Society for Neuroscience

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Society for Neuroscience - Choosing A Program

Choosing a Program: Student Guide

Introduction Doctoral study in neuroscience can be difficult and time-consuming, but also very rewarding. No other discipline probes the intricate machinery of the nervous system to address such fundamental issues as how we think, move, perceive, learn, and remember. Following traditions established in the early 1950s, when modern efforts to understand the nervous system led to early breakthroughs in the treatment of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, neuroscience research continues to have an enormous clinical impact. Several neuroscientists have now been recipients of the Nobel Prize. Researchers in neuroscience are employed in many different settings, ranging from universities and medical centers to government agencies and private industry. The time for thinking seriously about graduate study in neuroscience should begin early in your undergraduate education. Not only will you need to plan your courses wisely, but you also should begin to learn first-hand what laboratory research is all about. This student guide contains information that will help you find and be accepted into the program that is right for you. Back to top What Courses to Take and When An increasing number of colleges and universities offer an undergraduate major in neuroscience. Students with such a major will automatically have access to the course work and training necessary to build a strong record for graduate study. Most students that apply to graduate programs in neuroscience, however, still come from traditional disciplines, like biology, chemistry, and psychology, as common undergraduate majors. If you have one of these backgrounds, you should prepare to take several advanced courses in your junior and senior years. Most graduate neuroscience programs expect applicants to have completed at least one semester of organic chemistry, as well as courses in genetics, molecular or cellular biology, and mammalian physiology. A course in brain and behavior (behavioral neuroscience, physiological psychology, or psychobiology) also is important, and many programs expect applicants to pursue some advanced topics courses in this general area. You also should take at least one course in calculus and one in statistics. Beyond these basic courses, the type of undergraduate transcript that you develop will depend, in part, on your interests and the type of offerings available at your institution. Biochemistry, computer science, cognitive science, developmental biology, neuroethology, pharmacology, physics or electronics, and experimental psychology can help round out the basic science background you will need for graduate study in neuroscience. Courses that cover such topics as the basic elements of experimental design and the write-up of research reports represent other useful additions to your transcript. Ideally, such courses should be taken in your sophomore or junior year to ensure adequate preparation for more advanced seminars or research courses in which data analysis and laboratory reports are expected. It also is a good idea to take courses that emphasize writing, especially science writing. Far too many students apply to graduate school with an adequate background in science courses but with almost no experience in the craft that is the hallmark of science. Poor writing skills can sink a dissertation just as easily as inadequate or sloppy research. In addition, because so much of science involves the oral presentation of research results (e.g., at scientific meetings and job interviews as well as at a dissertation defense), a formal course in public speaking or courses that offer opportunities for discussion or oral presentations in class are extremely valuable. Laboratory courses also are helpful even if the topic is not directly related to neuroscience. Laboratories in organic chemistry or molecular biology, for example, provide valuable introductions to research techniques. Laboratory courses that cover some fundamental aspects of research on the nervous system are even more appropriate. Such courses provide critical first-hand experience with some basic research tools of neuroscience, but they are no substitute for research experience in an actual neuroscience laboratory. Back to top Research Experience

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Perhaps the single most important step you can take to enhance your undergraduate training in neuroscience is to acquire hands-on laboratory experience. For many undergraduates, the idea of laboratory work grows out of sheer excitement about the field. They may have been inspired to talk to a faculty member after a particularly interesting lecture or they may learn about an interesting research project that requires help from undergraduate volunteers. No matter how you may learn about research opportunities, it is up to you to get involved. By working productively in a research laboratory -- whether as a student volunteer, for course credit, or a summer job -- you are demonstrating a commitment of time and effort that graduate admissions committees consider extremely important. You also are learning first hand what laboratory research is all about. In fact, if your project is particularly successful, you may find yourself co-author of a paper presented at a research meeting or a paper written for publication in a scientific journal.

Back to top Getting to Know the Faculty The neuroscience faculty members at your undergraduate institution are the best source of information about graduate programs. These are also the individuals from whom you are most likely to request letters of recommendation. As the previous section indicated, working on a research project is the best way to get to know a member of the faculty. It is also the best way for faculty members to get to know you. As you work in their laboratories, they will be able to comment on aspects of your character that may not be reflected in course grades or standardized test scores but nonetheless are critical for success in graduate school. Characteristics such as motivation, maturity, analytical skills, ability to think and work independently, and sheer dedication to research are qualities that graduate programs seek; and in a research environment, you get to demonstrate the extent to which you possess these traits. Although you may work closely with one faculty member in a research environment, you also should make the effort to get to know some of your favorite course instructors outside the classroom. Talk with them about your interest in graduate school, and try to establish an ongoing dialogue so that they come to know you as more than just another student. Use these relationships to help select graduate programs and to gain some insights into the field of neuroscience as a career choice. By maintaining these interactions, you also will have established a ready list of potential references who could write detailed and thoughtful letters for you when the time comes to submit your graduate application.

