<p>Honestly, I don't think programs are too terribly concerned about your interest level -- they'll admit you whether or not you're likely to go. This isn't undergrad, and nobody cares about yield.</p>
<p>You could reply and accept a date, but not buy plane tickets until later. If necessary, you could call and reschedule with a program. (Personally, I did this the crappy way around, and bought plane tickets with two programs before deciding I wasn't going to go. The programs didn't care, but I felt really horrible.)</p>
<p>MCBartist:
Hi there, I have question Yale interview. Did you apply to Pharmacology program at Yale and already got an interview? I heard Neuroscience program admission committees are meeting around 1/1/8 for applicant sorting-out. Is it that you applied early or Pharmacology recruited early..do you know?</p>
<p>Hi, this is my first post. I just got invited to a recruitment weekend at Weill Cornell Medical College for the biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology program a day after Christmas. I guess it is a late Christmas present.</p>
<p>I'm a bit confused -- if you get invited for interviews, do you pay for your own transportation/lodging or do the schools pay? How many schools do people generally interview at during February? I'm assuming 4-5 max, but even that seems like a lot to pay, if applicants are paying for their own flights...</p>
<p>Generally in biology grad school interviews, the schools pay for everything. Either you book your plane ticket through their travel agent (and they pay for the ticket directly), or you purchase the ticket on your own and get reimbursed. They will put all of the applicants in a hotel together. Many of your meals will be with students or professors in the program, and therefore paid already, but you can generally be reimbursed for meals you buy while traveling and your ground transportation to the school.</p>
<p>The only issue is that it takes several weeks for schools to process your forms and reimburse you, so if you have several interviews, you may need to float this money. But it will be paid back.</p>
<p>I did six interviews in late January, February, and early March, which I felt was a pretty standard number.</p>
<p>Question: What do you do if the recruitment sessions of two schools overlap each other by a few days? Will the schools accommodate for you, or do you have to choose?</p>
<p>I got an invitation to recruitment weekend at Cornell Weill (IMP program) today but also have one for U Washington that is a day later.</p>
<p>I'll also note that some schools have a cap on travel reimbursement. </p>
<p>Tufts gave me a $250 limit on traveling between San Diego and Boston last year, which would be fine if my interview WASN'T scheduled for President's Day weekend. I flew on JetBlue, but still had to pay about $100 on my own.</p>
<p>hi suncake,
i did three essays (on separate pages) for the TSRI application. then again, i got rejected last year ... so maybe it wasn't the way to go. :)</p>
<p>and Cornelli2008 -- the nutrition kids are an AWESOME department! we take a few of our classes with them, they're a fun (but small, 5 in the 1st-year class) bunch. :)</p>
<p>Hey JR074, I did apply by the third week of november or so. However, I dont know whether that is considered early or its the committee that does rolling admissions.</p>
<p>I'm in an odd situation compared with most folks on this board. I have a BA in history and an MS in journalism and have been working as a science reporter for about 4 years. This has gotten me very interested in switching to a career in science.</p>
<p>I've just begun taking freshmen level bio and chem classes part-time at Rutgers U. and will hopefully go full-time by Fall 2008, finish the major requirements over the next year and be in shape to apply for PhD programs by the end of 2009. </p>
<p>My GPA for my BA was about 2.5-2.6, and around 3.1 for the MS. However, I'm off to a good start with my science classes so far and will keep working to pull my GPA to a competitive level.</p>
<p>I know I'm still about 2 years away from applying anywhere but I want to make sure I do everything right. So my question is, what are the steps I should be taking RIGHT NOW to improve my chances of admission? </p>
<p>I have 2 years to bring my grades up, so that's something I'll be working on. I also know that research is crucial but haven't had much luck yet finding a lab, probably since I'm in my first year.</p>
<p>I know that the odds are probably against me as far as the top programs go. I was looking on thegradcafe.com and folks with stellar stats were getting declined from my all top choices...</p>
<p>Applied to - MIT, NYU Sackler, COlumbia, JHU, ROckefeller, Sloan-Kettering, Georgetown, CMU
Heard back from SLoan (12/17) and NYUSackler (12/28).
Anyone heard from other schools?
Goodluck to everyone</p>
<p>parg, with a work history, you will be a non-traditional applicant. Your science grades you're getting now are far more important than what happened 5 or 6 years ago. </p>
<p>I would also encourage you to develop some personal contacts at places of interest. As a reporter, this should be easy for you. You may well find that none of the traditional rules apply.</p>