<p>Here are my stats:</p>
<p>Graduated from top UC 3.56 overall GPA, with 3.81 in my major courses(~15 courses) - B.S. in Neuroscience and Minor in History of Science. </p>
<p>GRE - 1390 (Q=780,V610)</p>
<p>4 years of various research in Plasma Physics(3.5 years), Parasitology(1 year), Neurobiology(1 year).</p>
<p>2 publications/talks in plasma physics through NASA internship.</p>
<p>Scholarships from university for research.</p>
<p>2 solid LORs, from some very serious researchers in each field I worked in. And one from a professor from my minor.</p>
<p>Applied to 17 schools including various programs(including reach and ‘safety’ schools )- interviewed at 3 top schools and 1 average one. Was denied from all.</p>
<p>I applied to so many because my interests revolve around BMIs and its a developing subfield in Neuroscience.</p>
<p>Now I asked what were the reasons, and some said: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and others that my interests didn’t align with theirs.</p>
<p>Can anyone please tell me what am I to do to better my chances for next year?
I mean my GPA seems alright, GRE scores also. I have research experience, what else do I need to do?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>I guess the first thing to ask would be what does plasma physics have to do with neuroscience? You want to go to grad school for neuroscience but the majority of your experience has been in physics. Did you check out the professors and the type of research being conducted at the schools before you applied to them? Indicating your area of interest is an act of fine balance: be too specific and you can be rejected if no one can provide that exact project; be too broad and you will appear too unfocused. Did you have someone read over your SoP?</p>
<p>To answer your first question, plasma physics has little to do with neuroscience. But, I majored in biophysics for my first two years of college and stayed in that lab because of the people that worked there. </p>
<p>As for my SOP, I had a bunch of people look it over and give me feedback. I did check out a bunch of professors in various schools, but only a few are currently pursuing this area of research. The big thing is it allows for a ton of new research on various topics to be pursued in interesting ways. </p>
<p>I guess I did not convey that well enough or perhaps departments just don’t share that vision… </p>
<p>I am really stumped.</p>
<p>The thing is, the student is not gonna be the one who decides what to research. The student isn’t the one applying for funding, so he doesn’t get to decide. Odds are that none or very few of those professors are interested in expanding into this field, and those that are interested may not necessarily have funding to get a new grad student. That’s why it’s so important to keep your stated interest broad.</p>
<p>What is your undergraduate institution? What schools did you get rejected from?</p>
<p>The feedback you received from schools is spot on. You are trying to get the schools to be flexible about their interests instead of the other way around. If you mention you want to study X and no one at the school does it, you will not be accepted. Your stats are good all around, so the only negative is that you are applying to the wrong discipline or not identifying schools that have people working in the subfield you want. Next year, make sure there are at least 2 people in the school that do what you are interested in.</p>
<p>Also, professors chose their topic of study for a reason, and unless something you put forth is closely related, you will not be convincing a PI to change their entire career based on an SOP. I hope that you applied to schools with people doing something closely related to your interests, because one of the biggest things schools look for during interviews is research fit.</p>
<p>I graduated from UCLA. </p>
<p>I interviewed at JHU, UCI, Janelia, Columbia. Outright denied from Stanford, Harvard, UCSF, USC, UCLA, UCD, NYU and others.</p>
<p>I suppose that you guys are right. I always thought graduate school was a place to pursue exciting new research under the guidance of a PI- work that overlaps but allows you to attempt something new in an unusual way.</p>
<p>It is that. The PI picks the topic since he’s the expert and it’s his funding. The best you can do to find someone with similar interests.</p>
<p>It is exactly for that purpose, but you need to find a PI who works in that field so they can help you pursue cool projects in a meaningful way. If you pick people who are barely within that field, then they really can’t offer you anything and probably don’t have an interest in it themselves. Just as you want to pursue this one topic, they too want to pursue their own. You need to find someone that is researching on a similar enough topic so that you can get the guidance you need while they can maintain relevancy for their grants and personal interests.</p>
<p>You stats are spot on for any Ph.D program in anything. I just want to help you decode some things. When a program comittee reads you application package (which based on your stats they all probably did), and concludes that you don’t know what you want to do, there was a glaring flaw with your SOP. In you SOP/research statement, you are not supposed to only higlight current/past research, presentations, pubs, etc. You are supposed to state why you want a graduate degree. Furthermore, you are supposed to state future plans in a clear way. I would advise reviewing your SOP and tailoring it to each specific program. It is ok to have the same body, but there must be a section in each where you can cater to the research interest of the faculty. </p>
