rising_star

Why not look up the neuroscience curricula in departments that do have undergraduate neuroscience programs? I did a quick internet search for "undergraduate neuroscience programs." It was pretty easy to find curriculum information from those departments. Here are some links that might help: Boston University: http://www.bu.edu/neuro/undergraduate/academics/ UAB: http://www.uab.edu/cas/neuroscience/program-information-/curriculum Johns Hopkins University: http://krieger.jhu.edu/neuroscience/academics/requirements/ Colorado State University: http://mcin.colostate.edu/Undergrad/Programs.html Duke University: http://www.dibs.duke.edu/education/undergraduate-neuroscience Amherst College: https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/neuroscience/major The reason I suggest this is because looking at what others have to take can help you figure out what skills and knowledge they have that you need to learn on your own (or through coursework in related disciplines). From a quick glance, it seems that biology, organic chemistry, calculus, and two semesters of physics are required by many of these programs. I didn't see much in the way of engineering requirements, though that likely varies based on your specific interests. Good luck!

MathCat, I'd consider what your personal health history is. If by "something catastrophic," you mean get hit by a car while walking down the street, then the person who hits you would be paying your medical bills using their car insurance. If you mean slip, fall, and break your wrist, then I can honestly say that if you use low-cost clinics and county health departments, you would pay significantly less than $4-6K out of pocket to have that treated. County health departments typically work on a sliding scale so, as a graduate student with little income, you'd be paying a few hundred or less for most things.

MathCat, my suggestion would be to go without. Unless you slip, fall, and break a limb, the costs won't be severe, assuming you're generally in good health. I say this as someone that has had continuous health insurance for the past two years and has only gone to the doctor for routine physicals in that time (and as someone that lived without health insurance for over a year of their life).

Wow, really? At both of the teaching-focused schools I've been at, folks in the sciences were teaching no more than a 3/3 teaching load. Labs were taught by grad students at one school and, at the other, counted as partial classes toward that 3/3 teaching load. I'm only pointing this out to say that there are huge differences in teaching load at schools that receive the same label. I know of a SLAC where the teaching load in chemistry is 2/2 one year and 2/3 the next year (friend teaches there which is how I know). For the Lit/Rhet/Comp folks, I'll note that I've also seen the same disparities in your field at these institutions. At one, comp folks taught a 3/3 (which included like one grad course a year). At another, English faculty teaching mostly a 3/2 load. If you're teaching more than a 3/3 load as a graduate of your department, you're going to be unable to do the other things you need to do to advance in the profession. Everyone, except those who have been on the market recently, underestimates how much of your time and energy the job market takes up. The best way to think of it is as an additional part-time job that will take 10-20 hours of your time almost every week in the fall as you scour job ads, prepare tailored documents, and upload those documents. If you don't believe me, find a senior grad student that has been on the market and ask them what it was like.

Some of this is field-specific. As someone who didn't work in a lab in graduate school but did do research, I'd say that coursework is actually exceedingly important since that's where you read and discuss the theories that are the foundation of the discipline and the work that you (will) do. In my field, not having a 4.0 is a sign that you seriously struggle to write and conduct research at the graduate level. That is not a good thing for faculty to see at your annual review and it's definitely not good if you apply for external fellowships or funding (whether to do your dissertation research, to support writing up your results, or for postdoc positions). I think if you're in the sciences, then there is sometimes less of an emphasis on coursework and more of an emphasis on how you do in the lab. But, at least in my experience, that is not the case in the social sciences.

