Petal

Hey everyone, Congratulations to everyone who was accepted to their chosen programs, and sincere condolences to those who weren't. I'm looking for some anecdotal advice or relatable experiences. I applied to PhD programs in neuroscience and wound up with some disappointing results. I interviewed at Duke and Vanderbilt, where I had GREAT experiences, but was rejected by NYU, Princeton Yale and Berkeley. Duke was looking very promising, as several of my interviewers told me they were supporting my application. Nonetheless, I didn't end up with an offer. I was also waitlisted at Vanderbilt. I'm now wondering what could've been improved upon. It's a confusing experience to be invited for an interview, told that you're an excellent fit by multiple interviewers, and then not receive an offer. I assume the other applicants were just especially stellar, and it's my understanding that they typically only admit around 50% of their interviewees, perhaps more. Anyway, I'm now trying to look forward with positivity and improve upon my credentials for next year's application cycle. I politely asked one of my interviewers for feedback--He said he was shocked by the result because he had a very positive impression from our interview, but that I'd be competitive anywhere I apply. In retrospect, here were some of the weak points of my applications: 1. I submitted my applications hastily and didn't start them until a few days before the deadline. This resulted in fairly generic personal statements that weren't specifically tailored to each program. 2. I didn't speak with any faculty before applying, except at Vanderbilt, but actually didn't get to interview with any of my preferred faculty there. For reference, here's a bit of my profile: Undergrad Institution: Top 5 LAC Major(s): Neuroscience Minor(s): A foreign language (double major with neuroscience) GPA in Major: ~3.6 Overall GPA: ~3.6 (Honors) Type of Student: Domestic, non-URM GRE Scores : Q: 162 V: 165 W: 4.0 (was a little surprised by this) Research Experience: 1. Yearlong Fulbright Scholarship in neuroscience in foreign country (after graduation), 2. Yearlong neuroimaging internship during junior year abroad, 3. Yearlong bachelor's thesis in neuroscienceAwards/Honors/Recognitions: Fulbright Scholar, Honors distinction at graduation; multiple awards totalling ~$15,000Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Language tutor for all levelsMiscellaneous: Varsity athlete I'm still trying to figure out how to improve upon my applications for next year, so any advice is really appreciated!

Hey everyone, This year I applied to PhD programs in neuroscience, got two interviews (one at my first choice / dream school!), but didn’t wind up with any offers. I’m particularly surprised by the rejection from my first choice, since I heard things from several of my interviewers along the lines of “I’m expressing my enthusiasm about your app to the committee; I hope we can get you here” etc. So I’m pretty bummed out to say the least. I applied mostly to top US programs (Duke, Vanderbilt, HYP, NYU). Now I’m wondering if something went wrong in the interviews, or if the other applicants were simply really stellar in comparison. I’ll definitely be applying again in the fall, but now I’m wondering what to do with the coming year, since I don’t have anything else lined up. Last year I was a Fulbright Scholar in Europe and I’m considering going back to teach English or something, but I’m wondering if it would be better to find something research-related. Any advice is appreciated! P.S. I’m actually waitlisted at one school but unsure if I’d accept an offer, since I was really hoping for my first choice and might try again there.

Hey everyone, I just finished a Fulbright fellowship in neuroscience and now I'm gearing up for PhD apps this fall (behavioral neuro). I've reached out to several schools in Europe (where I was doing the fellowship) that don't require the GRE, and so far I've had two interviews (University of Zurich and Medical University of Vienna). I'm not quite as well-versed in the US PhD app process, and although admissions statistics are available for most schools, it's hard to gauge how much my research background could influence my chances at some of the more selective ones. I figured I'd just post my basic stats plus the programs I'm interested in and hope someone could give me a general direction. GPA: 3.60 (w/ honors). Institution: Top 5 LAC. Senior thesis in Neuroscience. Double major in Neuroscience and German GRE: Not yet taken but practice tests have generally been 160+ for both sections. (SAT was 99th percentile if that has any correlation?) Research: Fulbright Research Scholarship in Neuroscience; yearlong senior thesis in neuroscience, multiple awards and scholarships in neuroscience received during undergrad. Total award value: ~$15,000 The US programs I'm interested in are: Vanderbilt, Duke, NYU, UCSD, UCLA, Princeton, Harvard The international programs I'm interested in are: Oxford, UCL, Cambridge, Imperial, U of Zurich, Medical U of Vienna, U of Munich, U of Heidelberg, Humboldt Berlin Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

Hey everyone, I just finished a Fulbright fellowship in neuroscience and now I'm gearing up for PhD apps this fall (behavioral neuro). I've reached out to several schools in Europe (where I was doing the fellowship) that don't require the GRE, and so far I've had two interviews (University of Zurich and Medical University of Vienna). I'm not quite as well-versed in the US PhD app process, and although admissions statistics are available for most schools, it's hard to gauge how much my research background could influence my chances at some of the more selective ones. I figured I'd just post my basic stats plus the programs I'm interested in and hope someone could give me a general direction. GPA: 3.60 (w/ honors). Institution: Top 5 LAC. Senior thesis in Neuroscience. Double major in Neuroscience and German GRE: Not yet taken but practice tests have generally been 160+ for both sections. (SAT was 99th percentile if that has any correlation?) Research: Fulbright Research Scholarship in Neuroscience; yearlong senior thesis in neuroscience, multiple awards and scholarships in neuroscience received during undergrad. Total award value: ~$15,000 The US programs I'm interested in are: Vanderbilt, Duke, NYU, UCSD, UCLA, Princeton, Harvard The international programs I'm interested in are: Oxford, UCL, Cambridge, Imperial, Univ. Zurich, Medical Univ. Vienna, Univ. Munich, Univ. Heidelberg, Humboldt Berlin Any advice is sincerely appreciated.