2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[laxgoal100]

Overall I think you're a fairly competitive applicant if you put in the legwork on the GRE and SoP; all of your prospective schools are solid programs with a fair amount of competition so work hard! Good luck!

 

Thanks for the encouraging words, Focus  

[pax6pax6]

Are there any Canadians here applying to US schools? I'd love to talk to someone in my position! 

[jzhan118]

Undergrad Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major(s): Molecular and Cell Biology/Psychology
Minor(s):Chemistry
GPA in Major:3.36(biology) 3.46(Psyc)
Overall GPA:3.39
Position in Class: not sure
Type of Student: international Asian female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): retake GRE in Oct. 
Q:167
V:160
W:3.0
B:


Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)
In a neuroscience lab here at U of I, for 2.5 yrs till I graduate. No publications yet. Independent research program in progress. 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)
Psychology department distinction. International psychology honor society. 
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)
Mentor program in the honor society here at U of I. Undergraduate Neuroscience Society. Alzheimer's society. 
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
Skipped 12th grade in high school and graduate in 3 years with two majors and a minor? Should be relatively young compared with most of the applicants(just turned 19 last month). I'm not sure if this counts:(

Applying to Where:
All neuroscience PhD programs
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

University of Washington Seattle

Northwestern University

UCLA? 

Imperial College London

University of Munich

I'm still not sure what universities to apply for and what the odds are of me getting into the programs I already have in mind. With the deadlines approaching I'm about to freak out!!!! >.<

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ANY SUGGESTION HELPS! 

THANKS!

[FasKid]

Undergrad Institution: I did my undergrad from a university in India (Anna University), but I'm a current Masters student at Kyoto University, Japan. All my coursework is in English
Major(s):  Biotechnology (undergrad); Cell and Mol Bio (Masters)
Minor(s):  N/A
GPA in Major:  
Overall GPA:  7.88/10 (undergrad) 4.0 (masters)
Position in Class: Top 25% in undergrad? Maybe?
Type of Student: International, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:  158 (71%)
V:  164 (94%)
W:  4.5
B:  I dont think I'll take it

Research Experience:

Undergrad project: Cloning and Immunoprecipitation of PEDF from Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells: Dec 2012- Apr 2013, Chennai, India

Research Intern: Molecular Immunology Lab, worked with a PhD student on her clinical study. Anna University Jun-Nov 2013

My grad school is essentially 95% research. I've been working with my lab since day 1. But we dont publish very frequently..so I dont have any papers/conference presentations from here. I'm working on a protein that enables cell cycle progression in cancer cells.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT) 2014: this allows me to pursue a fully funded degree program in any university in Japan

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Kyoto University's International Student Seminar: Organizing committee member

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

nope

Special Bonus Points: 

My PI here is famous in the world of cell death research. I guess a letter from him would work in my favour.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:  
Nope

Applying to Where: 

This isn't my final list, and I'd love some input about other unis I can apply to  

Stanford: Biology (we all need a dream school, dont we? xD)

UC San Diego: Biological sciences

University of Utah: Biosciences

University of Colorado: Boulder and Denver: the number of programs at Denver is really confusing!! Can someone help me navigate?

UT Austin:Cell & Mol Bio

University of Southern California: I'm not sure whether to apply to the core biology program, or the med school PhD program.

Rice: Biosciences (I'm still not sure about applying here. Probably because I could only settle on 2 PIs whose work was in line with my interests) 

National University of Singapore- School of Medicine

I'm also considering University of Denver, Colorado State and Oregon State. However, I'm not sure how their international student acceptance rate is. One of my priorities is that I should be guaranteed funding for my PhD. That's a bottleneck right there, since I'm not eligible to apply for NIH training grants.

I'd really appreciate an evaluation of my profile! Thanks so much!!

