Appsitude

I know Yale BBS is ~50% of interviewees are accepted, but that may vary year to year. They are one of the more selective post-interview programs to my knowledge. UCSF BMS this year is interviewing ~80 people looking to accept at max 60, for approximately a 75% post-interview acceptance rate. You'll find most schools are in this range.

On the flipside, I have friends who took multiple years off after undergrad (some up to 7!) and are having a tough time with graduate level coursework now that they are back in school. I came straight out of undergrad and haven't had many problems, but I still think the ideal situation is to take 1-2 years off and do research/tech full time after undegrad (but to each their own!)

I totally missed this initially. Honestly, UCSF and BMS in particular is amazing. I feel at home here and have no lingering doubts about "what-if" I went to a different program. The graduate student body and professors here are absolutely fantastic and everyone is willing to help to get you to succeed. If you are looking for a cool program at a top-tier institution in a happening city, I can't recommend any other program.

If you have conflicting interviews, simply contact the program director and they will try to accomodate you as best as possible. Usually the options go 1) original weekend, 2) other interview weekend (if offered), 3) make-up interview weekend (if there are enough people who need to reschedule), 4) independent visit, and 5) Skype interviews. Also: UCSF BMS will send out invites next week for anyone who has applied and is waiting. Interview weekends are Jan 22-25 and Feb 5-8. Around ~40 interviewees per weekend.

Your stats look fine. Similar GREs to what I had, so that shouldn't be a problem. I didn't have any publications and it turned out fine. It is more important that you get good letters of rec from your mentors + are able to communicate what you learned during your time in the lab. That is infinitely more helpful than being a 7th author on a publication.

One thing to add: Make sure to communicate why you are interested in research/joining a lab in general. It'll be much easier to get a position if you can actually communicate that you are interested in doing research, rather than just checking a box on an application.

Congrats to everyone receiving interview invites! I'm glad to see this thread has been blowing up lately and hope it continues to do so as the season progresses. Don't be afraid to ask for general interview advice (or even school specific advice) because it can be a huge help as you enter the prime interviewing months (January-March).

For those waiting, expect to hear back from programs either in ~2 weeks (for example: UCSF BMS committee is meeting on the 17th, Harvard BBS and Yale BBS meet around the same time) or after the holidays starting second weekend in January. Good luck!

I did this last year and had no problems, if that helps. If you have a significant change that could help you, make sure to report it!! It can allow you to be re-evaluated before (or after) interviews.

Correct you are. The good CMB subscore should partially offset your C's.

This is one of the most informative posts I have ever seen on this forum. Take this advice! I formatted my SOP the same way as spaceimmunology did and had resounding success (+ positive feedback on it during interviews) with it.

Honestly, I would not recommend applying to a PhD program if you have no full-time research experience. If you are interested, I would highly recommend working as a technician or research associate for a year or two at a top tier institution before you decide whether to get a PhD. Research can be appealing on the outside, but once you get into the day-to-day rigors and challenges, it may lose its appeal quickly to you. Before you dive head first into a PhD program, you need to be able to be honest with yourself and make an informed decision. Even if you are able to get a full summer of research + research your senior year of undergrad, you should have enough experience to know what you want to do. From an admission's standpoint, coming from a small college without a lot of research opportunities won't hurt you too much. If you supplement your application with a summer research position and get a lot out of it (such as making a good impression on your PI), you will be surprised how far one letter can get you. There are people in my program who only had minimal research experience (one summer + a semester in undergrad) but were still able to get into top 10 programs across the country. But seriously though, before you even think about applying for PhD programs I would get some serious research experience under your belt. Good luck!!!

Typically you need at least basic classes in chemistry (general + organic) and physics to meet the requirements for the Neuroscience PhD programs. However, I believe schools regularly make exceptions (I know UCSF does at least) and will either allow you to forego those classes if you are from a varied background (as I would say you are) or make up the course work during your training. I would either try to take basic chemistry and physics if you are still an undegrad or reach out to programs you are interested in with the same questions. You indubitably have the life sciences requirements (and rigorous coursework), it just depends how ticky-tacky programs are on their pre-reqs.

I wouldn't trust the admission's stats on Peterson's too much. Honestly, your stats look perfectly in line for where you are applying. If you feel ambitious, you could always add another "reach" school and another lower school, but if you are content with your current choices you should be fine. In general, you'll find that the hardest part of the application process is simply getting an interview. For my program at UCSF, it is around a 10-15% chance of receiving an interview, with about 60-70% of interviewees being accepted. Top-tier programs will have percentages in that range, although I can't speak directly for neuroscience programs. That being said, I had nearly the exact same GPA and GRE scores as you do (with slightly more research experience but no publications) and I had no problems. Good luck!

Ah, waiting can be both terrifying and exciting. I believe I heard back about my first three interviews within a week of applying, then it was radio silence until January. Good luck! Getting the interviews are the hard part!

Go for it! Bizarre things happen during application season. I have had friends be rejected from their safeties and get in at all of their reaches. Might as well go for it!

It is very common here. Also psychology majors with heavy biology coursework and research.

It all depends on what time of position. In general, a position as a professor or industry researcher will provide you with a comfortable salary. What are your career interests (if you know, that is)?

5-12 seems like a good number to apply to. 5 interviews was about the max I could do without over-stretching myself last year.

^^^ Excellent point.

I agree with AnonLady. Working as a tech before grad school is quickly becoming the norm and is a great way to not only boost your credentials but also to determine whether grad school really is for you. Finding a tech position can be very difficult, but it is not impossible. Reach out directly to professors you are interested in, look at science jobs websites, and talk to professors at your school for advice. As long as you have an interest in learning + some luck you should be able to find a position after some looking.

The good rec letters + tech experience should help counteract your GPA (which isn't too bad actually) and your GRE scores. You may not go 12/12 on interviews, but I would be surprised if you didn't get an interview at at least one of your top choices.

That is definitely a possibility. I remember getting comments that all of the programs I am applying to where umbrella biomedical science programs, so it is definitely something that they could notice.

Honestly, in the long run it probably doesn't matter. But do what you want!

Here is a list of questions that I remember being asked: 1) What research did you do as an undergraduate?/Explain your research experience. 2) Why do you want a PhD? 3) Why are you interested in our institution? 4) Why are you interested in this specific program? 5) What are your research interests?/What research do you want to do in the future? 6) Do you have any reservations/worries about entering a PhD program? 7) What interests you about my research?/What do you know about my research? 8) What drives you as a scientist? 9) What other programs are you applying to? 10) What interests you about the city the institution is located in? (and questions related to this!) 11) What do you do in your free time? Of these, #1, #3 and #4, and #11 I were asked at every single interview. Honestly, the biggest part of the interviews are 1) being able to honestly talk about your research, 2) being excited, 3) asking questions, and 4) being able to communicate that there is more to you than just a love for science. My best interviews were interviews where we talked about science for 5-10 minutes than about my background/hobbies for the rest of the time. Also, each PI/student who interviews you will do things different. You MAY get grilled on your research or (very rarely) that specific PIs research. They may expect you to know NOTHING about them. You may get a PI who does not want to talk about science and instead just get to know you. Overall, interview weekends are a blast, and the individual interviews are fun and helpful for deciding your interests and your feelings about the program. Hope this helps!