We were back at the Center by 9am and we convened in the main lecture hall for a meeting with the current Ph.D. student council.
The graduate student set-up in the Center is really interesting and, come to think of it, rather Atenean in nature. They really ensure that all (new) students are well-integrated into the program and all the important activities in the Center and HD. In ADMU lingo, may "Cura Personalis" ang Center na ito. There were five top positions and different committees under the five main leaders: (1) the welcome team, (2) the pizza and talk team, (3) the Ph.D. research retreat team, (4) the website team, and most importantly, (5) the party team.
Julia, the president, along with the other leaders, gave seminars on their most recent research. Similar to the day-1 intro seminars, they shared the highlights of their stay in the Center as well. We would later learn that Julia wasn't accepted into the screening process similar to ours four years ago. She was shortlisted then, but didn't get an offer after the three days. Fortunately, she found another fellowship which eventually got her into the Center. Her motto has always been, "There are many ways into the Center." That really comforted all of us because with the treatment they gave us and our experiences in the Center thus far, we were all starting to get attached. We just knew we wanted to work here one day.
The talk ended at 1030 and after a short Kaffeepause, we were off to our interviews. My first interview was with a tumor immunology specialist that was doing cutting-edge work. His research, team, and laboratory really impressed me and I left the lab learning a lot about his group. I immediately rushed to the Center's satellite building (which was a 20 minute walk to the Technopark Im Neuenheimer Feld) for my second interview. For this one, I just met with the group since the project director was out of town. Again, these were researchers at the forefront of glycobiology and tumor immunology.
I finally had a break by 130 and started heading back to the main building for lunch. I was to eat at the Center's cafeteria called the "Casino" (since one can only use pre-brought "chips" to buy food). This was probably to limit the people eating there since University/Center food was always cheaper. In fact, during my last visit three years ago, we would always look for a University Mensa/Cafeteria since the most "sulit" meals were there. (Eg. a full plate of Pommes and a large Wurst was only 1 Euro.)
We were all given gold tickets to take ANYTHING during our interview breaks. Some of the candidates (mostly those from HD) really took advantage of this, but I wasn't that hungry and I didn't want to carry around food all afternoon. I ended up taking a juicebox and a plate of Pommes and Pfefferwurst. I got to rest for a while after to check my e-mail and the train schedule for my trip to Saarbruecken the next day.
By 3pm, I was back outside walking to another annex building. This time, the professor was extremely prepared and had a powerpoint presentation when I came. He then proceeded to take me to his lab where I got to talk to his team. The team did impressive interdisciplinary work on epigenetic pathways. I had to rush back to the main building by 345pm for my final interview. For this one, the project director kindly fetched me at the building lobby so I wouldn't get lost looking for his lab. You see, most of the labs in the main building were hard to find since the Center was being renovated. Looking at the finished part now, I'm sure the offices/labs would be fantastic once everything's done.
I was all done by 5pm. It was then time for the last hard part: narrowing down my group list to the top 3. We had until 6pm to come up with our list and submit our pink form to the front desk. Every now and then, we would see potential mentors come up and submit their counterpart blue forms: ranks of their student choice. Some candidates would be so frank that they'd run up to the professor and ask if they were no.1 on his/her list and if they had a chance. If the professor answered "no", they'd change their lists.
In the process, you see, it was all about matching. The final result of this dating game was to find the most compatible student-mentor couples. I didn't ask any of my mentors, though. I just didn't know how. I kept changing my mind until the last minute, so I hope I made the right decision.
When 6pm came, Lindsay, the program director came in with letters for those with additional interviews the next morning. These were the ones with inconsistent scores in the seminar and interview rounds. It was nothing bad, she said, but nobody wanted to be called back anymore. I was with my barkada then. Lindsay was scanning the room, looked at us, and went along past us. Thank God! None of my new friends were also called back which meant we could arrive late at the Center the next day.
A bus then arrived to take everyone to the Heidelberg Altstadt (Old City) for dinner. The meal (including two drinks) was sponsored by the student council and welcome team, who also came with us and served as guides.
I had a great time bonding with my newfound friends. Two Italians were added to our barkada then: Manuela and Fabrizio. We were all amazed at how much these two knew about world history! (I would later learn from Kookie, that it really is an Italian thing.) The conversation went from German customs, to the difference between all our countries, to politics, and even naming our future children "Doctor" and "Ph.D" to save them the trouble of getting the titles.
We were served pea soup (where Johannes had fun with what it was called), Salat with a yogurt dressing, and, for the main course, a large piece of Schnitzel (pork, chicken, or veggie) with Pommes. The traditional dinner wouldn't be complete without alcohol and so I had a pint of Kellerbier (hazy strong beer) and another pint of Radler (beer with sprite). The Kellerbier was the best beer I've tasted.
The bus was supposed to return to the guesthouse by 1030, but most (especially those with no interviews the following day) didn't want to go home yet. A bunch of us (my barkada included, of course) joined the Ph.D council to another bar near the Heiliggeist Kirche. We had another round of drinks there and enjoyed the R&B being played. I don't think I've ever drunk so much alcohol in one night. (Kinema peeps would know I avoid alcohol to prevent vertigo attacks. I guess I'll have to get used to them here, hehe.)
When we left at midnight, the Hauptstrasse was still alive. The Heidelberg Altstadt really is the best "gimmick place" this corner of Germany. The students really know how to drink and party! (That is, until they run out of money or have to go back to the lab.)
When I got back, my roomate Hans was still awake watching TV. We talked about our interview experiencs and career plans for a while before we felt sleepy. Got to sleep really well that night knowing there was nothing left to do but wait for the results.
