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I got my MIT accpetance email this morning from POIs! Official email to come soon, best of luck to the other applicants!

Not yet.. I emailed the PIs I talked to and one replied saying they hoped to get offers out by (last) wednesday.. so a little annoying they're waiting so long since they were one of the last interviews

I think most schools offer this, but word it differently. Berkeley says "This offer includes full guaranteed support for the entire duration of the program for all students in good academic standing" which im assuming means the same thing? Good question- definitely something I'd ask for clarification about from your other offers.

Does anyone know when Berkeley will be sending out their official acceptances? I was told they would come out soon after the informal ones but Im too impatient lol

Hi! So I only have two interviews (Berkeley and MIT) and I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome my Berkeley visit was and how much information they gave us about student life, housing, overall program atmosphere which was super helpful! I got accepted so I'm pretty excited and it makes me less nervous for my MIT interview coming up. I think the actual visit put my preferences into perspective and gave me a lot of information I didn't think to ask about so now I know what I'm looking for going into MIT!

i got an email to check my decision in the portal a couple weeks ago (rejected lol) so maybe there is still hope for you! I'd also recommend checking the portal too just in case

When I was looking for a technician job I used university websites and because I needed a job quick, I emailed the PIs directly with my CV explaining why I was interested to work in their labs and I ended up finding a good position within weeks. It's definitely hard to find positions but not impossible you just have to put yourself out there!

Feeeel that! I work here currently and apparently the head of their pharmacy program or something left the position right before interview season so I heard that the coordinator for GPN has to also plan their recruitment as well which is probably why it's taking so long

Wow thank you for breaking that down! That is more along the lines of what I've been hearing from my mentors about the process but it's good to know there's a spectrum of how difficult it could be. Best of luck to you!

Yeah that's a good idea, I have a mock interview planned with my current lab tomorrow and one on Friday with an old mentor so hopefully that helps calm my nerves. Yikes that sounds honestly terrifying and I hope that's not the case for all institutions but I will definitely prepare for the worst. Thanks again!

Ah that sounds pretty stressful! But thank you for the helpful insight! Hopefully, my diverse experience will set me apart but I will definitely try and be concise in what I'm saying and not leave much to interpretation. I don't have the most confidence when talking about neuroscience (my weakness is public speaking) so I am focusing on formulating good, intellectual answers. Thanks again and best of luck to you!

To those who have already had interviews- what was your overall experience talking with faculty? did you find it to be an intimidating interrogation or more of a candid conversation? I am in the process of preparing some answers to obvious questions they may ask but I don't want to sound too scripted but I also don't want to sound unprepared. If anyone has any insight on this I would appreciate it! I'm super nervous lol

Hey! I have my first interview coming up soon and I just went and got some clothes to wear. I wear leggings and hoodies on a regular basis so business casual is not my forte. Berkeley specified in their email "As a rule, clothing is casual on campus, and you are encouraged to wear anything you are comfortable with while meeting graduate students and faculty." so I got a nice pair of slacks and some nice wool sweaters and blouses. Im wondering if it is common to wear blazers as well? I got one in case but I don't want to overdress. Anyone have any insight on this? Thanks!

Harvard, MIT and Stanford are up there for sure but UCSD, UCSF, and Johns Hopkins are very competitive as well (among MANY others I'm sure). I've asked a few of my mentors the ranks of schools but ended up just googling it. Here's an example but each website uses different criteria so it mostly based on what your interests are/fit and future goals... I wouldn't avoid applying to top schools because they are competitive, but apply to schools that actually align with your interests and experience and you'd be surprised. For example, my GPA isnt competitive but I received interviews from two top schools (although I got rejected everywhere else lol) but still! you never know! Hope that was helpful https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/neuroscience-behavior

I heard 25-27 through this thread but I would def trust their website over that haha sorry for the confusion!