yash13177

Some members in the 2019 Neuroscience PhD Applicants and Admission Results forum posted that they got invites from NYU Sackler... Evidently interview dates are Jan 24-25 or Feb 7-8

Alright everyone, I'm hoping that I'm not alone in this but I can't help but be filled with anxiety with waiting. I applied to many top programs, and I know that sometimes it's a roll of the dice as to whether you can get in or not because there's just so many amazing applicants! So far, I've received only 1 formal interview invitation (University of Virginia) and 1 official rejection (UCSF...sob sob). I am guessing that I'm not getting many invites because I didn't reach out to enough professors... Will follow up with programs after receiving formal decisions. Now I'm facing the dreaded question: What if I don't get any other interview invitations? Should I try applying next year? I feel like being a second-time applicant is not favorable, especially since I am applying as a current Master's student. Any advice/fellow freak-outs are welcome! My Background: Undergrad Institution: State University well-known for undergraduate student research (attended 2011 – 2016) Current Institution: Went international to get a Master’s at a University ranked #3 in Asia (2016 - currently attending) Undergrad Major(s): Neurobiology, MCB Undergrad Minor(s): Biochemistry, Music Performance Undergrad GPA in Major: 3.86 (Neuro)/ 3.511 (MCB) Undergrad Overall GPA: 3.622 (Had a rough first semester, luckily my last 2 years are 4.0) Current Major: Life Science Current GPA: 3.767/4.000 (major GPA: 4.167/4.000) Position in Class: Graduated cum laude, current position unknown Type of Student: Domestic White & Asian Female, currently abroad GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 160 (76%) V: 158 (80%) W: 5 (93%) B: --- Research Experience: 1) Undergrad lab experience: started in Spring 2013 two labs where I stayed a year each, was looking into getting different types of neuroscience research experience. One was neuroanatomy/neuro-evolution the other was computational neuroscience Most significant undergraduate lab: 2.5 years. Absolutely loved it, mainly dealt with neuron-glia networks and my PIs were just phenomenal! 2) Masters lab experience: started in September 2016 Working on a “high risk high reward” project that is very creative... it is related to mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease 3) Research output: Undergrad: One paper; authorship: 2nd / 8 SFN poster presentation 2015 Many University level poster presentations Masters SFN poster presentation 2017 Manuscript in preparation Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 1) During undergrad I managed to snag about ~10 research awards/poster winning stuff/travel grants and I was also recognized by my university for outstanding undergrad research ? 2) Also have grade-based awards (ex deans list) from 2014 – 2016 for undergrad 3) Current awards: I have a research and teaching studentship award as well as received a travel grant for 2017 SFN Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...) 1) A lot of teaching experience: preceptor for 4 neuroscience classes during undergrad and presently a graduate TA for intro bio lab course Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 1) Very active in music, both during undergrad and Master’s 2) Professional Development activities: very active in undergrad Student club with longstanding leadership role Nu Rho Psi: active in undergrad chapter with leadership role active in NRP at SFN university research programs that provided funding and neuroscience training bootcamps 3) Outreach activities: again…very busy in undergrad! have some mentions in interviews (news articles/radio shows) about research and/or neuroscience outreach events Summer counselor for a research camp for middle/high school students at a research center (this was between undergrad and masters) 4) Will be attending SFN 2018 (no poster though) so I will definitely take the chance to network/visit posters of potential labs/meet with PIs of potential labs (hopefully)... etc. Special Bonus Points: 1) I will have a Master’s degree! Yay! Obtained this because I was interested in gaining international research experience. 2) My mentors at my undergrad institution and current PI can write me very strong LORs 3) Active attendee to various academic workshops/conferences 4) I have been fortunate to gain very diverse research experience from being active in labs starting from 2013! 5) I have done a lot of networking and my past/current PIs are also well-known and well-connected. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 1) Like I said, first semester of undergrad was rough…ended with a 2.0. Worked hard to turn it around but it still weighs down my cumulative GPA. Good news: I was in an upwards trend from there. 2) I am worried about my GRE score…particularly my Quant is lower than I would like. I know that a student is more than a score and I have a decent amount of research experience but I’m still worried! 3) I am currently abroad which makes me worry about whether schools would be willing to invite me for interviews…I’ll make it clear in my application that interviewing in-person is something I really want…but I’m scared it’ll be a turn-off. Applying to Where: Research interests: neuron-glia interactions, neuro-degeneration But, my goal is to find a really great mentor... not as concerned what type of neuroscience it is... I find most things exciting! ? tldr; should I re-apply if I don't get enough interview offers? that would mean asking my current PI for an RA job. that means...5 years UG, 2.5 years for Masters, and 1 year RA before applying in Fall 2019 for Fall 2020

No news so far........ :/

UCSF is done sending out interview invites...??

