A little help for a graduate?

[HemustBeMagic]

Hi all. Sorry for bothering everyone who is in that nervous waiting part but hey, maybe this will distract you for a little bit.

I just graduted (on friday, yay!) and i'm taking this spring off and summer before applying for grad school in bheviroal neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience programs and my panic has already set in. I'm applying to...19 schools, maybe a little more of less depending on what type of contacts and such I can do over the next 8 months or so. After this info and the general question i have my list. I was wondering if you could guys could give me 2 things:

1) General advice about if I'm going to never get into grad school (see! there's the panic). I know you guys can't wave a magic wand and get people in, but a general idea or comparison would be nice, or just some advice.Will my GPA hurt me significantly? You'll see the stats below.

2) Any generic advice you can give me would be awesome.

STATS

Medium size research state school

Major: Psychology (B.S.)

Minor: Biology

Certificate: Biopsychology

UG GPA: 3.35

Major GPA: 4.0 [department honors] last 60 credits almost straight As

Research experience: 3 semesters, 1 summer, 2 conferences, 1 thesis paper

Important Classes: Ecology, Inorganic 1+2, Orgo (W Lab), Genetics (W Lab) Cell Bio (W Lab), Neuropharm, Neuroanatomy, Schizophrenia.

Letters: 1 from my PI, 2 from teachers I took 2+ classes with [one in the biology department, one in the psych department]

Unique Things: I made a goal from the start of my education to meet constantly with my department chair. He knows me well and I have monthly meetings with him to discuss not only my goals, but also how i'm doing in classes. He helped me pick classes, surpassed my advisers advice with his own, and discussed research he did in the past/books he wrote in the psych field with me. He has offerred to write me a reconmendation, not sure if I'll take it.

List of Schools

Brown [behavioral Neuroscience]

University of Washington [behavioral Neuroscience]

George Washington University [Cognitive Neuroscience]

Georgetown University [interdisciplinary Program In Neuroscience]

University of Delaware [behavioral Neuroscience]

Washington University in St. Louis [Behavior, Brain & Cognition]

Johns Hopkins University [biopsychology]

Duke University [Cognitive Neuroscience]

University of Michigan – Anne Arbor [Cognitive Neuroscience or Biopsychology]

University of California – Los Angeles [behavioral Neuroscience]

University of California – Berkley [behavioral Neuroscience]*

University of California – San Diego [Experimental Psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience]

Northwestern University [brain, Behavior and Cognition]*

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill [behavioral Neuroscience]

Rutgers University [behavioral Neuroscience]

Boston University [brain, Behavior and Cognition]

Tulane University [Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience]

Yale University [Neuroscience]

Princeton University [Neuroscience]

Thank you very much for looking over this.

[sing something]

I would say definitely take your department chair up on his offer. If nothing else, you can send four letters. Even if you are strictly limited to three, it sounds as if his letter could be stronger than one of the ones from your professors. It sounds like most of your application package is solid, except for your cumulative gpa. It is definitely strong enough for a masters program, so you might consider getting your masters first and then applying to phd programs. That being said, the upward trend in your gpa will definitely be considered. Some schools use gpa-gre formulas, so rock the gre and that should also help. I would also ask one of your letter writers to address the gpa - either provide reason for your rocky start (relatively...in the normal world a 3.3 is hardly rocky) or simply point out the upward trend and your increased motivation/work ethic/understanding of difficult material, whatever it may be..Good luck!

[nessa]

congrats on graduation!

Keep in mind, those are all very selective programs. Although you've worked hard to get where you are in college, there will be lots and lots of extremely qualified people competing for slots at those programs. Although your GPA is low, you have improved over time which is good. However, you are somewhat light on your research experience for competitive programs. Could you find research opportunities for the next year while you are out of school? Even volunteering in a lab would be helpful. I would also consider finding some programs that are not the top tier most selective that fit with your research interests.

[HemustBeMagic]

Hey thanks you all, 2 questions.

my advisor has informed me that there was a change in a class (long story should I got an F in 2 classes freshmen year that aren't offered anymore, so I couldn't repeat them. NOW they are letting me 'void' the class is I take 2 classes they have deemed 'equal' in education to the 2 classes i failed). If I do take them this spring and do well, it'll change my GPA to a 3.51. Should i do it? since I'm not applying till the Fall it's not like I'm in a rush to fill out applications.

@nessa: I'm doing lab this spring, and this summer. I should tell you my lab is in a cutting edge neurobiology lab at UMB (University of Medicine medical school). My lab PI has told me if I keep up the good work on her research there is a '75 percent chance', she said, I'll be a contributing publisher. that'll give me 2 full years of lab research (in the same lab), a 3.5 GPA, a publication, and 2 summers. I can always take off if I need to if I get rejected, but I still want to apply (if that makes sense). Do you have any other school suggestions?

I should also point out which I didn't do before...the above list of important classes? Genetics, orgo, etc? Are all As and fit into that last 60 credit of good grades.

EDIT: Oh snap, I forgot to list my GRE score, my pride and joy haha. I studied for 9 months and took a class....I think it paid off?

Verbal: 164

Quantitative: 162

Analytical: 5.0

Edited December 22, 2012 by HemustBeMagic

[sing something]

I would absolutely get those grades 'voided.' I have always seen 3.5 as the benchmark gpa for what is considered OK for phd acceptance - not that it's impossible with lower, but that those who are accepted with less than a 3.5 are the rare exception. Congrats on the GRE scores! And I think your research experience sounds fine. It might not be what makes you stand out but it definitely seems to be in the realm of what competitive programs look for.I also think quality plays a large part - how you can demonstrate what you gained from the research in your SOP and interviews. The opportunity for authorship indicates to me that it has been a substantial experience, and not just bare minimum RA work.

[nessa]

2 years of research experience should put you in a good place, experience-wise. That's great you have an opportunity to publish. One idea would be to see if you can present some of what you're working on at a conference between now and when you apply. Publications can take a long time to get out, and although presentations "count" for less, it's concrete evidence of the work you put in until/if the manuscript about that work gets accepted.

What specific research interests do you have? If they are out of my subfield, I may not be able to help much with recommendations, but some of the schools I applied to are on your list so I may be able to comment.

[HemustBeMagic]

i'm interested in neurological diseases and anything that relates to memory, aggression and PTSD mainly.