I've spent the past two years at two different teaching-focused institutions. Based on my experiences at both, I would say that adjuncting isn't all that helpful. But that's because a lot of teaching-focused institutions now want to know if you can teach their students and their classes, which could mean can you teach intro to 300 students or can you teach intro to 25 students depending on the institution. In that sense, to return to the OP's question, having two years of additional teaching experience at the same institution may not really help you. A lot of English PhD students teach "Introduction to Literature" or "Comp 1" while earning their degree. While another 1-2 years of teaching that full-time may help you refine the way you teach the course and prepare you for the competing demands on your time of being a faculty member, I don't know that it will help you if you're trying to go to a different kind of institution where you'd be teaching different classes. If the additional time gives you a chance to teach upper-level courses, then it might be more beneficial to you while on the market because you'd have more diversity in your teaching portfolio. What I think I'm seeing more of on the market is 2 year VAP positions that are more or less like a teaching postdoc. They come with a fairly reasonable salary ($30-50K in my field), some money for conference travel and the move, and offer benefits. Some schools with heavier teaching loads (those with 3/3 and more) say they now prefer doing this so that they can see if someone will flame out or not. And to hire that person, they do a full national search, Skype/phone interviews, and then campus interviews. For the applicants, it can be a good chance to see if you want to be at an institution like that (plus it's a good chance to practice your interviewing skills). That said, if you decide that you don't want to teach a 3/3 and would prefer to be at a R1, then that time as a VAP can (and likely will) hurt you because you'll be compared in your number of publications to those who did research postdocs. Plus, you'll be expected to have more publications than someone just finishing or about to finish because you've been out longer. That then turns the 2 year VAP into a marathon where you have to sprint to publish, get excellent teaching evals, and present at conferences, all the while keeping your eye out for another job that may better suit you. The second year is then even more stressful since you don't know if you'll be renewed so you get to teach the 3/3 (or 4/4), apply for jobs, and try to keep up your research. So there are definitely some real disadvantages to accepting a VAP.

Yea, if you've got another year, then you should definitely be able to get a strong letter from someone, as random_grad has said. And if you can't, then that's on you and it is not going to look good to other schools. You have about 4 months to get it together and work this out. Do whatever it is you need to do to get someone in your current department to write you a strong letter, one that ideally talks about research you have done, the skills and training you've acquired, and your potential to excel in a doctoral program where your research interests can be better supported and nurtured.

I don't think there's any one particular formula for a winning SOP. I mean, there are some key elements, like addressing your research interests, any specific experiences that have led to those interested, showing that you have some of the skills needed (languages, field experience, etc.), and connecting all of those to why that particular department, its faculty, and that institution are the right place for you to pursue your research interests. How exactly you do that kind of depends on you. Some people go for more of a narrative that weaves everything together while others lead with their research interests. The other thing is that how you construct a winning SOP also depends on how long it can be. It can be harder to tell a big story in a 500 word SOP than it is in one that is 1000-1200 words. See also:

virtua, there's absolutely no rule against mentioning the city you're going to. If there were, the "City Guide" section of this forum wouldn't even exist! If you're really concerned about your safety, I suggest enrolling in self-defense classes. Part of what they teach is not just how to defend yourself but how to be aware of your surroundings so that you can avoid getting into a potentially harmful situation. If possible, always carry a flashlight/head lamp with you in the evenings or early mornings, have some sort of whistle, and set up your cell phone so you can make an emergency phone call with just the press of maybe 2-3 buttons. You want it to be quick to call for help if you're in trouble. As for guns, most universities do not allow guns of any kind on campus. In addition, even in places like Arizona, there are many establishments which do not permit patrons to carry guns inside. This includes places like grocery stores, bars, and restaurants, in Arizona.

I'll echo others and say your expectations might have been unrealistic. I have... 2-3 good friends from my cohort and then another 2-3 from other cohorts. I was in a big department (~85 grad students) and my advisor had I think 12 students when I started, so there were lots of folks around for me to meet. I also met people by participating in group activities that I enjoyed. Those friends are actually some of the people I talk to more. Oh, and I volunteered with a dog rescue group and met people through that. Getting involved in activities has been key for having friendships in my experience, which also applied to the married or partnered in my program. (BTW, if you think it was hard to meet people as someone in a couple, try being one of the only single people in a department full of people who are coupled off!) Going to another program for academic reasons is totally valid. But, as Eigen said, it's unlikely that you'll be able to count more than 2-4 courses that you've taken at your current institution. If there's a way for you to leave with a master's (MA/MS/MPhil) that might make your exit smoother. You really do need to find someone write you a rec letter otherwise people might assume that you're transferring for less than ideal/positive reasons.

Does your department have a graduate handbook? It should. And you should consult it to see what the expectations are for having an advisor, how RA positions are assigned, etc.

This infographic is kind of fun: http://boingboing.net/2015/07/22/what-programming-language-shou.html

I'm going to echo something fuzzylogician said to you a few days ago. Do you even try to find the answers on your own? If you use the airline's website, you'll be able to find out what you need to have to check in for your flight.

Not in your field but, it's really common for graduate students to take multiple courses with the same course number. If it's an area that you're interested in, then taking two courses in that area in your first year is a good idea because while you need breadth, you will also need depth. The sooner you can start on the depth portion, the better off you'll be in the long run. But also, talk to whomever your interim advisor is about your course selection too. As long as they're on board with your plan, you'll be fine during your third-semester review (at least in regards to the courses you've taken).

