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
Oral Qualifying Exam
Research
3rd Year
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