nertperson

Whew! Add me to the list. I chose the better reputation school over a school where students and faculty seemed universally happy--but only because I really didn't have any good research fits at the happy school.

Really? You don't think it could be like a crappy first date that turns into a great relationship? (I don't know if that actually happens either.)

Choosing between two schools for neuroscience PhD. My research interests are sort of broad/vague. Accepted at two schools and was not terribly excited by any of the research I saw at either one. School A: Slightly higher-ranked. Funded through lab (so small chance funding could disappear). Many labs I didn't get a chance to meet with that might end up being a good match. Nice climate but regional "culture" does not suit me at all. School B: Guaranteed funding through department. Did not really click with any of the labs I visited and there are only a few other options. Not happy with climate or research options but really enjoyed my time there, and felt much more suited to both the school's and town's atmosphere. What else am I not considering? Why is this such a tough decision? I thought the obsessing would end once the acceptances were in!

Why "go big or go home"? The short answer is, you are never guaranteed admission into top tier schools. And I think without a publication (or several) your case doesn't look especially strong. Not saying it's impossible, but I wouldn't bank on it.

I actually had an interviewer say, "If you're getting Bs in grad school, that's okay......but if you're getting As, it means you're not spending enough time in the lab." Not sure if that answers your question or not, but I think you already kind of know the answer to it anyway.

You have nothing to worry about. My final GPA was somewhere in the unenviable 3.1 range, and for no good reason. When asked, I told my interviewers explicitly that it was because I never did shit like withdraw from courses I was doing poorly in, take mickey mouse classes to boost my GPA, take harder courses at community college, or any of the other fun and games I saw other people play at. I have only gotten into one school so far (and been rejected by at least 8 ), but if I can get in with my garbage GPA, your 3.5 shouldn't hold you back.

I got the big ol' rejection from their psychology program sometime in late January or early February, I believe.

Give it some time and think about it. When I took my GREs I was inconsolable because I scored 100 points lower than my practice tests. I realized after a week or so that my score, while not providing me with the bragging rights I so wanted, was still reasonably good. No one (NO ONE) has ever gotten into grad school because of their GRE scores. But people have been rejected because of their GRE scores. Are your scores low enough to keep you out? I don't know--I'm not in your field, don't know your schools, etc. However, it seems to me that your scores will probably be good enough. Best of luck.

Hey, now. I'm sure you're a perfectly nice person but this post sounds pretty darn arrogant. Having been involved in research at boring public universities and at an elite big name school, I can tell you that I don't particularly value Ivy reputations. That said, you don't know this other guy's background. Maybe he cured cancer/invented cold fusion/whatever and was too humble to rub it in your face. Or, maybe the Magic Admissions Dart hit his application. Who knows. But why be a sore loser? You've already been accepted elsewhere, enjoy your success!

I guess she thought they were mature and reasonable enough to understand her situation. Unfortunately it seems academia (like everything else) is ruled by ugly politics.

I know a post-doc who did that and the university held a very long grudge against her. She was about to apply for a job at the university she had un-chosen years ago and was cautioned against it.

I got rejected by a department (that I really, really liked) about 3 weeks ago, post-interview. Today I got a REALLY confusing letter from their graduate department (NOT the department I applied to) saying that my application was "under review" and a decision will be posted in a few days. Is it normal to get rejected from BOTH the department AND the graduate school as a whole? Or should I chalk this up to some kind of computer glitch?

Er....spell check? Unless you really meant the verb "advise". Seriously though, did you have any glaring errors?

I have two schools that have already had interview weekends and not bothered to reject me. Why? Is it just that I'm so incredibly amazing they don't need to interview me and they're going to admit me with the interviewees? Did they want me to pay an $85.00 application fee plus a $0.41 cent rejection letter mailing fee? Did they think I was just kidding when I applied? Anyone....?

The last time I called him rude the mods jumped to his defense. I maintain my initial analysis. Ban away, mods.

I can't believe the mods think it's appropriate to call someone's university "sucky".

I have a friend who found a brilliant way to circumvent her unremarkable GRE scores....she got a Rhodes scholarship Also, those of you posting weird discrepancies in your V and Q scores, keep in mind that the test is REALLY off-center right now. A 500V and 500Q are wildly different percentiles. I would estimate 500V puts you a bit above the 50th percentile, but 500Q will definitely be way below it. (My scores were 10 points and 22 percentiles apart!) Just a tip from an ex-GRE teacher.

I can't even tell you how many mistakes I made on my apps. None of them mattered.

The original figure they quoted said they'd be admitting approximately 75% of the people there (at the interview weekend). They even went so far as to say that if every applicant really was fantastic, they wouldn't be able to admit us all, but they would waitlist the remainder. Instead they admitted 50% and waitlisted 2. Maybe everyone there just sucked so horribly they couldn't imagine admitting us? I would find that so hard to believe given how impressive the other students were (not myself!) It was really bizarre. Maybe they got a huge last minute funding cut. Maybe they were all having a REALLY BAD DAY and had to take it out on someone. Maybe they're just jerks. I really have no idea.

I was rejected from a neuroscience program that recruited us pretty hard at the interview weekend, and who sold their program so well I was really excited to go there. Also they lied about how many people they were accepting.

Hello from another neuroscientist. So far I've been through 1 phone interview and 2 interview weekends. The weekends were very similar. Expect a confusing mix of being judged and courted. The interviews will mostly be a process of matching you to a lab, not really about judging your qualifications (they already think you're qualified). If you're a good fit, you're in. If not, better luck elsewhere. Aside from interviews, you'll probably have a poster session and some tours of the campus and surrounding area. Also, expect a fair amount of free beer, and lots of crappy free food. The biggest surprise for me was how intimidating the competition was. Everyone you meet will be insanely well-qualified. (Or at least that was my experience. Maybe you're so insanely well-qualified they won't intimidate you!) Either way, best of luck, and enjoy the freebies!

Don't go to Binghamton.

Canadianpolisci, I am SO glad you replied, because you are specifically the person I was referring to as "rude". It seems to me that your posts are often demeaning, belittling, and condescending. Also I love that you assumed I was "Mr" Kaplan; I hope it's not that you assume everyone with a high GRE score must be male! So to continue, having a good GRE score is not a problem, but having a lousy attitude about your great GRE score and throwing objectivity to the wind certainly is (sorry, I'm a scientist!) I "dropped" my percentile (which was established through a Kaplan internal metric used to hire teachers, who must have a combined score over the 90th percentile) to establish that I was not just a sour grapes person with a low GRE score. I think objectivity would be GREAT. But let me tell you a little story. I once had a private tutoring student who paid almost $5,000 for her tutoring. Her quant score went from a 290 to a 730 (yeah, I'm that good). Does that sound like a level playing field to you?

Mr. "I love the GRE" is also a regular. We know his problem: he rocked the GRE! Well, guess what. My overall score is in the 96th percentile. I taught Kaplan courses (SAT, GRE, MCAT) for 3 years. I know standardized tests inside and out. And it turns out standardized tests are: (A) Easy to crack ( Completely meaningless If you got a great score, CONGRATULATIONS! Be proud of yourself! You are probably very smart and/or worked very hard to get there. But stop pretending people with lower scores are somehow less qualified than you are for a graduate education. You're just being rude.