Neuroscience Application Thread 2010-2011

[neuropsych76]

Just thought I would add a post to see who else is waiting! I am getting anxious. I know I could heat from a few schools before the holidays but am checking my phone/ email all the time ever since it hit December since I know some places started reviewing apps on the 1st!

I am waiting too, though the business of the end of the semester helps somewhat

I only have one more application to turn in and a few more transcripts to mail and then all I have to do is wait!

I compulsively check my email enough as it is; once all the apps are complete it will get even worse I'm sure

[laurend]

I got my first invitation to visit a school yesterday (UNC BBSP-neurobiology)! I am super excited so hopefully everyone will be able to start getting calls soon although I am sure it will continue until mid/late January!

[neuropsych76]

I got my first invitation to visit a school yesterday (UNC BBSP-neurobiology)! I am super excited so hopefully everyone will be able to start getting calls soon although I am sure it will continue until mid/late January!

That's awesome you got your first school invite! Congrats!!!

Do you are anyone else know when it is common to start hearing back from programs? My deadlines range from December 1st to February 1st so I'm just curious when is a likely time to hear something about the status of my application. (Particularly the early deadline programs) Thank you.

[laurend]

Depends on the program and how early the interview is.. Could be next week, but probably earlyi'mid January I think...

[neuro enthusiast]

I am waiting too, though the business of the end of the semester helps somewhat

I only have one more application to turn in and a few more transcripts to mail and then all I have to do is wait!

I compulsively check my email enough as it is; once all the apps are complete it will get even worse I'm sure

at a postbac fellowship now, and i dont have enough work to do ( or im a really BIG procrastinator) so there are no distractions!!!

[neuro enthusiast]

That's awesome you got your first school invite! Congrats!!!

Do you are anyone else know when it is common to start hearing back from programs? My deadlines range from December 1st to February 1st so I'm just curious when is a likely time to hear something about the status of my application. (Particularly the early deadline programs) Thank you.

check the results page to see when people heard last year from the programs you applied to. By their accounts it calls could be rolling in next week! ...my anxiety level just increased after writing that!...

I think we are being monitored for a behavioral test of the coping methods of graduate applicants. They will gauge our confidence levels during interviews and group us according to how long we had to wait for a phone call. lol... i expect a significant decrease in confidence levels after prolonged exposure to interview anticipation stress!

Edited December 12, 2010 by neuro enthusiast

[neuropsych76]

check the results page to see when people heard last year from the programs you applied to. By their accounts it calls could be rolling in next week! ...my anxiety level just increased after writing that!...

I think we are being monitored for a behavioral test of the coping methods of graduate applicants. They will gauge our confidence levels during interviews and group us according to how long we had to wait for a phone call. lol... i expect a significant decrease in confidence levels after prolonged exposure to interview anticipation stress!

Lol. I've actually heard of some programs in clinical psychology do that to applicants at interviews. They purposefully treat them bad to see how they react... I can't attest to this being true since I've only heard about it but the concept is frightening.

I just submitted my very last application (yay!!) and I now have the fun process of waiting it out. I checked the results page and it seems I'll be waiting until late January at the earliest for the programs I applied to hear something.

[neuropsych76]

So I just saw that some received an interview at one of the schools I applied to (scary!)

Is there a lot of variance in hearing from schools? If I don't hear something from this school soon does that mean there's a good chance I was rejected?

[hello! :)]

So I just saw that some received an interview at one of the schools I applied to (scary!)

Is there a lot of variance in hearing from schools? If I don't hear something from this school soon does that mean there's a good chance I was rejected?

I wouldn't worry too much at this time... Unless you hear the news from an insider that actually knows what's going on. For example, I note that someone received an interview invite from WashU neuroscience very early this year, but I also know that the majority of the invitations haven't officially gone out yet.

[Bison_PhD]

Glad to have found this thread!

This is my second turn on the arduous roller coaster of the admissions process.

Here are my stats:

760Q, 480V, 1340 Total 4.0 writing

3.4 GPA from a state school (Psych Major, Minors in Bio and Chem)

Moderate undergrad. research

1 year of lab experience as an RA (at Vanderbilt Univ.)

4 GOOD LORs

Applying to Cog Neuro programs at (in no particular order):

Vanderbilt

Emory

MIT

UVa

Maryland CP

Univ. of Chicago

I've been lucky enough to hear from one of my schools so far. I know enough from last year to be encouraged by this, but not too over confident. My biggest word of advice to those of you reading this, is to try to contact faculty at institutions to which you are applying. It helps so much, and I might not be doing this dance again if I had done that better the first time around.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Bison

[cogneuro2011]

Has anyone heard back from any schools yet? I applied to UPitt, CMU, Tufts, Vanderbilt, UW-Madison, and Berkeley but still haven't heard anything. I was mainly wondering if they've sent out invitations for interviews yet.

