pachel

Damn. I'm starting to get a little worried. Oh well... it's only Tuesday. Not time to panic yet.

Does anyone know; if you are not offered an interview during this time when they send out invites, does that pretty much mean you are rejected? Would they let you know that now, or send out official rejections along with official acceptances in February/March?

Also applied directly to the neuroscience program unfortunately. It doesn't seem like the programs send out all of their invites in one day though, so there is that! EDIT: Thanks for the update, neuropatholover!

I heard from a professor from OSU last week. It was just an informal phone meeting though; official interview invitations should go out before the holidays she said. A bit disheartened to hear of some interview invites from MSU and U of M, since those are two on my list and I haven't heard anything yet. Congratulations to you though!

Hey, checking in here too. I'm applying to focus in cellular and molecular neuroscience or psychoneuroimmunology. I was content to relax and wait, but then I got an email from Michigan State saying they will sent out interview notifications starting Friday the 13th... so I'm back to getting antsy about dates When have everyone else's programs indicated they make final decisions? My understanding is that it's around the end of March.

I did not email any professors about programs prior to the application process. I did mention specific professors whose work fit with mine and who I would be potentially interested in working with for each program though, either in my statement of purpose or in a separate part of the application that asked that question. Now that I have submitted my applications, is it a good idea to contact the profs whose names I mentioned? Just to say hi, who I am, that I mentioned them in my app, would love a chance to meet with them if I come for a visit/interview? I thought it would be helpful if the application is not the first time they see my name and that I'm interested in their research, but I don't want to be annoying/forward by emailing them, especially after my applications have already been submitted. Thoughts?

I always thought that an interview was a prerequisite for acceptance. Can you be admitted without being offered an interview?

Yeah, I am going to contact them tomorrow and see what they say. It's just after hours here and I'm itching to submit my application, and that's the last thing on the checklist Thank you for your response; I was hoping the general thought would be something along those lines. I'm going to call tomorrow to confirm.

I'm applying to Northwestern University. On the program's website, it says they do not require a writing sample. However, there is a part of the application that says, "if your program requires a writing sample, submit it here." I feel I have a very strong writing sample and want to submit it. But if they say its not required, should I take that as "do not submit one", or is there leeway for "you don't have to but you can." I want to show it off, but I don't want to look like I can't follow simple instructions. Thanks!

I've had the same questions regarding "diversity statements" on applications as I identify as bisexual but don't want to fall victim to a "gotcha" question or act like I have a chip on my shoulder. I'm applying for a neuroscience program though - would people's responses to this question be any different if it wasn't in the literature field?

Sorry for the double-post. I do have another question. The prompt says "It is also important to describe in your statement how you might contribute to a diverse community here." I'm not sure I really accomplish that. Does anybody have any recommendations for what would be appropriate here? There are random interesting things about me (I come from a theatre family; both my parents were stage actors and I grew up around theatre and my hobby is technical theatre, and I have had a lot of opportunities to travel the world at young ages - because of this I'm pretty naturally openminded to and interested in diversity and other cultures). I feel like I could try to weave that in - I am interested in neurodiversity and the neuroscience of different behaviors and cultures, but it's not my primary interest and I'm worried it would be a stretch/too irrelevant to weave it in.

Thank you so much! This is probably the most helpful review I've gotten yet. I'm going to work on incorporating some of your suggestions. Regarding my family story, I didn't want to mention it because I know it's nothing special in this context, but I thought it was relevant because it was how I first got into the field. I was trying to convey that it's not why I stayed in the field; I found out it was interesting in and of itself regardless of how I got there. I agree that I don't want to start with that though. Got to think of a good intro... Thanks!

