Neuro PolarBear

I got a call today from a number I didn't recognize and excitedly picked it up, only to be greeted by a telemarketer.

I also received mine on the 18th

What matters most during a PhD is not what school you go to, but who your mentor is. I'd recommend Ben Barres' excellent article on picking a PhD mentor. You want someone who is both a good scientist (well published, well-funded, etc.) that is also an excellent mentor. Scientists that are both can certainly be found at many different types of institutions, and are not just concentrated at the ones you listed. In fact, some of those labs at the top institutions are so big that maybe they're better for doing a postdoc since it could be harder to be mentored by a super well-known scientist who's not as involved in your project. Or maybe that would work better for you! Your mentor's name and reputation is what will help you get published much more than what school you're at. Maybe if you decide to pursue a career outside of academia, people might place more weight on the institution that you attended, but this is certainly fairly misguided-in the same ways that impact factor isn't a good job of evaluating the quality of the work you publish from your thesis.

Mine was for BCS. I also got the same email that said we wouldn't hear until January so I was surprised. The call came from a professor I mentioned in my SOP and she confirmed that the email would be later. I'm not sure if everyone received a call or not.

It looks like JHU started sending out results today. Interviews are February 16–19th.

I assumed it was the dentist! I'll also see you at Harvard on the 21-24th.

Congrats on all those schools! I heard back from MIT today from my POI and was quite excited. I'm not sure if all the Columbia invites went out, but a bunch of students reported getting emails this weekend.

Congratulations! If you come on the second weekend, I'll see you there!

February, since the one in January overlaps with Harvard

The program director sent me an official email

I don't know if they all went out, but I did get one. They said the program coordinator would be in touch next week so I assume the initial email went out today and then they'll follow up before the holidays.

I didn't apply to Davis and haven't heard back from Columbia. I'm surprised, though, since Columbia's interviews are January 21-22 and February 4-5. The Columbia Neuro invites went out this evening

I didn't apply to Davis and haven't heard back from Columbia. I'm surprised, though, since Columbia's interviews are January 21-22 and February 4-5.

I believe I indicated Neural Science, but I think they're now all reviewed by the same committee. congratulations!

I wouldn't worry too much that you haven't heard anything. Maybe some PIs reached out to applicants, but if you haven't gotten a phone call, I don't think this means you won't get an interview. They said in their email that they interview invites won't go out until January so there's still hope!

I got an invite from NYU this evening Interviews are on Thursday and Friday, January 28-29 or Thursday and Friday, February 11-12

The visiting days are on Thursday-Friday, January 28-29th. I think most people arrive on the 27th and depart on the 29th or the next day.

I got a Princeton one yesterday!

I'll see you there!

I applied to PiN, which was why I replied to that other quote about them sending out invites. Interview date is January 21- January 24, 2016. They sent me an email. I hope you hear about immunology soon!

Thank you! And congrats on all your interviews, too.

I got one from Harvard!

I've seen some Princeton results on the survey, but no one here as posted about them, right?

Just got an interview to UC Berkeley Neuroscience! Interviews are on Sunday to Tuesday, January 31-February 2, 2016, and Sunday to Tuesday, February 21 – February 23, 2016.

One's GPA alone does not make or break a candidate. Yes, a high GPA can strengthen your application and a lower one can make it more difficult to get an interview, but one's GPA by itself is by no means an indicator of one's aptitude to conduct research. Fortunately, admission committees understand this, and place more weight into better indicators, such as research experience and letters of recommendation. Additionally, science benefits from having diverse ideas and perspectives and this comes from having scientists with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. We should be encouraging all students, especially those who have been traditionally underrepresented, to apply. Based on the results I've seen so far and in past threads, I think many students end up being pleasantly surprised by where they end up getting interviews and acceptances—especially after being told on here, or elsewhere, that they're not good enough. That it is so hard to judge applicants by the stats they present or to gauge their passion for research (among many other qualities), is one of the main reasons programs have interviews in the first place!