4 year Wellcome Trust PhD in Integrative Neuroscience Interview
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Original post by issle
Just got offered the PhD!
So must have done something right!
So must have done something right!
Would you mind answering some questions about the PhD?
Please.Original post by TeaAndSugar
Ahh! I actually got an interview at Cardiff this year! 
I suppose doing my masters here helped 
Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences on here! Any tips would be awesome!
I suppose doing my masters here helped Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences on here! Any tips would be awesome!
Hey, could i ask you some questions please?
Original post by orca93
Hey, could i ask you some questions please?
No problem, just drop me a PM
Original post by TeaAndSugar
No problem, just drop me a PM
Hey, I'm wondering how your interview went for the Wellcome trust Neuro PhD? Did you get an offer and if not have you applied again ? I should find out within the next week whether i have got to interview stage i'm pretty anxious at the moment waiting, i've got an interview for a Neuroimaging MSc at Cardiff which is also in the right direction for my future career! But it's the PhD i really want :
Original post by green90
Hi all
Who has applied for 4 year Neuroscience PhDs this year?
I've applied for Kings (Biomed), UCL (Biomed), Cardiff (Neuro) and Bristol (Neuro).
Nervously waiting to hear back...!
Who has applied for 4 year Neuroscience PhDs this year?
I've applied for Kings (Biomed), UCL (Biomed), Cardiff (Neuro) and Bristol (Neuro).
Nervously waiting to hear back...!
Hello, I'm in the same boat! I've only applied to Cardiff! From reading through previous years threads, i should hear from Cardiff between 16th-19th Jan! Let me know if you get an email for interview
and good luck!Original post by green90
I will do! Good luck to you too! I've noticed that they've taken the interview dates off the website, so I have a feeling they may delay them!
Ah i hope not! I hope they got rid of it just to delete any information relevant to this years applicants, as the deadline has passed! I can't deal with being this anxious about it any longer haha! If i do get an email, i'll be straight on here to let people know! I highly doubt i'll get to interview stage as i have a 2:1 with just a BSc, but considering that cardiff has changed the course to include an MSc in the first year, it shouldn't matter so much (i hope)!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by green90
I haven't heard anything yet. Have you?
I had a reply from admissions saying emails about interviews will be sent by thursday, if you don't hear from them by thursday we are to assume we've been unsuccessful
Yep heard nada here too, I applied to UCL, sussex and cardiff
Woah! I'm glad to see my thread has continued to be used by people looking to apply for this course! I happened to be looking for a detail about the course for other reasons, and this came up on the first page of google...
Having skimmed through the subsequent years of interviews and questions I thought I'd pop in a couple of tid-bits for any prospective students who find this in the future.
Firstly, application numbers; interview numbers; studentship numbers. When I applied (2013/4), there were just under 300 applicants. Of those applicants, only 15 were interviewed. Of those interviewed there were 6 studentships offered. Typically there are between 5-6 studentships per year. All of my interview experience is pretty much summed up earlier, so if you want that head back to the beginning of the thread.
Next, the big one, who gets the studentships. This is harder because there is no easy answer. It isn't the one with the best grades or background. Each year group seems different, and I think it somewhat depends on how the interviews go as a collective, as they seem to select a balanced group each time. Subsequently, I think you should be proud of yourself if you make it to the interviews. I know several students far more brilliant than I who do/did not get offered a place on this or similarly prestigious courses.
Having said that, I have some things to share:
I have seen some speculation that a psychology degree is sometimes less desirable than other degrees (I wondered this myself when I was applying). In practice (at least at Cardiff), this is not the case. Your degree shapes only the knowledge they expect you to have upon joining the course. Thinking over the backgrounds of students from other years, there may actually be more psychology graduates here than any other relevant discipline. For those who don't understand why, psychology graduates tend to be excellent at experimental design and critical thinking (we have to be, as everyone constantly reminds us that it's 'not a real science'
), there is a lot more independent study in a typical psychology degree than other relevant disciplines (which you will be doing a lot of in a PhD), and whilst we definitely have the least amount of relevant background knowledge, we're used to cramming horrendous amounts of abstract concepts and mechanisms in short spaces of time. When you pick your actual phd, that small advantage dissipates pretty quickly. A PhD requires you become an expert in a very specific field, you'll be learning a lot of new stuff whatever your background is.
