<p>-BS in Biology from a well-respected liberal arts school, Philosophy minor
-3.5 overall gpa, and 3.7 gpa in major.
-received an undergraduate research fellowship, officer in bio honor society, lots of service experience, recent Americorps corpsmember.
-4.5 Years research experience (1.5 as undergrad, 1.5 as technologist in a neurology lab at a perennially top ranked research university, also another 1.5 years in the same lab after being promoted to specialist)
-Extensive experience in publication and grant preparation
-two mid-authorship publications in respected neurology journals
-gre is 163 V, 157 Q, 5 writing
- strong recommendations from lab experience</p>
<p>I am interested in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience phd programs, however my research experience is more related to neural-lineage stem cell biology and cellular physiology of neuron-glia interactions.</p>
<p>My top choices are University Wisconsin - Madison, Vanderbilt and Baylor, though I am also interested in University Colorado - Boulder, Case western university, Oregon health science university and Ohio State. I have had a difficult time ascertaining a real sense of where I can get in, and feel like this lot should give me a reasonable chance of acceptance. Regardless, I would like to know if anyone believes I should adjust my expectations or perhaps if I should throw in a few reaches (Dream schools would be Duke, UCSD, UCSF, Stony Brook, JHU, Ivies).</p>
<p>Grad school admissions are not like undergrad. Your stats look good, but it’s hard to really chance someone for a PhD program. A HUGE factor in admissions is fit; you have to look for schools and professors that are specifically doing research that aligns with what you want to do. This is also way more important than the name recognition of the school in terms of the value of your degree. Ivy leagues are not necessarily the best choice, depending on what you want to do your research in. I’m not really familiar with your research area, so I can’t help on that front. Your best best would be to talk to professors in your field and ask what schools have the best programs.</p>
<p>^What Nano said. If you work in a lab as a specialist, surely there’s a PI and maybe some graduate students and postdocs in the lab - they’d be good people to ask for advice about these particular programs and whether you are competitive at them.</p>
<p>I will say that, from an outsider’s perspective (I’m in psychology) you look like an excellent candidate. You have a decent cumulative GPA and a relatively high major GPA, nearly 5 years of research experience, two publications, and strong recommendations. Given your experience I’m sure you can probably write a good statement of purpose. So I think you should aim high for those dream schools. Personally I am of the opinion that there’s really no point in going to a PhD program unless you can study what you want where you want. But I also think that you are a much better candidate than you are giving yourself credit for. Apply to a range - definitely all of your “first choice would die to go here” schools, but also a few in that second-tier “still nice, would rather the others but these will work for me too” schools.</p>
<p>DON’T apply anywhere you feel ambivalent about. IMO life is too short to toil in a PhD program you don’t feel good about.</p>
<p>Chances of getting admitted to a perfectly good Neruoscience PhD program: very good
Chances of getting admitted to one of the top 10 elite programs that more or less fill all tenure track positions in the US with many left over underemployed: low, and mostly determined by chance
Chances of one day becoming a professional neuroscience researcher who sets the agenda in your own lab: low indeed
Chances of discovering something that isn’t overhyped, minor, forgettable, downright false, of little consequence to human life: you tell me</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice all of the above. I understand the necessity of finding the right fit, which is why Univ. Wisc., Baylor, and Vanderbilt are at the top of my list. They all offer considerable opportunities to study the influences of behavioral neuroscience on policy, especially in regards to education and the law, which is how I hope to contribute to the field. I have spoken with some of my friends in the field, and although they have been helpful in a lot of aspects, I wanted an unbiased opinion, which I appreciate. Your thoughts are mostly encouraging, so I thank you for them. I am definitely considering sucking up another application fee and throwing one out there for a reach school.</p>
<p>tesIII - I understand your points, and appreciate the perspective. Working for 3 years while my postdoctoral coworkers tried to talk me out of this career path should have already deterred me, but there is nothing in this world I would rather do. Thus, I pledge on. I hope I am able to contribute to something of consequence to humanity, but only time can tell.</p>
<p>I’ll throw in my two unbiased cents for Wisconsin, since that’s my home state and Madison is an awesome city. I have a cousin there for grad school right now, and when I asked her for application advice, she gave me a lot of useful information, then ended by saying I should ignore all of that and just come to UW-Madison. :)</p>