Please Help - Neuroscience

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I was wondering for some good advice. Last year, I applied to PhD programs (all Neuro minus Harvard):</p>

<p>Harvard-BBS
Penn
UofMichigan
Case Western
Jefferson
Rockefeller
Princeton
UCSF
Hopkins</p>

<p>I only got into three of them : Jefferson, Case, and UofM. I was pretty shocked actually, and my dad died while this was happening, and I was still finishing out my senior year. So, I wasn't really <em>thrilled</em> with any of them, so I decided to take a year off and re-apply. U of M though already accepted me for 09 in case I decide to go there once I'm done with all of this personal stuff.</p>

<p>So, I am going to re-apply.
Two main questions: where should I apply to? should i re-take the gre or just add the gre biochem subject test?</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
Undergrad GPA - 3.73
GRE: 750 Math/570 Verbal/6.0 Writing
Research Exp:
Summer at Los Alamos National Laboratory - computational work
Semester & Summer at Biochemistry Lab @ Muhlenberg College (my college, a small liberal arts college with a good rep for science)
Summer at Harvard Medical School - SHURP Program
Year in Neuro Lab Doing Honors Research at my college
1st Author Abstract I'll be Presenting at SfN 2008
Received honors in neuroscience for research
LoRs:
One from Harvard (not my PI, he was never around, so from SHURP director who supports me)
One from honors advisor/PI who wiill definitely write a strong, competitive letter
One from professor who was on my honors committee who will definitely write a strong letter
One possibly extra from los alamos (probably just an extra to add on, since it was so long ago (05) and he hasn't seen me in so long)</p>

<p>Not getting one from biochem PI I worked for. She is very anti-female, and we never clicked even though I worked my butt off there. She offered, and wrote me one last year, and wondering if it kept me out. My grandma died, so I took a week off once, and she gave me a B+ for research for that, which may hurt me, but I can explain on interviews, and based on how well I did everywhere else, not thinking it should matter...</p>

<p>**year now extra working at Teva Pharmaceuticals (no close universities where I live where I could do research for a year, and I'm mostly trying to save money because my finances got messed up when my dad passed away).</p>

<p>Anyway, any advice? I'm hoping to do better this year and make 2009 a better year than last for me...</p>

2

<p><em>bump</em> any advice anyone out there?</p>

3

<p>Damn...thats a shame. That biochem PI sounds like an ass btw. I don't quite know what good GRE numbers are good but as long as those GRE scores are decent (should be 85th percentile or higher), you should be fine. </p>

<p>I find it odd you got rejected from all those top notch schools last yr but it happens I guess. Your creds are definitely VERY solid but not spectacular either. </p>

<p>If at all possible, you may want to apply to more schools. It may become tiresome if you start getting lots of interviews. But in that case, you'll prolly be happier making it to interviews to top schools rather than not making any at all because you didn't apply to enough schools.</p>

<p>But i'm just an undergrad.</p>

4

<p>AC, nice solid profile, maybe your GRE is a little on the low side? Are you international student? I think taking GRE subject test will help and maybe try to polish up your PS?</p>

5

<p>Thanks. I'm American - not International. I still don't have any idea what happened. </p>

<p>I thought a perfect score on the GRE writing and the 750 on math was awesome, but maybe I should just try to up the verbal...and I think the GRE Biochemistry would polish up that bad PI...</p>

<p>Thanks. I just wish I knew what kept me out...I know there are a lot of people just as good...I just need time to figure out my selling point perhaps?</p>

6

<p>For the GRE scores, my Writing was 96% percentiile. Math was 89% and Verbal was 79%....</p>

7

<p>I don't think that the GREs are whats hurting you, although you probably should have taken a subject test. If your biochem professor wrote you a mediocre recommendation that could be the problem. I would worry a little about the recommendation from the SHURP director- is he a professor at harvard or just an administrator? schools like to see recommendations from people that they know and whose judgment they trust. </p>

<p>Did you get more than 3 interviews?</p>

8

<p>The letter from Harvard was a collective letter. It was written by 2 profs and the program director - whow as a PI there before beginning the summer program - who all saw what I did in the lab and attended a presentation I did at Harvard Med on my research. They all watched me pretty closely and I met with them regularly. I "saw" the letter, and the last sentence read "ultimately, we strongly recommend her for graduate study and she represents the best of the next generation" and it was at least 1 1/2 pages long. So, I don't think it was that.</p>

<p>All I can think of is the letter from that biochem PI. I didn't take the GRE subject bc I was told not to - but I am taking hte biochemistry one in October... </p>

<p>Based on the rest of my stats, shouldn't I be competitive at a top 10?</p>

9

<p>Oh, and I only got the 3 interviews...</p>

10

<p>Alleycat, may I ask where you did your undergrad work?</p>

<p>Oh, never mind. I see it was Muhlenberg</p>

<p>I really don't know why you had the level of response you had....sorry.</p>

11

<p>AC, I second MasterMoe's comment, apply to more schools this round.</p>