<p>Applied to 5 grad programs, got into zero. Since I was too scared to contact the professors I was interested in beforehand, I'm not too surprised. I want to apply again, especially to UCSF to work in chronic pain neuroscience research for my Ph.D. </p>
<p>I have to find something to do this year. I've applied to several lab tech jobs, emailed 3 professors at UCLA, emailed a guy who has my dream job to ask for advice. I've heard nothing back from any jobs, and it's starting to feel like I need to volunteer above anything, but I have student loans I need to start paying back soon. </p>
<p>My stats: B.S. in Neuroscience, B.A. in Psychology from University of MN - Twin Cities, 3 years research experience, half of it extremely relevant to my research goals. 3.4 GPA. 2 PI rec letters, a third from a professor who knew me well. GRE: V - 164, Q - 160, AW - 5.5. </p>
<p>Questions:
1. What is the best thing for me to do to help me get into grad school during this gap year, and how do I get there? (Asking now because I got married in August and just moved across the country). </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is it worth it to apply this year when so far I have nothing new to offer other than I actually have my degrees now?</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>3. Am I going about this all wrong? Going a little crazy here being unemployed...</h2>
<p>TL;DR: Didn't get in to neuro grad school. How do I get there now that I'm in my gap year?</p>
<p>Given your stats I would imagine that you probably didn’t get in because of fit with the department and/or lack of connection with PIs who would train you. Your research experience is competitive; your GPA is fine (a little low-ish but still fine), I’m assuming those recommendations are strong and your GRE scores are also fine. Given that, I think that’s the part of your application you want to develop the most.</p>
<p>It’s also very possible that you applied to too few programs. Five doctoral programs isn’t really a lot. So I would spend some time finding some programs that suited me, and maybe apply to 8-10 (the range will vary by field, of course; I’m a psychologist, and it’s not uncommon for us to apply to 10 programs on average).</p>
<p>So spend some time looking over your personal statement, too, and making sure that it’s tight and clearly expresses your research interests. Tailor it to each program, expressing what you would get out of attending X university and why you want to attend that department. Ask your former PIs to take a look at it, too, for some feedback.</p>
<p>And definitely contact those PIs ahead of time. Attach your CV to the emails in case they want to take a look over it. It’s a busy time of year and some PIs may take a little bit of time to respond, but I would say if you don’t hear back in 2-3 weeks you should retry briefly.</p>
<p>And yes, it’s worth it to reapply. There are a lot of intangible, unpredictable elements related to grad school admissions that have little to do with your actual qualifications. Many qualified applicants are turned away for lack of space and funding; but this year could be your year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback! That’s basically what I was thinking. I’ve started contacting professors. I think on the job front I’ll just go all out and see what happens rather than avoiding applying for jobs.</p>