 

 

 

[ilovelab]

Applying to Where: 

This isn't my final list, and I'd love some input about other unis I can apply to  

Stanford: Biology (we all need a dream school, dont we? xD)

UC San Diego: Biological sciences

University of Utah: Biosciences

University of Colorado: Boulder and Denver: the number of programs at Denver is really confusing!! Can someone help me navigate?

UT Austin:Cell & Mol Bio

University of Southern California: I'm not sure whether to apply to the core biology program, or the med school PhD program.

Rice: Biosciences (I'm still not sure about applying here. Probably because I could only settle on 2 PIs whose work was in line with my interests) 

National University of Singapore- School of Medicine

I'm also considering University of Denver, Colorado State and Oregon State. However, I'm not sure how their international student acceptance rate is. One of my priorities is that I should be guaranteed funding for my PhD. That's a bottleneck right there, since I'm not eligible to apply for NIH training grants.

I'd really appreciate an evaluation of my profile! Thanks so much!!

 

 

 

UCSD has a pre-application for international students that you have to fill out... so I would take a look at that and see when is the deadline. You've listed public schools which usually don't take a lot of international students.  I would consider also looking at more private universities IF they fit your research interests. 

[SushantPuri]

Undergrad Institution : Medical school in India(consistently ranked among top 3 in the past several years). An international degree verifying agency reviewed me as an MD(although I write it as MBBS).

Major(s): None in particular. Read everything under the sun. Had courses from Neurosciences, Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology, Pharmacology and of course, Surgery and Medicine.

Minor(s) :

GRE : Next month!

GPA : Evaluated in terms of annual exams. Class rank varied from top 10% in basic sciences to average in clinical subjects. Highest ranked student in the entering class.

Research Experience : Government funded translational project for 2 months at my university, Research Elective in Immunology at Johns Hopkins University(2 months) assisting graduate students with running their experiments, Research Intern in Dept of Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center for 6 months(3 different projects-some independently and some with the PhD rotation student). 

Honors/Awards : Honors grade during Neurology hospital rotations at 2 top-10 ranked US university-hospitals.

Applying to where : 

Immnunology programs only -   Harvard

                                                   Yale

                                                   Weill Cornell

                                                   Chicago University(I personally know the program director since many years)

                                                   UAB

                                                   UT South Western

                                                   Minnesota State University

                                                   

My current PI is very very famous in her field. She had described a new type of cell which has been the hottest topic in Immunology for the last decade. And she is friends with many HHMI investigators. I plan to re-enter into Neurology residency after PhD(in Multiple Sclerosis, which gels with my experience and interests in Immunology and Neurology) which I guess may help in my application? I haven't talked to any of the PIs whom I want to work under but have read their recent papers and know their current projects(NIH!)

 

[xyho]

Undergrad Institution: Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), young university but rising fast in the ranks
Major(s): Biological Sciences
Minor(s): - 
GPA in Major: -
Overall GPA: 4.52/5, approx. 3.67/4
Position in Class: First class honours
Type of Student: International Student

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised, I will be taking GRE again
Q: 160
V: 156
W: 4.5
B: -

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

About 6 months doing my final year project on a heart disease, learnt patch clamp through this experience.

About 2.5 years working in a protein phosphatase lab, working on protein-protein interactions and Parkinson disease.

Currently writing a paper, probably second author out of three or four authors.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: No awards related to biology

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 
Volunteer at Singapore science centre teaching science to kids.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

I skipped a year in my undergraduate course because I also have a diploma in Biomedical Sciences.

Special Bonus Points: 

Recommender is from U.S. has very wide connections in u.s.a. Working in a research lab that has connections to DUKE University.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
 

All neuroscience departments

UCSD (Applied last year but was not successful)

Cold Spring harbour

Scripps Research Institute

University of Queensland

Are there any schools that I would have higher chance of getting in? I understand it is really difficult for international students to get in.

