2021 Neuroscience PhD Applicants and Admissions Results

[Smoothbrain]

On 1/16/2021 at 2:44 PM, NeuroQween said:

Has anyone who got an interview at Columbia received the interview schedule yet? It's this coming week and I've still not heard anything after selecting my POIs. 

I got a list of faculty that I'm interviewing with today along with times but no real schedule of events. Not totally sure what's going on. 

[vdngit]

Is anyone else still holding out for UCLA? 

Edited January 18, 2021 by vdngit
grammar

[canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls]

7 hours ago, vdngit said:

Is anyone else still holding out for UCLA? 

I'm still hoping for an interview. Though, I'm not optimistic because I thought their essay questions were strange and probably didn't write a great app ? 

[SalamNeuro]

Does anyone know if Stanford is still sending invitations?

 

I assume it is my last chance of getting an interview..

 

Status:

UPenn (Rejection) | UCSF (Rejection) | WashU St. Louis (Rejection) | UCSD (Pending) | Harvard (Pending) | Yale (Pending) | Stanford (Pending)

 

 

[lowestprime]

9 hours ago, vdngit said:

Is anyone else still holding out for UCLA? 

I asked a current UCLA neuroscience graduate student about interviews a while back and they mentioned everyone should have heard back by today so I am confused too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ucla/comments/kp7os8/ta_for_ucla_for_3_years_now_ama/ghx4phh

[whotfisSarahTonin]

1 hour ago, SalamNeuro said:

Does anyone know if Stanford is still sending invitations?

 

I assume it is my last chance of getting an interview..

 

Status:

UPenn (Rejection) | UCSF (Rejection) | WashU St. Louis (Rejection) | UCSD (Pending) | Harvard (Pending) | Yale (Pending) | Stanford (Pending)

 

 

I think Stanford officially sent out all interview invites for neuro last Friday unfortunately ? 

[SalamNeuro]

2 minutes ago, sadbrain said:

I think Stanford officially sent out all interview invites for neuro last Friday unfortunately ? 

I totally did not expect a rejection from all 7 programs!

 

Thank you for sharing and letting me know.

[space8]

1 hour ago, SalamNeuro said:

I totally did not expect a rejection from all 7 programs!

 

Thank you for sharing and letting me know.

You are not alone! This happened to me 2 years ago, and it really sucked. I’ve spent the last two years working as an RA in a lab I love and developing my research goals. I also applied to a few less competitive schools. This cycle, things are going better. Good luck! You will be okay. 

[Sonnny]

USC NGP announced I am on a shortlist of USC Dorn Sife Fellowship for NGP.

I am international student and very excited. However, there was no info for interview

Edited January 18, 2021 by Sonnny

[actionpotential]

Does anyone know acceptance rates of various programs? I feel like this info is impossible to find. I just interviewed at Drexel so I'm driving myself crazy with wonder

[canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls]

1 hour ago, actionpotential said:

Does anyone know acceptance rates of various programs? I feel like this info is impossible to find. I just interviewed at Drexel so I'm driving myself crazy with wonder

It certainly varies, but a few I have insight on (some top 10, ivies, some top 25) get around 500-600 applications, give maybe 50-60 interviews, and make offers to most (50-90%) of those interviewees. Not everybody will commit so class size will be around 20. I'm not sure how much it varies between schools but I don't think by a ton. 

Typically, if you interview you have a good shot of getting in. I don't know anything about Drexel specifically, but I hope that helps.

[actionpotential]

9 minutes ago, canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls said:

It certainly varies, but a few I have insight on (some top 10, ivies, some top 25) get around 500-600 applications, give maybe 50-60 interviews, and make offers to most (50-90%) of those interviewees. Not everybody will commit so class size will be around 20. I'm not sure how much it varies between schools but I don't think by a ton. 

Typically, if you interview you have a good shot of getting in. I don't know anything about Drexel specifically, but I hope that helps.

Yes, this is generally what I've been seeing. Thanks!

[4sdch]

On 1/13/2021 at 9:26 AM, brain_guy said:

Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon, UT schools, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Dartmouth, most importantly find a PI that is doing research you like!

Yes! What I also did, is look up my dream labs' websites and go to their alumni section. Looked up if the previous students were PIs and looked them up! This is how I found one of coolest POIs that also happened to be part of the admissions committee for the safety school I applied to. 

 

[Meggggr]

anyone have any advice for virtual interviews?
 

What to wear? How to stand out? Things to avoid? 

 

kinda bummed that interviews are virtual since I feel like I am 10x more nervous talking on zoom than in person?? 

[neurochurro99]

I got mine yesterday and my interview is Friday 1/22. On the website they said it would be sent out a week before your interview is scheduled but the program coordinator said they were running a bit behind with the schedules. 

[narcoleptic_neuroscientist]

Hi all, if I haven't heard from Harvard should I assume I didn't get in? I heard/read through this thread that interview invites went out before Christmas.

[Neuro-tic]

52 minutes ago, narcoleptic_neuroscientist said:

Hi all, if I haven't heard from Harvard should I assume I didn't get in? I heard/read through this thread that interview invites went out before Christmas.

Unfortunately I would assume so, I have also accepted defeat on that front.  I saw a post from someone who emailed the Harvard PiN coordinator and they said all interview invites were sent out before the holidays. 

[canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls]

54 minutes ago, narcoleptic_neuroscientist said:

Hi all, if I haven't heard from Harvard should I assume I didn't get in? I heard/read through this thread that interview invites went out before Christmas.

unfortunately yes ? 

[canigetuhhhhhhhanswerpls]

12 hours ago, Meggggr said:

anyone have any advice for virtual interviews?
 

What to wear? How to stand out? Things to avoid? 

 

kinda bummed that interviews are virtual since I feel like I am 10x more nervous talking on zoom than in person?? 

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.

 

[Elephantonly]

1 hour ago, narcoleptic_neuroscientist said:

Hi all, if I haven't heard from Harvard should I assume I didn't get in? I heard/read through this thread that interview invites went out before Christmas.

Yes. The interview is on Friday and all details have been finalized.

[NeurototheT]

23 hours ago, SalamNeuro said:

I totally did not expect a rejection from all 7 programs!

 

Thank you for sharing and letting me know.

I wouldnt feel down on yourself or abilities, looking at the schools you applied for. Those are all very hrd, and VERY competitive schools. I heard that Stanford recieved approx. 600 applications for the likited amount of positions available. 

[dsi411]

I think MIT BCS is coming out today. There's one post on the results board so far.

[Eusebius.]

18 minutes ago, dsi411 said:

I think MIT BCS is coming out today. There's one post on the results board so far.

I received a phone call from POI earlier today that I got the interview.

[Neuromantic]

Just got into UConn PNB!

[cogcontrol]

36 minutes ago, Eusebius. said:

I received a phone call from POI earlier today that I got the interview.

If you don't mind, could you share your stats?

Edited January 19, 2021 by cogcontrol