schaffercolls

I think they are done sending out invites, as their last interview dates are in 2 days

Just to be semantic, are the Psych and Neuro programs separate?

It varies wildly. Especially if you are responding to a job posting somewhere. This could mean they pool applications up to a certain date and then contact people they like, or they send replies to applicants first-come-first-serve. If you are cold calling someone they will probably respond in a matter of days, assuming they check their emails fairly regularly. The positive thing about all of this is that if it is urgent, you can mention reasons for expedition (visa) and follow up on your email with an inquiry about the process/timelines/your chances of interview, getting the position, etc. (unlike grad apps).

You should treat RA/Tech positions as job applications. You can apply to any lab, anywhere, at any time if they have an opening/funding. However, like job applications, you could send out 30 cover letters/resumes and have none of them bite. Unlike job applications, if a lab doesn't have funding for graduate students it probably means they don't have funding for a tech (Not all the time, but keep that in mind). Generally starts immediately to about a month out (to let employed individuals put in a 2-week notice, etc.). I would assume labs are forgiving if you are still in school and are willing to wait until graduation to hire you as a full-time employee.

I don't know. Aside from the timing issue (people looking for tech positions probably starting May-June, and leaving techs vacating their positions in August-September), I don't see why not.

Honestly start with contingencies now. Even RA/Tech jobs are far and few between, and it gets more selective depending on what kind of research you're looking into, so it will be some time before these efforts produce results. Additionally, if you're in undergrad until May/June, you have time to confirm your position (whether you get into grad school, or get a tech position, etc.). Don't wait until March, because that is when everyone is thinking the same thing as you are.

I think above a certain threshold of “stats”, it boils down to research interests and luck. If the people you have a good fit with aren’t accepting students from the 2020 cohort, you’re SOL. However, the person who may rank slightly below you stats-wise may get an invite because that person wants to work with a PI who is desperate for students, so is accepting upwards of 2 students from 2020, etc. One of my best friends and I both applied to UCSF and Berkeley. We have worked in the same lab for the same amount of time, and we edited each other’s papers, applications, and our stats are extremely similar. The only difference in our apps is research interests. However I got an invite to UCSF and got rejected from Berkeley while the opposite happened to her. i think the key takeaway is that you shouldn’t give up because your “stats” are not the best, or because you are getting rejections from a couple schools. If even one person likes your application and thinks you are a good fit, it means you have a chance!

UCLA sent out a couple weeks ago.

I am a traditionally trained neuroscientist with minimal experience in comp. Most of the programs I applied to are comp programs— I think a combination of research interest and sufficient computational skills matters more than a purely mathematical background.

I haven’t heard back when I asked my POIs or adcom because holidays. I think it’s going to be a wait until at least the 2nd to find out what the options are. IIRC one of the interview weekends is something like 21-22, and then another weird one with 23-24, so if you are inclined I think we’re gonna have to squeeze in two interview events into a weekend somehow.

Got an invite from NYU!

Got interviews to UChicago, UCLA and UCSF!