<p>Hello, I'm an international student interested in applying for Ph.D. program in neuroscience(neurobiology). If somebody can give me some realistic comments on my chance at top5 neurobiology programs or just general advice based on my profile below, that would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>I graduated as a math major from a good state university in the US with overall GPA 3.4+ (last two years was 3.5+). Although as an undergraduate I didn't take many science classes (two semesters of both chemistry and calculus based physics), I had had an opportunity to take some undergraduate classes after the graduation at a very prestigious private school and got 3.8+ gpa in molecular biology, two neuroscience classes and one math class.</p>
<p>I had zero research experience as an undergraduate but at the school I mentioned above (where I took four UG classes), I was very fortunate to meet my current PI who gave me a full time research position to work at his lab. In this lab I've been working for about 8 months and may be able to publish a good paper (of course not as a first author) next year. As for how good the paper would be and how well my contribution would be recognized, it is still very vague but one thing I can tell is that it would not be insignificant. The PI I'm working for is very famous and influential in his field and I'm expecting to get a good letter from him. Unfortunately, however, I may have to seek other letters from professors I have not known for a long period of time or worked for. </p>
<p>I don't have any GRE record as of now.</p>
<p>I would like to start graduate program as soon as possible as I'm not young at all for that but I've been recently having a growing impression that my current stat is too weak for the programs I'm considering to apply to and may have to work 1 or 2 more years before applying (It would then be not this year but next or next next year that I will be applying for the programs. I think this is not a bad idea given that it can help improve my chance significantly).</p>
<p>Would top5 neuroscience programs (overall neurobiology raking you can find on web) be a preposterous idea for me? If it is how can I increase my chance? If it is not, how can I polish my application to further improve the chance?</p>
<p>Neuro grad program are extremely competitive to get into for international students. It sounds like you will have solid research experience when you apply, which is the most important part of a grad school application, but you may have trouble with:</p>
<p>your academic background/transcripts: GPA can be used as a filter for interviews at the most competitive programs, although not always. When it is, the cut off often is at or above 3.5. 3.8+ at prestige university will help, but if I’m interpreting correctly, you’ve basically only have one semester of classes in your field (2 neuro, 1 molecular bio)? This seems on the low end to me. And if any of the programs you want are part of larger biomed/bio umbrellas, when I considered such places, they almost universally wanted chemistry through organic as a minimum. Can you pitch your math background as highly relevant to your research interests (seems at least plausible, and if you can do it well, this could really go a long ways), or get a few more neuro/bio classes in?</p>
<p>Letters- you will generally be asked for three, and at the top programs, you need three good ones. One less than amazing letter is probably ok, but one great letter and two from random professors who don’t have much to say will not cut it. Also, super-famous letter writer certainly does not hurt, but it isn’t necessarily that great if they don’t know you that well. Do you actually interact with famous PI that much? If you’re working full time in the lab, can you find a more junior professor with relevant research interests that you could discuss your work with to get advice, insight, etc, and eventually end up with a letter from this person?</p>
<p>To me, it seems you would be a long shot for top 5 programs, but it can’t hurt to try, and if you don’t get into the calibre of program you want, you can always just keep working and try again the next year</p>
<p>I would widen the web. schools like Emory and UMiami have put a large amount of funding into their NS programs in recent years.</p>
<p>What do you consider top programs?</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the reply.</p>
<p>To answer your questions,</p>
<p>1) I spent two semesters for the coursework and research (2 courses per semester). I did something important in the lab and that is why my PI gave me a job. </p>
<p>2) I think I’ll be focusing on improving my knowledge in bio instead of going computational. I find more joy in actually doing something with my hands for noble observations than thinking about equations and coming up with new theories. Taking more classes is not impossible I think (e.g. continuing education program), but as long as I have to work, I will not be able to do so in regular classes with undergraduates. So unfortunately serious coursework is no longer available… Do you think I can overcome this by doing well on GRE subject tests?</p>
<p>3) I do interact with my PI very often. We see each other in a hallway quite often and sometimes engage in 1 hour-long 1:1 talk on my work. My post-doc trainer will soon to be a PI himself, and he is the man I’ve been interacting mostly with (He promised me to write a decent letter). As you pointed out, I’ve been recently thinking of helping a relatively junior (but still a Professor) PI who has been collaborating with my PI on a project he is interested in. </p>
<p>I would not mind spending one or two more years for decent letters from PIs and research outcomes, but I would be depressed if gpa still matters a lot. I’m hoping that there is no such thing as minimum gpa as many top programs argue (why would they go all the trouble of receiving applications with low GPAs and throw them away without giving it a glance? I don’t think they are collecting money that way).</p>
<p>Going to one of top schools is not only a matter of prestige I guess… For example, you can draw more attention to your publications, interact with finest scientists and work with them so on and so forth. It is more like a strategy to survive in the field I would say.</p>
<p>Of course there is no minimum GPA, and the longer you are out of school the less important your GPA becomes. It’s just that some GPAs will help you, and others hurt you.</p>
<p>As far as I know, there is no GRE subject test in neuro. So you would have to take Biology (includes a huge amount of organismal and evolutionary biology as well as ecology), Biochemistry-Cell-Molecular Biology, or maybe Chemistry. The tests are designed to test an amount of knowledge that would be expected from majoring in these fields. Props to you if you can master enough of these fields without formal coursework to rock the test. However, it seems like it would be more efficient to just take whatever prereqs your programs say they want and maybe another neuro course or two, rather studying tons of material covered on the exam but not very relevant to your interests.</p>
<p>Some programs can be flexible regarding prerequisites or recommended background. But my impression has always been that often international students are going against hundreds of other applicants for a single slot, and being lacking in any of the basics can kill your application in such a context. Get more creative in how you could take more courses. It’s not like you need a dozen. Surely there are community colleges in the area- take a night or summer class. If your lab job is your main gig, your PI may be completely supportive of you rearranging to a more unconventional schedule to take a relevant class.</p>