earsnbrains

hi guys! I just committed to the neuro phd program at vanderbilt, but i've been doing speech and language neuroscience work for the past year and plan on moving into sensory/auditory neuroscience for my PhD research. I know its kinda early since it isn't even April 15th yet, but I've been browsing apartments (I'm a think ahead planner kinda person and the whole idea of moving across the country is starting to get to me) and realized that while 1 bedrooms/studios close to campus are more affordable than most places (under $1,200 a month), having at least 1 roommate makes a HUGE difference (rent goes down to like, $500-$850 a month each person). If anyone is interested in the possibility of being roommates and moving in somewhere August 1st, feel free to DM me here or on twitter (@adriana_et_al). I was planning on looking around Hillsboro, the Gulch, West End, Midtown, and Music Row areas (but Hillsboro seems super cute so I feel like that might be the most ideal).

No problem! I have no idea to be honest. I haven't even received the official letter yet so I wouldn't entirely lose hope yet. Did you interview? They will definitely send out rejection emails at some point. Also realize that you could be waitlisted and that you could still have a good chance of getting in if thats the case. If it helps im having super conflicting feelings about Vandy because of the sketchy MeToo related stuff coming out of the neuro department right now and that might be the case for others accepted which would probably be good news for waitlisted people.

I think most rotation-based programs (at least the ones I've looked into) have a "safety net" in case that happens. Like usually your funding switches to the lab after rotations but in case of emergencies the program will foot the bill, they wouldn't leave you without a stipend. Some places advertise this as "guaranteed funding" while others put it slightly differently so it doesn't hurt to ask. Both Duke programs I applied to had this but each phrased it slightly differently.

they just sent em out

Bruce Carter said they're meeting this Tuesday

yea i got my interview from einstein yesterday, they're definitely nearing the end of their "cycles" though cuz i got invited to an interview 2/27-3/1 and theres not a ton of acceptable weekends after that for other interviews. and yes, agreed about penn. like i know i got rejected but it'd be nice to get some confirmation.

As someone who got a job in a lab instead of a post-bac program, I feel like the experience (and how it translates/looks on apps) highly depends on the lab. In my lab, we don't have any grad students and its pretty much just me, the PI, and another investigator whos on our grant; so I pretty much do everything a grad student would do, plus some lab managery/lab tech stuff. I have my own projects that I've presented at conferences. I even get classes at harvard extension school (harvard classes but at night and basically anyone can take them) free or extremely discounted, much like in a post-bac program. My PI knows I'm applying to grad school and makes sure to tell me about talks and events that I should go to. I'm writing 2 publications right now. I have other friends who are employees in labs as well who have been incredibly involved in projects at the same level as me, and others that are truly more of an assistant. The main tiny qualm I have sometimes is that because my PI is technically my boss, you have to consider that they have final say on anything. I had a problem with the paradigm we were using once and when I expressed that, he listened and in the end decided to go with what he preferred despite concerns I expressed, and I had to execute that. Not a super common occurrence, but there is that sense of being an employee sometimes that I don't love. But then again, I have the advantage of saying "I can't stay late tonight" when I want to (with exceptions of course). Obviously, doing a program like PREP or NIH post-bac looks really good because you have to be admitted and PIs have a clear idea of how involved you were rather than having to be told by you. Definitely worth applying to. But also look at jobs. They usually pay better, and in the right lab, you can get basically the same experience; and as long as you can explain that to PIs and have things like LORs and poster presentations to back up, its basically as impressive as doing a program. But finding that kind of lab might be a little harder than just applying to a program, so you really need to try both. And if it counts for anything, most PIs have referred to being an RA/tech/coordinator for a couple years between as post-bac research. Thats what I've been told to call what I'm doing by people in my field. Obviously not the same as a program, but I think that speaks to how similarly regarded they are by professors.

they'll probably just shoot you an email over the next few days or try calling again another time

Congrats! I also noticed that you got interviews from UR BCS and Tufts/Jax. My undergrad was at UR BCS and I was highly involved in the department (in addition, my undergrad PI is dept chair), and my best friend started her phd at Tufts/Jax last year, so if you have any questions related to either of those programs or lift in rochester and bar harbor feel free to reach out! I know due to recent controversies people tend to have a lot of questions about UR BCS.

Einstein hasn't sent out all their invites yet so don't lose all hope for them yet!

I haven't heard from them either, and the dean of grad studies put in a good word for me so I feel like i have a solid chance. also i got an interview on christmas eve so you never know how these adcoms work lmao

did you talk to PIs before you applied? Dont lose hope!! you're quite literally at half empty half full status right now. 3 unofficial rejections, but EQUALLY as many programs that you still have to hear back from! Many programs dont even send invites until January. Don't let this thread throw you into a panic. Remember that this is only a small representation of the applicant pool, and mostly consists of the most neurotic amongst us. You never know what can happen. I know it sounds stupid and everyone says this and it means very little when you feel your dreams might be crushed but most things happen for a reason. If you don't get in anywhere, its probably for a reason. talk to a PI in your field you trust to try and figure out what that is. A PhD isn't like other degrees, if theres something your missing but the drive is there, you can usually fix that something. you just need to figure out what it is.

i hate that im about to entertain your trolling rn, but I'm out of reacts for today so i cant dislike your posts. I didn't apply to OHSU, but seriously for the sake of those who did stop being so annoying or fuck off. Theres DMs for a reason

No, but after extensively talking with the PI pre-submission and spending an unhealthy amount of time analyzing the gradcafe results page it seems pretty clear that they really only send 2 rounds of interview invites, and both have been sent. one of their interview dates was very early in January (which means its logistically too late for them to invite you to that one) and they give interviewees the option to choose between weekends (which means it is unlikely that they're the kind of program that would send more invites out once people decline interviews, because they did give their interviewees options to avoid that problem and one of their dates isn't a popular one. 1/10). With a system like that, all the signs point to the fact that they're done sending them out. They're an extremely popular program, theres like a bajillion faculty affiliated with their neuro group.

95.9% sure UPenn is done

I dont know how many interview invites they sent out, but they received a little over 100 applications and tend to enroll 5-7 people each year

are you kidding? every major city has crime (some more than others), you just have to be smart and safe, which is easy to do in Philly. Compared to a lot of other major cities its actually super affordable. Everyone has different experiences, lets try not to speak in absolutes and stay positive here...

I'm 90% sure Einstein isn't done, if you look at previous cycles they trickle them out until even late january..they have more than 2 interview weekends typically so they can do that

no its for the Psych PhD on the cognitive neuro track (psych program but you receive a cognitive neuroscience degree)

GUYS has anyone had any luck/experience with talking to programs that only invite you for 1 weekend thats the same weekend as another program with only 1 apparent weekend? fuckk I just got an interview at carnegie mellon cognitive neuro (YAY!) but its the same weekend as UMD NACS (which I low key already committed to). How do you email the program people about it? I don't want to seem like I'm favoring another program...

you should email Tobias @ CNAP and see if he can have you go to one of the other duke weekends instead like neurobio? Its 1/24 i think

IGP and NGP are definitely gonna be separate interview invites so i wouldnt worry. they might be the same weekend though?

see you during interview weekend!

thanks! they're sending out emails these next couple days, i think they called since I asked the neurobio people about my CNAP app and they wanted to fill me in on my options.

Just got a call saying I got a Duke CNAP interview (2/24-2/26) ! Woo soo excited, looks like I'll be in Durham twice this season