Jay's Brain

Definitely! I think I'm going to go through a bit of nostalgia when I officially leave my current school, but I'm excited to meet the other people in my program and get to know my new school more! That, and the actual research, of course

Since you have a working relationship with him, presumably a good one, all that's stopping you is the jitters of making a request as big as this. I think you deserve to give yourself credit for even asking him in person. A lot of people may try to ask casually over email. And like MathCat says, the worst possible thing that can happen is that he says no. The only reason that may happen is that some PI prefers having graduate students from outside of their home universities or he prefers that you explore your options elsewhere (the whole "leaving the nest" conundrum). As someone who knows you well and knows what your research interests entails, you can be more direct with him. Let him know what you see yourself doing in graduate school, and ask if there's a possibility of continuing on the work you did with your honours thesis or something similar in your graduate studies. Just ask!

Some programs where you don't directly speak with the POI has the director of the department the program is housed under to speak to each candidate. Getting an opportunity for a meeting, in person or on the phone, is a great thing!

What I did for mine was to do exactly as you said - I told them that I've evaluated my choices and decided on going to School A instead of their school and their program. Some people like to leave it at that, but seeing as these people are in my field, I wanted to take it a step further and briefly outline why. The program I'm going into is not very common, so there aren't that many universities to choose from. I told them School A was closer (which was true), without downplaying their school's program in anyway. Ultimately, I thanked them sincerely for showing interest and me and apologized it for not working out. I also thanked them for giving me the opportunity to discuss my research interests and for them to share valuable advice. I also left a short sentence in the end indicating that I hope to cross paths and potentially collaborate with them in the future if the possibility arises. For me that's just giving me a reason to extend my network. You can choose to go the way I did, with a bit of flourish, or just be pragmatic. Regardless, you've made a decision so congrats!

Glad everything worked out, and congratulations on your decision!

Good to be prepared! Hope the meeting went well!

I can't say how stringent the requirements are anywhere else outside of Canada, but I know here they do encourage students outside of the psychology field to apply into the graduate programs. I know of a graduate student at my alma mater, for example, who had a background in electrical engineering (sort've up your alley) and ended up working in a lab involving visual perception and motor control. However, the caveat is that Canada almost always requires a Master's before PhD. Perhaps that depends on the Master's you find yourself getting into. I don't know in your case if it will be for general psychology due to your lack of psychology courses in your undergrad. I do know that a lot of students try to do a Master's as a way to be more competitive in their PhD application later on. If you're from the States you may also need to consider funding opportunities, as I hear a lot of Master's is unfunded. Again, not the biggest expert on this area, but hopefully this helps a bit!

Unfortunately, my situation happened before the April 15th deadline which is why I said it might not be exactly the same as yours. I did receive funding, however, and, to make matters a bit worse, I had personally gone to the graduate unit to submit my acceptance of the offer. Since I knew the POI, I told him and he was happy to send a quick word to the graduate department and the head. In your case, perhaps you can let them all the parties know in a careful email. Be respectful, and just tell them that this has come up and you want to make a careful decision. School A is an Ivy League school after all. They should understand, and if not, maybe you'll see the negative side of School B in the way they respond.

I would say programming and fundamentals in computer science will be a great asset. I'm currently working in a Cognitive Neuroscience lab prior to grad school, and have been affiliated with several in the past year or so, and there isn't a time where creating behavioural experiments hasn't used some form of programming application (E-Prime, Matlab, Presentation, etc). It's a good asset to have some basic knowledge, especially in this field. If you're unsure about taking actual Comp Sci courses, try doing self-learning on Coursera.

I think this is a sticky situation that a lot of graduate applicants go through (I kind of just did so I can relate!). I'm not sure if there are any stringent rules in the States (I'm from Canada), but when you're making a decision that will define your next few years and potentially your future career you SHOULD NOT feel obligated to make one based on pressure. A lot of times it's just our own personal conflicts that make the situation a bit more scary than it should be. In my situation, I accepted an offer from School A only to find out a couple days after than School B (which is one I preferred, but didn't think I'll get into) told me the good news. Added to that, I graduated from School A and I knew my graduate advisor well. Ultimately, for my own career objectives, I told him this new offer and he was more than happy for me. He even said I had nothing to worry about, because the decision made more sense. This probably isn't the same case for you, but I think a school will prefer having a student that is fully committed and knows that he or she wants to be there. As long as there are no technical reasons that makes it tricky, you should be allowed to choose. Let B know of the developments, and maybe they will even try to sway you to stick with your offer! You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain from choosing a school that will benefit you the most!

