How can I get useful feedback after a rejection?

[AllThingsBrain]

I applied to six neuroscience programs and did not even get an interview anywhere. Advice I read online suggests I should follow up with an "adviser" at the school to see what I can improve. So far, I've tried contacting two schools and gotten virtually nothing useful. Has anyone found a way of asking that got useful information, and what did you ask?

I am trying to overcome a low undergraduate GPA. Prior to applying, I was advised that would be less significant since I have been out of school for 15ish years, but now I wonder if it effectively disqualified me immediately. I want to know if I should be trying to improve my already-high GRE scores to a perfect score, or adding more research experience, or focusing on developing a faculty contact who can advocate for me, or adjusting my sights lower. I don't have a good sense of how far I may be from being competitive.

[fuzzylogician]

Here is an answer to an almost identical question from the other day:

If I had to guess, if your GRE is already high, improving it will have diminishing returns. I don't know how low is low, but a low GPA could be a potential problem and there might be cutoffs that you are not making, so your application might get cut at an early stage. I don't know how likely that is for your field and particular schools.

"Adding research experience" suggests that you already have experience, but the quantity and quality can make a big difference, as can LORs coming out of those experiences. Having strong LORs and a strong and detailed SOP based on past experiences will go a long way. Having a faculty advocate will too, and it's never a bad idea to have one. Since you have the time, that seems like an obvious thing to try. Can't hurt.

If you try again, you could also choose some lower-ranked schools, but I think the real question is what your career goals are and where they can be best met. You need to choose schools based on fit more than anything else. Did you choose appropriate schools this time -- ones where there is at least one (preferably 2-3) PIs who can support your interests? Did you write a strong SOP that demonstrated exactly how the schools could support your interests? Also important: if going to a lower ranked school puts you out of the running for the jobs you'd like to have, then what's the point? 

[sjoh197]

As far as getting back useful feedback... this is still a really busy time of year for contacting people involved with admissions. Perhaps waiting a bit longer to ask would help.