whotfisSarahTonin

Yesterday was the best day ever! I accepted into Boston University's GPN and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Can't wait to start working towards my PhD in Computational Neuroscience in the fall!
To everyone still waiting to hear back or who are currently waitlisted at their top choice, don't give up or let it get you down! Even if you don't get in to your top choice (or any where this application cycle), take consolidation that between university budget cuts, the amount of students who deferred a year last cycle, and the waiving of the GRE requirements, this was one of the toughest grad application cycles in probably the past decade and thankfully it is almost over!
The fact that you are on this forum means you are invested in your career in neuroscience and I have no doubt that you will succeed no matter what obstacles are thrown your way! 
 

WC people— if you haven't heard back, you've been waitlisted! According to program coordinator

WC people— if you haven't heard back, you've been waitlisted! According to program coordinator

WC people— if you haven't heard back, you've been waitlisted! According to program coordinator

WC people— if you haven't heard back, you've been waitlisted! According to program coordinator

Declined my offers and accepted my top school! Very excited, officially going to start my PhD journey this fall. Good luck to you all! Sending so many good vibes.

I'm in the same boat! I'm clinging to any hope of good news ?

hmm what if we haven't heard back at all? ?

I think there is only one interview week, so all invites have likely been sent!

I think all invites are going to be sent out by mid February!

I think all invites are going to be sent out by mid February!

does anyone know if MIT sends out invites over the course of a couple days or if it's generally all within the same few hours?

does anyone know if MIT sends out invites over the course of a couple days or if it's generally all within the same few hours?

I would dress in business attire: blazer + blouse/shirt and tie. Interviews are not very formal but it can't hurt to dress professionally.
How to stand out: show your personality and passion for science! Interviews can range from you talking about your work for 20 minutes straight to very casual conversations about science and doing research. Interviewers want to see that you will complete a PhD. That means showing that you love science, showing you are not blindly following the instructions of a superior, and frankly that you can handle the workload. If you haven't done an independent project, be prepared to justify how you will be able to work on your own/without guidance. You will probably also be asked if you could continue working on your current project for 1 more year, what you would do.
Also, there will be a portion where the interviewers tell you about their work. Look interested and ask questions. I read a couple papers of each of my interviewers before going in. I don't think it was necessary but did help me.
Finally, you will be asked pretty often what you want to do in grad school. It doesn't have to be specific, but dream big. It would help to know a couple of techniques you're interested in learning and the subfield you want to explore. Example: "I'm really interested in addiction and drug use and would love to learn some molecular techniques to study opioid receptors as well as do fMRI studies in patients..." etc. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall, schools are also adjusting to online interviews and recognize the challenge. They are also trying to convince you to go to their school, so they are also working very hard to show the culture and value of their program. If you have multiple interviews lined up, you should also be feeling out the school and seeing how well you connect with the program! I also get nervous about online meetings but it's a two way street - everyone is very understanding of that and some difficulties are expected. 
In short: 
-practice talking about your research clearly and concisely
-know who you're interviewing with
-say a bit about what you dream of doing in grad school
-relax, you'll do fine if you like science
-take note of how much you like the school
Hope that helps, feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
 

“Applications are still being reviewed and we expect invitations will go out early next week.” from the program coordinator!

“Applications are still being reviewed and we expect invitations will go out early next week.” from the program coordinator!

iirc SNAAP was open to anyone applying for PhD programs in neuro this cycle, not just at Stanford/if you got an interview at Stanford!

any news on jhu second batch?

I am an American student and I have my bachelors in psych (3.69). I have 4 years of neuroscience research experience as an undergraduate, and 2+ years of neuroscience and brain imaging research experience as a full time research specialist. 1 first author publication and two other publications in prep. Have lots of involvement in the field and was invited to give talks at formal conference and other relative things. 
 
And yet i did not receive a single invitation this year.. the problem seems to be with this cycle not being an international student. Most schools waved their gre requirements because of covid and a lot more people applied. Also, most schools have limited spots for next year, so that seems to be a huge problem too. I know it’s super disappointing but please don’t give up on your dreams. There are a lot of people who apply twice and three times to get in and it’s totally fine!! 
 

congrats!!

I just heard! my body is tingling, completely did not expect to get this far ??

Ok well now I’m embarrassed 

Has anyone else heard from Stanford?

Happy new year!! Wishing everyone a wonderful 2021 and success in our grad school pursuits

I was told by the admissions committee member that only 40 interviews were offered!