VOLUME 12, NUMBER 16 • FEBRUARY 23, 2001

Rockefeller Hosts Open House for Prospective Students

On the first two weekends in March, prospective students will attend an Open House at The Rockefeller University. This is an important step in the admissions process, giving admitted students a chance to learn more about the university, both its research and ambiance.

Dean Sidney Strickland is pleased that Rockefeller had so many outstanding candidates for admission this year.

The students who will be visiting were selected from an applicant pool of more than 500 candidates. "We had many outstanding candidates this year," says Dean Sidney Strickland. After an initial screen of applications, the most competitive were sent to two members of the admissions committee with expertise in the applicants’ fields of interest. The members of the admissions committee are Fred Cross, David Gadsby, Magda Konarska, Michel Nussenzweig, Michael Rout, Andrej £S ali and Leslie Vosshall, with Strickland and Jean Devlin, director of educational affairs, also participating.

The committee looks for several factors: students should have a high academic performance in their coursework, some laboratory experience showing commitment to scientific study and strong letters from their advisors. The admissions committee also looks at an applicant’s personal statement. "We are always interested in students with unconventional backgrounds who show a commitment to research," says Strickland.

"We’re also able to take a number of top international students," he says. "At many other schools, government funding limits support to U.S. citizens or green card holders. But because of Rockefeller’s central funding, we can admit the best scientists without concern for citizenship."

Strickland is pleased that many of the admitted students express an interest in interdisciplinary studies. The university has increased its interdisciplinary programs in the past few years. Among the new initiatives is a tri-institutional program in chemical biology with Cornell University and Sloan-Kettering Institute, and a collaboration in mathematical biology with the Courant Institute of New York University.

The visiting students will attend poster sessions on Fri., March 2, and Fri., March 9, to learn more about research at the university. This year, about 70 faculty, postdocs and students will present posters about their current laboratory projects. These sessions will take place on the 17th floor of Weiss from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. All members of the campus are encouraged to attend to experience the vitality of research at the university and to meet the prospective students.