<p>Secondly, you may want to request you LOR. Some research professors will write recomendations for their students that are less than enthuastic (saying the student was just ok, he is lazy…but a hard worker, he took my class and got a B+); which, I personally think is very duplicitous. I see LOR writers as a writing team on a sitcom, you have to have a strong writing group to pull off a successful show. I would approach my next group of “writers” and pose a question to each: “Would you be willing to write a strong letter of recomendation on my behalf”. Their answer to this question is crucial. If they don’t sound enthuastic about writing a LOR for you after asking them this, you probably shouldn’t put their name on the recomendor list.</p>
<p>I think a lot of the advice here has been spot on; I wanted to offer one bit of advice. Neuroscience programs, for whatever reason, seem to be strangely picky about what students they accept and what background they come from. You might want to consider applying to biophysics programs. I come from a similar background as you, and 80% of my research experiences as an undergrad were in condensed matter physics. I applied to biophysics programs, and I got accepted everywhere (Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.). Biophysics programs are extraordinarily flexible, and they will let you work with almost anyone at the university. They will also let you take any courses you want. They also tend to be small and only get ~100 applications per year (albeit, for a class size of 5-10). I interviewed with faculty doing research ranging from single molecule biophysics to mouse models of Huntington’s to population dynamics in yeast. So you can basically do whatever you want in these programs…</p>
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<p>I don’t think neuroscience programs are “picky” as much as they are insanely competitive because of the number of “feeder” majors and the broad/interdisciplinary nature of the field. Majors in psychology, biology, bioengineering, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, computer science, and, of course, neuroscience are all competing for a limited number of spots. And that doesn’t even touch the MD/PhD students who apply. It’s a hot field right now, which means that the programs may get hundreds of applications for, say, 10-15 spots. The higher the program’s profile, the more competitive it is. If your research interests don’t closely match the faculty’s, you don’t have a chance.</p>
<p>Have you considered Emory? I understand that they are very into interdisciplinary science and your diverse background might actually be a plus…</p>
<p>I am a bit surprised that you did not get in, because your GPA and GRE scores were much better than mine. </p>
<p>I also got rejected from all schools applied. I got a BS in Physics and a BA in Math from UC Santa Cruz with a 3.1 GPA and I applied to Applied Mathematics PhD programs, including UC Irvine and UC Merced which aren’t the top programs. I had a similar issue as you. I had research work but it was all in Physics, not Applied Math.</p>
<p>I realized that I didn’t quite yet know what an Applied Mathematics PhD MEANT, and it was apparent to them in my applications. I focused on the “Applied” aspect, whereas the programs mostly emphasize the “Mathematics” aspect. I focused on my ability to research, where they mostly cared about having a strong foundation in pure mathematics (you don’t typically start doing research in those programs until the 3rd year)</p>
<p>I have advice for re-applying. Talk to professors at the schools you are applying to!! They will appreciate it more if you focus your discussion with them on their own research, but they will always be willing to give advice about admissions if they have it.</p>
<p>I was talking to a professor at UC Merced who was both a Physics professor and an Applied Math professor. He actually suggested that I am a better candidate for Physics, and I was able to have my application forwarded to the Physics department, where they accepted me!!</p>
<p>It sounds like you have a similar issue as I had, great credentials but wrong focus! I am sure if you talk to lots of professors who are doing research, you will find ones that need your skills and they will guide you to figuring out how to market yourself to other professors like them. You have great credentials so I am sure you will get in somewhere. Also, this year was a typically bad year, I know the UC System saw a huge spike in applications (I forget the numbers, it was something like a 15-20% spike).</p>
<p>Just want to say dont lose hope! Keep doing research, refine your interests, and you can make it work for you next year (if its what you still want to do). Last year I was in your situation, rejected everywhere (i only had 2 interviews). This year I got into first choice.</p>
<p>You definitely want to be very clear with what you are interested in. Make it obvious that you ought to be at the school you are applying to.</p>