Behavioral Neuroscience? Anyone?

[ItsBrainScience]

Just wondering if anyone out there has applied for Behavioral Neuroscience programs and if so where, have you been rejected, accepted? feedback please, im new here!

I applied to ASU and have not heard anything, my application status just said "In review" no accepted, no rejected nothing :evil: :evil: .

[glasscandie]

Not this year, but I will be for 2010, for behavioral neuropharmacology. Could I ask where you're applying? I'm trying to put together my final list, and I feel like I might not have researched all the schools I possibly should have. Some of the programs that I'm interested in are at American U., U Pittsburgh, UNC Chapel Hill, Emory, UCLA, Oregon Health+Science...there's a few others, 12 altogether.

Good luck to you!

[Lizard]

I applied to some behavioral neuroscience programs. Right now, I'm more or less just playing the waiting game. I was rejected from two of my "reach schools", but that wasn't much of a surprise. I had a few interviews and now I'm back to waiting, haha. Glasscandie, I'm not sure if you're interested in neuropharmacology at the receptor level, but there are a few schools in the NYC area that do great behavior/receptor interaction. Are you looking to enter into a drug lab?

[glasscandie]

A little bit, yes, and all of the labs I'm interested in are drug labs - my interests are mainly in behavioral studies, such as discrimination or taste aversion, though. For example, the main drug I've been researching, and would probably want to continue research for graduate school, is MDMA (e.g. is it reinforcing?) but a lot of it is also looking at seroternergic neurotoxicity and 5-HT. What schools would you suggest?

[Lizard]

A little bit, yes, and all of the labs I'm interested in are drug labs - my interests are mainly in behavioral studies, such as discrimination or taste aversion, though. For example, the main drug I've been researching, and would probably want to continue research for graduate school, is MDMA (e.g. is it reinforcing?) but a lot of it is also looking at seroternergic neurotoxicity and 5-HT. What schools would you suggest?

Ahhh, I think I have a guess at who you might be looking at at AU I have read some MDMA papers out of the Psych Department at UMass Amherst (Jerrold Meyer is the researcher, I believe) so that program may be of interest as well. That's the first program that comes to mind. Sorry I can't think of more at the moment :?

[glasscandie]

AU is definitely at the top of my list - I work with a lot of the AU researcher's students at Hopkins (doing an internship in their behavioral biology lab) and it's exactly what I want to do. I'll have to check out UMass, thanks! I was looking at UMass Boston and Boston U, but ultimately cut them from my list b/c it wasn't exactly where my research interests were headed. I'm disappointed - there was a researcher at Hopkins who does exactly what I want to do, but his research has turned more towards people than in a drug lab which was disappointing. The most frustrating thing is the behavioral biology lab. at Hopkins doesn't have a graduate program out of it - it's loosely connected with the School of Medicine, and there is a PhD program in behavioral neuroscience at the SOM, but none of the researchers work out of the lab. I'm interning at. I'm trying to find a researcher who would be willing to do a joint project, I've already been told at the lab. that they'd be willing to work with me in grad. school by two different researchers - just have to find the right avenue! I know AU would be one of those avenues. I know at least one of the grad. students at AU tried to the same thing I'm trying (researcher at SOM + working at behavioral biology) but it didn't work out.

[Lizard]

I hear you! That switch from a drug lab to people can be super frustrating when you want to be involved with the former. Similarly, I hope the person I referred to in my earlier post is still doing the MDMA work I read about. I think that publication was fairly recent, so it may be worth it enough to look into. I was at AU a few weeks ago and from what I've gathered about the program and from what you'e said about your interests, it definitely seems like a good choice for you! I find that a lot of schools that have many differnt related degrees and departments (as Hopkins does) are pretty interdisciplinary and collaborative. Perhaps you can have a home department such Psychological and Brain Sciences but do a lot of research with the folks you are working with now. At many of the schools I have interviewed thus far, there are many opportunities to collaborate between departments or programs, so it may be a possibility at Hopkins as well. Above all, I think its awesome that you're looking into things this early; you'll give yourself a great timetable to make your application decisions!

[glasscandie]

I hear you! That switch from a drug lab to people can be super frustrating when you want to be involved with the former. Similarly, I hope the person I referred to in my earlier post is still doing the MDMA work I read about. I think that publication was fairly recent, so it may be worth it enough to look into. I was at AU a few weeks ago and from what I've gathered about the program and from what you'e said about your interests, it definitely seems like a good choice for you! I find that a lot of schools that have many differnt related degrees and departments (as Hopkins does) are pretty interdisciplinary and collaborative. Perhaps you can have a home department such Psychological and Brain Sciences but do a lot of research with the folks you are working with now. At many of the schools I have interviewed thus far, there are many opportunities to collaborate between departments or programs, so it may be a possibility at Hopkins as well. Above all, I think its awesome that you're looking into things this early; you'll give yourself a great timetable to make your application decisions!

I would really love to go to Hopkins (wouldn't anyone? lol). I'm going to have to do some further research into the researchers in the psych. department. At first glance, most of them don't seem to be doing anything with neuropharmacology - mainly communication and aggression studies. The School of Medicine does have some, but they seem less focused on the behavioral. I suppose it couldn't hurt to e-mail and see if they would consider branching out in their lab. One of my supervisors there suggested talking to the head of the behavioral biology department, but she is SO intimidating to me - she knows everyone, she's like the queen of the BB center. lol. I've been in a few collaboration meetings with her, but that's about it.

Thanks for your advice! I'm definitely going to look up Amherst. I wish I could find more than only 2 or 3 in the Maryland area, I'd really like to stick around here!

[Lizard]

One of my supervisors there suggested talking to the head of the behavioral biology department, but she is SO intimidating to me - she knows everyone, she's like the queen of the BB center. lol. I've been in a few collaboration meetings with her, but that's about it.

I completely understand the intimidation factor. Although, if there was one thing I learned from my application process it is: do not to be too intimidated to e-mail people. I didn't branch out to people I definitely should have. So, I know its uber scary, but if you get a positive or negative response from her at least you'll know more about your options.

I wish I could find more than only 2 or 3 in the Maryland area, I'd really like to stick around here!

I know AU is in a consortium with a bunch of other DC schools. Have you checked them out? This probably sounds really dumb, but when I visited AU I was really surprised how close it was to (and how may people live in) Maryland (instead of DC). It was such a beautiful area!

[glasscandie]

Wish me luck, I have a meeting on Tuesday with the head of the department that I was so intimidated by

[Lizard]

Good luck! Be sure to come fill us in on how it went

[glasscandie]

So the meeting went really well She unfortunately confirmed what I already knew - there's no graduate program at the behavioral biology lab. there. She did suggest American, which is high on my list - I've met with the one researcher there who does what I want to do, and work with 3 of his students at my current internship. It's just a matter of getting accepted lol She did suggest a researcher at the School of Medicine, but he takes more of a molecular approach than a behavioral approach.

On a happier note, I suggested using a fairly new behavioral economics logarithm to analyze the results of one study I'm involved in and she was very supportive of that. I was nervous about suggesting it, but I know it would work well, and she apparently thinks that too! I also recently (today lol) got asked to help pilot a (small) study in the rat lab. (I'm already involved there, this is sort of an extension of one of the projects we're doing); and was offered the chance to write and first-author a paper on a study I've been solely doing the observations for! So that's exciting. Nothing to do with my meeting though lol

[Lizard]

Well, I'm glad your meeting went well...and the offer on the paper! That wonderful and will make you a very competative applicant. It seems like you have many ties and enthusiasum for AU and I'm sure that will bode very well for you