2018 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[factanonverba]

1 hour ago, Cottagecheese24 said:

Hello everyone, has anyone heard about NYU's Biology PhD program or UC Berkeley Molecular and Cell Biology PhD program? Haven't heard from any of the 11 schools I applied to. Thanks! 

I got an email earlier this week from UCBerkeley MCB saying that they will start sending invites in early January.

[Cottagecheese24]

23 minutes ago, factanonverba said:

I got an email earlier this week from UCBerkeley MCB saying that they will start sending invites in early January.

Thank you so much! Just have to remain patient. 

[TrashPanda]

48 minutes ago, factanonverba said:

I got an email earlier this week from UCBerkeley MCB saying that they will start sending invites in early January.

@Cottagecheese24 I heard back from Berkeley MCB on the 15th!

[Cottagecheese24]

3 minutes ago, TrashPanda said:

@Cottagecheese24 I heard back from Berkeley MCB on the 15th!

With an invitation for an interview? Oh man! Do you know whether that's it for interviews? 

[TrashPanda]

2 minutes ago, Cottagecheese24 said:

With an invitation for an interview? Oh man! Do you know whether that's it for interviews? 

@Cottagecheese24 Yeah I got an interview! I don't know if they're done sending out invites, sorry! Good luck!

Edited December 21, 2017 by TrashPanda

[bioPhDhopeful]

Wondering if all UCSD, UNC, or UMass interview invites have been sent out? Would be pretty sad if Berkeley is all finished sending invites already  

[lpl37]

2 hours ago, Bioenchilada said:

As far as I know, CAMB typically sends their invites close together, if not on the same day. However, there seems to be evidence from previous years where people got invited later. This might vary per division though. 

Thank you! Thinking about calling them tomorrow, it's my top choice so I'm anxious to hear if invites are over.

[synapticcat]

24 minutes ago, bioPhDhopeful said:

Wondering if all UCSD, UNC, or UMass interview invites have been sent out? Would be pretty sad if Berkeley is all finished sending invites already  

not sure about UCSD or UMass but someone in here posted that they called UNC and they said that everyone will hear, good or bad, by the end of the week (for BBSP)

[synapticcat]

7 hours ago, StemCellFan said:

I was given one interview date on Jan 19th, but I also submitted my applications really early around October-November.  I heard about a week after I submitted my app because they do rolling admissions and wanted me to respond by mid November to secure my date.  I'll let you know how my weekend goes and hopefully that'll help you out.  Other than the details in the email I got (seems like it'll be 2 full days in Cleveland), I don't know anything about the interviews or post-interview admission statistics.  

So you were the one person I saw on the results survey who submitted super early! Congrats on having your shit together so early in the game haha. I heard back on Monday, it was sitting in my inbox when I went to check my UMich PIBS invite (which I knew was coming already), so it was a pleasant surprise.

I would love to hear how your interview weekend goes! When I get back to school I'm going to ask my prof if she has any insight and I'll let you know what she tells me. I'm in Ohio already so I'm not coming from too far away, but yeah it looks like two full days where I assume we'll have ~5 faculty appointments that they arrange from the faculty list we provided. Which program was your indicated interest in the app? If you applied neuro I might be able to get some specific info, because my prof was in the neuro department during her time there. 

Also, have you heard anything from Northwestern DGP? I'm dyin' to hear back haha. 

[ks414]

Has anyone heard from OHSU PMCB yet? Also it looks like NYU Sackler has been sending invites, any word if  they are done yet?

 

Thanks!

[doctordoctor]

2 hours ago, ks414 said:

Has anyone heard from OHSU PMCB yet? Also it looks like NYU Sackler has been sending invites, any word if  they are done yet?

 

Thanks!

I know grad students at OHSU PMCB that can confirm those invites haven't been sent out, but if they are at all like the other departments at OHSU they will be sent in a single afternoon/group sometime this week. 

[PanCan]

17 hours ago, lpl37 said:

Hey all, does anyone know if Penn CAMB is done sending out invites?

I got a response from the coordinator today (UPENN CAMB), "The invitations are in the process of being sent out. They should all be out by early January."

[Neuropsycher]

Does anyone know if University of Illinois Urbana and WashU neuroscience are done with interview invites? Still haven’t received any invites? I feel like the only thing not going for me is my GRE scores, so hopefully someone will overlook that. 

[Hannah.Sve]

Hi! Have a lot of people heard from University of Chicago (neurobiology)? 

[biomednyc]

On 12/17/2017 at 6:35 PM, siliconchins said:

Anyone know the post-interview stats for Yale BBS, Princeton MolBio, or Northwestern DGP?

For Yale BBS, last year was apparently a competitive year (according to my student host) and the post-interview acceptance rate was somewhere around 2/3 of those interviewed, so anywhere between 60-70%.  I obviously have no idea what the applicant pool looks like this year, but I think it's safe to say that they are able to accept more than half post-interview.

[dude3d30]

2 minutes ago, biomednyc said:

For Yale BBS, last year was apparently a competitive year (according to my student host) and the post-interview acceptance rate was somewhere around 2/3 of those interviewed, so anywhere between 60-70%.  I obviously have no idea what the applicant pool looks like this year, but I think it's safe to say that they are able to accept more than half post-interview.

Hey biomednyc.. 

I see in your signature that you applied for NYU Sackler last year. How were the interviews like? And any idea of post interview acceptance rate for NYU Sackler? 

I am an international student and got invited for an interview. 

Just wondering if you have any info based on your experiences.

[siliconchins]

5 minutes ago, biomednyc said:

For Yale BBS, last year was apparently a competitive year (according to my student host) and the post-interview acceptance rate was somewhere around 2/3 of those interviewed, so anywhere between 60-70%.  I obviously have no idea what the applicant pool looks like this year, but I think it's safe to say that they are able to accept more than half post-interview.

