lab ratta-tat-tat

I sympathize with you and your condition but I would NOT mention it. We had an entire discussion in one of my courses (pharmacology) of cognitive enhancers and should students be allowed to use them or not while in graduate school. I definitely got the impression the professors did not like the idea of students using them and if you were, they didn't want to hear about it. I truly would Never put this in my statement of purpose.

Also- 7 years research experience is amazing! After all, a PhD is all about research right? They are looking for students who can do research and get in and out of the program with success.

I have nothing to contribute but I have bookmarked this page to periodically laugh. It never gets old- any of them. I can't stop laughing.

And you want to get into graduate school? You mean to tell me in the year 2011 where everyone obsessively checks their emails and you check thegradcafe.com X times a day, that you didn't check your email? I do not believe you. There is some flawed logic present that makes me not believe you. Second, it is your responsibility to complete the assignment. So lets rewind- you told the professor you sent the assignment in, even though you know you actually did not? That is lying and foolish, it is the type of thing that wont get you far in graduate school.

2am frosty- Congrats on the invite! That is great! would you mind telling where you got your invite or where you applied. The application process is ridiculous in my opinion and very annoying. The politics behind it are also annoying-referring to your comment about upholding the public image. Also, I have found that schools with later deadlines do this because they are trying to snatch up the rejects (who are extremely qualified individuals) from top tier universities. to be honest, i don't give a BEEP why they are doing it, just accept or reject us quickly please. UGHHHHH!!!!

I don't have time, I registered a while ago for this date (it was the first one opened) and I had to drive pretty far away because the other test centers were full- Also my material is due on January 15th so.... It's not looking awesome

So I just took the GRE (better late than never eh) and I ran out of time and got a horrible, horrible, horrible score below 1000. I thought I was a good applicant before but i am pretty sure I have just blown my chances. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? I am freaking out and don't know how to calm down. HELP!

If you receive an offer for an interview- Congratulations! They liked your application and want to learn more about YOU and what you did in the past and what you can contribute yo their program. An interview is a great opportunity for faculty members to talk to you more and look at your application less. Take this time to think about all the positives in your application and figure out a way to highlight them in conversation. If the conversation goes in a negative direction address the issue but quickly sling shot back to other positive aspects of your application

I have found that more people are applying to top notch programs, maybe because of fit, but probably because of the "Name". Those places send out invites, acceptances, rejections first. The middle tier schools with still great professors, programs, and research, may have later deadlines but also, they are trying to snag the people who were rejected from the top tier schools. This way they still get great students but they were rejected from the ivy schools due to, like i said before, too many applicants with the exact same profile. It is all a Ponzi scheme, but you are correct, it is quiet around here. Too.... quiet.

Bison- her focus is on cancer biology. I am not sure what lab specifically, she went off the radar after she moved there this summer (which is of course acceptable). She is currently doing rotations but that is all I know, I wish I could be more help. Also, your statement about not knowing if it is a good fit until you get there is very true. 2 years ago I applied to what I thought was the program of my dreams, when I was extended an interview, I hated the program, not so much the state but the program was awful, the students seemed so depressed and all they did was complain about the politics within the program. When the school offered me admission I turned it down and sadly, that year it was my only invite!!! Although the waiting game sucks, it is better to wait for a better position in a better program versus taking the first offer that comes along, even when it is transparent that it is not a great choice. Good Luck!

I am pretty sure they glanced at my transcript- saw I got a 3.0 and threw my entire application packet out. Too bad I have 2 publications, 5 years total research experience 2 years molecular biology lab experience and I have presented a poster at several meetings and I am still pretty young. Back to the drawing board.

I am not applying to sociology but it does seems suspiciously slow around the results board for psychology and sociology students, especially compared to last year and the year before. Also, the schools applicants are applying for are much more prestigious now than 2 years back. It seems like everyone has their eye on the prize, which makes it difficult for those waiting during the application process because 40 people with the same background are applying for the same position, it's a tough crowd. Good luck

Bison- I also did the same thing. I had a lot of research experience in cog neuro but wanted to go into neuroscience, so I have been an RA for 2 years now in a molecular biology/neuroscience lab to alleviate that deficit. I also feel it should help but then again, I was confident before. I applied to U. of Utah, U. Montana, UCSF, UC irvine, etc. but I really want to get into Utah, it is the last one i am waiting to hear back from and it has the last/latest deadline which means they haven't even begun to look at apps. Congrats on the interview, is that your top choice??? A colleague of mine applied to Emory last year. She has 1 year research experience and was a physiology major and got in no problem at Emory, from what I have been told, it is all about fit- or mostly.