That sounds like a plan! During your conversations you should be able to gauge the transparency between the two programs. Furthermore, if they do overlap they should even be opened to your idea. Hope it goes well!

No problem!

I think that should be good enough, given that you are in undergrad after all and may not have produced anything beyond what you suggested. If you have conference posters (via PDF), then maybe that too. Otherwise, I think he might want you to describe your research in detail, and be able to answer his questions if there are any. As long as you can convey that and have a positive attitude you should be fine!

I think what's hindering you is the prestige of School A. What you need to consider is how different these schools will be in terms of helping you shape your career later on. Is the prestige of School A enough that you can find a job? If not, I agree with the previous poster in that School B seems like a better situation for you. Never underestimate the first feeling of comfort you have with a school, especially when you have to make a choice like this. The cohort size may be bigger, but in the end it is up to you to shape your graduate career successfully. Choose the schools based on practicality and pragmatism. Whichever school is more beneficial for you long-term will be the best one.

Not everyone has all the right experiences (i.e. research) that completely fits with what you want to do in graduate school. I would say that, although you shouldn't emphasize the extracurriculars as if they were the most important things you've done, you never know what key skills you may have gained from those experiences that make you stand out more. For example, when I applied to a summer internship position in immunology, what stood out for my employers was that I had experience working with animals previously even though my knowledge of immunology at that time was limited. In your case, if you're interested in a program in the Arts like Theatre, unless you have strong experience around that setting I think it's more than likely they will take a look at how you've shaped your experiences just as much as the practical aspects. Leadership skills is definitely a strong asset for someone in your position, I believe! And there's no harm in briefly talking about your award in your SOP if it makes sense!

Hey, Fellow neuroscience undergraduate student turned graduate student here. I agree with previous poster on trying to hone out what your research interests are. For example, do your research project in the coming year and decide if that's the type of things you're interested in pursuing in higher education. You may, for example, work a lot with rodents and animals in the behavioural stream, conducting research on motivational consequences of drugs (just an elaborate example). Cognitive neuroscience may encompass neuroimaging and understanding visual and perceptual processes. Cognitive and Behavioural neuroscience may overlap, but the idea and content is vastly different. Other than that, continue looking into adding to your CV/portfolio that shows your interest in what you do. Start finding 2-3 sure-fire referees (professors, outside project researchers) that can say positive things about who you are. Finally, verify whether your programs of interest will need to do the GRE or any other standardized test. If so, start preparing for it, and consider doing it this coming summer or the next.

Hey! Similar predicament, except the two programs that I applied to were pretty much in the same areas (they created a new program to serve a specific applied learning experience). If your interests are multi-faceted, such as ones that can overlap on more than one program or field, there is no harm in applying to two programs within the same university. Not to mention, this may open doors for internal collaboration between departments (if they are close), and give you the chance to feed off of the content from different areas. Of course, make sure you know the bureaucracy that may underlie your situation. In mine, for example, there was a lot of delicate decisions that I had to keep in mind. Ultimately, I only received an offer from one of the two programs and chose a different university entirely. Be careful, but also take advantage of this situation to meet your interests!

First of all, sounds like you already have a very solid application judging by what you've described. GPA is always a factor for a lot of people, but I personally think that making the right connections, being open-minded and positive in terms of communication with potential PIs, and showing your interests through your SOP will go a long way. I would say that as long as your GPA makes the minimum cut-off for the programs and schools you apply to, you should at least have a shot of not being triaged by the graduate committee. The next step, and ones that will be really crucial, is finding the right references that will highlight your capability in research and neuroscience. This is VERY important, in my opinion. If your references (2-3 depending on your program) are diverse and can give you strong to excellent referrals (and if they are recognized in their fields), that will propel you. Finally, as an undergrad, having your name in a journal, regardless of the IF, says a lot about your importance on a research team. Clearly you have demonstrated the aptitude and responsibility to have your name as an author. Discuss your GPA in your SOP (if you find it necessary), but I don't think you need to downplay yourself from the onset. Always play to your strengths, and discuss anything that is limiting in a way that still sheds a positive light. If you jive well with the PIs (and kudos for you speaking to them so early), they can go out of their way to look at your application and recommend you. Not to mention, most graduate programs consider your last two years more closely than your earlier years. Hope this helps!