[xyho]

Undergrad Institution: I did my undergrad from a university in India (Anna University), but I'm a current Masters student at Kyoto University, Japan. All my coursework is in English
Major(s):  Biotechnology (undergrad); Cell and Mol Bio (Masters)
Minor(s):  N/A
GPA in Major:  
Overall GPA:  7.88/10 (undergrad) 4.0 (masters)
Position in Class: Top 25% in undergrad? Maybe?
Type of Student: International, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:  158 (71%)
V:  164 (94%)
W:  4.5
B:  I dont think I'll take it

Research Experience:

Undergrad project: Cloning and Immunoprecipitation of PEDF from Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells: Dec 2012- Apr 2013, Chennai, India

Research Intern: Molecular Immunology Lab, worked with a PhD student on her clinical study. Anna University Jun-Nov 2013

My grad school is essentially 95% research. I've been working with my lab since day 1. But we dont publish very frequently..so I dont have any papers/conference presentations from here. I'm working on a protein that enables cell cycle progression in cancer cells.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT) 2014: this allows me to pursue a fully funded degree program in any university in Japan

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Kyoto University's International Student Seminar: Organizing committee member

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

nope

Special Bonus Points: 

My PI here is famous in the world of cell death research. I guess a letter from him would work in my favour.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:  
Nope

Applying to Where: 

This isn't my final list, and I'd love some input about other unis I can apply to  

Stanford: Biology (we all need a dream school, dont we? xD)

UC San Diego: Biological sciences

University of Utah: Biosciences

University of Colorado: Boulder and Denver: the number of programs at Denver is really confusing!! Can someone help me navigate?

UT Austin:Cell & Mol Bio

University of Southern California: I'm not sure whether to apply to the core biology program, or the med school PhD program.

Rice: Biosciences (I'm still not sure about applying here. Probably because I could only settle on 2 PIs whose work was in line with my interests) 

National University of Singapore- School of Medicine

I'm also considering University of Denver, Colorado State and Oregon State. However, I'm not sure how their international student acceptance rate is. One of my priorities is that I should be guaranteed funding for my PhD. That's a bottleneck right there, since I'm not eligible to apply for NIH training grants.

I'd really appreciate an evaluation of my profile! Thanks so much!!

 

 

 

Hi, 

I am currently working in National University of Singapore (NUS). I have colleagues who are similar to your profile - with masters, >320 GRE scores , etc. and have been accepted into NUS PhD program. So, I think you should be fine. Though you should contact a prof who is working in your area of interests first, who will then endorse your application to NUS.   

[FasKid]

UCSD has a pre-application for international students that you have to fill out... so I would take a look at that and see when is the deadline. You've listed public schools which usually don't take a lot of international students.  I would consider also looking at more private universities IF they fit your research interests. 

Thanks so much, ilovelab. I'll look around for private unis. I'm interested in biochem/cell and/or mol bio. Preferably with intersections in angiogenesis or apoptosis. I'm also open to fields beyond this area. I've never worked on epigenetics and I'd like to give that a shot too. 
The UCSD Biological Sciences program I looked at didn't mention a pre-application. Let me check for anything I might have missed.

If you dont mind, can you give me a few private schools to get me started?

[FasKid]

Hi, 

I am currently working in National University of Singapore (NUS). I have colleagues who are similar to your profile - with masters, >320 GRE scores , etc. and have been accepted into NUS PhD program. So, I think you should be fine. Though you should contact a prof who is working in your area of interests first, who will then endorse your application to NUS.   

Hi xyho, 

Thanks for your input  I'm looking at PIs in the biochem or pharmacology departments. Hope to get a response before the Nov deadline. Fingers crossed!

[FasKid]

Undergrad Institution: Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), young university but rising fast in the ranks
Major(s): Biological Sciences
Minor(s): - 
GPA in Major: -
Overall GPA: 4.52/5, approx. 3.67/4
Position in Class: First class honours
Type of Student: International Student

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised, I will be taking GRE again
Q: 160
V: 156
W: 4.5
B: -

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

About 6 months doing my final year project on a heart disease, learnt patch clamp through this experience.

About 2.5 years working in a protein phosphatase lab, working on protein-protein interactions and Parkinson disease.

