2016 Neuroscience Ph.D. Applicant Thread People Thing

[proton]

@toen THANK YOU, I will most likely (Definitely) reach out to you this week

[proton]

@NeuroMetro I really want to go into neuroprosthetics or like BMIs/BCIs/ neurorehabilitation, I do feel at a disadvantage with no engineering background and it just keeps seeming like all the potential labs I would want to work in have no room/funding/projects but then people tell youto choose the mentor not the science

[NeuroMetro]

14 hours ago, nebulasector7 said:

I'm deciding between washu and uc davis and i'm already ready to rip my hair out!!

what about you!

Tough call, but hard to go wrong there, good luck.

[NeuroMetro]

1 hour ago, proton said:

@NeuroMetro I really want to go into neuroprosthetics or like BMIs/BCIs/ neurorehabilitation, I do feel at a disadvantage with no engineering background and it just keeps seeming like all the potential labs I would want to work in have no room/funding/projects but then people tell youto choose the mentor not the science

If I were in this conversation pre-applications, I would have pointed you towards Brown. They work in neuroprosthetics, and their PhD program allows you to apply for a concurrent masters program (e.g., engineering) at no additional cost (once you are admitted, and if it's alright by your PI). Anyway, I see your conundrum. I guess my best advice would be to try to get the best sense of your lab opportunities. If you can get into one doing the work, I'd say go for it. You can always take classes if you need to strengthen knowledge. Best of luck. I would bet things will sort themselves out for you, just keep an open mind as you go.

Edited April 11, 2016 by NeuroMetro

[Superres]

On April 8, 2016 at 2:45 PM, NeuroMetro said:

@Superres and @proton what options are you each looking at?  I am also struggling, in no small part due to major and unfortunate family event that occurred over the last couple weeks, which has forced me to reevaluate every potential living situation/finances/life in general.

I'm sorry about the fact that you have to reevaluate your options. That can't be easy at all. I'm struggling to decide if I should stay at my undergraduate institution (mostly because although I don't really have anything specific tying me down here, I really like the location), a more prestigious school with a ho-hum location, and a school where I really felt like I fit in and has several researchers whose research that I'm interested in, but doenst have some of the research techniques that I was really hoping to learn. 

 

All of the schools have several labs that I'm interstated in and seem to have really great training. 

If it makes it easier, I was planning on being vague, but I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point  

Im trying to decide between Emory, Hopkins, and Duke (same order as described above)  

 

[Neuro PolarBear]

49 minutes ago, Superres said:

I'm sorry about the fact that you have to reevaluate your options. That can't be easy at all. I'm struggling to decide if I should stay at my undergraduate institution (mostly because although I don't really have anything specific tying me down here, I really like the location), a more prestigious school with a ho-hum location, and a school where I really felt like I fit in and has several researchers whose research that I'm interested in, but doenst have some of the research techniques that I was really hoping to learn. 

 

All of the schools have several labs that I'm interstated in and seem to have really great training. 

If it makes it easier, I was planning on being vague, but I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point  

Im trying to decide between Emory, Hopkins, and Duke (same order as described above)  

 

I think it's good to branch out and go to a new place, for a variety of reasons! I'd probably go to Hopkins or Duke. I didn't interview at Duke, but I really liked Hopkins when I visited. It has some great faculty, including many young faculty that are at the perfect place in their careers to mentor graduate students. Also, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Baltimore!

Good luck with making a decisions. It sounds like you have a bunch of great options.

[toen]

16 hours ago, Micecroscopy said:

I think it's good to branch out and go to a new place, for a variety of reasons! I'd probably go to Hopkins or Duke. I didn't interview at Duke, but I really liked Hopkins when I visited. It has some great faculty, including many young faculty that are at the perfect place in their careers to mentor graduate students. Also, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Baltimore!

Good luck with making a decisions. It sounds like you have a bunch of great options.

@Superres I agree about the not being so quick to dismiss Baltimore. I had an internship at one of the Baltimore branches of the NIH, and I lived on the Hopkins Homewood campus... it wasn't so bad.  Not sure if that's where you'd be staying, but the building I stayed in was directly adjacent to a Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, Chipotle etc.  Inner harbor is also a really nice place to hang out.

[Superres]

On April 12, 2016 at 9:14 PM, Micecroscopy said:

I think it's good to branch out and go to a new place, for a variety of reasons! I'd probably go to Hopkins or Duke. I didn't interview at Duke, but I really liked Hopkins when I visited. It has some great faculty, including many young faculty that are at the perfect place in their careers to mentor graduate students. Also, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Baltimore!

Good luck with making a decisions. It sounds like you have a bunch of great options.

Thank you so much! I honestly do feel very fortunate. I just gotta commit to somewhere. 

[Neuro PolarBear]

6 hours ago, Superres said:

Thank you so much! I honestly do feel very fortunate. I just gotta commit to somewhere. 

Me too

 

[NeuroMetro]

19 hours ago, Micecroscopy said:

Me too

 

Me three... And I just accepted my offer from Brown... and declined UC Anschutz, and UC Boulder... I feel excited, terrified, and utterly disgusted having declined two wonderful programs. Gotta move on.

[NeuroMetro]

@proton so what did you decide to do?