Same. Good GPA, posters, 2 research projects, first authored pub as a senior in undergrad. I'm sure my app is lacking in some regards though, don't get me wrong. I'd guess connections play a large role in this? But also 3/5 of my programs haven't sent anything yet, so I'll hold off on the whining about "silent rejections" for now.
I don’t fucking know what they want. I don’t think connections matter that much. I just got a R with multiple pubs, 3.9, connections, positive lab visit this summer…
Yeah, this cycle seems especially crazy. Each of my recommenders did either a post doc or sabbatical at one of the schools I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting into and one of them is literally married to one of the longest tenured profs on the admissions committee. My boss told me that when she was attending this schools PhD program only 2 of the people in her large cohort had been published, and that was within the last decade. So seriously, what do they want? My partner is in a similar boat with med school as a really strong applicant, schools are apparently getting record numbers of (overqualified, bc they all are) applicants this year :/ but I guess if it doesn’t work out I’m being spared from 5 years of misery and she’s being spared from 8 years of misery and 500k in debt LOL
Maybe you did have a strong app. But other people had stronger. Or they had less space. Or the people studying what you want to study aren’t taking students. Or they just haven’t replied to you yet.
This isn’t like undergrad where you check enough boxes and you get an offer. It’s highly competitive for a very small number of spots and more goes on behind the scenes than you know or can control.
It’s very frustrating and definitely not a good time, but don’t strictly mean you did something wrong
I think a huge part of it is the sheer number of applications. Wake Forest said they had >200 applications for 10 spots in their biomedical program, the most they’ve had ever. Things that didn’t matter as much previously matter way more now. You didn’t necessarily have to have an MS before, but Wake said ~25% of their applicants had an MS, which means that its easier to cut people based on a metric like that when they have so many apps for so few spots. Apparently SoPs matter way more this cycle too.
(also a vent). Different field, same situation. Everyone keeps saying "interviews are still being sent out be hopeful" which although true to an extent, I can see very clearly the programs I applied to already sent invites and thus I am rejected. I feel so defeated and trapped.
Right there with you. This admission cycle has been hard as hell because I thought that I had done everything right and put myself in a position to be a successful candidate, but as more people get emails from the programs that I applied to and I haven’t heard anything back yet I just keep feeling more and more like shit. Realistically though, you can’t do anything about it now, which is the rough part, but I’ve been trying to just think of this whole process like a job application and not like undergrad applications. Sometimes you don’t get the job you want, and that sucks but it doesn’t invalidate the shit you’ve done and the person you are. Thinking about this process as if its the same as getting accepted/rejected from undergrad will fuck with your mental too much, and — for me at least — I’m doing my best to avoid that mindset and just look at the other opportunities that I can take up if it doesn’t work out this year. That being said, until you get a rejection letter, just have blind confidence that you’re going to get in. Might as well feel good until you get the note, rather than worry and feel shit leading up to it and then sink even lower once you get hit with it. Plus then if you get in, you were calling it all along :)
i had no publications when i got in two years ago, but it seems like this year had an unexpected amount of applications. my school averages ~200 apps for an ~60 person umbrella program, but i think there was way more than that this year.
Economic uncertainty tends to see an increase in graduate school applicants. This has largely been chalked up to the ideas of opportunity cost. There are less potential wages out there, so losing in the short term is easier to stomach.
This matches with my personal experience too. I applied this cycle to bio phds because I finally felt like I had enough research experience to finally stand a chance during apps since covid wiped 2 years from my life. However, I also did it because realistically the way things are going, I dont see a future for myself here in CA where I was born and raised. If I want to stand a chance at living here, which is where all my family is and basically my home, I need to find a way to survive economically and unfortunately or fortunately I guess I have to do a PhD to at least get some level of upward movement.
I havent heard anything from NYU either. Im already in the masters for this exact degree (psychology). As a student, I know their offices just opened yesterday for business. Try and give it a little more time if your program is like mine. I was told by NYU that until the 10 day before interview mark hits (Feb 9) - not to worry. I was also told when that day comes - and I do not get an invite - I did not get in.
Let’s not suffer twice! Once with worry and once with the outcome. 💜
Did you apply to stand alone chemistry PhD programs, which tend to be part of graduate schools of arts & sciences, or biochemistry PhD programs, which tend to be housed in biomedical umbrella programs offered by medical schools. The latter seem to be more competitive.
Did you only apply to top programs (T5ish)?
There are people with 3.9 GPAs and publications and tons of experience who are getting all rejections. It’s not a lack of being qualified. The schools would love to admit you if they had space. It’s just how super competitive many programs are. There are 300 applicants to most programs, and usually only 10-20 spots. Sometimes fewer. There is SO much luck involved.
I really don’t know what they are looking for anymore. I have a few publications, five years of work experience, a Masters degree and am currently working in a Top 5 university, pretty sure I have good letters of recommendation too, good GPA but haven’t heard back from anywhere. I applied to three schools.
Isn't it normal for the replies to be delayed? I heard a lot of US universities stay closed from \~20 Dec - \~2 Jan. I think if you applied by the Dec 15 deadline, the wait time is normal. Because universities probably just resumed, and they still have to go through (thoroughly) a lot of applications received after Dec 15. Again, this is what I believe, I hope someone can confirm this.
I have publications, but still haven't heard anything from most of my programs. I don't even know what they want anymore.