Currently writing a paper, probably second author out of three or four authors.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: No awards related to biology

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 
Volunteer at Singapore science centre teaching science to kids.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

I skipped a year in my undergraduate course because I also have a diploma in Biomedical Sciences.

Special Bonus Points: 

Recommender is from U.S. has very wide connections in u.s.a. Working in a research lab that has connections to DUKE University.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
 

All neuroscience departments

UCSD (Applied last year but was not successful)

Cold Spring harbour

Scripps Research Institute

University of Queensland

Are there any schools that I would have higher chance of getting in? I understand it is really difficult for international students to get in.

Hi xyho, about Scripps..they expect applicants to submit Subject GRE scores. Can you take the test and still submit scores in time for the deadline? I'm not applying there because I dont have the time to take the subject test.

Consider Brandeis university, in Massachusetts. Their neuro dept is rather good.

[ilovelab]

Thanks so much, ilovelab. I'll look around for private unis. I'm interested in biochem/cell and/or mol bio. Preferably with intersections in angiogenesis or apoptosis. I'm also open to fields beyond this area. I've never worked on epigenetics and I'd like to give that a shot too. The UCSD Biological Sciences program I looked at didn't mention a pre-application. Let me check for anything I might have missed.

If you dont mind, can you give me a few private schools to get me started?

Here's the link for the pre-application : http://biomedsci.ucsd.edu/apply/ 

Cornell takes a lot of international students each year. UTSW is an amazing school. Vanderbilt/WashU/Emory/Northwestern/MIT/Yale/etc. All good programs but I don't know about angiogenesis/apoptosis work. Take a look. 

[ballwera]

I suppose this belongs in the 2015 thread but I'll throw it in here instead. Just got a rejection letter for an app that I submitted last Nov. hahaha

[FasKid]

Here's the link for the pre-application : http://biomedsci.ucsd.edu/apply/ 

Cornell takes a lot of international students each year. UTSW is an amazing school. Vanderbilt/WashU/Emory/Northwestern/MIT/Yale/etc. All good programs but I don't know about angiogenesis/apoptosis work. Take a look. 

Hi ilovelab,

I'm actually applying to the Biological Sciences program at UCSD http://biology.ucsd.edu/education/grad/prospective/how-to-apply.html

This division doesn't have a pre-application, so that's why I freaked (a little, lol!) when you mentioned a pre-app. I'll stick to this one and see how it goes. I think my low-ish quant score and lack of subject test put me at a disadvantage in the Biomed division.
For personal reasons, I'd like to stay as close to the west coast as possible. I'm open to applying to schools in Texas, but not quite keen on the east coast (even though they have some great schools). I'll give UTSW a shot   

[aufish92]

Undergrad Institution: Big state school
Major(s): Chemistry
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 4.0 
Overall GPA: 3.99
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: domestic white female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 161 (80%)
V: 161 (87%)
W: 4.5 (80%)
B: not taking it

Research Experience: 1 semester in a material science chemistry lab, ~ 3 years in a microbiology lab, currently working on first author paper and will be one of many authors on a paper that is still being written 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Deans list every year 

a couple scholarships from the school

American Institute of Chemists Student Award 2014

American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry Student Award 2014

top graduating senior in chem department 2014

Summa Cum Laude 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 semesters of honors general chemistry TA experience

Applying to Where:

All are microbiology programs

University of Wisconsin Madison 

MIT

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

UC Berkeley

UC Davis? 

University of Washington? 

I'm not sure how I will do since I don't have any papers published at this time.  I'm really hoping for Wisconsin.  Still trying to nail down all the places I want to apply to.  If anybody has suggestions for good micro programs I should check out let me know.  

 

[S.K.P.]

REPOST: Just wondering whether I should retake my GRE to boost my chances of at least getting an interview from these programmes; and am I aiming too high, if I am, what programmes/universities should I consider instead? My interests lie in the field of biology of ageing/gene expression. And, my profile is pathetic in comparison to any of those that have been posted! 

