lab ratta-tat-tat

Graduate school supplies- Dropbox cloud storage is totally worth it Photoshop/adobe illustrator Papers-citation and paper reading program is amazing Pear note is an app you can get for about $10 for your phone but the computer program is about $40- the program allows you to record lectures and type in the program notes and import handouts from the lecture. You can even select the exact part in the lecture you want to start listening to by selecting in the text. Make sure you get the appropriate adaptor for your laptop so you can give presentations without having to fuck around with the wrong adaptor. Get a laser pointer with a slide advancer lastly get an external hard drive. As for clothes- Be comfortable. All the graduate students (men and women of all ages)I know where jeans every day (sometimes colored jeans). Only pretentious people who are over compensating where suits or over dress in the biomedical sciences field.

I got my LOR writers a starbucks gift card, they were obsessed with coffee and a starbucks was right next to where we worked. For the PI who i worked with for years I bought him a nice bottle of scotch as a thank you for the years he mentored me and for the letter, but I knew him very well so it was appropriate. Make sure you hand write the letter. I was also told that if you get into graduate school, to update your LOR writers about your acceptance so they know their letter helped you reach that milestone in your career trajectory.

If you've been rejected you have the right to know. Politely ask what suggestions they have for you to be a more competitive applicant for the next application cycle. I did that 4 years ago when I was rejected from programs I applied to and the adcom was super helpful, i spoke on the phone with some of them, corresponded via email and the programs I applied to at the time were not interested in research experience, but instead they were more interested in GPA and GRE scores which make their program appear to be more competitive. In the end it worked out great, those programs were not a good fit. There alumni typically did not end up in research positions but instead ending up in teaching positions (high schools, some college) and this is not conducive with my career trajectory.

@ Elk Heart- Same thing happened to me 4 years ago. I wasn't accepted anywhere. I watched people get into the program I applied to with worse test scores than mine, no research experience, or worse- I watched people with better scores than me be accepted purely because of grades/gre scores then drop out of the program or slack off to an insulting level. I worked for someone for 4 years, got 3 publications, my own project, mentored graduate students, reapplied to new and better programs and I'm now in a field/program I absolutely love and could not have gotten here without what i perceived was a "setback" at the time. It turned out to be the best thing and made me an awesome and extremely competitive applicant.

@ AnxiousUrbanPlanner- Sorry to hear your freaking out, a lot of people are now, so it's actually quite normal. Let me remind you that a lot of schools are just getting back from break. Adcoms will probably meet this week (if they haven't met before the break) to discuss applicants and their materials, and send out notification this or next week, but this can differ from program to program. If you are worried you are not hearing back because of material not being there you could always politely send an email saying "I am just emailing to confirm all my application materials have been received, if not please let me know which materials have not so I may rectify the situation". Good luck and hang in there!

You can use NIH reporter to look up PI's to determine how much funding they have from NIH grants. This is again, only specific to NIH grants and not private funding, departmental funding, etc. I tell students this all the time, always ask future PI's "are you taking students" and when you get into the program and you are considering rotating ask what the current funding situation is, how many RO1's, do they currently have, are they applying for more RO1's, have previous students applied for pre-doctoral fellowships (NRSA's), is this encouraged in their lab, if so- are they willing to help you with this goal? Lastly, it is terrifying how many students programs are taking without having enough funding. I worked at a large university where the program took 14 students one year and a lot of them had no where to go. They ended up in labs that were just starting up that had only startup funding and several of them dropped out. We also had a newer faculty member promise 2 students a spot in his lab but asked them to keep it a secret and he let other students rotate through thinking they had a spot available and he didn't. Always ask the PI how many students they are considering taking, are those spots actively available, etc. If you can, reach out to older students in the program who have rotated in the labs you are interested in (once you get in, you can ask around) ask them for their candid advice and set up rotations early. Nothing is more frustrating than a student walking into your office a week before or after rotations are to/were to begin needing a spot because they didn't think ahead.

The Q and V scores are not bad, the writing score isn't great but I do know neuroscience students who got in with lower Q and V scores than you have and higher Writing scores. I think if your writing in your statement appears as intelligent as your verbal scores they may just look at it as a fluke with the writing score. While you are required to write in graduate school, they don't expect you to come in knowing exactly how to write a research paper or a grant, that is what their mentorship and program is for. Those are really good scores and not embarrassing by any means. Good luck!

Your definition of "embarrassing" is very skewed.

Have you tried contacting potential faculty members at the schools you are interested in to ask their opinions? This could provide two benefits 1.) Give you a better understanding of that programs requirements/ what part of the application they view most important, least important, etc. 2.) it will give you some contact with PI's from that school in the program you are interested in and get your name out there. I believe the UG GPA shouldn't be a problem if your masters GPA is good and higher than your UG GPA, it will show you've really improved your study habits/course work while in a masters program tailored to your field of interest. I think all your research experience and publications really help out as well as your SFN presentations. All signs point to- you would be a good graduate student. Also try looking for your program on the results search and see if "accepted" candidates put their scores/research experience years up there. Good luck!

