculty you're interviewing with. My plan is to make sure I dedicate some time to researching each one and making a list of questions/things I would like to bring up with them in interviews. I have a little notebook I might dedicate to this purpose, worst case scenario I look like I've done my research, ya know?

The other thing I would say is dress warmly and comfortably! Not sure where you're from, but I'm a Michigan native, and it can be pretty damn awful in the winters. Wear good shoes and bring a warm coat, and check the weather before you pack. Act like yourself and have a good time, but also be on your best behavior during department lunch/dinner outings, don't get drunk or do anything like that haha. I have a few friends who were accepted through PIBS last cycle who I plan to reach out to soon, and my PI got his PhD through their neuro program - he's a pretty young guy and might have some interview advice specific to UMich that could be useful. Once I'm back on campus he'll be helping me do some interview prep and I'll make sure to thoroughly interrogate him and report back haha. Overall I think the best thing you can do is enjoy yourself and have a good time while making sure you're engaged and clearly conveying your interest to faculty during your one-on-one appointments. 

Best of luck! If you happen to be interviewing on 1/25-1/27, I'll be there too! 

[_caffeinated]

30 minutes ago, synapticcat said:

hey! I totally understand that, kudos to you for sticking to your guns with your programs and reconciling with all of that, it sounds like you know what you're doing! Well at least, totally more than me, I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off since like November. Wishing you the best of luck! 

I've heard fairly good post-interview acceptance rates for PIBS, generally around 2/3+ are accepted from what I've been told. A friend of mine is a 5th year student in the Biological Chemistry dept, and when I mentioned my interview he said that an invite "almost guarantees" acceptance. However, I think he was exaggerating a bit because he was excited for me . I imagine it might also depend on the program you intend to join if you matriculate, and how many spots they need to fill, etc. I know for example that a higher number of applicants than usual applied for MCB, and therefore there were more rejections on that front. I applied with neuro being my priority interest, and I was called by the assistant program director on 12/15 before invites were sent out on 12/18. 

His other advice/insight was mostly this (some of which was also echoed by commenters here) - the admissions committee takes the opinions of the faculty you interview with, and the student hosts you have, into consideration. I believe they write reports on you which are then forwarded to admissions. I've been told the interview weekends can be pretty overwhelming (~100 people interviewing for PIBS, and UMich is a big school with a large campus regardless). I was told to make sure I'm engaged and interested the whole time, and to not mention other schools as being your first choice, etc. They want to sell you their program just as much as they want to make sure you're a good fit, as they're already paying money to get you up to Ann Arbor and hosting you all weekend. From what I can tell, they'll email you your ~personal itinerary~ 1-2 weeks before the interview, with the names of the 5 faculty you're interviewing with. My plan is to make sure I dedicate some time to researching each one and making a list of questions/things I would like to bring up with them in interviews. I have a little notebook I might dedicate to this purpose, worst case scenario I look like I've done my research, ya know?

The other thing I would say is dress warmly and comfortably! Not sure where you're from, but I'm a Michigan native, and it can be pretty damn awful in the winters. Wear good shoes and bring a warm coat, and check the weather before you pack. Act like yourself and have a good time, but also be on your best behavior during department lunch/dinner outings, don't get drunk or do anything like that haha. I have a few friends who were accepted through PIBS last cycle who I plan to reach out to soon, and my PI got his PhD through their neuro program - he's a pretty young guy and might have some interview advice specific to UMich that could be useful. Once I'm back on campus he'll be helping me do some interview prep and I'll make sure to thoroughly interrogate him and report back haha. Overall I think the best thing you can do is enjoy yourself and have a good time while making sure you're engaged and clearly conveying your interest to faculty during your one-on-one appointments. 

Best of luck! If you happen to be interviewing on 1/25-1/27, I'll be there too! 

Wow thanks so much for the response! This eases some of my fears! I’m interviewing the first weekend of February but best of luck to you!

[_caffeinated]

Does anyone have an idea of how long it generally takes to hear back from a school (acceptance or rejection) after having interviewed?

[TammyTams]

My top choice placed me on their alternate interview list and I was wondering if anyone knew if it was common for the alternate list to be used?? I've asked this question before and received indirect answers where people ask me about the school's popularity (The school is not a Top 50 program. I'm sure the max of applications they receive are significantly smaller than Yale, or Berkeley). As this choice is my top choice, I'm super worried about not getting a chance to at least interview and say I gave it my best shot.

[jougami]

14 minutes ago, _caffeinated said:

Does anyone have an idea of how long it generally takes to hear back from a school (acceptance or rejection) after having interviewed?

My acceptances came within a few days to a week of the interview, while my rejections from Dartmouth took 2 weeks and Princeton took 6 weeks.

[_caffeinated]

4 minutes ago, jougami said:

My acceptances came within a few days to a week of the interview, while my rejections from Dartmouth took 2 weeks and Princeton took 6 weeks.

Thanks for sharing!

[synapticcat]

3 hours ago, jougami said:

My acceptances came within a few days to a week of the interview, while my rejections from Dartmouth took 2 weeks and Princeton took 6 weeks.

Oh boy, haha. With the way I've scheduled my interviews I guess that means I might know if I'm in at one before I go interview at the other. Yikes! Still, good to know. Thank you!

[strugglebus2k17]

13 hours ago, jougami said:

My acceptances came within a few days to a week of the interview, while my rejections from Dartmouth took 2 weeks and Princeton took 6 weeks.

Do you know what the likelihood of acceptances after interviews are?