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NsciApp

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Posts posted by NsciApp

  1. Of you've never done molecular or behavioral neuro don't go into a neuro program where you would be stuck doing that. That just sounds too risky (in terms of dropping out or worse...) IF However there is a strong human/clinical research component (have you looked into that at all), I would go for the better reputation PhD over the less paid, less renowned clinical PhD. Then again, I'm not squeamish of animal work, I think research is THE SHIT, and I'm getting a PhD, not an MD or clinical degree, because I don't want to work with people all day.

    Also, what is this notion about individual attention? Every PI is different, regardless of the school.

  2. I often feel the same way, but then I remind myself to trust the wise and all-knowing admissions committees. After all, they've looked through hundreds of apps and picked YOU. Chances are they even met you and liked you. Considering the fairly low attrition rates of top 10 schools (at least in my field) there is a high probability that they know you will succeed. It's going to be hard, it's going to suck, but you can do it!

    ...and then I eat some Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia to drown the fear ;)

  3. I'm going for neuroscience. Housing apps open April 14 through mid-May. Anyone thinking off-campus?

    I've turned-down my other schools. It feels good to be settled in my choice!

  4. @Immajean: I mostly agree w/ColorlessGreen. Avoid Lucas, Dodge, Governer, College, Market, Gilbert (basically everything a few streets north and south of burlington from the river to the edge of town). A little North of town on the East side tends to be more residential house-like (Brown St. historic district). West of the river is the medical/dental campus...it is quieter but you'll tend to find more massive apartment complexes than affordable houses.

    If you REALLY want an affordable house, or 2 bedroom apartment try Coralville (CHEAP! BIG!). There's a decent Coralville bus system that gets to campus (I know at least 2 grad students who do this daily). There are also a few commuter lots where you can park and bus (the cambus is free, and it's a discounted rate for parking). It's absolutely ridiculous to park on campus. So if you want to be in biking/walking distance stick with the West side and the Northeast parts. Otherwise, driving from Coralville will be no longer than 15 min.

    @lo22 START LOOKING NOW. For whatever reason, it's an incredibly tight rental market. If you want to be at all close to campus in a decent place, check craigslist ASAP.

  5. I loved my visit to Yale...didn't apply to the other two. I think living in East Rock could be decent. The apartment tour was shitty, but I've since met people who live in New Haven and say you can find sweet deals. Plus, if you want a cheaper cost-of-living but access to the city it's only a 2hr train ride to NYC. I've frankly heard not great things about Columbia, and I'm unsure about Rockefeller.

  6. You already did your part. It sounds like it's your school's fault for falling through. It doesn't seem like you should be penalized for this, and I doubt if your offer would be rescinded. I would just leave it for now, and plan to attend!

    Then again, I have no experience with this and could be completely wrong.

  7. Which department is offering that? I interviewed with neuroscience and word on the street was $29,500. Students said this was manageable, some even citing saving money. One thing I was looking in to was the "cheap" shared on-campus housing. The other great thing is that there's no transportation costs if you live on campus, and the gym is free (as well as lots of outdoor activities). Not having a car would help (I think there's a parking fee for on-campus, and gas/insurance are more expensive than other parts of the country). You should also find out if your stipend covers health insurance and other fees.

  8. to clarify, this fellowship does NOT increase stipend at this fully-funded PhD program, because it only covers 2/3 of the program costs for 3 years. It does cover 2/3 of 2 years when your PI would be paying for you. Which FYI for people considering this or similar fellowships, is a benefit if you want to work in a smaller/less-funded lab (you cost less than someone without external funding)

    I agree that it's not such a big benefit that one should take this offer over a school that is a better match.

  9. I just got a fellowship at one of the schools that wasn't at the top of my current-4-acceptances-2-pending-interviews list. All of these programs are fully funded by the department for the first couple years and then by the PI for the remaining time of the dissertation. This fellowship would cover me almost completely for 3 years, and offers a decent summer stipend. So, it would give me considerable leeway in who I work for, because the PI would be off the hook for funding me for ~2/3 years I would be in his/her lab.

    Question: How much do you think this extra money/prestige (I guess it's a competitive award?) should factor in to my decision? There are good faculty at the school who I could work with. I could be happy at this school. But like I said, it wasn't my top choice, and will probably move down with my next two visits.

  10. @cogneuroforfun & aceflyer for your replies! They're especially valuable to me as I'll be interviewing for Yale Neuroscience (I was intrigued by INP) next week. Oh, and working weekends isn't a big deal if your experiment demands your attention, I just wasn't sure how many hours were expected as a routine or "face time" thing. As far as fit (suggested by acefyler) I'm having a hard time--I've enjoyed all my interviews so far!

    @LadyL: thank you for your insights. To clarify, no, I am truly not a paranoid person. What I am is an outsider (I live in the midwest, I went to a small liberal arts college) who is looking to many sources for information. A LOT of people outside of the internet forums, including my current boss/PI and profs I've interviewed with at other institutions, have nasty things to say about "the ivies" or "people on the coasts" (since I've only been at midwest schools so far). I wanted insider perspectives from people beyond interview weekend schmooz.

    I hope more people respond to this thread, since n = 3 can't be very representative of N ;)

  11. Everyone seems to have a story about "X grad student" who had her "data destroyed" at [Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc]...

    I want to know REAL INSIDER info about what it's like to be a grad student at a top 10 science program. I'm particularly curious about the ivies, where competition may be more fierce if only for the name-seeking people they tend to attract (yes, yes, I know there are good reasons why the top schools are top and it's not just a name thing). Ultimately, I want to know if I have the option between an ivy and non-ivy top 10'er, which way should I go?

