ratlab

I don't think that's a very good idea. Concise writing is something that is valued in academia, and while I agree that it is a pain (my "full" SoP is 1500 words), I understand where the graduate school is coming from. I would not copypasta or repeat anything from the 500 word SoP to the longer one.

Just a few comments right off: - Your first two sentences are extremely cliche and irrelevant. No one cares that you were a normal child who wanted to drive in NASCAR or be an astronaut (to be blunt); find a better (and more mature) way to start your statement. - Your SoP is very segmented and doesn't flow very well as you seem to separate everything into 1-2 sentence paragraphs, and some of your sentences are awkward or lack correct grammar (such as "Principal of my school and member..." and "I got experience"). - Your transitions could use a lot of work as it is not sufficient just stating your opinion on the value of an experience or component of education ("no education is complete without..." and "the importance of certifications"). I can refute that, and I can disagree as to the importance of certificates. This type of transition hurts the flow of your SoP. I don't have much time now, but I'll try to come back to this and give you more specific feedback and edits, but I suggest you read it aloud to yourself. Good luck!

Not to be rude, but it is really quite pathetic that this question is even being asked. You are not going to be held to a lesser standard because you are a woman, and why would you want to be?

Thanks! I really appreciate all the feedback.

Hi everyone, Just wanted an opinion. I am applying to 11 psychology PhD programs (Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience), and they are all pretty competitive schools. I have: - 3.71 Cumm GPA, 3.95 Major GPA (B.S. Psychology). - 2.5 years in one lab, independent honors thesis (departmental honors), multiple posters (one at an international conference), multiple scholar awards and a travel award. - 1.5 years in another lab at a prestigious medical school lab, hired after a summer internship. - Master Level CLRA certified tutor for 3 years, Supplemental Instruction Leader for 2 years, and various other positions. - Great recommendations and a beautifully written SoP - I've had good contact via email with professors, and I met a lot of them at Neuroscience 2013. My GRE scores are: 153 Quant (53rd percentile), 159 Verbal (82nd percentile) and 5.0 AW (93rd percentile). Do I need to explain how this is not representative of me in a few short sentences on my SoP? I was originally going to leave it out until someone (not a POI) made a comment. Thanks for your opinions and feedback!

No, way too early.

Thanks . I'd be interested to hear from other behavioral neuroscience applicants and their profiles.

Hi everyone, So I just took the GRE yesterday and got a 159 on Verbal (81%) and a 153 on Quantitative (53%), and I’m pretty sure I got a 5-6 on the AW (feel really confident). While these scores aren’t horrible (nor are they great), I am applying to top-tier schools and could use some insight. I have not started my applications so I really don’t have much time to retake the GRE on top of all my other responsibilities. I don’t really care about anonymity as I don't intend to be unprofessional or post embarrassing things. My background is below: Undergraduate at a small but nationally recognized university. Major: Psychology with a concentration in biopsychology, Minor: Ancient Studies Cumulative GPA: 3.71, Psychology GPA: 3.95 Research: - 2 years in an animal behavior lab in my institution’s psychology department conducting research on the cognitive effects of radiation using a ground based rat model . Through this lab I am conducting my independent honors thesis that I am presenting in poster format at a conference soon. I am in charge of running several behavioral experiments, and I also went on a research trip to a national lab to learn how to radiate the animals and conduct novel experiments. -1.5 years working in a large animal behavioral facility. This job is more of a tech position in that I don’t work on any specific project. I assist in running an animal behavior lab in which researchers use our equipment and software, and through this lab I have learned numerous (20+) modern behavioral tests and the corresponding software (maze tracking softwares). I run requested tests for groups of researchers and sometimes help train others to use things ( I am constantly learning when I do this job). - 0.5 years in a Genetic Epidemiology lab. Didn't do much besides literature searches and learning how to make good research figures, but I did get a poster out of it. Posters: 5 (1 first author); Publications: 0 (my honors thesis might turn into a paper, but it wouldn’t be for a long while). Letters of recommendations: three strong letters. - One from my mentor who has his own lab and runs the behavioral lab. - One from my mentor from the radiation rat lab in which I’m conducting my independent honors thesis and have a lot of responsibility there. - One from a senior lecturer in the psychology department who I have served as a peer mentor for and have taken a few classes with. This person has also been a generally great advisor to me and will write me a beautiful letter. I will be applying (most likely) to 10-12 top-tier schools, and probably ¾ of those schools will be for behavioral neuroscience based in psychology departments and ¼ neuroscience programs. I have only taken introduction to cell biology, molecular genetics, and chemistry though. I kind of don’t know where to start with finding good Neuroscience programs (based in biology departments) and I have to choose wisely because of my background. I’m worried about my GRE scores, but I think my other areas make up for it. I’d appreciate any insight or advice! Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading!