<p>Example 1: i want to apply to harvard systems biology and harvard biophysics (which has a specialization in computational biology). </p>
<p>Example 2: i want to apply to princeton's MS in eecs and PhD in molecular biology.</p>
<p>good idea? bad idea?</p>
<p>oh…i guess you can’t do this.</p>
<p>new question: do interdisciplinary departments like harvard systems biology accept more people than harvard biology, or is it the opposite?</p>
<p>you can apply to multiple schools through HILs (the harvard life sciences app). Harvard sysbio accepts ~10ppl per year, while BBS is closer to 70. I don’t know about princeton, but I assume you can apply to more than one program-- since you can every where else.</p>
<p>wow, thanks for the heads up on HILs. i’m not sure how i missed it earlier but its really convenient. i looked into princeton, and it has a QCB program but you can only apply to one department under this program. too bad most schools aren’t like harvard.</p>
<p>CMU has interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary programs.
Udub has some programs.</p>
<p>Most seem to be something like an “Institute”</p>
<p>This is a good point for those applying in the upcoming cycle- there are often multiple ways to get to the same point. For example, the grad students in my department come from those directly recruited by the department (MGM), individuals from the cell and molecular department and those from the genetics and genomics program. Umbrella programs also present a way of getting into a department even if the admission numbers are unfavorable for applying directly to the department.</p>
<p>well princeton has the QCB program—and this year it is its own graduate program so I think you just apply to it, not to a department within it. Also the MS in eecs is different from QCB, since QCB is a PhD program (which includes the PhD program of the cs department). You can apply to multiple programs at UCSF (tetrad, bms, ipq) and at UW (genome sciences and mcb). You can also apply to multiple departments at MIT (CS, BE, Biology, CSBi)</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>UCSF only accepts the first application it receives, so you can’t really apply to more than one program. no big deal.</p>
<p>i’m having a little trouble deciding which programs i should apply to, which is why i started this thread. since i’m interested in systems biology/bioinformatics, researchers in this field are found in systems bio, computational bio, and regular bio programs. so what should take precedence when applying to these programs: the focus of the program and how it relates to your interests (although in my case, most of these programs would work), or how many students they accept?</p>
<p>for example, would it be better for me to apply to caltech biochem + biophysics or caltech bio?</p>
<p>i’m thinking it makes more sense to apply to the department that accepts more people, particularly since i’m going to be working in an interdisciplinary field. any advice?</p>
<p>a lot of the difference between programs is in course requirements-- the biology or computer science programs tend to have a lot of courses in those departments, whereas the course requirements in the interdisciplinary programs tend to be more flexible. I’m not sure if that matters to you.</p>
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[QUOTE=MolSysBio]
UCSF only accepts the first application it receives, so you can’t really apply to more than one program. no big deal.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Does anyone know off-hand if one can apply to both the UCB/UCSF Joint Bioengineering program and a UCSF-only program (eg Bioinformatics)?</p>
<p>It just seems smarter to just call the school and ask.</p>
<p>^^ Are you referring to the OP? It helps to quote. Use quote tags or something.</p>
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</p>
<p>probably you. i looked into your question and i think you can apply to both.</p>
<p>@ec</p>
<p>i’d like to take a wide range of courses. i think interdisciplinary programs suit my interests.</p>
<p>does anyone know of a database with info on the # of people accepted by program at various schools?</p>
<p>Would you mind sharing where you found this information? I couldn’t find anything on the UCSF website.</p>
<p>don’t take my word for it, but i think that since the bioeng program uses the berkeley grad app and since the ucsf bioinformatics program uses the ucsf grad app, you can apply to both.</p>
<p>
Programs that accept more people tend also to have more applicants.</p>
<p>Right. That’s what I was thinking.</p>
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</p>
<p>yeah, i figure some might not be as self-selective as others, but i don’t think that’s the case for top schools. thanks for the advice, all.</p>
<p>“^^ Are you referring to the OP? It helps to quote. Use quote tags or something.”</p>
<p>I posted directly after you. lol. And it really could be applied to both.</p>
<p>Seriously, something as important as this seems to me something you should call and actually ask the school about if you cannot find information on the website. Especially since no one can give you a for sure answer.</p>
<p>I thought you were referring to me, but then I realized there was no context and the OP’s question was more likely the one being addressed. </p>
<p>But yeah; I e-mailed them. And I still have a year and a half before I apply, so it’s not really a big deal right now. And BTW, if you surround text with a quote with (quote=“person”) and (/quote) it goes into a quote box (use square brackets instead of parentheses).</p>