<p>I have an impression, which could be wrong, that not many people here have applied to BCM. Isn't it a top-notch school for biomed research? What are the reasons that you guys didn't apply? Very likely I'm attending so want to avoid "didn't you know bcm is notorious for xxxxxxxx?" scenarios.</p>
<p>thanks in advance</p>
<p>Baylor is a great place for biomed research (I believe - don’t know too much about it) - but I didn’t apply because a) didn’t want to move to Texas (I know people who love Texas, but it wasn’t one of the places I wanted to move to) b) they weren’t quite top top (aka Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, MIT-ish top) - which was what I was gunning for - close to these tippy top schools, but not quite ‘in their circle’ so to speak (this is totally ridiculous reputation crap, yes, I know). But, don’t let the lack of Baylor-talk here on CC discourage you – some schools crop up here way more that I ever heard fellow applicants talking about at my interviews and some top schools never seem to come up at all… That’s just my 2cents. Hopefully someone who has experience with Baylor chimes in.</p>
<p>The two cycles before this one, many people on CC applied to and interviewed at Baylor. It just happened that the people who came to this forum in 2010/11 didn’t apply there. You can check in the official acceptance threads of 2009 and 2010 to see the members who interviewed there and/or you can search the forum for “Baylor” to find posts from years past.</p>
<p>I remember I once came across a post by the then BCM grad. I tried to google it but it seems out of nowhere. The post is “about how unhealthy the research environment is. They tried to convince you how great their programs are. Once you got in, the scenario totally changed and you cannot get the hell out of the programs on the spur of the moment.” considering you become a current student and transferring to other university programs is not the same as new application to graduate program. </p>
<p>Again as I couldn’t locate any evidence of such post right now, my retrospective memory would seem dubious at face value. I’m not here to belittle the perception on BCM. The post itself is not reflective of the whole community in BCM program. On the other hand, I’d say BCM is good for medical study. </p>
<p>At any rate, I’d look at the faculty profiles if I were you. Check if their research area is what you wanted to explore or at least you think you’re interested in learning new techniques. Above of all, I would avoid my supervisors being MD. Most of the time medical doctors do not realize how much time you need to excel in molecular experiments. When you run a PCR, you’re sure-fire to get a product. In fact, one need to learn how to design specific primers and control the annealing temp and extension time. Of course, that’s too much simple for undergrads who come from molecular biology. But for clinicians who are expert in treating patients and more familiar with drug profiles, they might not be as much helpful as you would expect to receive from someone who actually came from this very PhD route. Again there are many MDs who can supervise you well beyond your expectation. It’s just because of BCM nature (more on medicine), I just let you know my $0.02.</p>
<p>thanks everyone for the comments. They are helpful and I feel more comfortable with the school now. </p>
<p>@genome: i read something similar about BCM too! And the 2 interviews I had on phone were not particularly pleasant. So I haven’t been 100% sure about choosing the school though I am really interested in a couple of PIs whom i’m now communicating with. </p>
<p>thanks again! i really appreciate them!</p>