I definitely recommend your own suggestion of finding research positions either through volunteering or paid that can add to your strong CV. One particular point I want to recommend is that although your undergrad was no way close to a psychology or neuroscience degree, you do have some leverage with your physics and software engineering background. A lot of psychology and neuroscience research is moving towards the computational front (as with most of the basic and applied sciences). If you have any experience in programming and statistics (which I assume you have based on your background), this will surely improve your chances greatly. You cannot imagine how many labs these days are eager to take on students that are proficient in those areas (even in the clinical field). I would say you use your background to your advantage when looking for research opportunities. Given the right repertoire of skills, you may have PIs in the cognitive and theoretical neurosciences who may have interest in working with you. Of course, like you suggested, you need to prove your merit in research. Continue to explore different ways you can add to that part of your resume, since it seems like the only part that may be lacking. As well, look into the programs you have interested in applying. Some specifically state that you need certain psychology courses. You may need to do Post-Bacc courses to supplement. As for Master's vs. PhD, I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment, but it certainly seems like schools in US make it a bit harder for students that want to start off with their Master's. In Canada (where I am), most graduate psychology programs require a Master's before you transition into your PhD. Something to consider if you're opened to that idea.

Well, I'm certainly not going to Laurentian, but I've also found it difficult to connect with fellow Psychology students going to York. Since we're all in the same cohort it's nice to meet fellow Canadian Psychology students in general on this site. So hey!

Probably some questions need to be answered here - Is this the only program you've applied to? Are you being asked to respond to others? Assuming any of those scenarios, and the anxiety that's coming with the waiting, I think it's of utmost importance for you to be in touch with the individual or anyone in the department to let you know if all decisions have been finalized. The answer may or may not be the best you want, but sometimes you may want to be a little bit more persistent and find out for yourself. Check to see if there is more than one source of contact and reach out to them. Good luck!

Since you'll be seeing this PI on a regular basis, it's definitely recommended not to be abrupt and disregard her invite. Even if you don't end up being in her lab for your rotation, there's a good chance you can have many collaborative opportunities with her. Realistically, since she's so open with asking you, she seems well-mannered enough that you can tell her that you are very happy at the prospects of working with her, but you have decided to rotate in different labs because they align more with your interests. End it off by indicating that you still would love the opportunity to collaborate in some way down the road. This will leave both of you in a comfortable position, and give you that opening later to revisit the notion of working with her.

Congrats fellow Yorkie!

Hello fellow UofT 2014 Alum! I'm sorry for your current predicament. I know a lot of people in our cohort who also seems to have had such existential crises arise. First of all, don't think that this is it and everything you've worked through for the past 4 years at UofT was wasted on your GPA (sometimes it feels like that, but it's really not). I very strongly agree with all the suggestions so far. Rather than apply for a graduate program in my 4th year, I made the decision to take one year off. It was a hard decision to make, due to financial reasons and such, but I think this has paid off greatly as I'll be entering a Master's program this coming September in a field that I very much envision my career to be found. I really think it's worthwhile to contemplate the numerous options that are available, and the first one that is a bit more obvious is getting those experiences that will make your application standout regardless of your GPA performance. The program I'm going into is highly competitive (as most are), but I really believe that my experience really supplemented my GPA. Don't feel obligated to rush into a field just yet. I know a lot of people who had to apply more than once, but they still find a way to make it work for them. It does take a bit more time, but never give up on the end goal. Since you're very interested in working in a health-related field, take a look at the opportunities that are available for volunteering and working. Even if the jobs you find at the beginning are not necessarily within the domains of your overall goal, just remember that the transferable skills you accumulate will be very important when you do look for jobs that are much more related. In your future applications, you can use those skills to help the graduate committees identify your willingness to work hard and commit to a field such as nursing or in the allied health professions. Take additional courses at Seneca, Ryerson, etc where you can get the knowledge and the practical experience that will help you academically and professionally. Don't give up! It's not going to be easy, but if you are really interested in what you are doing you WILL find a way through. Feel free to PM me for any other advice/support!

Very similar thing happened to me, except I managed to resolve it before April 15th. I will give the same advice that everyone (including the supervisor that I had to rescind the offer from) - a program will not want disinterested students or students that are not fully committed. It may seem brutally honest, but I went through the same thing as well. As long as you tell them your reasons, and you don't over emphasize which program is better than the other, you should be fine!