@ReallyRiley- Not all schools have sent out invites yet. A lot of schools resume on January 5th and adcoms may meet right after the return from the holidays. Keep checking the results page to see if other people from the schools you applied to got invites, that should give you some insight on the timetable in the application process.

In order to obtain grants you need a PhD. The PhD prepares students for writing manuscripts and grants. An MD can apply for grants but because of a lack in grant writing experience, they will collaborate with or seek advice from a research faculty on grant writing. They are also not trained to write grants in medical school, the focus is not on securing funds in the forms of grants to start a lab, but in med school to be a doctor. New MD's who want to conduct their own research to obtain their own lab do not have grant writing experience, an established tenured faculty member will provide basic grant writing help and some advice. In some cases, I have seen research PI's offer their lab space and equipment to help out a new MD who wants to start his/her own research lab but has yet to secure funds and an actual lab space.

On the polar opposite end of the spectrum- I saw a girl last year who wore the nicest athleta yoga pants and top ever interview at our school. The girl said she was more comfortable in those clothes trekking around the campus and was warm. That girl kicked ass and was accepted into the program and does really good research. Just goes to show you comfort matters and being qualified is not synonymous with "dressing fancy". Additionally I know a faculty member who wears socks and chaco sandals all year round, no joke, and the same break away columbia pants. Clothes aren't something to get hung up on or obsessed over. just be comfortable and your accomplishments will speak for them selves. @ pastel tomato- when you are finished with the interview with the PI a graduate student is waiting for you in the room outside the PI's office or the PI will walk you to the common area where the student is waiting to take you to the next interview. No need to worry about getting lost, the adcom understands how stressful this time is and they do their best to eliminate little hiccups.

I think glow gene is just saying you may feel out of place- since other female applicants will wear a skirt, or pants of some type. It is cold, you will be walking around all day. You can wear a dress if you want, it doesn't differ from a skirt that much. In my experience, I saw more women wearing pants than dress/skirts because of the weather and not all buildings are heated to what you may be comfortable in. Additionally, women in skirts/dresses screams "I'm an applicant" and thats fine. If you are more comfortable wearing a dress, wear it. I love dresses- I wear them with tights in the winter, love them. I also am honest with my self and realize sometimes, it's cold and I know when I am cold i am uncomfortable and not my normal chatty and focused self. At this late stage in the game, there is no room for error and i wasn't ready to let temperature stand between me being myself and me looking nice but being cold and coming off aloof. Also, I know several male professors who keep their offices extremely cold! Not because they are jerks but honestly, they swear it makes them more productive. You will be entering other peoples workspaces and you should just be comfortable in what you are wearing all day. Good luck!

One thing that constantly comes up is all of the applicants applying to "top" schools, then freaking out. Are you sure a"top" school is the right fit for you? have you considered other schools not on the ivy league radar??? Some of the "mid level" or middle of the road programs have the most funding per PI and in their departments. Their students end up in top notch labs for their post doc and eventually end up being faculty members them selves. I am so f***ing tired of hearing everyone whine around about "top" programs. Maybe its not the best fit for you, look around, you will be devoting the next 7 years of your life to the program, you better like it, all of it, regardless of status.

The anxiety is the worst part. I was never an anxious person before the waiting. Something productive to do would be to start composing thanks you notes to those who wrote you a LOR and if you planned on purchasing a small gift for them (starbucks gift card or something more personal) you can spend your time doing that. The boomed. programs typically hear back sooner because the applicant pool is relatively large and they have to accommodate for about 3 different interview weekends so they have to plan early. Also because of the push for STEM education recently, a lot of those students are reaching graduate school age and those programs are busting at the seams. So I wouldn't feel like this is an accurate reflection of all programs. Take time to read. I read a bunch of random stuff on how wine was made, how gin is made, how coffee is made, I read all about apple orchards in upstate new york and vermont and all about hiking new places, etc. Things I had always been interested in I read about. To keep me sane, but I was also genuinely interested in it for a long time and wanted to know more. Good luck!

I considered getting a second bachelors in a different field for a while but I was told that would be a "parallel move" and instead to have research or work experience instead. I knew students who put off applying to grad school because they went back to get a second BS in biology, an associates degree in biology, when really they didn't need to do that. In our program, there are students who are getting a PhD in molecular biology or neuroscience and have a psychology degree, art history degree, and "liberal arts", and english degree. I was told and I tell students the best thing to do is get work experience/research experience. A PhD program wants to invest in students who know how to do the research and doesn't need their hand held every step of the way. Good luck!

