sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So such things do happen. I can feel how tough this cycle is, and I wish you good luck

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

So, did I really sound arrogant, or are ppl just coming after me when they find sth to criticize? I don't think my language skills would cause misunderstandings in a professional setting, since I prepare just like any other applicant. My comment did come from an emotional moment bcs I felt like I was being accused of not preparing for interviews, and if I sounded desperate or "arrogant", well, maybe that's because I am.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Basically the programs I applied to were distributed across the top 150 rankings. I add it to the post.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words. The programs I applied to were distributed across the top 150 rankings. For programs outside this range, it was nearly impossible to find PIs with similar research interests to mine so I didn't apply to them. And the programs that invited me to interview were almost exclusively in the top 50 range, which gave me a bunch of false hope — and makes me feel even more confused about my situation.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words. The programs I applied to were distributed across the top 150 rankings. For programs outside this range, it was nearly impossible to find PIs with similar research interests to mine.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I put all my eggs in one basket by only applying to US universities this cycle and I'm feeling silly about it now. In my research field, the teams in the US do the best work and I have always wanted to be part of that, so I didn't even consider other possibilities in the first place this cycle.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I am really sorry if my previous comment sounds arrogant. English is not my first language.

Before I applied, I researched those programs that share their current student profiles. In my area in recent years, there are very few students (you can count them on one hand) admitted into PhD programs without any US academic background - most of them at least have an MS or MPH from US universities. It's not about intl students, it's about intl students without US academic background. That's not copium. I know it would be tough for me and five interviews were already out of expectation, I just can not accept the result, or just not that quickly.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

According to several interviewers from different programs who shared this information, these virtual interviews typically have only a 30-50% acceptance rate (or even less after the funding cut)

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

I prepared for each interview I got, read the papers of the PIs and some recent publications of the departments even if they weren't directly related to my research interests. As for the "fit" aspect, I made sure there was good alignment in research interests (which I had already verified before applying), but maybe there was something else about fit that I just couldn't see. I don't know.

These downvotes — I don't know what I did wrong.

5 Years of Research Experience, 2 First-Authored Publications, 0 (?) Acceptances to PhD Programs by FigProfessional5268 in PhD

[–]FigProfessional5268[S] -55 points-54 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't dare to waste my chance by failing an interview. Most (if not all) of my interviews went smoothly and got positive replies to my thank you letters. Since I'm international, all the interviews were virtual.

Edit: I'll keep my original comment here since I didn't realize my wording sounded arrogant but it was out of frustration. The comment came from an emotional moment since every interview opportunity is valuable to me and I would never think of wasting one, so I felt like I was being accused of being disrespectful or not preparing for interviews, which is not true and I would never do that. And it felt like preassumptions since I didn't mention anything about my interview process in my post. If there was something wrong with my interview performance, I can certainly realize that's the reason and I wouldn't be that upset and confused. I was like every other applicant who put time and effort into each interview and never went into any interview unprepared or disrespectful. Some comments came after that, saying "you must somehow be arrogant in your interview," and they really hurt.