Hey everyone,
I posted a few months ago for general advice on the difference between US and international application processes (I’m from the US but have spent recent years abroad since finishing college). As the deadlines approach, I just wanted to narrow my list for neuroscience PhD programs based on selectivity. Any advice is appreciated.
Here’s my list, in no particular order:
UC Berkeley
NYU
Vanderbilt
Duke
UCLA
UVA
Harvard
Stanford
Princeton
U Colorado
Position since college: Fulbright Scholar of medical research abroad in neuroscience / psychiatry
Undergrad: Top 5 LAC. Honors distinction. Senior yearlong thesis in Neuroscience. Double major in Neuroscience and German.
GPA: 3.60 (w/ honors). Note: this includes three summer courses taken at my state flagship school (Physics I and II, Biochem). Without these courses, my home institution GPA is 3.56. Major GPA is around 3.5.
GRE: Taking in one week but practice tests have generally been 160-162 for both sections (Kaplan)
Research: Fulbright Scholarship in Neuroscience; Yearlong senior thesis in neuroscience; multiple internships, awards and scholarships in neuroscience received during undergrad. Total award value: ~$15,000
It’s not that simple to help you narrow your list simply based on your credentials. At the end of the day, the research being done at each school and the professors you want to work with is more relevant than the ranking or prestige of each institution. Your list is a bit top heavy, but you also have credentials that seem like a good match for the schools you are applying to.
A couple of questions though:
Why are you applying to those schools?
How many professors are doing research that match your interests in each?
Who is writing your rec letters? Will they come from three PIs?
Yes, in grad admissions, your choices are going to be based on your credentials for sure but so much more so on the research interests you have and how well they match up with the departments you’re applying to. So for example, Berkeley’s neuroscience program may be on paper more competitive than CU-Boulder’s, in terms of things like GPA and GRE score. But in reality, maybe your research interests are a near-perfect match for like three Berkeley professors while really you’re more of an imperfect fit with CU’s department - so you may actually have better chances at Berkeley (and it would be a better choice for you overall).
Also, why do you need to cut any? 10 PhD programs isn’t out of the ordinary for a neuroscience applicant.
Don’t bother cutting any, more is better than less in this regard.
Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I’ve chosen those schools because there are at least two faculty members at each who are doing research similar to my interests / what I’ve done in the past. I’ve reached out to most of them and received either positive or neutral feedback (i.e. ‘We think you’d be a great fit’ vs. 'Yes, we’re excepting grad students in our lab this year."
I just wanted to get a sense of whether there are any schools in my list that are unrealistic based on my quantitative stats. Thanks for the feedback so far.