Thanks biomednyc, that's good to hear. Hopefully it isn't as competitive this year, although I think it will be the case.

[Bioimmun]

Does anyone got an interview from MIT BCS...? I haven’t but one of my friend got a call from POI yesterday...

[_caffeinated]

anyone hear from Emory GDBBS or know when they'll be sending out invites?

[dimit]

32 minutes ago, _caffeinated said:

anyone hear from Emory GDBBS or know when they'll be sending out invites?

Got it already about a week ago

[neuromemory]

2 hours ago, Hannah.Sve said:

Hi! Have a lot of people heard from University of Chicago (neurobiology)? 

I heard from them extending an invite for interview unofficially on Tuesday via a phone call with the head of the committee on neurobiology, and officially via email on Wednesday.  

[StemCellFan]

15 hours ago, synapticcat said:

So you were the one person I saw on the results survey who submitted super early! Congrats on having your shit together so early in the game haha. I heard back on Monday, it was sitting in my inbox when I went to check my UMich PIBS invite (which I knew was coming already), so it was a pleasant surprise.

I would love to hear how your interview weekend goes! When I get back to school I'm going to ask my prof if she has any insight and I'll let you know what she tells me. I'm in Ohio already so I'm not coming from too far away, but yeah it looks like two full days where I assume we'll have ~5 faculty appointments that they arrange from the faculty list we provided. Which program was your indicated interest in the app? If you applied neuro I might be able to get some specific info, because my prof was in the neuro department during her time there. 

Also, have you heard anything from Northwestern DGP? I'm dyin' to hear back haha. 

It was really weird because I submitted my application in late October and then heard back after a few days, it was a little confusing too haha.

I applied to the general BSTP since I have a range of faculty in different departments I'd be interested in working with, but the neuro information might be useful regardless!

And I still haven't heard from Northwestern... but we'll see!  Seems like there is still time!  Best of luck!

[biomednyc]

2 hours ago, dude3d30 said:

Hey biomednyc.. 

I see in your signature that you applied for NYU Sackler last year. How were the interviews like? And any idea of post interview acceptance rate for NYU Sackler? 

I am an international student and got invited for an interview. 

Just wondering if you have any info based on your experiences.

I don’t know the NYU Sackler post-interview acceptance rate, but I can tell you that the interview weekend was very laid back and well organized.  Regarding the faculty, I remember being struck by how happy and friendly they were. One of my interviewers had research interests aligned pretty closely with what my current undergrad PI was doing, and she offered to send a bunch of mice over for some experiments. I got them in touch and they are now working together. Of course maybe it was just the department I happened to interview in (it was mostly the cardiovascular division of the cell bio department), but the program directors and other faculty were also very helpful and informative during the lunches/poster sessions/what-have-you mingling times after the interviews. 

The interviews in general were very casual--very typical discussion of like 20 mins about my research/career goals/questions and then the last 15-20 mins discussing the research interests of whoever was doing the interviewing. The way the interviews go depend on who you happen to get as an interviewer and how you click with them, but in my experience very few faculty are looking to grill you and put you on the spot. 

I would say that during these interview weekends you should look into getting the know the students/faculty as well as possible and figure out if the program is right for you. Don't be scared to ask students questions about quality of life, support systems, cost of living, etc. and the faculty about collaborations, mentorship, what past students have done and anything else that is important to you. This is your time to show that you are passionate about science and confirm what was in your application, of course, but it is also the time to figure out if this is the place for you for the next 5-7 years. Keep you eyes open and enjoy it. 

 

[dude3d30]

18 minutes ago, biomednyc said:

I don’t know the NYU Sackler post-interview acceptance rate, but I can tell you that the interview weekend was very laid back and well organized.  Regarding the faculty, I remember being struck by how happy and friendly they were. One of my interviewers had research interests aligned pretty closely with what my current undergrad PI was doing, and she offered to send a bunch of mice over for some experiments. I got them in touch and they are now working together. Of course maybe it was just the department I happened to interview in (it was mostly the cardiovascular division of the cell bio department), but the program directors and other faculty were also very helpful and informative during the lunches/poster sessions/what-have-you mingling times after the interviews. 

The interviews in general were very casual--very typical discussion of like 20 mins about my research/career goals/questions and then the last 15-20 mins discussing the research interests of whoever was doing the interviewing. The way the interviews go depend on who you happen to get as an interviewer and how you click with them, but in my experience very few faculty are looking to grill you and put you on the spot. 

I would say that during these interview weekends you should look into getting the know the students/faculty as well as possible and figure out if the program is right for you. Don't be scared to ask students questions about quality of life, support systems, cost of living, etc. and the faculty about collaborations, mentorship, what past students have done and anything else that is important to you. This is your time to show that you are passionate about science and confirm what was in your application, of course, but it is also the time to figure out if this is the place for you for the next 5-7 years. Keep you eyes open and enjoy it. 

 

Thank you! This has been very helpful. 

[nishant1247]

Undergrad Institution: Manipal Institute of Technology, India
Major(s): Biotechnology
Minor(s): Genetic Engineering
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA: 3.8
Position in Class: Near top
Type of Student: Indian, brown

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:165
V:159
W:4.0
B:


TOEFL Total: 110

Research Experience: 4 Projects, 1 paper, 2 Internships

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Board Member of Biotechnology based Tech Club

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 

Applying to Where: MS Bioinformatics at Georgia Tech
                                   MS Bioinformatics at UIUC
                                   MS Computational Biology at CMU 

Edited December 21, 2017 by nishant1247