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.