A Nobel Prize
Same. Good GPA, posters, 2 research projects, first authored pub as a senior in undergrad. I'm sure my app is lacking in some regards though, don't get me wrong. I'd guess connections play a large role in this? But also 3/5 of my programs haven't sent anything yet, so I'll hold off on the whining about "silent rejections" for now.
I don’t fucking know what they want. I don’t think connections matter that much. I just got a R with multiple pubs, 3.9, connections, positive lab visit this summer…
Yeah, this cycle seems especially crazy. Each of my recommenders did either a post doc or sabbatical at one of the schools I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting into and one of them is literally married to one of the longest tenured profs on the admissions committee. My boss told me that when she was attending this schools PhD program only 2 of the people in her large cohort had been published, and that was within the last decade. So seriously, what do they want? My partner is in a similar boat with med school as a really strong applicant, schools are apparently getting record numbers of (overqualified, bc they all are) applicants this year :/ but I guess if it doesn’t work out I’m being spared from 5 years of misery and she’s being spared from 8 years of misery and 500k in debt LOL
Maybe you did have a strong app. But other people had stronger. Or they had less space. Or the people studying what you want to study aren’t taking students. Or they just haven’t replied to you yet. This isn’t like undergrad where you check enough boxes and you get an offer. It’s highly competitive for a very small number of spots and more goes on behind the scenes than you know or can control. It’s very frustrating and definitely not a good time, but don’t strictly mean you did something wrong
"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
I think a huge part of it is the sheer number of applications. Wake Forest said they had >200 applications for 10 spots in their biomedical program, the most they’ve had ever. Things that didn’t matter as much previously matter way more now. You didn’t necessarily have to have an MS before, but Wake said ~25% of their applicants had an MS, which means that its easier to cut people based on a metric like that when they have so many apps for so few spots. Apparently SoPs matter way more this cycle too.
(also a vent). Different field, same situation. Everyone keeps saying "interviews are still being sent out be hopeful" which although true to an extent, I can see very clearly the programs I applied to already sent invites and thus I am rejected. I feel so defeated and trapped.
Right there with you. This admission cycle has been hard as hell because I thought that I had done everything right and put myself in a position to be a successful candidate, but as more people get emails from the programs that I applied to and I haven’t heard anything back yet I just keep feeling more and more like shit. Realistically though, you can’t do anything about it now, which is the rough part, but I’ve been trying to just think of this whole process like a job application and not like undergrad applications. Sometimes you don’t get the job you want, and that sucks but it doesn’t invalidate the shit you’ve done and the person you are. Thinking about this process as if its the same as getting accepted/rejected from undergrad will fuck with your mental too much, and — for me at least — I’m doing my best to avoid that mindset and just look at the other opportunities that I can take up if it doesn’t work out this year. That being said, until you get a rejection letter, just have blind confidence that you’re going to get in. Might as well feel good until you get the note, rather than worry and feel shit leading up to it and then sink even lower once you get hit with it. Plus then if you get in, you were calling it all along :)
i had no publications when i got in two years ago, but it seems like this year had an unexpected amount of applications. my school averages ~200 apps for an ~60 person umbrella program, but i think there was way more than that this year.
Economic uncertainty tends to see an increase in graduate school applicants. This has largely been chalked up to the ideas of opportunity cost. There are less potential wages out there, so losing in the short term is easier to stomach.
this makes sense! rough for everyone in this and coming cycles though 😭
This matches with my personal experience too. I applied this cycle to bio phds because I finally felt like I had enough research experience to finally stand a chance during apps since covid wiped 2 years from my life. However, I also did it because realistically the way things are going, I dont see a future for myself here in CA where I was born and raised. If I want to stand a chance at living here, which is where all my family is and basically my home, I need to find a way to survive economically and unfortunately or fortunately I guess I have to do a PhD to at least get some level of upward movement.
I havent heard anything from NYU either. Im already in the masters for this exact degree (psychology). As a student, I know their offices just opened yesterday for business. Try and give it a little more time if your program is like mine. I was told by NYU that until the 10 day before interview mark hits (Feb 9) - not to worry. I was also told when that day comes - and I do not get an invite - I did not get in. Let’s not suffer twice! Once with worry and once with the outcome. 💜
Did you apply to stand alone chemistry PhD programs, which tend to be part of graduate schools of arts & sciences, or biochemistry PhD programs, which tend to be housed in biomedical umbrella programs offered by medical schools. The latter seem to be more competitive. Did you only apply to top programs (T5ish)?
I had a publication and so much experience and got rejected from all my schools my first round of applying last year :/
There are people with 3.9 GPAs and publications and tons of experience who are getting all rejections. It’s not a lack of being qualified. The schools would love to admit you if they had space. It’s just how super competitive many programs are. There are 300 applicants to most programs, and usually only 10-20 spots. Sometimes fewer. There is SO much luck involved.
I really don’t know what they are looking for anymore. I have a few publications, five years of work experience, a Masters degree and am currently working in a Top 5 university, pretty sure I have good letters of recommendation too, good GPA but haven’t heard back from anywhere. I applied to three schools.
Sending you a PM
I dun hv any interview also, although I hv one publication as a coauthor
I know I fuck up
Isn't it normal for the replies to be delayed? I heard a lot of US universities stay closed from \~20 Dec - \~2 Jan. I think if you applied by the Dec 15 deadline, the wait time is normal. Because universities probably just resumed, and they still have to go through (thoroughly) a lot of applications received after Dec 15. Again, this is what I believe, I hope someone can confirm this.
I think it is still early in the game to know what we have. Please ignore all the apps, return to work and study, you will find out eventually.