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate it if someone would be willing to review my first draft of my academic/personal statement. Please feel free to be brutal. I mainly need to know how to shorten it, though this particular application's essay can be 1-2 pages. Here is the prompt (it is called a personal statement but obviously has aspects of academic) Outline your research interest and goals and how the Neuroscience Program and our training faculty will help you to achieve your long term career goals. It is also important to describe in your statement how you might contribute to a diverse community here and any obstacles that you have overcome in gaining your present level of education. Describe in detail any prior research and/or laboratory experience (including a description of the research question, the methods used, your findings and conclusions). Just so you know, I haven't yet included the program-specific part about "how our training faculty will help me to achieve my long term career goals" because I am trying to keep this template generic for now and will alter it for each program after I get the outline complete, so I'm mainly looking for critique on that part. Thank you very much! Sorry for the length. -------------------- I first found the field of neuroscience because of experiences with my family. My sister has Asperger syndrome and dealt with other psychosocial and development disabilities throughout our childhood together. During my freshman year of undergrad, she suffered a mental breakdown and her illness persisted through the remainder of my undergraduate career. Because of this, her illness was a significant challenge to me during school and I struggled at times to balance being supportive at home and maintaining my grades and focus on academics. Despite this, it was her illness that initially brought me into the field I am pursuing now, out of a desire to understand neurodiversity and to expand the treatment possibilities for people with brain and nervous system disorders. Though my sister’s illness is what first brought me to neuroscience, the coursework at Kalamazoo College kept me there. Courses in cell and molecular biology and the molecular basis of nervous system disorders solidified my interests in neuroscience at that level of analysis. In those classes, I was introduced to molecular techniques including cell culturing, PCR, western blotting, and gel electrophoresis. Another course in physiological psychology introduced me to the molecular and genetic underpinnings of human and animal behavior, such as the neurophysiology of gender, sexuality, and pair-bonding, or the ability of the brain to remap synaptic connections after CNS injury. This cell and molecular, interdisciplinary approach is the one I took for my senior undergraduate thesis. I wrote a literature review of over 100 scientific articles to develop a comprehensive model for the neuropathology of depression at the social and cellular levels. This review integrated psychosocial stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, proinflammatory immune responses, serotonin and other monoamine activity, and synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis, all into a narrative of depression. I used this model to address the issue of antidepressant over-prescription in society, and the problems with this method of treatment because it only target one variable of the overall model, neurotransmitter activity, while other central aspects of the pathology are overlooked. I continued my research with stress from the social perspective when I worked as a research assistant combining multiple sources about the epidemiology of psychiatric illness, racial and sexual discrimination, and other factors to investigate the psychological and social stress burdens on young adults of the Millenial Generation. After graduation, I wanted a chance to supplement my academic experience with industry experience before deciding if graduate school was the right career path, so I took a position at a contract research organization as a laboratory animal technician. Soon after I was hired, however, the company took a downturn due to changes in the economy and work slowed. I was voluntarily rotated between understaffed departments to help during this time, and was eventually offered a transfer to a permanent position as a report writer. My journey through company departments gave me a unique opportunity to work on studies at various stages in the experimental process. However, throughout this I realized that this type of industry work was not the right fit for me. I wanted to be a part of research beginning with the initial designing of an experimental idea all the way through the data analysis and results interpretation, instead of the research being segregated between departments. I also wanted to be in an atmosphere where the people involved in research wanted to work because they had a passion for the subject and wanted to learn for the sake of learning, instead of just as part of a business plan. So, I decided to return to academia. In graduate school, I want to continue and expand the research I started with my undergraduate thesis depression neuropathology and further uncover the role of cortisol, glucocorticoids, and proinflammatory cytokines in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. I want to connect this research on stress, immunology, and plasticity to the neuroendocrinology of gonadal and stress hormones and their influence on sexual behavior. I am also interested in exploring the brain’s resilience: for example, the ability of the CNS to remap cortical connections after traumatic injury or degenerative illness, or synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis in response to biological stimuli or life experiences. Neuroscience is the intersection of many interesting fields, including medicine, biology, psychology, ethology, sociology, and philosophy. I want to pursue a graduate degree because in my career, I do not want to stop learning about how aspects of these fields interact with one another and the various ways that they converge in neuroscience.