During your interview you will of course want to highlight all the awesome stuff about your resume. If you have research experience, talk about it, even if it is to students already in the program- I say this because those students are on a "recruitment committee" this committee reports back to the adcom, graduate secretary, and other people who makes decisions. I am not saying be best friends with them- what I am saying is, treat the students as if they were faculty members, their decision and perception of you can weigh heavily into the schools decision on whether or not to admit you. My PI sits on the admissions committee and says they accept 80% of people they interview. Sometimes they do not have a limit of people to accept but want as many stellar applicants they can get their hands on. PM me for any info on recruitment, interviews, etc. I know the ins and outs of the committee seeing as though I work for the program I am applying and learned the ropes for 2 years prior to applying.

When I mentioned that I was a first generation college student, SOME members of the adcoms were not impressed. They asked me why I thought I would be able to succeed as a graduate student with no family support. Other members were very impressed. I think it is a great idea to mention it but be aware some people may not think so highly of it. To be honest it is impressive to get through undergraduate years and be the first in your family to graduate from college, but also, to pursue a higher level of education beyond your bachelors degree is impressive. If it ties in nicely with your academic career it would be a huge advantage.

Bison- This is also my second time through this hellish procedure, and my Significant other tells me to turn off the alerts on my email and to stop checking my email constantly. What's your story- in regards to re-applying and what research areas are you interested in within neuroscience? Also, where are you applying? Good luck, being a 2nd time applicant does suck, but it seems much more realistic that an acceptance letter will come from the re-applying process, for various reasons.

Sputnik- I feel like a complete jerk for complaining about waiting until January vs. December after I hear how long you have to wait. I don't understand why it is so hard? Seriously. Just set a deadline, meet the day after (or on the deadline) and make a decision. I feel like it is not that difficult of a process, what the hell?! Maybe I am naive or completely fed up with the entire process I cannot feel compassion or sorry for adcom members and it comes off as mean but once you introduced me to your situation... I'd be pretty fed up too! After you said we wait 1/4 of a year it kind of shocked me, I did not even think of it in those terms/numbers. Holy crap-they need to speed this process up!!!

The January 15th deadline is pissing me off. I am unsure why a school would want a deadline so late. Everybody else in my field had the december 1 or 15th option and has heard something back. I even turned my materials in early (like December 15th-early) Does anyone else have a late deadline and get a little upset when they see others in their field already getting invites but you are sitting around waiting??? If so please explain your situation or just vent here- relieve some pent up stress. However- Once the January 15th deadlines have passed, I am sure the tables will turn and this deadline won't be pissing me off but right now..... it's annoying.

Ironically, I work in a drug addiction lab, and I am addicted to checking the results. I didn't put X and Y together until I read your post Dang it. At least we are all in this together... Woo hoo, it's a quarter of the way through January. Soon February will creep around the corner and in no time we will all be cured of our addictions.... maybe......

Steve Carrel Ok this one is even better Just in case yo want a laugh. Sorry to post a crap ton of links but I just want to alleviate some stress, please feel free to post any links you think would be awesome!

Heres a funny spoof of the Lebron James-The decision Feel free to comment on how you plan to tell the world (or your friends) about your "decision". To be honest- just thinking up random scenarios is half of the fun, when I discuss them with my significant other we laugh really hard, it only temporarily makes me forget about checking the results page and freaking out Enjoy.

Yeah, a lot of neuroscience stuff has come in, thankfully I work as a research assistant in the department I am applying and I know they don't meet about applications until next week (whew). It's a little too close for comfort.

Financially- my backup plan is much more lucrative than my plan a.) getting into graduate school. Perhaps my backup plan as Senior research assistant at University XYZ-awesome-ness should be my first plan.... and graduate school should be a back up plan hmmm....... not a bad idea.