{"id":310,"date":"2015-04-29T20:26:56","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T20:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/?page_id=310"},"modified":"2025-05-20T14:48:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:48:20","slug":"being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Graduate Application Tips<\/a>\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 Year 1<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 Year 2 <\/a>| Year 3 <\/a>| Year 4\u00a0<\/a>| Being a Post-Doc<\/a>\u00a0 | FMRI Camps and Workshops<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

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Graduate Application Tips*<\/strong><\/h3>

Graduate school applications typically have three main parts: transcript(s), test scores, and letters of recommendation. Many faculty evaluating applications will value letters the most, because they reflect the interest in, commitment to, and talent for research of an applicant in such a way that the other application parts cannot. Further, your application is strengthened if you have had prior research experience in a lab that does human behavioral and\/or neuroscience work on topics such as memory, social cognition, etc. (i.e. a lab working generally within the purview of social and cognitive neuroscience or psychology).<\/p>

Also, the application process involves a written statement of research interests where you should mention the labs you are interested in. At Temple, you would include our lab, but you should also list any other labs that may interest you- this would typically be other cognitive faculty such as Nora Newcombe<\/a>, Vishnu “Deepu” Murty<\/a>, and Jason Chein<\/a> (websites linked to their names). It is important to know that at all universities, the order in which you list faculty in your personal statement matters; it is often taken to indicate level of potential interest. Therefore, the first person you list may be considered the person whose work is of greatest interest to you, and the second person you list as of second most interest, and so on.<\/p>

Lastly, the best way to get a sense of what our lab (or any lab) is working on is to check out the interests of current lab members (see our People<\/a> page, and look at individual researcher pages from there) and publications (see our Publications<\/a> page) on lab websites. Keep in mind that what appears in print often lags anywhere from 1-3 years behind the work at the present moment. Good luck!<\/p>

*adapted from http:\/\/www.ochsnerscanlab.org\/join-us<\/div>
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Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student<\/strong><\/h2>
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<\/a>Year 1<\/span><\/h3>

Temple Requirements<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

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\u2022 Work on well-formed first year project.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Give 30-min talk on first year project (April).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Complete 2 semesters grad-level statistics.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Complete 2 core courses.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Dr. Olson’s\u00a0Suggestions<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Apply for NSF predoctoral fellowship (Oct-Nov).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Apply for summer brain camp (Jan-Feb).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Go to lab meetings of collaborators whose work segues with your own.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

<\/a>Year 2<\/span><\/h3>

Temple Requirements<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Present at a meeting.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Complete 2 core courses.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Dr. Olson’s\u00a0Suggestions<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Apply for NSF predoctoral fellowship (Oct-Nov).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Apply for summer brain camp (Jan-Feb).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Present at lab meetings of collaborators whose work segues with your own.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

<\/a>Year 3<\/span><\/h3>

Temple Requirements<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
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\u2022 Complete written prelim exam (Sept).<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Submit dissertation proposal.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Begin work on dissertation after proposal is accepted.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Submit manuscript for publication by Dec.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Present at a meeting.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Dr. Olson’s\u00a0Suggestions<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Submit graduate NRSA grant.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Get to know people working in your field via email correspondence, meetings, etc.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

<\/a>Year 4<\/span><\/h3>

Temple Requirements<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Present at a meeting.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Work on dissertation, possibly defend at end of year 4 or beginning of 5.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Dr. Olson’s\u00a0Suggestions<\/strong><\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a0<\/td>

\u2022 Get to know people working in your field via email correspondence, meetings, etc.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

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\u2022 Begin planning life after graduate school (Fall).<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

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Being a Cog Neuro Post-Doc<\/strong><\/h2>

Year 1<\/span><\/h3>

\u2022 Go to an intensive fMRI workshop.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Apply for an NRSA grant; if foreign, look for foundation grants.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Find a good project and begin collecting fMRI data.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Collect converging evidence for fMRI findings from another technique: lesion, TMS, etc.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Go to and present at Coslett, Chatterjee, or Newcombe lab meetings.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 End of year 1: Submit empirical paper from year 1 for publication.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 End of year 1: Re-apply for Temple job.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Year 2<\/span><\/h3>

\u2022 Consider writing a review paper.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Submit abstract to SFN, CNS, OPAM, or other conference.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Volunteer to teach classes for Russell Epstein, Ingrid, etc.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Get to know people working in your field via email correspondence, meetings, etc.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Offer to present at lab meetings of people whose work segues well with your own.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Consider applying for jobs in the fall.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>

\u2022 Submit empirical paper.<\/p><\/td>

\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>

<\/a>List of Intensive fMRI Workshops<\/strong><\/h2>
MGH<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
UCLA Advanced Brain Imaging Summer School <\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Statistics Geometry and Brain Mapping<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Brain Mapping Org: List of Programs\u00a0<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Organization of Human Brain Mapping<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
TMS Course: London<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Graduate Application Tips\u00a0 |\u00a0 Year 1\u00a0|\u00a0 Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4\u00a0| Being a Post-Doc\u00a0 | FMRI Camps and Workshops\u00a0 \u00a0 Graduate Application Tips* Graduate school applications typically have three main parts: transcript(s), test scores, and letters of recommendation. Many faculty evaluating applications will value letters the most, because they reflect the… Read More »Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9207,"featured_media":0,"parent":303,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-310","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nBeing a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc - Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student year 1 2 3 4 post-doc fMRI workshops suggestions requirements dissertation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc - Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student year 1 2 3 4 post-doc fMRI workshops suggestions requirements dissertation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T14:48:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/\",\"name\":\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc - Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-29T20:26:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-20T14:48:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student year 1 2 3 4 post-doc fMRI workshops suggestions requirements dissertation\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/useful-links\/being-a-cog-neuro-grad-student\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Useful Links\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/?page_id=303\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Being a Cog Neuro Grad Student and Post-Doc\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/cnltu\/\",\"name\":\"Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory\",\"description\":\"Primary Investigator: Ingrid R. 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