BrainsAreJustMeatMachines

I’ve worked with a few rotation students who’ve come through our human lab, each cohort are all incredibly supportive of each other and have become a close group of friends. Irvine itself is pretty bland (safest city), but you just drive 15-20 min in any direction and you’re in some really fun cities, or at the beach, or in the mountains. SD and LA are only an hour away in either direction too so there’s that. Grad life is stressful, yes, but it’s got a great support system and tons of stuff to do. As for acceptance rates, idk. Cohort size seems to be somewhere around 15 people? If it’s a good fit for you, and you demonstrate that passion for research, and are clear about the research process you’ve done, you’ll be great! DM me your POIs, if they are human models I might be able to tell you a little about their lab life too! Hope this helps ~

Honestly, at least you know you like research! You sound incredibly ready for PhD, so it must be just research area doesn’t quite match up. I know comp Neuro is especially hard to match with (you need practical experience with coding skill and neuro modeling/imaging). I’m sorry the projects you are working on don’t line up with what you want to do, but given your experience I’m sure transferring or applying to another lab would be a lot easier for you than most, especially since you’re in neurobio already. What helped me was being pointed to several email lists in research areas that I like, and searching for lab research positions in research I was interested in. Also reaching out to labs you like and asking if they have any research positions available. Worst case scenario you can leave them with your CV and if a position opens they will be more likely to contact you. You’re in a better boat than me, I’d say, but I hope this helps!

I'm so sorry to say, but odds are you won't hear invites from most of them, as these programs usually send invites in one go and not in batches. There's a chance with waitlist, but if you see invites being sent out its best to try moving on if you didn't get one. Dwelling on potentially being on the waitlist does more harm than good :/. What's your profile like? More often than not it comes down to fit and research experience, both of which can be remedied by seeking a research assistant / lab manager position at a top 50 program. Which isn't easy, and takes time, but once you find one you can be financially stable while spending time building your skills and CV, refining your research interests, and reaching out to prospective labs. Being able to attend conferences and present is a huge way to make connections, too. Initially being rejected my first round, I was really disappointed. One of the labs I applied to, though, liked me enough that they helped me find a job as a Lab Manager. Its not what I originally wanted, but it ended being incredibly worth it. Now, even if I'm rejected again, I'll just apply next year knowing I'll have a stronger CV, more publications, more connections, etc. Point is, you have got options to pursue, just don't give up!

Hi I'm new to this forum! Second time applicant, learned a few things the first time around. Got a research position at UC Irvine and am trying again after two years! So far I got interview invites to: UCSD Neuro - Generic email NYU Cognition & Perception - Personalized email Rejected from: UW Neuro UC Berkeley Neuro Pending (Not all neuro): UCSD CogSci, UW Psych, Stanford Psych, Harvard Psych, MIT BCS, BU GPN, BU BBC, UC Berkeley Vision Science If anyone's heard from these programs, please let me know Also if anyone has some question's about UC Irvine INP I'm willing to answer any questions! I've been a Lab Manager here for a little over a year in the Neurobiology & Behavior department, and work closely with a few other labs.

Fellow (second time) Applicant here, UC Berkeley Neuro sent me a personalized email saying they unfortunately could not offer me an interview, but they recommended I transfer my app to Vision Science as its better fit and my application is strong. Odds are not in anyone's favor at this point to get an interview, sadly Same goes for UCSD Neuro, I got a generic invite to interview , and then a few days ago a request to fill out a survey for PIs we want to speak with. Given they are also pretty up there, I don't expect anyone to turn down the invite. As for MIT, I'm in the same boat as you, crossing fingers and anxiously reading emails. Hope this helps ~