Whilst topic doesn't seem to matter, your background does have to be somewhat exemplary. I had a first. Experience in two clinical settings (neurodegeneration and neurorehabilitation). A prize for my dissertation. And two references that spoke highly of my abilities (one of which clearly described how independent and focused I had been in my dissertation research). However, there were clear weaknesses to my application too. I do not have a single grade from my secondary education above a 'B'. Prior to my degree I probably looked like a very mediocre student. I didn't have any experience in research beyond my dissertation. My maths and biology education ended with my GCSEs. I don't have a masters.
Everyone on the course has achieved something of merit, but they do not have to be a perfect student. I actually think they want imperfect students, who are less certain of their paths, so the student can capitalise on the first year of rotations.
Otherwise, there are some shared traits. Passion and interest are key. I've also noticed that everyone on the course seems to have high self-expectations.
tl;dr: So I guess the ones who get the studentship have high self-expectations, are passionate about many aspects of neuroscience including and beyond their background, and can demonstrate that you can use that passion to achieve more than your peers. Also you have to be lucky and hope you fit in with the other students.
Another minor thing: How does funding work if you're not from the UK?
I don't know buckets about this, but I know a little more than I did the last time I responded to this question. The one person from my year who is not a UK national, does have to pay additional fees, BUT these fees are paid for by the university. I don't believe there are any additional costs that are paid for by the student, unless your home country dictates it. For instance, that same person from my year has to pay some income tax back to their home country.
Lastly, what is it actually like on the course?
So the first year is pretty cool. You have some lectures, mostly to hear about what different labs do. Good time to do your research on different PI's, and get an idea of what you can do for your PhD. You then have to pick 3 rotations, one in Psych, one in Biosi, one in Psych-med (mostly genetics). It's very hard to get permission to do multiple rotations in the same school. You can use these to trial working with different PI's, in disciplines that are alien to you. You also lead journal clubs where you present a paper to the other Wellcome trust students once a month. It's mostly about finding where you want to apply yourself.
Then you pick your PhD. Not much to say there, it's just a PhD with a couple of extra infrequent meetings, and a very strict deadline (the first year counts as your write up period).
Considering that I have come from a psychological background, with minimal biology, I am now studying induced pluripotent stem cells, and the impact of their epigenome on neural differentiation. This course allows you to change your path entirely if you want. That was what I was looking for in a PhD, and I think that's a large part of why I got it.
Also, shameless plug. My year group created a public engagement website called thebraindomain.org and I highly recommend you check it out. If you're interested in communicating some neuroscience then we'd love to [email protected], and see about creating an article. Disclaimer: I cannot promise it will bolster any applications made for the course.
Having skimmed through the subsequent years of interviews and questions I thought I'd pop in a couple of tid-bits for any prospective students who find this in the future.
Firstly, application numbers; interview numbers; studentship numbers. When I applied (2013/4), there were just under 300 applicants. Of those applicants, only 15 were interviewed. Of those interviewed there were 6 studentships offered. Typically there are between 5-6 studentships per year. All of my interview experience is pretty much summed up earlier, so if you want that head back to the beginning of the thread.
Next, the big one, who gets the studentships. This is harder because there is no easy answer. It isn't the one with the best grades or background. Each year group seems different, and I think it somewhat depends on how the interviews go as a collective, as they seem to select a balanced group each time. Subsequently, I think you should be proud of yourself if you make it to the interviews. I know several students far more brilliant than I who do/did not get offered a place on this or similarly prestigious courses.
