Biology/Biomedical Sciences: Interviews and Accepted Students weekends

<p>were the stipend offers very different from school to school? what should you generally expect?</p>

<p>Stipends vary greatly between cities (cost of living in Davis vs NYC, for example) as well as between schools of different ... caliber. In Boston, I had School #1 offering me 22K and a few weeks later, School #2 offering 27K.</p>

<p>I live in New York now -- and [thankfully] get school-subsidized housing in addition to a generous stipend.</p>

<p>Astrina, are you at Rockefeller? If so, how do you like it there?</p>

<p>Astrina, how is it managing life in NYC on a graduate stipend? Is it ever not enough to do the things you like outside of the lab?</p>

<p>There's a list of stipends from a number of programs [url=<a href="http://www.wendychao.com/science/stipends/%5Dhere%5B/url"&gt;http://www.wendychao.com/science/stipends/]here[/url&lt;/a&gt;].&lt;/p>

<p>And wow, astrina, $22k wouldn't go too far in Boston.</p>

<p>I'm at Columbia, actually -- just on the other side of Manhattan from Rockefeller.</p>

<p>My stipend here is $28.5K a year and after I fork over $730 for rent (12 x 15 room in a 3br, 2ba riverview apartment), that still leaves me with a good amount to spend and save. I think the school does a respectable job of ensuring that we can live a decent life here -- our ID cards get us free admission to the major museums, the grad student organizations are always planning group outings to the opera, broadway, and ballet ... and tourist-watching is always free and entertaining. :)</p>

<p>(Mollie, the school offering the $22K was at the "B" end of the Green Line ... is that area of town cheaper to live in?)</p>

<p>I don't know what the prices are like in Chestnut Hill (and maybe there's graduate student housing), but I would imagine that many graduate students would want to live in the more "studenty" areas like Allston or Brighton, where rent is only a touch less exorbitant than it is in the rest of Boston.</p>

<p>(I feel kind of bad for my recruit, because BBS recruits stay with grad student hosts, and I live in the suburbs pretty far from Longwood because it is lo so much cheaper -- $1800/mo for an 1150 sq. ft. 2BR/2BA. She'll have a bit of a hike to get to recruitment each day.)</p>

<p>Thanks for the list, Mollie. One addition I'd like to make is that Albert Einstein offers 28k (in the bronx, no less!) and it's slated to go up this summer.</p>

<p>For those going to Weill tomorrow - do you guys all have a dinner with faculty tomorrow night? If so - and, bear with me, i'm neurotic - what are you wearing?? I can't decide if I can get away with nice jeans and a nice top, or if I actually have to put on dress pants/skirt.</p>

<p>Well, it's pretty cold and windy in the city right now so I'd definitely go with the dress pants. I don't remember ever seeing an interviewee in a skirt around here -- cute as it may be, you don't want to be pulling any Marilyn Monroes in front of the faculty :)</p>

<p>Anyone heading to/have information about Emory, Rice, Baylor, or Albert Einstein interviews?</p>

<p>Has anyone already made the decision of where to attend to graduate school? If so, can those ppl post to explain why? Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>EmoryStudent - I interviewed @ Einstein on Jan 28-29, but I know for sure that was one of the first interview weekends of this year. I know for sure that last year's final interview weekend was Feb 26-27. If you want more details, let me know.</p>

<p>I have a question (more like an opinion poll):</p>

<p>When asked "what other schools are you interviewing at", or a similar question that puts you on the spot (eg. "I see you're interviewing at so and so"), and you have already been rejected by a whole bunch of them...should you mention it, or just pretend like you've gotten interviews?</p>

<p>If you mention it, would that influence their impression towards your capabilities/qualifications?</p>

<p>So far I've answered all such questions, and had at least one interviewer really bash on the school I was going to the next weekend. (I found out many of the things she said were untrue, though they may have been true when she was there, several years ago). I think they mostly ask this question so if you're interviewing at their alma matter, or something, they can talk about that. I really think it's a pretty innocent and curious question, not trying to trap you in any way. but what do I know, eh?</p>

<p>Anyone going to Columbia biological sciences this weekend? I just saw a hallway posting that invites current students to lunch on Friday, so .... yeah. :)</p>

<p>actaully, I am astrina : )...just had pizza with current graduate students</p>

<p>I am supposed to interview in DBBS of WUSTL today, but when I jumped on a plane in Boston and arrived in North Carolina on a connection, the sky team told us that St. Louis is hit by snow storm and I was forced to fly back to Boston. A whole day in planes and airports, disaster. And then my GF called me and saying "I am having a good time in Cornell recruiting weekend!" Hope the snow storm won't blow my offer away.</p>

<p>Has anyone had an interview with Mount Sinai School of Medicine? I have one coming up and would greatly appreciate it any help!</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>To aldo003b:
I dont know about the question being innocent. I had a phone interview with Rochester and after asking me where else I m being interviewed, they told me straight up they were asking this question to make sure that most people who they admit, pick their school. Which means probab that mentioning an interview call frm a bigger school isnt all that wise??</p>