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Applying for Neuroscience/Neurobiology Ph.D. programs for Fall 2014


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Posted

Rejected from UCLA. Woohoo! I've heard back from all my programs. Making my decision official Thursday.

 

Sorry about the rejection, but congrats on being able to make the decision! I'm sure it feels great =) Good luck! 

Posted

Now that people are talking about making decisions, can we all be sure to post where we end up going? I'd love to see how things pan out for everyone.

Posted

Once I make it official, I will post it. I made my decision over the weekend, but I want to sit on it a few days to make sure it's what I really want. But it's looking like it is. I've been reading papers from the PIs and thinking about living and working in that city and just getting more excited!

Posted

I am also waiting to hear from BU, but the website says that the interview begins today....

The interviews started yesterday? :(

 

Have you had any contact with them? I emailed them two times to double check that all of my materials had arrived (it says this is ok to do on their website) and I never heard anything back

Posted

Sadly, I think they did. I sent 3 emails to confirm if my materials arrived. They only answered when I also asked about the interviews (if it could be on skype). But I have not heard anything else..

 

The interviews started yesterday? :(

 

Have you had any contact with them? I emailed them two times to double check that all of my materials had arrived (it says this is ok to do on their website) and I never heard anything back

Posted

Sadly, I think they did. I sent 3 emails to confirm if my materials arrived. They only answered when I also asked about the interviews (if it could be on skype). But I have not heard anything else..

Well this is no fun. I was super excited about Boston :/ Did they say you could do the interviews over Skype? (although I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

Posted

They would tell me that only if they invite me for the interview. Well, it seems I didn't get the invitation. (I am international, so maybe it's different for americans...).

 

 

Well this is no fun. I was super excited about Boston :/ Did they say you could do the interviews over Skype? (although I guess it doesn't matter anymore)

Posted

It came down to a choice between Indiana University and Ohio State for me. I didn't get into some of my other top choice schools, but in a way I was glad because it made my decision easier, and IU and OSU were still two of my top choices. I ended up going with OSU, but it was a tougher decision than I thought. Very excited though! Now onto more paperwork and logistics....

Posted

Anyone else trying to choose between UCSF or Berkeley? PM me!! It'd be nice to rehash the programs with another recruit instead of only asking professors and current students.

Posted

you should go to berkeley! i did my undergrad there and w/ ucsf right now. berkeley is such an awesome city and the professors and students are really nice / relaxed while still working very hard.

 

Anyone else trying to choose between UCSF or Berkeley? PM me!! It'd be nice to rehash the programs with another recruit instead of only asking professors and current students.

 

on another note...i saw that some people heard from USC already, what interview weekend did you attend?

Posted (edited)

you should go to berkeley! i did my undergrad there and w/ ucsf right now. berkeley is such an awesome city and the professors and students are really nice / relaxed while still working very hard.

on another note...i saw that some people heard from USC already, what interview weekend did you attend?

What do you think are the biggest differences between ucsf and Berkeley for grad students? Other than the cities and research, of course. I really liked the vibe I got from Berkeley but when talking to a student who ended up choosing ucsf over Berkeley, they said it was because ucsf seemed more relaxed and not as competitive. Thanks for your input!!!

I actually didn't apply to USC, was that a general question or directed towards me? I applied to UCLA though so maybe that's where you got that idea? I attended the 2nd interview from 2/22-24 and heard back on 3/1

Edited by braaaaaiinnns
Posted

Does anyone know anything about NYU Neural Science? I saw some people got acceptances/interviews/rejections for the neuroscience program, but so far not even a word for me. I am really worried since I have not been accepted anywhere yet....

Posted

What do you think are the biggest differences between ucsf and Berkeley for grad students? Other than the cities and research, of course. I really liked the vibe I got from Berkeley but when talking to a student who ended up choosing ucsf over Berkeley, they said it was because ucsf seemed more relaxed and not as competitive. Thanks for your input!!!

I actually didn't apply to USC, was that a general question or directed towards me? I applied to UCLA though so maybe that's where you got that idea? I attended the 2nd interview from 2/22-24 and heard back on 3/1

 

nope the USC thing was addressed to everyone :D

 

I'm not too sure if there are opportunities to TA at UCSF because there's no undergraduates (which might be a plus if you're not interested in TAing). Hmm, I feel like it might be subjective, I thought Berkeley was pretty relaxed and I worked w/ the psych dept and helen wills when I was there. The berkeley campus is definitely more aesthetically pleasing too haha. Depending on your area, UCSF might have better faculty because of their heavy neurobio focus. I feel that berkeley has a more broad focus, with faculty who do cognitive/imaging/neurobio/etc.

Posted

Does anyone know anything about NYU Neural Science? I saw some people got acceptances/interviews/rejections for the neuroscience program, but so far not even a word for me. I am really worried since I have not been accepted anywhere yet....

 

me too, no idea :o

Posted

I'm trying to decide between USC and UC Irvine.  I was wondering if you guys had some input into either school.  I'm leaning towards UC Irvine because I connected more with the professors, they seem to value their graduate students (one of their selling points), and they are offering me a fellowship.

 

I'm interested in many areas of neuroscience so I'm a little concerned that UCI has a large focus on learning and memory.  I am interested in learning and memory but what if I want to study something else?  Also, USC has a lot of money.  They recently bought a bunch of people from UCLA.  How does the wealth of the school affect my graduate studies?  Lastly, what is the reputation of both of these schools?  Is one better than the other in terms of status alone?

 

That was a lot of questions and pertain more to the decision making phase rather than the application phase.  But I thought since applications are over this is a good time to bring it up.  If you guys have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks!

Posted (edited)

A professor at USC I spoke with said they haven't sent the offers out yet, and Mallory in the grad office said the same....You already heard back? Was it over email? Maybe it depends on the interview weekend?

Edited by dare2lare
Posted

A professor at USC I spoke with said they haven't sent the offers out yet, and Mallory in the grad office said the same....You already heard back? Was it over email? Maybe it depends on the interview weekend?

 

I got an email from Mallory last week with an offer letter.  Maybe you contacted her before last week?

 

There were 3 interview weekends, but they mentioned that they were considering all graduate students in one pool, meaning someone in the last weekend would get equal consideration with someone in the first weekend.

Posted (edited)

Idk, hmm that's weird, I heard that news this week on Monday. Everyone I'm in contact with at my interview weekend didn't hear anything - maybe they consider all but don't send out all at once or something. seems strange.

Edited by dare2lare
Posted

That does seem strange.  Yeah, maybe they are not sending out all the offers at once or maybe they haven't decided on all the acceptances yet.

Posted

Yeah I hope so haha! Which interview weekend did you go to?

 

Btw...to help with your actual question about usc vs uci....did you enjoy the uci area/campus? for a lot of people its hit or miss and it could definitely get tiring/boring after a few years i bet. their program is really strong though, as you were saying. USC hasn't been known for their neuro until recently because of how much $ they are putting into it. I bet in the next several years it will become better recognized. I'd probably base it mostly on faculty interests and location - It seems like both schools are pretty good w/ funding. Im sure some other people have insight too!

Posted

If I already know that I don't want to attend a certain program, should I let them know now or wait until I've actually committed to a program and gotten confirmation? The paranoia of something going wrong is pushing me toward waiting, but I really want to let my spot go to someone on the waitlist if that's how the program is doing things.

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