    Specific info on the following topics would be appreciated:

    -someone in specific program/dept and school who had data destroyed

    -malicious intent or really negative vibes from other students

    -lack of support from mentors or "sink or swim" program attitudes

    -demanding unreasonable hours, say while a student is still in classes

    -working weekends

    Please, I want the real deal...not "I've heard that..." thanks B)

  12. Ok, this might be weird, but I think Suze Orman has good advice: if your loan will be subsidized (not accumulating interest) while deferred, WHY WOULD YOU THROW YOUR MONEY AT IT??????? Just keep it in a high interest checking (locally I found 3.9%, no joke) or do some low risk short term bonds. You'll make money on your money and will be less tempted to spend it.

    If they aren't subsidized, pay the minimum every month, and do an extra payment that will go primarily towards principle. I could be wrong about this, but keeping the loan around longer and doing payments really boosts your credit score.

    At this stage in your life, with lack of financial security you should keep your savings. If shit hits the fan you should call your loan company right away to make arrangements so that non-payment doesn't affect your credit score. Student loans are "good" debt, not "bad" debt like credit cards.

    Good luck!

  13. I have been collecting info about each school in a spreadsheet, too. Here are my categories:

    Stipend

    Bonuses (e.g., for external funding)

    Bio/Neuro Rank

    World U Ranking

    #students/incoming class

    #faculty

    avg time to degree

    placement of grads

    rotations

    teaching requirements

    # classes

    required classes

    location/to do/community

    student attitude/ happiness

    weather

    Travel-ability to home

    academic community

    cost of living

    Bootcamp/retreat

    # ideal faculty

    age of faculty

    faciliies/funding

    training emphasis

    support staff (e.g. administrative, directors)

    qualifying exams

    my ranking

    faculty of interest

    Notes/extra

    hope that helps somebody!

  14. I would pick WashU. Not just for the high rank..for reasons of weather, cost of living, etc. Why would I ignore the better fit at NU? Because I do not yet know what I'll be REALLY passionate about..these are just guesses that I have now.

    I'm sure your taste will change as you progress through grad school.

    I myself chose a lower ranked school over NU (linguistics) and I did that, not based on fit (I perceived NU to be better of a fit) but based on the better vibes I received from the department (and adviser) I ended up attending. Also because I didn't want to live in a cold place like Chicago for 5-6 yrs. I am now working in a field that I never imagined I'd be working in and I'm thoroughly enjoying it! We have set our sight on a PNAS/Science journal publication towards the end of the year with what we've managed to do so far..so you see that there's no way I'd regret my decision! So while rationalizing, also let your intuition guide you.

    Yes, I think you are really onto something here. I feel shallow talking about cost-of-living, but I know from first hand experience the difference in my quality of life when I'm scraping by vs. feeling abundant. St. Louis (especially the area around WashU) feels abundant, relaxed, dare I say...happy? And the cold wind of Chicago is unlikely to make anyone happy.

    I very much expect my interests to change in graduate school! I am thinking more and more that I'll be better off in a "nicer" environment--and there are already exciting faculty I'd like to rotate with, regardless of the "imperfect" research interest fit.

    Congrats on your high profile publication--it sounds like your decision has panned out well!

  15. Thanks, everyone, for your advice and opinions :D

    jacib, thanks for the great article. All the advice out there is so vauge--this is a nice, refreshing chunk of data!

    haha, I didn't say there was a long commute in Evanston--just LONGER than St.Louis. Plus, for the first 2 years of the prog your classes and rotations could be at either campus...which does mean at least 20 min rides if you're in between the 2 campuses, or 40 min if you live at either end.

    Also, I'm waiting until I've actually gone on the visit to weed out the schools. So far I'm accepted to the first 2 schools I visited and just waiting on WashU, which may be a couple weeks. Who knows, maybe this whole discussion will become a moot point, but I'd rather hash out my thoughts before they get muddled up in the next interview!

  16. I got interviews at 7 programs, have been to 3, and frankly it's exhausting. I'm considering canceling 2 of the "lesser" programs on my list since I've already been to 2 I LOVED and have 2 others that are really top schools.

    Is it ethical to cancel? One interview is in 1.5 wks, the other in 2.5 wks.

    Also, I work, so having the extra time in lab would also be a perk of canceling.

  17. I am trying to weed schools out as I go. I've been to 3 interviews for neuroscience PhD programs, and am trying to decide between two schools before going to my last 4 interviews.

    Northwestern: has 2 awesome faculty who are more in my exact research area of interest, is in a bigger/fun city (Chicago), but is colder, more expensive, longer commute, and not on the "top 10" ranking for neuroscience.

    WashU: has awesome faculty who aren't in my exact area of interest, is in a smaller city (St. Louis) with great cost of living, is warmer, less expensive/people-save-money-and-get-awesome-apartments, has practically no commute, and it's ranked "9" for neuroscience, next to Yale.

    which school would you go for, and why?

    Also consider: I almost arbitrarily picked an area of interest for my applications just to decide where to apply! I am flexible on that front, but still very excited about my declared area of interest.

  18. $140 GRE

    $050 change GRE date

    $160 additional score reports

    $012 scores by phone (this makes me seem crazy since it's just the writing score, really)

    $090 transcripts

    $075 one application (others free due to McNair)

    $527 total for 12 schools, only 9 of which I ended up applying to

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