Going to Graduate School:How to Apply and What to

Expect Once You Get There

Based on a presentation by Sheila Rosenberg, former student in USC Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP)

Applications require:

• Official Transcripts

• GRE Test Scores

• Letters of Recommendation

• Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement

• Research Experience

Personal Statement

• Why are you interested in grad school?

• What type of research are you interested in? (including some description of your past research experience)

• Why do you want to be a neuroscientist?

Interview Tips

• Research your interviewers ahead of time

• Prepare what you want to say about yourself

• Talk to current students

• Ask questions!

• Write thank-you notes as a follow-up

Do your homework: check out program websites; select at least 3 faculty whose research interests align with your own

Look over lists of publications; select at least one paper to look over for each person you are interested in

Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. ~Werner Von Braun

Myths

• You must know what you want to study coming into grad school – not true, but you should define your specific interests and be able to articulate them clearly

• You must be familiar with the techniques performed in the lab you wish to join – also not true. But you need to provide a compelling argument for why you want to work in a particular area of research.

What to expect once you get there: here is a typical timeline:

Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer

1st Year Core Class 524

Neurolunch

Elective Coursework

Tuesday Seminars

Lab Rotations

Core Class 525

Neurolunch

Elective Coursework

Tuesday Seminars

Lab Rotations

Choose a thesis advisor

Research

2nd Year Neurolunch

Elective Coursework

Neurolunch

Elective Coursework

Written Qualifying Exam

Research

3rd Year Oral Qualifying Exam Research

4th Year

& Beyond

Oral Research Presentations

Thesis Defense

Expectations for completing a PhD

• Written Qualifying Exam

• Oral Qualifying Exam

• Dissertation based on original research

• Publishing original papers in high-quality journals (and this last is essential for advancing your career!)

Choosing an Advisor

There are many factors to consider here:

•Is the lab publishing in high-quality journals?

•Is the lab well funded so that it can support your research activity?

•Is the head of the lab a good mentor who will be supportive and help you learn to do research and communicate your results, both oralluy and in writing?

The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he's one who asks the right questions.

~Claude Lévi-Strauss, Le Cru et le cuit, 1964

Resources

• Personal Statements:– http://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/articles/grad/gradessaysecrets.htm

– http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/All_About_the_Graduate_Admissions_Essay.html

– http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_165.asp

– http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html

– http://www.petersons.com/gradchannel/file.asp?id=932&path=gr.gs.yourpersonal

• Interviews:– http://gradschool.about.com/od/interviews/Graduate_Admissions_Interviews.html

Resources

Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or Ph.D., Robert L. Peters, Ph.D.

A former version of this file was prepared by Sheila Rosenberg,

Graduate Student in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, 2008