Undergrad Institution: Russell Group University, UK

Major(s): Biological Sciences (Concentration: Cell Biology)

GPA in Major: N/A

Overall GPA: First Class Honours (predicted); 3.84 (while exchange at an US institution)

Position in Class: Top 10-15%

Type of Student: International

 

GRE Scores: (just took it, seriously wondering if I should retake it)

Q: 162 (83%)

V: 156 (71%)

W: 4.0 (56%)

B: will be taking this soon 

 

Research Experience: 

1) 2.5 months research in cell biology through a prestigious summer internship programme (yielded a co-author paper)

2) 2 semesters of term-time research in a molecular/cellular neuroscience lab in Hopkins

3) 3 months research in an ageing/Alzheimer's disease lab in Singapore 

4) will be working on a project related to ageing/RNA in the coming academic year (Master's project)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Under a national scholarship that covers my tuition fees and living expenses 

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

Volunteered as science presented in public science events; gave a poster presentation at the end of the aforementioned internship; wrote a scientific paper presenting the results of the term-time research I did 

 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: 

One co-authored publication 

 

Special Bonus Points: 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: 

 

Applying to Where: (not finalised)

Brown: Pathobiology (Aging pathway)

Cornell/Weill Cornell: MCB

Princeton: @Biology

[S.K.P.]

Is it really necessary to take the subject test? (I just realised that there's no place left for the next test date (24th Oct) in the UK, and if I need to take the test, I will have to travel to France........)

[FLAGtagSwag]

Is it really necessary to take the subject test? (I just realised that there's no place left for the next test date (24th Oct) in the UK, and if I need to take the test, I will have to travel to France........)

The requirement for a subject test is on a school-by-school basis so you would need to check specific programs you're interested in.

Most US schools say something on their webpage about it being recommended. However, the majority of advice I have gotten from current grads (and this website) is that you should only take it if you have something in your course/academic history that suggests you don't have a sufficient background.

[S.K.P.]

The requirement for a subject test is on a school-by-school basis so you would need to check specific programs you're interested in.

Most US schools say something on their webpage about it being recommended. However, the majority of advice I have gotten from current grads (and this website) is that you should only take it if you have something in your course/academic history that suggests you don't have a sufficient background.

Thanks for your reply! I think I'll opt out of the subject test and focus on other aspects of my applications. 

[xyho]

Hi xyho, about Scripps..they expect applicants to submit Subject GRE scores. Can you take the test and still submit scores in time for the deadline? I'm not applying there because I dont have the time to take the subject test.

Consider Brandeis university, in Massachusetts. Their neuro dept is rather good.

Thank you so much for your comments. I checked here: http://education.scripps.edu/graduate_programs/admissions/index.html where they mentioned that though the subject test is highly recommended, it is not required? 

[xyho]

UCSD Neuroscience is my top choice.

I have applied there last year and I thought applying to their Biomedical and Biological Sciences program would increase my chances of getting into the school. However, I was unsuccessful and the reply I got from them is that most applicants have higher GPA and GRE scores. My GPA is already about top 10-15% of my school (first class honours) but after conversion to a 4 point scale its about 3.64/4 which may not be impressive. My GRE score is a little low, I am working on that now. I may be able to publish a second author paper this year and have more than 2 years of working experience. 

If I were to apply to Biological sciences program as my first choice rather than neuroscience which is the hardest to get in, do you think it might increase my chances of getting in?

Thanks in advance.

[Dt822]

Undergrad Institution: top 10 public 
Major(s): microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics (this is a long name for one major)
Minor(s): biomedical research 
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.6
Position in Class: not sure, maybe top 20%
Type of Student: female, Asian, low economic background. 
GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 158
V: 155
W: 4
B: not taking
Retaking in October 

Research Experience: 

1.2 years undergrad research in HHMI lab with one of the world experts in alternative splicing. I found the functional relationship in a new complex. Worked under a post doc, lead to 5th level authorship in manuscript under review at a top journal. Manuscript will contain a couple of my figures. 

