<p>@pricebear. Yes three or four posted on gradcafe starting yesterday. Previous years invites only went out one or two days.</p>
<p>@hontoOishi: MIT Biology sent out rejections today.</p>
<p>Just receive the rejection letter from MIT Biology today</p>
<p>^ I did too. Sucks but I’m glad they at least told us right away when interview invites were sent so that we don’t wait around for a few days hoping we still might get an invite.</p>
<p>Anyone apply to sloan kettering? I just went to gradcafe and some people got accepted while I got nothing.</p>
<p>@studyingsomday and princebear</p>
<p>I’ve been anxious all day after seeing the interview posts for Stanford neuroscience on grad cafe yesterday. I haven’t heard from them; hoping today wasn’t the last day to get an interview!</p>
<p>Interview @ Brown MCB!! (earlier this week)
Rejected from MIT</p>
<p>Hey all, Panda here. I haven’t posted on here for a while, so I thought I would update on the interview invites I have received.</p>
<p>Interview invite at University of California -Berkeley Molecular and Cell Biology (a while ago, don’t remember when)
Interview invite for Harvard BBS
Interview invite for Stanford Biosciences - program in Cancer Biology</p>
<p>That’s all the updates I have for now…Panda is going back to eating bamboo!</p>
<p>I am done.</p>
<p>I am not obsessing about this anymore. </p>
<p>Gosh, who am I even kidding? <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Th2Cell, don’t lose hope! I didn’t hear anything and then I got flooded with the above.</p>
<p>^ I could use a flood right about now. Life feels so meaningless when you can’t get into the top schools… 
I know it doesn’t matter so much in the long run but still, it’d be nice.</p>
<p>What do you use to determine the top schools? Do you use this ranking of the top biology programs? [Best</a> Biological Science Programs | Top Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biological-sciences-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biological-sciences-rankings). According to that list, the top programs are Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT. I dunno man, whichever list you use, I think the only important thing is to find a school that’s the right fit, not necessarily just top on an arbitrary list. If you can be happy at a school, that’s all that matters. At least, that’s what I tell myself.</p>
<p>Thank you, BambooPanda! You are very kind, and congratulations on those interviews! I also agree with what you said about fit and reputation, and really, “wanting a ball is not wanting a prince.” Or shouldn’t be, at any rate…It’s just that there is a banner by the College Confidential emblem up there that rhapsodizes about Dickinson State University…not an omen, surely. Nope.</p>
<p>@BambooPanda You’re right… I’ve always judged top schools as highly ranked schools as you’ve mentioned and aimed to attend one of those schools thinking thats the only way I’ll ever find a job after graduating. This rationale is totally flawed but it does help stamping a nice university name onto your CV when job hunting.</p>
<p>Meh. I’m content as long as I can go somewhere, do awesome research, and get along with everyone. As long as the name is recognizable, rankings are secondary to me.</p>
<p>I saw that several Harvard BBS invites went out recently… does anyone know if there are more to come??</p>
<p>Congratulations, BambooPanda! Wow, you really rocked it. I am also applying to cancer biology programs (just 4 schools), so far only UCSF BMS invite, I am sad I haven’t heard from Stanford :(</p>
<p>I have worked in 3 labs and I have always been invested in the projects. I know I will enjoy any program I get in to. I only applied to those I have interest in. I just want one interview. So shut up about rankings if you already have interviews. You will be judged by your thesis more than your school.</p>
<p>Sorry for snark, rough week of hearing nothing…</p>
<p>yeah, there should be more to life than the program name on your degree. I’m not applying to top programs, I hardly feel my life will now be “meaningless”. I work in a lab at a mid-level institution (where I hope to stay for my phd), and everyone I work with is so awesome, supportive, invested, and their research is solid. They all seem to be doing ok :)</p>