[neuropsych76]

Has anyone heard back from any schools yet? I applied to UPitt, CMU, Tufts, Vanderbilt, UW-Madison, and Berkeley but still haven't heard anything. I was mainly wondering if they've sent out invitations for interviews yet.

I haven't heard anything, even from my December 1st deadlines. I think we will be hearing things soon though :X

[LJK]

On 1/3/2011 at 12:04 AM, cogneuro2011 said:

Has anyone heard back from any schools yet? I applied to UPitt, CMU, Tufts, Vanderbilt, UW-Madison, and Berkeley but still haven't heard anything. I was mainly wondering if they've sent out invitations for interviews yet.

Psychology or Neuroscience? I'm applying on the Psychology side of things and have not heard from CMU or Madison yet.

[neuropsych76]

If you want to increase your anxiety, check the results page for this year and you'll see someone received an interview from CMU already...

[LJK]

If you want to increase your anxiety, check the results page for this year and you'll see someone received an interview from CMU already...

The program the applicant has been invited for an interview in is CNBC's in-house PhD program. I am applying through CMU's psych dept. with a secondary application into the CNBC's grad training program. Though of course my breathe hitched when I first saw that entry

Edited January 3, 2011 by LJK

[TheDude]

Hey,

I know everyone around here is pretty smart and might have already thought of this, but take the results section with a grain of salt. Last year there were some definite quirks with postings. If you applied to a big program more than one person should be posting interview results. If it is a smaller program I guess you just have to roll with it.

[cogneuro2011]

On 1/3/2011 at 9:44 AM, LJK said:

Psychology or Neuroscience? 

I'm applying on the psychology side too

It's awesome that we applied to so many of the same schools...please keep me updated and I will do the same for you ?

[esi]

Is there anything from Brown, WUSTL, UCSD, USC, Rochester or BU?!!

there are some reports for interview invitations from brown in Results but I just received an email which says you have to reply by April in the case of any admission? What does it mean?!!! :SS

[nhyn]

i was wondering if anyone knows...so if it's past Jan 7th and we havent heard from Dartmouth cogsci program, does that mean we're screwed? on the results page some people seem to have heard from Dartmouth about interview...

[neuropsych76]

i was wondering if anyone knows...so if it's past Jan 7th and we havent heard from Dartmouth cogsci program, does that mean we're screwed? on the results page some people seem to have heard from Dartmouth about interview...

I think the cognitive science program might be a different program unless you mean cognitive psychology. From what I've read on here, reading someone got an interview at a school you applied too doesn't mean you should have received one as well. I think notifications can come at different times. That said, I did get an anxiety spike when I read that.

[nhyn]

hmm i applied to PBS and within that dept. there's the Cognitive Neuroscience branch - that's what I applied for.

Well the thing is last year they sent out notifications around the same time (from what i read on the results page), so i got really nervous as if they're that consistent doesn't it mean they should be done sending out notifications?

im going to try and call them today, see what is going on

[nhyn]

^ sorry, i meant "and if they're that consistent..."

[neuropsych76]

hmm i applied to PBS and within that dept. there's the Cognitive Neuroscience branch - that's what I applied for.

Well the thing is last year they sent out notifications around the same time (from what i read on the results page), so i got really nervous as if they're that consistent doesn't it mean they should be done sending out notifications?

im going to try and call them today, see what is going on

That's what I applied for also I wouldn't worry too much. If you call you might get a standard "were still reviewing applications".

[nhyn]

i didn't even get that lol no one picked up the phone. actually, this department is like a ghost office - no one EVER picks up the phone (i called earlier about some problems with my application as well).

sigh. i guess we'll just have to wait for now. i was really devastated because i was really confident that i'd at least get an interview (and no i'm not a naive optimistic undergrad ). best of luck to you too and hopefully we'll both hear back soon.

[neuropsych76]

i didn't even get that lol no one picked up the phone. actually, this department is like a ghost office - no one EVER picks up the phone (i called earlier about some problems with my application as well).

sigh. i guess we'll just have to wait for now. i was really devastated because i was really confident that i'd at least get an interview (and no i'm not a naive optimistic undergrad ). best of luck to you too and hopefully we'll both hear back soon.

Well myself and mostly everyone on here can relate to the terrible feelings of waiting it out during this process!! Just try to pick up a hobby or something to keep your mind off hearing back from schools. We'll start to find things out in the coming weeks.

Where else did you apply too? Best of luck to you as well!