Currently working as lab tech in cardiovascular lab at Ucsf under a new pi. Will be here for two years by application deadlines. Within a year, able to get 2nd author on manuscript under review in middle impact journal. Contributed about half of the critical experiments. Currently leading 2 independent projects. 

Although my papers are not in immunology, that is my interest. I'm leading a project in my current lab dealing with T cell repertoire and next-gen sequencing. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nsf scholarship and undergrad research scholarship funding for 3 years of undergrad. Deans list all years, though not all quarters. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Mentored new incoming women in stem from underprivileged backgrounds to help navigate school systems, classes, and plain old support. 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
3 Poster presentations at undergrad: school wide, within major, and within minor. 
Special Bonus Points:

i have 2 lors from my research and the third one from the director of my undergrad minor. 

Although I'm not considered a minority in stem, I do come from an economically disadvantaged background. To pay for  undergrad, I worked 3 jobs landed a few scholarships. I was able to graduate debt-free!  Not sure if this is worth mentioning in sop as it is not related to research. 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

i am a non traditional student. Following high school, had to leave university and attend community college so I could be the primary caretaker for a family member. As a result my grades suffered a few semesters in non-science related courses. In sop will explain how this experience led to my discovery and passion for science. (I was originally aiming for psychology ?) My grades and work I have done since my decision for a future in research should reflect this. 

Even though I was able to recover my gpa, I'm still concerned about my bad marks in the first couple years. I really want to stay in the Bay Area so I'm trying to be as competitive as I can. Any input would be greatly appreciated, especially things to put in sop. 

Applying to Where:

Interested in immunology and bioinformatics and clinical applications in genetic screens. 

I am applying to biomedical sciences umbrella programs for with emphasis in immunology and genetics. 

UCSF- bms

Stanford- bms

UCLA- bioscience

Scripps

UCSD- bms

Cornell-bms

New York University (nyu)-bms

Caltech-bms

UC Berkeley-bms

Washington University in St. Louis(wustl)- bms 

Any other suggestions? This list is contingent upon how much money I have

[LwT]

Undergrad Institution: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (smaller public school unsure of actual bio/science program quality)
Major(s): Psychology
Minor(s): Spanish, philosophy
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.90
Position in Class: Top 5%
Type of Student: domestic-male-white

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:159 (75%)
V:164 (94%)
W:5.0 (93%)
B: n/a


Research Experience: 2 personal research projects (over 3 semesters) at my university related to sensation and perception/visual neuroscience through Psych department. One through psychology honors program, received small grant. Presented at MPA Chicago, as well as both at the university's undergraduate "research day". We lack equipment for doing high quality research. Studies used computer generated stimuli for color perception studies. Also was a research assistant for the faculty advisor of my research for 3 semesters. He studied synesthesia, object perception/recognition, color perception, and temporal binding. No publications.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

summa cum laude

received small grant for research

Deans list all but 1 semester

Member of 3 honor societies (was not actually involved)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Held leadership position with religious organization on campus for 2.5 years. Currently working as a QC Lab Technician at a biopharmaceutical company (very minimal duties-I'm writing this at work actually-but it sounds good I suppose?). However, my supervisor would not be a valuable reference. A monkey could do her job for the most part, sadly, and because the work is so simple I don't think she could speak to my work ethic or intelligence. I'm attempting to get additional training and/or shadowing in our R&D department.