No this is in the US. MD's who were new and were just starting their own lab from the ground up were facing these situations- not established MD's. Established MD' also conducting research get great NIH funding due to the translational applicability of their research. A new MD who wants to conduct research will generally seek out advice from an established research track/tenure track faculty if there has been a lack of scientific writing/grant writing in the MD's background.

The PhD is necessary to do research in terms of applying for grants. The PhD. provides the grant writing framework necessary to apply for and obtain an RO1 grant. If an MD does not have a PhD. they have to find a PhD. researcher to support them, assist in the grant writing and experimental design. I firsthand watched my colleague, a research PI help an MD try to write a grant and it was a nightmare. The MD was consistently dinged for not having grant writing experience and was not given the grants compared to the people who they were competing with for and RO1, those people all had previous grant writing experience.

Don't forget that since the holidays are around, most adcoms don't get back until January 5th. So lack of hearing any news can be attributed to the holidays. Pull yourself together and put on your game face because after January 6th, its a whole new ball game! Get ready, it gets scary.

january 5th the adcoms come back and have a meeting, and anything after january 6th is the approximate time you will hear back. It is really annoying how much time people take off for the holidays.

Also look into how the funding is for the neuroimaging labs if that what your interested in. Our program had 2 faculty members who did neuroimaging who could not get funding the one person left the university to go to another with more "departmental funding" vs. RO1grants via the NIH and the other faculty member rewrote their NIH grant to include more collaborative efforts with faculty members on campus using mouse models and gene expression. Always look at who has what funding, for how long, and how consistently they've been getting it, and what types of funding (private fellowships, vs gov. grants, vs. department funding). It is the worse thing ever to watch a student join a lab with little funding and then the PI ends up leaving and the student has to either start over in another lab from scratch (if a new PI will even take them) or quit the program they worked so hard to get into. And yes, it's normal to feel like a trophy wife, overly concerned over the $$$

@ Killer T, Let the person who emailed you or called you know you will need a translator. They do have them on campus. In our program we have a student who was accepted into the program and she had a translator all through out her PhD. and he finished and did really well. This does not hurt your chances at all. Good luck during your interviews! The interview process is the hardest, if you can make it to this point- smile, breathe, stay calm, and pull your self together, you are almost over the finish line! Best of luck!

books, lots of books! I read books for leisure and did not allow myself to read one scientific book... although I broke the rules by reading the madam curie complex.... but that was not on par with the typical scientific papers I read. read books, read the new york times. I read how different hard ciders were made, like different hard apple ciders and pear ciders, just for fun. I still have the knowledge today but it was a fun and interesting way to pass the time. I also learned how different roasts of coffee were made and how the caffeine content varies between dark and light roasts. At first I thought " I am going to exercise a lot" then a month in I did nothing, because I was afraid I would miss a phone call from an adcom member. I gained about 15 pounds doing nothing. Then i started working out and was like "I am going to get in the best shape of my life" and I did! Enjoy the limbo time in between, you won't have many more opportunities like this in life.

Email the director or the program head directly if you are concerned about taking the subject test. A lot of the time the subject tests are not actually factored into the final decision making process, even a fantastic score will not matter if it is not a regularly scrutinized piece of application material. The thing you truly need to focus on is program fit- not program pedigree. You need to find cognitive labs you really like because you will be spending 5+ years basically married tot that lab, program, geographical region, you better love everything about it and stop worrying about its ranking. Consider applying to other schools that have your fit, thats my best advice. I have watched students enter top notch programs, for the pedigree and be incredibly unhappy, and I've watched students enter great programs without the prestige but the best fit for them and they are incredibly happy and now are post docs at top notch places. It's all about fit.

I am going to be pretty candid here- any time a student comes to our program with an MD already now looking for a PhD. red flags are raised. Issues of career commitment and lifelong student status are also brought to our attention. You've devoted an enormous amount of time and money to a career in medicine and now you want to switch to another program. It almost sounds to me as you do not know what you want to do, and admissions committees see that too. Additionally, students who apply to MD/PhD programs are them selves initially huge redflags... they don't know what they want and the depth of research they do does not warrant a PhD. in the same degree it does for a PhD. student who does 7 yrs intensive research. MD/PhD. students thesis projects are sadly most of the time seen as unoriginal and extensions of former summer students projects. Additionally MD/Phd faculty members out there can barely obtain grant funding, why are you now seeking to obtain a PhD? In my experience these students do not get along with their peers, they continue to bring their "medical school" knowledge to graduate school, and they are trained to memorize and regurgitate information, where as PhD students are trained to think about the big picture and think how each signaling cascade flows with the next one, brought up in the following lecture, and in next years lecture.