What are my chances: Neurobiology PhD

Graduate School
1

<p>Pursuing a PhD in Neurobiology (cellular and molecular) Fall 2015
Majors: Neuroscience, Biochemistry (both from average state schools)
Minor: Spanish</p>

<p>GPA : 3.55 (3.85 the last 2 years)</p>

<p>GRE Q: 160 V: 167 Consider retaking for quant score?</p>

<p>Research: 2 years as a research assistant in a cognitive psychology lab. No publications, but lots of stats/data analysis and programming experience, as well as experience using an eye-tracker.</p>

<p>1 year in another psych lab. Will have a very minor publication.</p>

<p>No experience doing neuro research at the moment, but I've taken several graduate level neurobiology courses that deal exclusively with primary literature in the field.</p>

<p>Doing a postbacc during the next year (Summer 2014 - Spring or Summer 2015). I will finally be a research assistant in a neuro lab. Presumably I will be productive, but I don't have anything to advertise yet.</p>

<p>Planning to apply to: Oregon Health and Science, Oregon, Washington (Seattle), Arizona, Emory, Colorado, Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Case Western</p>

<p>Any I shouldn't even bother with? Any advice for things to do between now and December application deadlines?</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>Neurobiology is not my field, but you seem like a reasonably competitive candidate. I wouldn’t retake the GRE unless you’re going for computational neuroscience. The 84th percentile is pretty good. The one “ding” so to speak (and this is very minor) is your research experience is in cog psych…normally doing research in another subfield is totally okay, but the only difference here is that there many be some hard biological lab skills you don’t get in the cog psych lab. But you are making up for it by doing the postbac next year, so don’t worry about this.</p>

<p>Advice:</p>

<p>-In the mid-to-late summer, start drafting your personal statement. The more time you have to work on it, the better. I advise that you get some eyes on it (a trusted PI or professor, and some friends for clarity) but not <em>too</em> many eyes. It is possible to get too much input.</p>

<p>-Ask for recommendation letters early, and continue to remind professors every so often until the deadline. Professors are notorious for thinking deadlines are suggestions.</p>