See you there!! congrats

I have! can post my stats tomorrow morning if need be

Hi! when did you submit your application for UCSF?

Also saw posts about UCSF... I applied for UCSF Neuro....anxious to hear back..........

Hi! I noticed those too. Since the BBS is an umbrella program it's likely that some tracks make their decisions before others. I noticed that the results posted were mostly from Immunology. So fingers crossed!

Hi! I submitted mine right at the deadline, maybe a day before. It is possible I got contacted early because I'm a domestic applicant currently studying abroad. So there's more planning that goes into it for me ~~~ Good luck!! I hope you hear from them soon!

Wahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Interview invite for University of Virginia (Jan 31-Feb 2)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@EricKenjiLee Thank you that's great information!!! So...fingers crossed for hearing back on the 17th ish~~~~~~ Also UW is one of the few places to directly invite international applicants (as far as citizenship and current place of employment) to interview without a skype interview first. Or at least that's what I was told...

Would love to cross paths!! Fingers and toes crossed for us!! (I have friends at UCSD, MIT and UCSF if you ever have any unanswered questions!)

Hahaha looks like both aimed high!!! Fingers crossed for you

Hi!! Fellow applicant~ I applied to: Harvard (Neuro), NYU (Neuro), Rockefeller (Bioscience), Stanford (Bioscience), Tufts (Neuro), UCSD (Neuro), UCSF (Neuro), University of Rochester (Neuro), University of Virginia (Neuro), University of Washington (Neuro), Yale (BBS) 11 in total...whew!!

Hi!!!!! Similar story. Was pre-med and had a horrible first semester. Ended with a 2.0. Thought critically of my time management skills, stopped working over-time at an internship and my grades really improved. A year or two later I changed away from pre-med. My overall GPA ended up being a 3.6 and my last two years were a 4.0. I'm applying to Ph.D. programs now (not SLP, sorry...) and some of them have asked me to calculate my GPA for the last 1 or 2 years. Echoing everyone else - don't give up!!! Be very honest with yourself about the reasons behind your grades and what you can do to improve. Overall, I think an upward trend is way better than a downward trend. Best of luck!! You can do it and you have all of our support!

Hello! I asked a similar question about emailing faculty of interest while waiting for my application decision. One person suggested I shouldn't, which I can understand that it may be viewed a bit negatively if you contact them after submitting your application instead of before. I'm still on the fence about whether I'll send out more emails. However, I will send a short email to professors I did talk to - to let them know I submitted my application.

Hi @biophys123 I know someone who applied to Biology Ph.D. and did an interview. Since he applied as an international student he did a Skype interview and then flew out to do an in-person interview.

Hi Manilo! I think it wouldn't count against you. Neurobio and MCB are pretty related (unlike research in archaeology vs. MCB)! Plus, most graduate programs want to see that you 1) know what you're getting into 2) have a passion for research 3) have creative/critical thinking skills. These things aren't limited to a certain field! If your LORs from your neurobio labs are good then I think you are fine! If you're really worried about it, you can talk about your different research experience in your SOP - as a benefit. You can talk about different techniques you learned, or things that are the same, or even how your different research experience made you realize you want to focus in MCB! There are tons of ways to spin it in a positive direction~ (but maybe you already turned in your SOP.... sorry!) Hope that helps!

Hello everyone! I reached out to some professors before I submitted my apps but nowhere near the amount I wanted to. I want to email some faculty now in a "hey I applied and I want you to know because I mentioned you in my application... would love to chat about xxx" kind of way. My question is whether this is appropriate? Or will they view it as a nuisance because it's after the app deadline?

Hahahaha I totally agree! So a lesson is definitely learned. I ended up emailing the program and they said my application would be considered. Looks like I wracked up enough karma to cover my butt this time... definitely NOT repeating this.

Hi! I think it depends on the amount of articles you have published. If there's more than 2 or 3 I suggest you pick your best one. Ultimately, a computer science master program likely won't base their decision on this (unless there are some red flags in the articles) - I think you are meaning more to diversify your application.

Hi @Velocity_Distance, Unfortunately this is likely not what they consider as publications. However, you can always provide the articles as additional documents to your application. Many universities allow students to upload "additional documents".

All, Well I have officially joined the ranks of the students who missed a deadline. I honestly cannot believe it and I don't have any excuse (family emergency etc). I simply mixed up two application dates and now the application date for Stanford University has passed. I submitted my application, including a cover letter with an apology. I'll also call the admissions program as soon as they open. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this? Does anyone have any knowledge about how Stanford University handles late applications? To be honest I think I'm doomed and I am aware that likely there is nothing I can do to get my application reviewed. Yowch. Rough week.

For many schools, your application won't be 1) marked as complete or 2) considered by the admissions team until all of your required materials are submitted. Since many schools list 3 letters of recommendation as a requirement, these should also be submitted by the deadline.