Improving Resume for Top-Tier Neuroscience Programs, advice wanted!

[Wulfz]

I am a senior at the College of Charleston and have recently changed my prospective career by deciding to go to graduate school rather than medical school. 

 

I have been developing a great interest in neuroscience over the course of the past year. Originally, I thought I could pursue this interests by doing research while in medical school and go on to be a neurosurgeon, but now I am looking at graduate schools, which leaves me to wonder if my resume matches well with graduate programs. 

 

Rather than doing research, I have been shadowing doctors, working part-time as a personal trainer and teaching Supplemental Instruction sessions for my college in both Biology and Chemistry (and have recently been promoted to Peer Mentor) for the last several years. (Therefore, roughly working about 20 hours/week while in school and about 40-60 hours/week during the summer and winter breaks). I have a great GPA of about 3.9 and plenty of work experience, and participated and moved into leadership positions in several extracurricular actives, but my lack of research really makes me question whether or not I even have a chance at getting into some of the more top tier programs.

 

I decided to take a year off before medical school to obtain an MBA, but now that I am not going to medical school, I am planning on doing biochemical research this summer and potentially all through next year.

 

I took the GRE so I could get into the MBA program, but didn't take it that seriously (since the MBA program already knew they wanted me and is not highly selective) and got a 159 verbal and 158 quantitative. I'm hoping if I study some I can get the quant up to around 164-166 (there were several things, such as some of the vocab. used in the quant section and the geometry stuff, that I hadn't seen since I was in 7th grade... so I feel like a refresher in those things should jump my score up a bit).

 

Aside from getting my GRE up a little, do you guys have any other advice on getting into a Harvard/MIT/Yale type of graduate program? Or does my current plan sound like it should play out well?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited March 2, 2013 by Wulfz

[aberrant]

you are all over the place. i highly doubt that your non-research experience can compensate your lacking of research experience in academic lab setting. therefore, even if you'll write great SOP/PS and get strong LOR, you'll just need to start working in a research lab for at least a year before you apply to grad school, as I never heard of anyone got into any graduate school with research experience less than a year and a half, not to mention highly-ranked schools (not necessarily top-tier programs).

 

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=yale+neuroscience&t=a&o=&pp=250

 

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=harvard+neuroscience&t=a&o=&pp=250

 

looking at the list, you might be underestimating the competitiveness for getting into these programs.

Edited March 3, 2013 by aberrant

[mrmolecularbiology]

Research experience, LORs and SOP are the most important parts of a grad school app. Schools simply use GPAs and GREs as screening tools to narrow down the applicant pool it is the other components that will get you in. You need at least three PIs willing to write you STRONG letters. All of mine came from PIs I had done some serious research for OR people who had witnessed said research. Most recommenders will not right a recommendation for someone who has not already proven themselves in a research setting. (If they wrote letters willy nilly it would discredit any recommendations they make.)

[Huw]

Med school applicants cannot survive in graduate school, let alone one of your "dream schools." Do you even know anything about those schools, besides them being highly ranked? You sound like someone who just wants a way to get famous and/or rich.

 

But I want to give you some serious advice if you are willing to get real. First, to completely switch from medicine to research, you surely as hell need to spend time in the lab away from patients and anything clinical. This will help you see if you actually like research or if it's just some mildly interesting rabbit you are chasing at the moment. Do this for at least one year. Second, you need to get real and look at specific programs that fit into your interests from your experience. The school itself has nothing to do with your future compared to the individual projects going on and the PIs you might work under. Third, stop viewing the world as one fancy buffet all reserved for you. You can't just decide to get research experience. You have to work your butt off to find opportunities for it. If you somehow land a research experience position with some potential, but your motivation is getting into a "top tier program," then your research will be crap and your LOR will also be crap.

 

So the bottom line is, get serious about research or go back and try becoming a silly doctor again.

[omoplata]

And likewise, many grad school students would not be able to survive in med school. Different strokes for different folks -- I honestly don't see what OP did to deserve such a scathing response, or where he demonstrates that he views the world as "one fancy buffet all reserved for [him]." And doctors are "silly"? Really? 

 

From what OP says, he seems to be a decently hardworking guy who's willing to apply himself. He's indicated that he's going to seek more research experience. And if he ends up not liking it, he wouldn't know by not having tried it out. 

[rscneurozombie]

Would say only this: Make sure you are serious about research and understand what research really is.  Get the experience.  It is not the same as med school, which is what the others were trying to say.  It is a DIFFERENT beast, harder and easier in many ways.

 

Make sure to spend 1-2 years at least in a lab full time.  More would certainly help.

[Neuro_Dave]

Figure out what research you're interested in.  Big schools with well known names don't matter as much as the research being completed within them.  Getting your name on the publication that is the basis for a new way to treat Alzheimers is a BIG deal, whether it comes from Harvard, or a small school like Central Michigan U.

 

I was offered a few positions within Medical Colleges at big schools for Ph.D research, but chose the program that matched my interests best, and that had an environment I would thrive in.