<p>So, any news?</p>
<p>Nope. Not at all. </p>
<p>Got a strange email from carnegie mellon today (that was also sent to about 50 other people whose emails were also displayed) saying:</p>
<p>Thank you for your interest in the Ph.D. program in the Department of
Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon. Due to the high volume of
applications our office receives, we are unable to address your emails or
phone calls. To review the status of your application please go to
<a href="https://apps.bio.cmu.edu/phd_app/%5B/url%5D">https://apps.bio.cmu.edu/phd_app/</a>
to learn if supporting materials such as test scores, references,
transcripts, and any applicable fees have been received. You will be
contacted if the Admissions Committee is in need of further supporting
documentation.</p>
<p>When I logged in, their system said nothing remarkable (just everything has been received blah, blah)</p>
<p>Funny thing is I didn't even email them about anything.</p>
<p>this is getting so very annoying and frustrating waiting for a response.. but then no news is better than bad news i guess..</p>
<p>Man. This is starting to look very, very bleak. :( </p>
<p>When do rejection letters start going out?</p>
<p>Just got an interview invitation from Mount Sinai this morning. They gave an on-site interview; however, I live outside US..</p>
<p>congrats leukemia! what track/area did you put down as your number 1 choice?
Did it sound like a interview weekend or do they just fly people out at different dates?
If they pay for everything and it doesn't interfere too much with your current coursework, I say go for it! I always prefer in person interviews over phone interview</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I put stem cell and developmental biology as my first field of interest. It looks like a interview weekend; there will be a seminar and informal lunch. Also, they will pay up to $450 USD for travel expenses. I think I will go there. :)</p>
<p>When is the interview weekend? Did they mention whether there'd be multiple ones?</p>
<p>Neurokid,</p>
<p>It is not exactly a weekend because it is for Feb 9 and 10 (Monday and Tuesday).</p>
<p>The original letter context is below. They did not say they will have many.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>The visit will begin on Monday late afternoon with an introduction regarding the PhD program given by the Dean of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences followed by a tour of our facilities, dinner with graduate students, and a seminar. On Tuesday morning after a continental breakfast (8:45-9:15AM), you will be interviewed by one of our graduate students. Three interviews with Mount Sinai faculty members will follow. After lunch with faculty and PhD students there will be a fourth interview. The day will conclude at around 3:00PM with a wrap-up session where you will have an opportunity to ask additional questions.</p>
<p>Thanks Leukemia!</p>
<p>So they sent the invite by mail? Weird. Hopefully I will still be able to get an invite. They notified me earlier this week that one of my references were not received even though it was sent out in mid-Dec, so we had to resend it out again, hopefully that won't hurt my chances too much!</p>
<p>neurokid,</p>
<p>No, they sent by email. Are you domestic or international? Maybe we'll meet there :)</p>
<p>I am international as well :)</p>
<p>Would you mind share your background here?</p>
<p>4.0 GPA at a top 3 Canadian University
GRE: 680V/800Q/4W Subject: 760 (99%)
Research: 1/2 year of non-neuro research, 2 year of academic neuro research, 1 year of
neuro research at a major pharmaceutical company
Publication: One abstract(non-first author) at ACNP</p>
<p>Applied: Yale, UMich Ann Arbor, UCSD, Rockefeller, Harvard, UPenn, NYU, Mount Sinai, Medical University of South Carolina</p>
<p>None formally rejected so far but Yale, Harvard, NYU, and UCSD are likely to be out. Still waiting to hear from the others.</p>
<p>Neurokid: your stats look really impressive. I think it is too early to make any conclusions. I dont know about NYU and UCSD, but Harvard and Yale are still sending their invites (I've heard from Yale 2 days ago).</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement, Penicillin. I guess there's still a tiny bit of hope left for Harvard(although I think I will pick any other school that accepts me over Harvard due to better research match), but I am pretty sure Yale is out. I emailed their program coordinator and she said they had sent out all of their invitation for the neuroscience track and I wasn't among them. So in the extreme case where none of the people they offer spots to accepts and if I am fairly high on the waiting list, I am not too hopeful. I was pretty devastated about Yale since that would have been my number 1 choice pre-interview, but oh well, I've already made my peace with it now and just hoping for the best with the other schools.</p>
<p>Neurokid, sorry to hear that. I am also waiting impatiently for Harvard and Stanford. The guys in the "Acceptances" thread said that both of them are still inviting, so all we can do is to sit fingercrossed and check an email every 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Hi neurokid & penicillin</p>
<p>Both of your profiles are so impressive, actually they are as good as an international student can have, I think. I am applying from China, and I am quite sure that none of my friends or classmates have heard from Harvard yet.</p>
<p>Keep patient and good luck!
In addition, Penicillin: this is not an advertisement, but if you install a Gtalk, you do not have to check your email every 10 minutes :)</p>
<p>It seems to me those international students who heard from top programs early have one or more of following traits:
1) very good GRE scores (like 99%)
2) graduated from top university in the country
3) obtained international awards (like medals in international contests)
4) published first-author papers in international journal or conferences</p>
<p>Of course, the more of the above you have, the better the chances are. LORs and SOPs are less relevant if you have the above. If you don't have the above, chances of admissions would be more like a coin-toss. Neurokid, I am surprised that you haven't heard back yet since you have superb GRE subject score. I hope the admission decisions are made later in your case.</p>
<p>bernardzhu:</p>
<p>I agree with your fourt points, yet they are not easy for most international students :)</p>
<p>In addition, I got chances to talk with admission administrators in CSHL, Rockefeller, Harvard, and Yale, they all said LORs from US professors will help a lot if one is applying from a foreign country. They tend to trust their own colleagues.</p>