This is very similar to what I would advise. I would put the money aside in a savings account that you do not touch for now. I say this because previously, when living on a grad student income, there were sometimes unexpected expenses that having that additional cash buffer for was helpful (as in, relatives get sick and pass away across the country and you want to go home to see them before they die and again for the funeral) without having to worry about rent money or other things. That said, I would then use that saved money to make a lump sum once the grace period is up on your loans. That is, if you were setting aside $100/month for 2 years, I would make a lump sum payment of $2400 (plus whatever interest you may have earned) on the loan with the highest interest rate. That payment will go to principal, rather than interest, saving months off your repayment schedule and saving you a good chunk of money in interest. (I know some people might chime in to say that you can deduct the interest paid on student loans on your taxes but this is only helpful if you're paying a significant amount of interest. You may not be, especially not right after you graduate if your grace period takes up half of that tax year.) Your forward-thinking approach is a wise one! Back in the days of higher savings account interest rates, I set aside like $50/month for student loan repayment and, for a while, was earning 4-5% interest on that money. I did exactly what I advise above, making one big payment and then like 4-5 months of additional overpayments to pay off one loan entirely within 9 months of graduating.

I think if you can get good, relevant internships during your program, that will outweigh the name brand. Though I suppose it also depends on where in the US or world you want to work post-graduation. University of Denver has great name recognition out west, for example.

You definitely need to take calculus and physics as prerequisites and you should take them before applying. Without them, your application may not even be considered.

I assume you've recontacted all the moving companies from your original search about their options? Are you at all flexible on moving dates? Often things are cheaper/more available if you can avoid moving in the last five days or first three days of the month... Also, have you considered going the ABF trailer route? With that, you pay by the linear foot for the space you use up to 26 feet. They're more of a pain to load than a Relocube (because they're 4 feet off the ground and you have to use a ramp) but, with a dolly, it's manageable for sure. If you post on the Subaru forums, you can probably find some car-specific advice. Obviously you'll want to make sure you don't exceed the weight limit for your vehicle's roof. You'll probably need to drive slower than you might otherwise to minimize shifting. You might also want to make sure you won't be going under any low bridges (I drive under some that are only 10 feet above the road, which would be a concern if I had a canoe and a kayak stacked on top of my car) that could pose a problem.

They have different interest rates and different maximum amounts you can borrow. Direct PLUS loans have a higher interest rate and much higher fees. See here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/loans/interest-rates Given this, you should exhaust your Direct Unsubsidized loan amount first before taking out a Graduate PLUS loan.

Why would you think it would look bad? And also, if you've already decided to get the MAT, why does it matter what the adcom will think? I could see caring if you weren't already planning to do the MAT... At any rate, you might be well served by developing clear research interests that necessitate a PhD in English and practicing how you will articulate those in your SOP. You also want to work on a writing sample if you don't already have one. English PhD programs are competitive but nowhere near as competitive as actually getting a full-time position teaching English at a college or university in the United States. Take a look at the Academic Jobs Wiki to get a sense of how competitive tenure-track or even full-time lecturer positions in English are.

Take the funding!!

I wouldn't just settle. I would find a job and then apply to other programs while working.

In sociology, most PhD programs allow you to earn a master's while you're in the program. Is it really a lot more expensive to take 15 credits rather than 12 at your school? One disadvantage of having so few upper-level courses is that you'll have less in-depth exposure to specifics of the field that might interest you (whether that's political sociology, statistical methods, sociological theory, etc.), which could make it more difficult to write a strong SOP. It may also make it more difficult for you to get strong recommendation letters. Having those hard classes showed you, the adcom, and your professors (the ones who will write those rec letters) that you are capable of succeeding at the graduate level. Without that, yes, it may be harder to get in. That said, don't take "rigorous" classes just for the sake of rigor. Take the classes that further your interests, allow you to connect with professors, etc. If you aren't enjoying the subject matter, you might struggle in a rigorous class. Good luck!

If you want to teach high school, why would do the MAT and then a PhD? The PhD would just be time that you could've spent teaching full-time, earning money, and advancing in your career. I guess what I'm wondering is why do you want a doctorate?

If you won't have a part-time job or a graduate assistantship, you should be fine with 9 hours.