Next: Last Heidelberg tour and the trip to Saarbruecken
The graduate student set-up in the Center is really interesting and, come to think of it, rather Atenean in nature. They really ensure that all (new) students are well-integrated into the program and all the important activities in the Center and HD. In ADMU lingo, may "Cura Personalis" ang Center na ito. There were five top positions and different committees under the five main leaders: (1) the welcome team, (2) the pizza and talk team, (3) the Ph.D. research retreat team, (4) the website team, and most importantly, (5) the party team.
Julia, the president, along with the other leaders, gave seminars on their most recent research. Similar to the day-1 intro seminars, they shared the highlights of their stay in the Center as well. We would later learn that Julia wasn't accepted into the screening process similar to ours four years ago. She was shortlisted then, but didn't get an offer after the three days. Fortunately, she found another fellowship which eventually got her into the Center. Her motto has always been, "There are many ways into the Center." That really comforted all of us because with the treatment they gave us and our experiences in the Center thus far, we were all starting to get attached. We just knew we wanted to work here one day.
The talk ended at 1030 and after a short Kaffeepause, we were off to our interviews. My first interview was with a tumor immunology specialist that was doing cutting-edge work. His research, team, and laboratory really impressed me and I left the lab learning a lot about his group. I immediately rushed to the Center's satellite building (which was a 20 minute walk to the Technopark Im Neuenheimer Feld) for my second interview. For this one, I just met with the group since the project director was out of town. Again, these were researchers at the forefront of glycobiology and tumor immunology.
I finally had a break by 130 and started heading back to the main building for lunch. I was to eat at the Center's cafeteria called the "Casino" (since one can only use pre-brought "chips" to buy food). This was probably to limit the people eating there since University/Center food was always cheaper. In fact, during my last visit three years ago, we would always look for a University Mensa/Cafeteria since the most "sulit" meals were there. (Eg. a full plate of Pommes and a large Wurst was only 1 Euro.)
We were all given gold tickets to take ANYTHING during our interview breaks. Some of the candidates (mostly those from HD) really took advantage of this, but I wasn't that hungry and I didn't want to carry around food all afternoon. I ended up taking a juicebox and a plate of Pommes and Pfefferwurst. I got to rest for a while after to check my e-mail and the train schedule for my trip to Saarbruecken the next day.
By 3pm, I was back outside walking to another annex building. This time, the professor was extremely prepared and had a powerpoint presentation when I came. He then proceeded to take me to his lab where I got to talk to his team. The team did impressive interdisciplinary work on epigenetic pathways. I had to rush back to the main building by 345pm for my final interview. For this one, the project director kindly fetched me at the building lobby so I wouldn't get lost looking for his lab. You see, most of the labs in the main building were hard to find since the Center was being renovated. Looking at the finished part now, I'm sure the offices/labs would be fantastic once everything's done.
I was all done by 5pm. It was then time for the last hard part: narrowing down my group list to the top 3. We had until 6pm to come up with our list and submit our pink form to the front desk. Every now and then, we would see potential mentors come up and submit their counterpart blue forms: ranks of their student choice. Some candidates would be so frank that they'd run up to the professor and ask if they were no.1 on his/her list and if they had a chance. If the professor answered "no", they'd change their lists.
In the process, you see, it was all about matching. The final result of this dating game was to find the most compatible student-mentor couples. I didn't ask any of my mentors, though. I just didn't know how. I kept changing my mind until the last minute, so I hope I made the right decision.
When 6pm came, Lindsay, the program director came in with letters for those with additional interviews the next morning. These were the ones with inconsistent scores in the seminar and interview rounds. It was nothing bad, she said, but nobody wanted to be called back anymore. I was with my barkada then. Lindsay was scanning the room, looked at us, and went along past us. Thank God! None of my new friends were also called back which meant we could arrive late at the Center the next day.
A bus then arrived to take everyone to the Heidelberg Altstadt (Old City) for dinner. The meal (including two drinks) was sponsored by the student council and welcome team, who also came with us and served as guides.
I had a great time bonding with my newfound friends. Two Italians were added to our barkada then: Manuela and Fabrizio. We were all amazed at how much these two knew about world history! (I would later learn from Kookie, that it really is an Italian thing.) The conversation went from German customs, to the difference between all our countries, to politics, and even naming our future children "Doctor" and "Ph.D" to save them the trouble of getting the titles.
We were served pea soup (where Johannes had fun with what it was called), Salat with a yogurt dressing, and, for the main course, a large piece of Schnitzel (pork, chicken, or veggie) with Pommes. The traditional dinner wouldn't be complete without alcohol and so I had a pint of Kellerbier (hazy strong beer) and another pint of Radler (beer with sprite). The Kellerbier was the best beer I've tasted.
The bus was supposed to return to the guesthouse by 1030, but most (especially those with no interviews the following day) didn't want to go home yet. A bunch of us (my barkada included, of course) joined the Ph.D council to another bar near the Heiliggeist Kirche. We had another round of drinks there and enjoyed the R&B being played. I don't think I've ever drunk so much alcohol in one night. (Kinema peeps would know I avoid alcohol to prevent vertigo attacks. I guess I'll have to get used to them here, hehe.)
When we left at midnight, the Hauptstrasse was still alive. The Heidelberg Altstadt really is the best "gimmick place" this corner of Germany. The students really know how to drink and party! (That is, until they run out of money or have to go back to the lab.)
When I got back, my roomate Hans was still awake watching TV. We talked about our interview experiencs and career plans for a while before we felt sleepy. Got to sleep really well that night knowing there was nothing left to do but wait for the results.
Next: Last Heidelberg tour and the trip to Saarbruecken
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