Appsitude

I agree with everyone else - WashU is definitely on the same level as Columbia. Research fit + finding a place where you could be happy is 100x more important than the name of the school you attend (or whether it is an Ivy or not). It sounds like WashU would be perfect for you!

I kept mine short and sweet -- a thank you for having them take time out of their day to meet with me + a reaffirmation of my interest in their research/the program. Not all PIs will respond (some will wait until you get accepted) and it is very unlikely it will have an effect on your admission's decision, but it is a nice gesture and can keep you in contact with faculty that could end up playing a significant part in your grad career.

If the ticket has not been bought yet, you can usually decline with no repercussions. However, there is the possibility that they have already booked your hotel. Just give the program coordinator a shout and I'm sure they'll work it out. If they have bought your ticket, they may be able to get a refund if you cancer -- once again just talk to the program coordinator. There are usually 2-3 people who cancel every recruitment weekend (for us at least) -- it tends not to be a big deal.

Perfect. I know several people who did Skype interviews then visited independently -- it is definitely a valid option.

A cautionary tale with this line of thinking: If you go to school with the intention of working with a specific PI, be ready to face the consequences if/when this doesn't work out. Plenty of things can happen which could interfere with this and potentially leave you at a school that really isn't a perfect fit for you. Some of these things include: 1) The PI moves institutions. Northwestern is a great institute, but it is possible a school such as Harvard, MIT, CalTech, Stanford, etc. could poach that PI. 2) The PI stops accepting grad students by the time you want to join the lab. This is less likely, but it has happened before to people I know. 3) You may not be happy working with that PI/in that PI's lab. 4) The PI's research focus may shift away from what you are interested in. 5) The PI may hit a dry spell publishing. Granted, this could happen with any PI but just because someone is publishing a ton currently you do not know what the future may hold. The choice is up to you, but it is important to make an informed decision (which it definitely seems like you are doing). If you think UChicago is the perfect fit for you and could see you spending your graduate career there - then go for it. Besides, I feel like you can find similar quality PIs at UC that could offer you all of the benefits of a prolific mentor without the associated risks. Take the whole package into consideration when deciding -- deciding based on only one factor such as a specific PI or how a program ranks is a recipe for disaster in most circumstances. Regardless, this is a pretty great dilemma to have as you have two great options for a PhD. Good luck with your decision!

Asking questions about the program is a perfect way to show you're interested and excited and is the easiest way to impress your interviewers. Doing research beforehand on certain things specific to the program (such as a unique teaching opportunity that would be available to you) and asking well thought out questions about those things will show that you are not only interested in the program, but that you have also done your research on the place you are applying. What I did is ask questions about the PI's/student's research as the questions came up when they were discussing their research. Then, at the end of the interview, when I was asked what other questions I may have I asked my prepared questions about the program to end on a positive note. A lot of the time this segued into the interviewer using whatever specific thing I asked about to try to recruit me into the program. It is a fantastic way to not only impress your interviewer but also to learn valuable information about the program. Beyond all this, however, simply having an intelligent conversation with the PI/student you are talking to is usually enough to get a good recommendation from that person without necessarily wowing them. One other thing while we are on the topic of faculty interviews: Ask your student host about the PI's you are interviewing with. Seriously. UCSF has one or two PI's who like to conduct very thorough interviews and knowing who these PI's are in advance can help you mentally prepare for it when it happens. There is a well-known PI here who put recruits into awkward/stressful situations during the interview to see how they respond. This might be constantly asking questions about a project, questioning motivations to go to grad school, etc. etc. It is a LOT easier to not get flustered by this when you are expecting it.

In terms of admissions, you will not be at a disadvantage. However, attending a school site-unseen can be a little risky if you are unsure about the current students, the city it is located in, etc.

You see people wearing suits all the time. It typically isn't a big deal. I wore jeans + button down or slacks + button down for all my interviews and things turned out okay. Do what makes you comfortable like rising_star said! Either way, you'll probably be more overdressed than the faculty interviewing you. Our program director who interviewed me last year was in ripped jeans, a t shirt, and flip flops

Some things that were brought up... 1) Optional drinking times: Honestly, it doesn't hurt if you decide not to go/not to drink. We love getting to know everyone but also understand that interviews are very tiring and that going out to a bar is not everyone's cup of tea. We have two outings (one Friday night, one Saturday night) that we encourage recruits to attend but understand if they do not. It's also not like we keep a list of everyone who goes/drinks/etc.! 2) I really think thank you emails are a nice gesture, even if there is a <0.01% chance that they will help your odds of getting it. I sent thank you emails to most of the professors I interviewed with and ended up maintaining an open line of communication with them from the end of the interview, until when I was accepted, and even when I was picking rotations. A simple "Thank you for taking time to talk with me, I really enjoyed hearing about your research" is very courteous, not annoying, and is never a bad thing in my opinion. 3) I've gotten a lot of questions about attire and this has been beaten to death on this forum, but I would just like to throw in my two cents. In general, I felt a lot more comfortable erring on the side of too casual rather than too formal. I wore jeans/slacks + a button down with no tie for all of my interviews and jeans + t-shirt for all other events. There are always a couple people who wear suits, but that isn't really the norm on the west coast at least. Unless you look like a slob, we won't be judging what you wear (you will probably be better dressed than most students anyway...). 4) Ask your student hosts about the faculty who are interviewing you. There is nothing less pleasant than getting grilled in an interview without expecting it. There are a couple faculty notorious for giving students very rigorous interviews -- most of the students will be able to tell you who these are so you don't go in completely blind. Have fun!

Our program ranks students before hand (roughly), but in general these don't come into play for admissions decisions. I just wanted to add that it is very possible for current students to have a huge say in the admissions process. Someone nails their faculty interviews but displays huge red flags during social events or talking with other students? Students will note this and it'll be relayed to admissions. Conversely, someone slightly flops their faculty interviews but can clearly talk about their research to current students, be a fun person, and generally impress everyone? Student support could push that person over. In general though I'd say it is far more likely for scenario two to happen than for scenario one. We all realize that interviews can be stressful so if that stress manifests during the weekend, everyone understands.

As far as I know, yes. There may be a couple left but that is unlikely.

Personal testimonial: The submission date is flexible. One of my writers was 3 days late for all of my programs and I still got interviews everywhere. There is some degree of forgiveness there.

For those wondering, here is what UCSF's interview schedule looks like (in terms of events, not times). THURSDAY: - Recruits arrive, greeted by host students - Journal club followed by dinner/happy hour - Tour of campus FRIDAY: - Welcome by program, information session + breakfast - 4 interviews (30 minutes each) - Lunch with hosts - 2 interviews (30 minutes each) - Housing tour - Poster session - Dinner at professor's house - Bar outing/dessert SATURDAY: - Diversity panel (optional) - Breakfast - Q&A with current students - Mini symposium introducing recruits to faculty research - Tour of second campus/housing - Day events: Tour of San Francisco, hiking, or wine tasting - Student hosted party SUNDAY: - Departure Most schools have a similar schedule!

To whomever was asking: UCSF BMS has sent out all of its interview invites for this cycle. We are interviewing 81 hoping to accept ~60. Good luck!

The one exception to this are fellowships that might have specific deadlines. For one of the schools I was accepted to, I had to make a decision to decline or accept a fellowship by April 1st. However, this is the exception and not the norm. For me, I decided over a month before the deadline. For most people I have talked to, they pretty much knew where they wanted to go after they had their last interview. I knew immediately after my interview at UCSF that I wanted to attend there -- and the rest of my interviews didn't really do much to sway me.