Back to top Admission Requirements Application deadlines for most schools occur in January or early February for admission the following fall. Each program sets its own deadlines, so check these carefully. Also check with individual programs for specific requirements, but certain qualifications apply to most programs. These include evidence of scholarship, academic ability, and promise of success in research. Most programs judge these qualities based on grade point average, performance on a standardized test such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and letters of recommendation. Some programs also may require you to take a specific GRE subject test. For more information about the GRE, including when and where it is offered, contact the undergraduate advising office at your institution or write to: Educational Testing Service, Princeton NJ 08450.

Back to top Letters of Recommendation References are a critical part of the application process. Choose them carefully. Letters of recommendation are most effective when they are written by faculty members or experienced researchers who know you well and who can comment favorably on your potential as a graduate student in neuroscience. The best indicator of success in graduate school is a solid record of undergraduate research in a neuroscience laboratory. A letter from the faculty member who serves as your research advisor and who thinks highly of your abilities can have an enormous impact on the admissions committee. Supporting letters from other faculty members who know you beyond your role as a student in their classes also are important. To get such letters, follow the guidelines listed in the previous section on

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getting to know faculty, and cultivate these relationships even after work in a particular class is completed.

Back to top Interviews The top applicants to a program are often invited for an interview. Faculty members in the program will want to get to know you better; they may want to discuss your undergraduate research or learn more about your particular interests in neuroscience. Make sure that you will have an opportunity to talk with faculty members with whom you share common interests. Ask them about their ongoing research, the types of journals in which they publish, and the type of funding they receive. Ask to visit their laboratories and talk to current students. Satisfied students are the best possible advertisement for any program. Also try to get a sense of the program environment. Is it supportive of students and attentive to their concerns or does it operate more as a military training camp where only the strong survive? Remember, interviews are not only a chance for the program to learn more about you, but a chance for you to evaluate the program. Make the most of this opportunity.

Back to top Choosing the Right Program Gaining entry into graduate school in neuroscience can be difficult. In many cases, the number of applicants far exceeds the number of available positions. You can improve your chances by learning as much as possible about potential programs and then focusing your attention on programs that: offer you a reasonable chance of acceptance. Be realistic in what you expect based on your entire application package (grades, GRE scores, research background, courses, etc.). Many programs can provide information about students admitted in previous years; use this information to see how you stack up. Some programs use specified minimum test scores to decide whether applications will receive further review. Keep in mind, however, that scores for successful applicants can be much higher than the specified minimum. offer training in the specialty area that you prefer. If you are among those undergraduates who know exactly what type of research you want to work on, then seek out those programs that will give you the best opportunity to do it. best match your interests. If you have a general idea of the type of work you'd like to pursue, then look for programs that offer training in this area. If you have not settled on at least a general topic, then apply to programs that will give you the most options in your research training. Also consider the type of program you need. Do you prefer a program in which the faculty closely nurture students and move them through the program gradually or do you prefer a more independent environment in which you work almost exclusively with one research mentor? Back to top How to Evaluate a Program Graduate programs spend considerable time evaluating their applicants, and you should be equally serious in evaluating the programs. After all, selecting a graduate program is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Here are some issues that you need to address before you make your decision: What can the program offer you for the entire duration of your graduate career? You may think you know exactly what you want to pursue, but you could change your mind. The program should be broad enough to offer a reasonable spectrum of research training. If you are not wedded to any one area of neuroscience, then this issue is even more important. Look over the research interests of the program faculty and identify those individuals with whom you might want to work. Contact them to learn about current research projects. Ask them to send reprints of some of their research and see if this is the type of work you want to pursue. What type of financial support does the program offer? Are fellowships available or will you be required to work as a teaching assistant? If the latter, how much work is involved? Is financial support available beyond your first year? Is such support available for the duration of your graduate career? How good is the program? Some important considerations include: the number of faculty members with external funding, the number of research papers published during the last two or three years, and the types of journals in which these papers appear. It also is useful to know how graduates of the program have fared in the field. What types of positions do they now hold? How successful are they in their own research? Have recent graduates been placed in their top choice of postdoctoral positions? You can apply these same types

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of questions in evaluating potential research advisors.

Accepting an Offer Most programs have set April 15 as the deadline for applicants to make a decision either to accept or reject an offer of Fall admission and financial aid. Typically, during the weeks before this date, programs will notify those applicants they are most interested in accepting. Here are some hints for dealing with the acceptance process. First, as soon as you have two offers, decide which one is better and politely refuse the other. Repeat this process each time you receive a new offer. As soon as you get a satisfactory offer from the program of your choice, accept the offer and advise the other schools of your decision. This will allow the other schools to make an offer to another student. If you are pressured into accepting an offer before April 15, realize that you are within your rights to change your mind and accept another offer before this date. If, however, you have voluntarily accepted an offer, either before or after April 15, do not take your obligation lightly. Attempts to be released from an agreement can harm your reputation and that of your references as well. Finally, if you have no offers by April 15, you still may have a chance for admission to a program. Vacancies occasionally appear after the deadline for a variety of reasons (e.g., a change in career plans by another student or a new grant is funded). If you have not received any information from a program by the deadline, feel free to inquire about the status of your application.

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