Here's my prompt for the personal statement: Outline your research interest and goals and how the Neuroscience Program and our training faculty will help you to achieve your long term career goals. It is also important to describe in your statement how you might contribute to a diverse community and any obstacles that you have overcome in gaining your present level of education. Your personal statement should include information about how your background and life experiences, including social, economic, cultural, familial, education, or other opportunities or challenges motivated you to pursue a graduate degree." Sexuality is a touchy subject still and I'm not sure if it's beneficial to mention it, even in the context of diversity. I'm a white middle-class female and otherwise not very diverse, but I am bisexual, and that would "contribute to a diverse community." I want to facilitate the image of successful LGBT people in the sciences, and I am interested in studying the neuroscience of sexual behavior in humans and animals, but other than that my sexuality is pretty unrelated to my decision to pursue graduate school, and I don't want to sound like I have a chip on my shoulder or anything. For another one of my applications there is a separate section for you to write a diversity statement, and I do plan on briefly discussing sexuality there since it's specifically about diversity. I'm hesitant to weave it into my personal statement in this context though. Thoughts?

Thanks, fuzzylogician. What if I did manage to get a supervisor to write a letter of rec? Would your answer still be the same? I get that a coworker would look suspicious, but do you think it would be weird if I didn't have one from a place of work, since it's semi-related to my field of interest? (I work in a toxicology testing lab).

Sorry for the cross-post from the life sciences forum, but I wanted insight from both places (sorry mods!) I'd like to go into neuroscience, though most schools I'm looking at have a neuroscience program and a biopsych/behavioral neuroscience program, the latter of which is through the psychology department. I'm more interested in straight neuroscience, however my background better prepares me for the biopsych. I majored in psychology in undergrad (neuroscience concentration and biology minor; school didn't offer neuro major). I've taken one semester of general chemistry and a fair number of bio courses (evolution/genetics, microbio, cell & molecular, neurobio, molecular basis of nervous system disorders) but I lack organic chemistry, physics, and math. Could I/should I apply to both types of programs at each school? Or does that look unfocused? Again, I think I have a better chance of getting in to the ones under the psych umbrella but I'd rather do neuro. Thoughts on the difference?

There's so many subdivisions of neuroscience I can't keep track of them all. I'd like to go into neuroscience, though most schools I'm looking at have a neuroscience program and a biopsych/behavioral neuroscience program, the latter of which is through the psychology department. I'm more interested in straight neuroscience, however my background better prepares me for the biopsych. I majored in psychology in undergrad (neuroscience concentration and biology minor; school didn't offer neuro major). I've taken one semester of general chemistry and a fair number of bio courses (evolution/genetics, microbio, cell & molecular, neurobio, molecular basis of nervous system disorders) but I lack organic chemistry, physics, and math. Could I/should I apply to both types of programs at each school? Or does that look unfocused? Again, I think I have a better chance of getting in to the ones under the psych umbrella but I'd rather do neuro. Thoughts on the difference?

Hi folks. I'm applying to PhD programs in neuroscience. My undergrad major was psychology but I minored in neuroscience and biology (school didn't offer a neuroscience major). My first two LoR are from psychology professors. I'm trying to figure out a third. One option is a biology professor who I took 3 neuroscience related classes with. I think he would be beneficial because it would be a rec from the more bio side of things, however I wasn't as close to him as these other two professors and I didn't do as well in all of his classes. My other option is a coworker. I work full time at a science research company right now (though not neuroscience) and thought it might look weird if I didn't have a letter of rec from there. However I've been bounced around to different departments since being hired in a year ago because the company has been struggling economically and don't have enough of a steady relationship with any of my supervisors to ask from them. Would a coworker look suspicious, as it's not from a super? What do you think, other prof or science lab coworker? Thanks!

Bump. This is a less tangible question that something like housing or neighborhoods, but I've heard people talk about Ann Arbor and the students as basically "hippies with money", predominately white upperclass kinda snobby liberals, not a lot of diversity. Is this true? (no offense intended, just what I've heard!) I'm pretty liberal myself, but my undergrad was a lot like that and I'd prefer not to go back to the same.