Ask questions about the PhD application process!

[Iverya]

On 5/1/2021 at 12:37 PM, warm-valley said:

How bad are my chances if I have little research experience for getting into a neuroscience PhD? I'll be starting work in a lab part-time soon, and I have my Bachelor's dissertation (thesis) next year, but that's all I have.

Also, does it reflect badly on the application to have a disability?

I will suggest you at least accumulate some research experience. Part-time sounds not enough. Research experience is important especially for top programs. The best way is applying for a technician or post-undergraduate intern position and stay for one or two years. That would be much helpful. Also, I think your research experience is not necessary related to neuroscience. Any bio-related fields should be fine. Just show them you can handle experiments and are a quick-learner.

 

Also I am curious, why you have a thesis in undergraduate but only little research experience? Your thesis is not related to research?

[mothgirl]

Hi everyone, I'm applying for fall 2022... already posted this on the international page but hoping someone can help me out here since that thread isn't very active at all.

I need help with evaluating my profile. I'm not sure if I'm a competitive enough applicant for the schools I'm applying for.

Schools applying for: UCSF, Scripps, UC Davis, UCSB

Undergrad: University of Oxford, MBiochem (master of biochemistry, 4 year undergraduate masters), marks 62% (low end of upper second, a first class is 70%) - Yes you only need 70% to get the top grade in a UK university

Research experience: Molecular biophysics - 6 months in a lab doing my masters research, wrote up an 8000 word dissertation.. and one 2 month internship in 2nd year of which i remember absolutely nothing except that i read harry potter during breaks in between experiments.

Interested in: virology, immunology, cancer biology 

Type of student: International, LGBT, chinese singaporean, female
Irrelevant but interesting: I've lived in both Wales and Boston before

I have limited research experience. Do you think my profile is unsuitable for the unis I've applied? What other places could I consider to lower my risk of being rejected? Should I apply to Duke Cornell WUSTL UChicago etc? I'm not inclined to as I don't think I'll get in, but would like other perspectives.

Thanks in advance :)) 

Edited October 18, 2021 by mothgirl

[Narwhallaby]

On 10/18/2021 at 2:59 AM, mothgirl said:

one 2 month internship in 2nd year of which i remember absolutely nothing except that i read harry potter during breaks in between experiments.

I don't think I'm qualified to comment on your profile, except to say you might want to slightly rephrase that for your SoP ?

[mothgirl]

6 hours ago, Narwhallaby said:

I don't think I'm qualified to comment on your profile, except to say you might want to slightly rephrase that for your SoP ?

I got in touch with the postdoc who mentored me. She basically sent me a draft of my LOR, so now at least I know what I did....

[QWERTYMNB97]

On 10/17/2021 at 8:59 PM, mothgirl said:

Hi everyone, I'm applying for fall 2022... already posted this on the international page but hoping someone can help me out here since that thread isn't very active at all.

I need help with evaluating my profile. I'm not sure if I'm a competitive enough applicant for the schools I'm applying for.

Schools applying for: UCSF, Scripps, UC Davis, UCSB

Undergrad: University of Oxford, MBiochem (master of biochemistry, 4 year undergraduate masters), marks 62% (low end of upper second, a first class is 70%) - Yes you only need 70% to get the top grade in a UK university

Research experience: Molecular biophysics - 6 months in a lab doing my masters research, wrote up an 8000 word dissertation.. and one 2 month internship in 2nd year of which i remember absolutely nothing except that i read harry potter during breaks in between experiments.

Interested in: virology, immunology, cancer biology 

Type of student: International, LGBT, chinese singaporean, female
Irrelevant but interesting: I've lived in both Wales and Boston before

I have limited research experience. Do you think my profile is unsuitable for the unis I've applied? What other places could I consider to lower my risk of being rejected? Should I apply to Duke Cornell WUSTL UChicago etc? I'm not inclined to as I don't think I'll get in, but would like other perspectives.

Thanks in advance :)) 

Good profile!

For Scripps and UC Davis, you are good. UCSB I guess moderate. UCSF is kinda ambitious. But, it all depends on various other factors. You can apply to Weill Cornell, actually. 

[Amygdala_Lambada]

Hello everyone, I'm new here so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place. I'm currently in a Masters program and I hope to matriculate to a PhD program for Neuroscience (interested in Physiology). I was once a pre-med (I know, I know) but my experiences have led me to the wonderful field of neuroscience. Can anyone lead me to some resources to learn about applying and creating a school list (I planned to apply next year for 2023).

[VirtualCell]

On 12/27/2021 at 6:28 PM, Amygdala_Lambada said:

Hello everyone, I'm new here so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place. I'm currently in a Masters program and I hope to matriculate to a PhD program for Neuroscience (interested in Physiology). I was once a pre-med (I know, I know) but my experiences have led me to the wonderful field of neuroscience. Can anyone lead me to some resources to learn about applying and creating a school list (I planned to apply next year for 2023).

There's lots of generic resources (e.g. neurosciencenews.com has a list), but the place I recommend starting is to talk to your PI! They often have perspectives on which programs they respect the most.

You can also look at papers that you like and see where the authors are located. Make a list of a dozen of so PIs you might want to work with, and see what programs they are affiliated with.  

[Crucial BBQ]

On 12/7/2019 at 3:35 PM, alraun said:

Hi everyone! Many programs do not require GRE scores this year, however they write that if the score will be submitted it still will be reviewed. So my quantitative score is 164 (86 percentile), verbal 158 (80 percentile), analytical writing 4.0 (59 percetile). Should i use them? I am not native speaker and doubt that I can further enhance my verbal or analytical writing scores.

Not sure if you had already applied or not, so for future reference your scores are pretty good overall.  When considering GRE scores, one has to consider them from the perspective of the respective discipline.  In particular, what is the average for the programs you are applying to?  I mean, for math, physics, and perhaps engineering a Q 164 might be low (or it might not be, I dunno), but for biology students it is on the higher end.  I am also pretty sure it is difficult to score a 6 on AW.  

Anyways, your scores won't hurt your application[s].  If they will help, I dunno, but might still be in your interests to send them along. 

[acealong]

Hi everyone, I’m curious about the extent of faculty members' influence on the application process. I've heard of individuals who were guaranteed admission due to a positive conversation with a PI before submitting their application. However, the email responses I've received so far suggest that I need to be admitted to the program first and then proceed with rotations. Is it the case that labs no longer have the authority to select their preferred candidates, or does this vary between schools? I'm considering schools like BU, Pitt, CMU, Cornell, Duke, Brown, Columbia, Princeton, and Baylor, mainly because I've identified labs I'm genuinely interested in and have reached out to them via email.

[numbersloth]

Hi all! Not sure if this thread is still active. Any advice on deciding what department to apply to when a research topic and mentor fall within several departments? Broadly my research could be considered statistical genetics/epidemiology, plain old genetics, or even biomedical sciences. Beyond coursework requirements (all of which i find interesting), what is the best way to choose the department? How does fit differ between an epidemiology department vs. a genetics department vs. a biology department?