Having said that, I have some things to share:
I have seen some speculation that a psychology degree is sometimes less desirable than other degrees (I wondered this myself when I was applying). In practice (at least at Cardiff), this is not the case. Your degree shapes only the knowledge they expect you to have upon joining the course. Thinking over the backgrounds of students from other years, there may actually be more psychology graduates here than any other relevant discipline. For those who don't understand why, psychology graduates tend to be excellent at experimental design and critical thinking (we have to be, as everyone constantly reminds us that it's 'not a real science'
), there is a lot more independent study in a typical psychology degree than other relevant disciplines (which you will be doing a lot of in a PhD), and whilst we definitely have the least amount of relevant background knowledge, we're used to cramming horrendous amounts of abstract concepts and mechanisms in short spaces of time. When you pick your actual phd, that small advantage dissipates pretty quickly. A PhD requires you become an expert in a very specific field, you'll be learning a lot of new stuff whatever your background is. Whilst topic doesn't seem to matter, your background does have to be somewhat exemplary. I had a first. Experience in two clinical settings (neurodegeneration and neurorehabilitation). A prize for my dissertation. And two references that spoke highly of my abilities (one of which clearly described how independent and focused I had been in my dissertation research). However, there were clear weaknesses to my application too. I do not have a single grade from my secondary education above a 'B'. Prior to my degree I probably looked like a very mediocre student. I didn't have any experience in research beyond my dissertation. My maths and biology education ended with my GCSEs. I don't have a masters.
Everyone on the course has achieved something of merit, but they do not have to be a perfect student. I actually think they want imperfect students, who are less certain of their paths, so the student can capitalise on the first year of rotations.
Otherwise, there are some shared traits. Passion and interest are key. I've also noticed that everyone on the course seems to have high self-expectations.
tl;dr: So I guess the ones who get the studentship have high self-expectations, are passionate about many aspects of neuroscience including and beyond their background, and can demonstrate that you can use that passion to achieve more than your peers. Also you have to be lucky and hope you fit in with the other students.
Another minor thing: How does funding work if you're not from the UK?
I don't know buckets about this, but I know a little more than I did the last time I responded to this question. The one person from my year who is not a UK national, does have to pay additional fees, BUT these fees are paid for by the university. I don't believe there are any additional costs that are paid for by the student, unless your home country dictates it. For instance, that same person from my year has to pay some income tax back to their home country.
Lastly, what is it actually like on the course?
So the first year is pretty cool. You have some lectures, mostly to hear about what different labs do. Good time to do your research on different PI's, and get an idea of what you can do for your PhD. You then have to pick 3 rotations, one in Psych, one in Biosi, one in Psych-med (mostly genetics). It's very hard to get permission to do multiple rotations in the same school. You can use these to trial working with different PI's, in disciplines that are alien to you. You also lead journal clubs where you present a paper to the other Wellcome trust students once a month. It's mostly about finding where you want to apply yourself.
Then you pick your PhD. Not much to say there, it's just a PhD with a couple of extra infrequent meetings, and a very strict deadline (the first year counts as your write up period).
Considering that I have come from a psychological background, with minimal biology, I am now studying induced pluripotent stem cells, and the impact of their epigenome on neural differentiation. This course allows you to change your path entirely if you want. That was what I was looking for in a PhD, and I think that's a large part of why I got it.
Also, shameless plug. My year group created a public engagement website called thebraindomain.org and I highly recommend you check it out. If you're interested in communicating some neuroscience then we'd love to [email protected], and see about creating an article. Disclaimer: I cannot promise it will bolster any applications made for the course.
(edited 6 years ago)
Hi there! Hope you don't mind me messaging you - I have been doing a bit of research into the 4 year Integrative Neuroscience PhD at Cardiff and came across this thread. Just wondered if you had any info/advice on the course and applications? I'm planning to apply in the next round of applications, once I've finished my Masters!
I'm planning to apply in the next round of applications, once I've finished my Masters!Original post by srhowells
Hi there! Hope you don't mind me messaging you - I have been doing a bit of research into the 4 year Integrative Neuroscience PhD at Cardiff and came across this thread. Just wondered if you had any info/advice on the course and applications? I'm planning to apply in the next round of applications, once I've finished my Masters!
I'm planning to apply in the next round of applications, once I've finished my Masters!The programme in Cardiff has been discontinued if you mean applying for 2020 entry..
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