Looking for advice about which selectivity "tier" to focus on (neuro PhD)

[Petal]

Hey everyone,

I just finished a Fulbright fellowship in neuroscience and now I'm gearing up for PhD apps this fall (behavioral neuro). I've reached out to several schools in Europe (where I was doing the fellowship) that don't require the GRE, and so far I've had two interviews (University of Zurich and Medical University of Vienna).

I'm not quite as well-versed in the US PhD app process, and although admissions statistics are available for most schools, it's hard to gauge how much my research background could influence my chances at some of the more selective ones.

I figured I'd just post my basic stats plus the programs I'm interested in and hope someone could give me a general direction.

GPA: 3.60 (w/ honors). Institution: Top 5 LAC. Senior thesis in Neuroscience. Double major in Neuroscience and German

GRE: Not yet taken but practice tests have generally been 160+ for both sections. (SAT was 99th percentile if that has any correlation?)

Research: Fulbright Research Scholarship in Neuroscience; yearlong senior thesis in neuroscience, multiple awards and scholarships in neuroscience received during undergrad. Total award value: ~$15,000

The US programs I'm interested in are:

Vanderbilt, Duke, NYU, UCSD, UCLA, Princeton, Harvard

The international programs I'm interested in are:

Oxford, UCL, Cambridge, Imperial, Univ. Zurich, Medical Univ. Vienna, Univ. Munich, Univ. Heidelberg, Humboldt Berlin

 

Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

 

 

[1apples]

I think that you'll be very competitive for these US schools listed (especially comparing against my friends who were recently accepted into those schools). But I don't know how the US schools handle international applicants. 

Anyway, I wanted to point out some differences between the European and US PhD application process, if you're not already familiar with them. From my understanding, many European schools put an emphasis on the applicants finding a lab of interest at an institution first. From a University College of London grad student, "you find a lab and then the PI gets you into the program." This generally isn't true for US schools - you can reach out to PIs, but they cannot guarantee your acceptance into that school. The first "test" comes with getting by the administration committee. For most US schools, you have a good chance of getting accepted to the program once you get an interview, unlike European schools.

Anyway, good luck! I think that you'll do fine though!