2017 Neuroscience PhD Applicants and Admission Results

[Drifloon]

Ah. Damn, damn, damn. And my POI was so encouraging! 

Well, congrats to everyone who got the email. Fingers crossed for everywhere else. 

[Laela]

Got an interview invitation for the Harvard PiN program. I read in a previous comment that they all come out at once? Or do they come in waves?

[kokobanana]

Invites for Harvard's PiN come out all at once. I don't know if that is true about any other programs at Harvard.

[nescacphd]

I'm seeing a lot from WUSTL DBBS, but it looks like a bunch of different divisions. Has anyone heard from their neuroscience division yet or know if they send them all out separately?

[neuroslice]

6 minutes ago, kokobanana said:

Invites for Harvard's PiN come out all at once. I don't know if that is true about any other programs at Harvard.

That's unfortunate... but oh well, plenty of schools left. Good luck to you all as we struggle through this!

[kokobanana]

1 minute ago, neuroslice said:

That's unfortunate... but oh well, plenty of schools left. Good luck to you all as we struggle through this!

I'm a graduate student in PiN, so I heard comments from the faculty about the admissions process.

It was REALLY tough this year. This year had the most applications in the history of the program, and they were all high quality applicants. I know the faculty really struggled with narrowing it down (and they take the process very seriously - each application is read by multiple people).

This process is inherently a bit random. For example, I met people that were not invited to "less prestigious" schools, but offered admission in programs people would rank in the top 3.

Just remember that the name of the school doesn't matter really - what's important is finding a place and working in a lab where you will thrive. And there are many fantastic programs around the country that could very well be a better fit for you. 

Everything will work out as someone that went through the process, just try and have as much fun (and as little stress) as you can.

[Neurokai]

Friends of mine got interviews (by email) from Columbia, John Hopkins and UofVirginia. Not sure a about which programs except that UofV is neuro

[Cervello]

Out of curiosity, what are the dates for the Harvard PiN interview? 

[Janiejoneswoah]

10 minutes ago, Cervello said:

Out of curiosity, what are the dates for the Harvard PiN interview? 

January 19th-22nd!

[Cervello]

Thank you ^

[kokobanana]

For those coming to interview at Harvard, I'm so excited to meet some of you guys!

I remember last year, I "met" some gradcafe posters in real life. I knew their usernames and that they were invited to interview at the same programs, but I never really figured out who they were (you can't just go up to people and say "hi, my name is kokobanana").

But it is really fun to meet other applicants - and something that you will quickly notice is that you'll see the same group of people over and over again. And the best part - a lot of them will become your peers!

[aquamarine]

yay I love this! the bio thread gets overwhelming, lol.

applied to (all neuro tracks/umbrellas)
Emory MSP (interview 2/9-11)

Case Western BSTP

Indiana IMBG

OHSU Behavioral Neuroscience

Vanderbilt NGP

UNC-BBSP

UTSW DBS

Texas A&M HSC Medical Science

MUSC Biomedical Science

PIttsburgh CNUP

 

 

Edited December 16, 2016 by britt2017

[blc073]

1 hour ago, kokobanana said:

For those coming to interview at Harvard, I'm so excited to meet some of you guys!

I remember last year, I "met" some gradcafe posters in real life. I knew their usernames and that they were invited to interview at the same programs, but I never really figured out who they were (you can't just go up to people and say "hi, my name is kokobanana").

But it is really fun to meet other applicants - and something that you will quickly notice is that you'll see the same group of people over and over again. And the best part - a lot of them will become your peers!

I would love for you to come up to me and say, "Hi, my name is kokobanana." 

How can we make this happen?

[AGradStudentHasNoName]

26 minutes ago, blc073 said:

I would love for you to come up to me and say, "Hi, my name is kokobanana." 

How can we make this happen?

craigslist

 

 

 

 

 

 

im really just trying to be funny, no offense. But you could PM a meeting time/place

[neurotrino]

Oh boy from the results page it looks like University of Pennsylvania NGG is sending out / has sent out invites.  Which is bizarre bc it is quite late in their time zone.  Oh dear.  

[seven27]

I see someone got an invite from UC-Davis.  Congrats to them!  2 for 3 so far 

Edited December 16, 2016 by seven27

[cmykrgb]

anyone still got no interviews? Am I alone in this sadness?

[seven27]

41 minutes ago, cmykrgb said:

anyone still got no interviews? Am I alone in this sadness?

Hang in there!  There are more invites to come.

[neuroundergrad]

1 hour ago, cmykrgb said:

anyone still got no interviews? Am I alone in this sadness?

