Butterfly_effect

So I'm still rotating, but in my program, rotations students are generally not expected to get results. This is PI-dependent. There are some (crazy) PIs that expect you to get results, but for the most part, I've found that my own PIs have been reasonable. Can you talk to other students in your program to ask how their rotations are going? It seems like you've put in a good amount of work (at least in hours alone!). And even if you don't get perfect data, there is probably something you've learned or can contribute to the lab.

Yes, my program is similar and I know of someone who did 5 rotations. He asked the program to get an extension beyond the normal deadline for picking a lab and had a very short fifth rotation before joining that lab. I get the sense that many programs are willing to make accommodations.

As far as needing experience in your field, this is probably very field- and PI- dependent. The best way to find out is to ask. You got into the program, so obviously MIT thinks you're qualified My program was rotation-based so when I was contacting potential advisors, I would usually use "Graduate student rotation" or "Meet to discuss Rotation" or even "Rotation?" as a title (depending on how well I knew the PI). My first email was something like this: Hi Professor X, I hope you are doing well. My name is Y and I am a first year student in the <program name>. I have been reading about your work and I was wondering if you would be available to meet to talk about the possibility of me rotating in your lab. My background is mostly Z. I studied <insert past research if relevant>. I am excited about <reason why you're interested in in their lab>. I am particularly interested in <problem you would be interested in working on>. Thanks for your time and let me know if we might be able to meet in the coming weeks. Hope that helps!

Cool. Not getting my hopes up, though. It seems pretty rare.

I am exactly in your position! (first year neuroscience grad with E/E E/E E/E and hm). It's crazy to think that the highest score possible didn't get us the NSF But now I'm curious about where the declined fellowships go as well. Can anyone else attest to getting hm but being offered a fellowship after some of the awardees declined?

I can only speak to the locations. Durham and Philly are very different places to live. UPenn is located in a city, whereas the area around Duke is more spread out. Durham is a bit cheaper to live than Philly, though that city can also be surprisingly affordable. I would say you probably need a car in Durham while you really don't need on in Philly (having one could be annoying to deal with, actually). I've lived around Philly for a while and I spent a summer in Durham. I personally love Durham, but it really depends on what you're looking for.

If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to rule out UCSF?

In terms of external prestige, I usually just default to US News. What are the differences in rank between these schools?

Hi everyone, I'm trying to make a tough decision between Harvard's PiN program and the UCSF neuroscience graduate group. I'm coming from a small liberal arts college on the east coast and am interested in the approaches of integrative neuroscience (looking at behavior from multiple perspectives and levels from cell/molecular to circuits to observable behavior) and also generally in cell/molecular neuroscience. In terms of topic, my previous work has been in stress and vocal learning (separate projects at different labs) and I'm interested in moving into a different field: understanding sleep and wake-sleep regulation. I'd like to have the opportunity to gain teaching experience at my institution. I'm also moving with my girlfriend, so the environment needs to be LGBT-friendly. UCSF- - There are a number of sleep researchers I would be interested in working with, though I believe there are less than at Harvard. One I am considerably interested in told me they are very particular about their undergrads and recently asked one to leave because they weren't working hard enough. - Great location. This was definitely my favorite recruitment weekend, largely because it was so beautiful out all the time. - The students seem very relaxed and like they have a great work-life balance - Expensive - the stipend is about $1000 lower per year than Harvard but SF is a little more expensive than Boston - Far from my family and would require a substantial relocation. - No undergrads for teaching, but they said you can teach at SFU. I wonder how common this is though. Harvard - There are a ton of researchers I'd be interested in working with and many of them are available for rotations. - I have never lived in Boston, but it seems like a city I could live in for some years. I've lived with winter all my life, but it isn't my favorite season. - I had a hard time getting a read on how happy the students were there or what work life balance was. Generally, I got the sense that it varies based on PI, but I'm unsure of how to evaluate this outside of trying to contact the graduate students of some of the PIs I'm interested in working with. - Expensive - Boston is expensive, but I think it would probably be slightly more affordable than SF. - This is only about four hours away from my family - Teaching here is a possibility, but it's treated more like a privilege than a given. I'd like to know how common it is. So I'd love your input on these two schools, particularly in which would be the best to A) have a life outside of school at and would prepare me well for teaching and C) better overall career move. Thanks!