Graduate Admission Advice; Neuroscience. Is it a good idea to take a gap year?

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm currently in my last year of college, working toward a BS in neuroscience. I'm hopping to get into a PhD program in neuroscience. I got into the grad school mindset a little late, so I have not taken the GRE yet and have just barely started seriously looking at different programs. </p>

<p>Given that priority deadlines for most of the grad schools I have been looking at are in early December, I am worried that I won't have enough time to submit applications, personal statements, etc. that are really polished. I have a relatively low GPA (hovering below 3.2) so I'm figuring that I would be giving myself my best chance if I get applications in as early as possible. </p>

<p>So basically, I'm thinking of waiting a year and applying for grad school for fall 2016 to give myself time to take the GRE, improve my GPA, and get a little more research experience. My concern is that taking a year off would make me less appealing to potential grad schools, especially if I can't get some kind of research related job for that year. Any Advice?</p>

2

<p>What type of research experience do you have at this point? With a 3.2 GPA, it’s not impossible, but you have to be strong in other areas, particularly research. A good GRE score can also help a bit. It’s not too late to sign up for the GRE, either - I just signed up to take it October 16, which should be in plenty of time.</p>

3

<p>I’ve been working in a lab for just over 4 months studying a neurodegenerative disease in mouse models. Right now I’m doing directed research there and will most likely continue until I graduate in May. As far as the GRE goes, I know I can still take it without to much prep and probably do ok. If I have more time to prepare I can probably much better. The problem is, I don’t have a whole lot of time outside of work, classes and research to prepare.</p>

4

<p>If you just started research for the first time 4 months ago, I think it is in your best interest to wait to apply and find a research position for a gap year. Most applicants will have much more research than that (generally 2+ years)</p>