I am a non-US citizen and want to apply to some US universitites as well as in some other countries for a Neuroscience PhD degree.
I am currently finishing my second year in a neuroscience master program at a top university in my country, my GPA by far is 3.86 (masters - neuroscience) and around 3.7 (bachelors - law).
TOEFL 110, two years of part time research experience (neuroscience, related to what I want to do in PhD), okay LoRs, one international (however not famous) conference and one local conference. Also a paper which includes me as an author is in the process of being submitted to a good Springer journal, however, I will not know whether it is accepted or not by the application deadline.
And here is my most painful spot: GRE scores - 160 verbal, 151 quant. One of the schools I want to apply to is Duke, and its website says the average GRE for my program was 162 V and 157 Q last year. I am not sure whether I should submit my GRE scores as in Duke they are optional, and in other universities they are not even considered this year. I do not know whether submitting them would enhance or hurt my application, as 151 Q is 40th percentile. However, since I am an international student, these scores at least show I can somewhat keep up with the US system and, importantly, I understand the academic language very well.
I also can pull off a good diversity story, because I am coming from a poor family with many kids from a very small town with no opportunities. I fought my way through everything to be where I stand with my bare hands, I had a rough childhood, my younger brother has a severe permanent brain injury, and me and two my younger sisters struggled with depression and suicidal behavior. I won the battle with the mental issues and I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to researching them to help others. All of this is true, and my family's story is what led me to neuro in the first place.
However, if I tell the story as it is, it might be a bit rough, so I am not sure what I should express in the diversity statement.
SO, my questions are:
1. Am I competitive enough to apply for a PhD in Neuroscience, especially in top-tier universities like Duke and Yale? Do I at least have some chance of getting in on which I can gamble?
2. Should I submit my GRE scores to Duke, and can they hurt my application in some lower level universities (like Stony Brook) where they are required? And to what extent do I describe my story in the Diversity Statement?
3. Should I indicate on my application that a publication is submitted to Springer? If yes, then where?
Question
Just_Alice
Dear all,
I am a non-US citizen and want to apply to some US universitites as well as in some other countries for a Neuroscience PhD degree.
I am currently finishing my second year in a neuroscience master program at a top university in my country, my GPA by far is 3.86 (masters - neuroscience) and around 3.7 (bachelors - law).
TOEFL 110, two years of part time research experience (neuroscience, related to what I want to do in PhD), okay LoRs, one international (however not famous) conference and one local conference. Also a paper which includes me as an author is in the process of being submitted to a good Springer journal, however, I will not know whether it is accepted or not by the application deadline.
And here is my most painful spot: GRE scores - 160 verbal, 151 quant. One of the schools I want to apply to is Duke, and its website says the average GRE for my program was 162 V and 157 Q last year. I am not sure whether I should submit my GRE scores as in Duke they are optional, and in other universities they are not even considered this year. I do not know whether submitting them would enhance or hurt my application, as 151 Q is 40th percentile. However, since I am an international student, these scores at least show I can somewhat keep up with the US system and, importantly, I understand the academic language very well.
I also can pull off a good diversity story, because I am coming from a poor family with many kids from a very small town with no opportunities. I fought my way through everything to be where I stand with my bare hands, I had a rough childhood, my younger brother has a severe permanent brain injury, and me and two my younger sisters struggled with depression and suicidal behavior. I won the battle with the mental issues and I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to researching them to help others. All of this is true, and my family's story is what led me to neuro in the first place.
However, if I tell the story as it is, it might be a bit rough, so I am not sure what I should express in the diversity statement.
SO, my questions are:
1. Am I competitive enough to apply for a PhD in Neuroscience, especially in top-tier universities like Duke and Yale? Do I at least have some chance of getting in on which I can gamble?
2. Should I submit my GRE scores to Duke, and can they hurt my application in some lower level universities (like Stony Brook) where they are required? And to what extent do I describe my story in the Diversity Statement?
3. Should I indicate on my application that a publication is submitted to Springer? If yes, then where?
Many thanks to anyone giving their advice!
Edited by Just_Alice2 answers to this question
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