Applying to Where:
University of Chicago- integrated neuroscience (technically through psych dept.) Top choice due to particular research interests

Vanderbilt- neuroscience (NGP)

Berkeley-neuroscience

Northwestern-neuroscience NUIN

University of Minnesota- neuroscience

Wisconsin-Madison- Neuroscience NTP

Washington University in St. Louis- neuroscience

University of Colorado-boulder- Cognitive Neuroscience

University of Pennsylvania-neuroscience

Notes:
I have met the minimum requirement for most neuroscience programs in terms of classes- 1 year of Physics, Biology (intro, 2 semesters of anat&phys), Chemistry (intros, organic, biochem), and math through calculus 2. psych was my major so I took biopsych, psychopharmacology, experimental, learning and memory, etc. Lots of unrelated classes (Spanish, philosophy and Chinese) because I was late to the game in getting into neuroscience. I hope it's alright I'm posting under the biology section despite my focus being more related to cognitive psych- there are like 2 posts in the 2015 cog neuroscience forum. I would prefer to apply to programs that stress curriculum related to biochem and neuroanatomy/physiology despite not having done research in these areas- I think that having comprehensive knowledge will be valuable based on the direction the field is heading, and I enjoyed anatomy/organic/biochem. Additionally, I'd like to leave open the possibility of research pertaining to molecular and cellular neuroscience.

I definitely lack confidence in my ability to get into these programs considering I come from a small public university, my research was sub par compared to most in the forum, I have minimal course requirements, and did poorly in the Quant section of the GRE. I took calc 2 my freshman year...so I'm not surprised with that result. I don't have time to retake the GRE again- I work ~40-56 hrs/week and have some health issues. My writing skills are rather decent, although I write with a style that isn't very scientific. So this makes me a bit skeptical of my SOP. I truly dislike the many SOPs that sound like research articles where the only "voice" coming through is computer generated, but I suppose that's the way they like it. In addition, a lot of the research/POI's I am interested in are unrelated to my research experiences entirely. I enjoyed sensation and perception/visual neuroscience, but my true interests reside elsewhere I think- ranging from consciousness, language & culture, perception generation, or pharmacology and addiction. How important is it that my SOP states super particular research interests?

any suggestions of programs is  appreciated and strength of application within these programs is appreciated. I will likely apply to some psych programs elsewhere as back-up. I also have not contacted any professors- I was told not to (?) unless the program suggests you do so (such as Vanderbilt).

 

[Bioenchilada]

To those of you applying to top schools, I was given some insider information by rather influential and involved people in the admission process about the importance of numbers.

The GRE becomes more and more relevant as you GPA decreases; thus, if you have a low GPA (<3.5), doing well in the GRE is almost a must. If you have a high GPA (>3.75), getting an average score won't hurt you that much, if at all.

In terms of specific numbers, I can use my own as an example. I got a 155V/159Q/4W and was told that these scores were fine, but I must point out I have a 3.96. As expected, math is more important, so getting a score higher than the 70th percentile should be the goal. I will be applying to graduate school in this round, so I really can't tell you that these scores worked for me; however, this information came from people I had a very good connection with, so they would have told me that my app is shit if it were. 

Hopefully, this info helps. 

 

(Also, I found the attached information on the Stanford biosciences admissions page)

Edited September 20, 2015 by Bioenchilada

[northernchild]

Undergrad Institution: Belmont University
Major(s): Pre-med Psychology
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.72
Overall GPA: 3.69
Position in Class: not sure
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:163
V:168
W:4.0
B:


Research Experience: 1 poster and 1 first-author paper from undergrad. 1 poster and 1 mid-author paper with work at Vanderbilt. Working at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program (in 3rd year) as research analyst. Lots of experience analyzing neuroimaging data, programming, running studies, etc. Have a few first-author manuscripts in prep but probably won't be published in time for application.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?) Cum laude, Eastern Psychological Association Research Award for poster presentation, coached a youth lacrosse team to a regional championship...
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)
Research analyst at Vanderbilt.
Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Well-rounded background? Neuroimaging, psychology, medicine, music, athletics, coaching.

Applying to Where:
Neuroscience PhD programs

UC Berkeley

UCLA

USC

UC San Diego

MIT
Boston University

Maryland

Washington University

UNC

NYU

SUNY Binghamton

Ohio State

UT Southwestern

Wisconsin

Vanderbilt