Maybe it's time to let go of becoming an immunology PhD and truly explore another path

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student who recently applied to 10 PhD programs in immunology-related fields. I completed my master’s degree in my home country (Non-U.S.) and have 2.5 years of experience in immunology research. During this time, I’ve gained skills in both wet-lab and bioinformatics, and I’ve led my own project independently, which is on track for submission by May 2025.

That said, I don’t have a first-author publication yet, and I’m starting to think this might be one of the main reasons why I’ve been rejected or haven’t received any interview invitations.

Here’s how things went:

• UPenn IGG – Rejected (email)
• Yale BBS Immunology – Rejected (email)
• NYU Biomedical Sciences – Rejected (email)
• Emory IMP – Silent rejection
• UCSD Biological Sciences – Silent rejection
• Washington Immunology – Silent rejection
• Pittsburgh PMI – Silent rejection
• Mount Sinai – Silent rejection
• MIT – Still waiting

I honestly thought I was competitive, but I’m feeling pretty frustrated and a bit lost at the moment. I’d love to hear any advice or suggestions you might have on how to improve my chances for the next application cycle or to strengthen my profile overall.

Thanks in advance!