 

lol but i'm actually really sad, yeah

Edited December 16, 2016 by pitt_neuroundergrad

[lucky_panda]

Hi, @kokobanana, could you give us some advices about the interviews? What are the professors looking for when conducting the interviews and what are the most common reasons that some people are rejected after the interview? Thanks. 

Edited December 16, 2016 by lucky_panda

[Neuro15]

6 hours ago, cmykrgb said:

anyone still got no interviews? Am I alone in this sadness?

No interviews checking in! Don't worry you're not alone! 

[kokobanana]

8 hours ago, blc073 said:

I would love for you to come up to me and say, "Hi, my name is kokobanana." 

How can we make this happen?

I guess it depends what program you are in and which campus you work at - if you're at Longwood, we've probably run into each other already!

[kokobanana]

2 hours ago, lucky_panda said:

Hi, @kokobanana, could you give us some advices about the interviews? What are the professors looking for when conducting the interviews and what are the most common reasons that some people are rejected after the interview? Thanks. 

Honestly, I was so nervous for my interview. But it was completely unnecessary! Interviews are actually really fun! I would say that 90% of your interviewers are laid back and just want to hear you talk about your previous work. They might ask you a few questions for clarification, but it's really just a conversation and not a quiz. The other 10% might ask you more questions, just to get an idea about how knowledgeable you really are, but even then, they are still really nice.

This advice is applicable to all of you interviews BTW

I don't know exactly why people are not offered admission, but I have a few strong suspicions (based on what I've heard from faculty)

1) You don't match up to what you seem like on paper.

2) It's not a good fit (both ways). This could mean that they don't think your research interests line up with enough faculty at that institution or that it's not a great fit for other reasons. Remember: The interviews work BOTH ways - you need to ask yourself if this program is a good fit for you too.

3) You got totally wasted at interviews and didn't show up.

Tips:

1) Interview with faculty that you actually want to talk to. Spend time checking out their lab websites. You don't have to read every paper they ever wrote, but you should at least know what they are currently working on and can ask a few questions.

2) Consider interviewing with faculty that you would consider having as a PI. This allows you to get a better sense of the program.

3) Don't worry about bringing slides or data, just be able to comfortably talk about your previous work. Remember, they already think you look good on paper, so you've passed the first big hurdle.

4) Have fun - get to know the students, faculty, etc. Ask yourself - is this a place I could see myself living for 5 years? This is probably the most important aspect of the interview!

*And I'd like to mention again, don't accept an invite until you are sure that there are no conflicts with other potential interviews and that you actually want to go. If you decline an interview, some schools keep wait lists and will invite someone else. And be strategic! 10 interviews may sound fun, but I promise that after the 4th, it's really exhausting.*

[godspeed]

Interview invite from upenn at 1am EST last night!

[Neuro15]

1 hour ago, kokobanana said:

Honestly, I was so nervous for my interview. But it was completely unnecessary! Interviews are actually really fun! I would say that 90% of your interviewers are laid back and just want to hear you talk about your previous work. They might ask you a few questions for clarification, but it's really just a conversation and not a quiz. The other 10% might ask you more questions, just to get an idea about how knowledgeable you really are, but even then, they are still really nice.

This advice is applicable to all of you interviews BTW

I don't know exactly why people are not offered admission, but I have a few strong suspicions (based on what I've heard from faculty)

1) You don't match up to what you seem like on paper.

2) It's not a good fit (both ways). This could mean that they don't think your research interests line up with enough faculty at that institution or that it's not a great fit for other reasons. Remember: The interviews work BOTH ways - you need to ask yourself if this program is a good fit for you too.

3) You got totally wasted at interviews and didn't show up.

Tips:

1) Interview with faculty that you actually want to talk to. Spend time checking out their lab websites. You don't have to read every paper they ever wrote, but you should at least know what they are currently working on and can ask a few questions.

2) Consider interviewing with faculty that you would consider having as a PI. This allows you to get a better sense of the program.

3) Don't worry about bringing slides or data, just be able to comfortably talk about your previous work. Remember, they already think you look good on paper, so you've passed the first big hurdle.

4) Have fun - get to know the students, faculty, etc. Ask yourself - is this a place I could see myself living for 5 years? This is probably the most important aspect of the interview!

*And I'd like to mention again, don't accept an invite until you are sure that there are no conflicts with other potential interviews and that you actually want to go. If you decline an interview, some schools keep wait lists and will invite someone else. And be strategic! 10 interviews may sound fun, but I promise that after the 4th, it's really exhausting.*

Good advice, thanks!

 

On a side note, does anyone else in this thread mentally sing Kokobanana's name to the tune of that Copacabana song every time? Or am I just going crazy waiting to hear back from schools?