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Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences

This article was motivated by the 2010 SfN session on Undergraduate Curricula and Graduate Expectations. To prepare for my role as panelist, I examined the background of Washington University Neuroscience Ph.D. students. Current students with a declared thesis lab were queried, and records from past...

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Autor principal: Mennerick, Steven
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience 2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598178/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23626501
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author Mennerick, Steven
author_facet Mennerick, Steven
author_sort Mennerick, Steven
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description This article was motivated by the 2010 SfN session on Undergraduate Curricula and Graduate Expectations. To prepare for my role as panelist, I examined the background of Washington University Neuroscience Ph.D. students. Current students with a declared thesis lab were queried, and records from past graduates were reviewed to determine the characteristics that contribute to graduate success. This pilot research suggests that no specific undergraduate curriculum element or quantitative undergraduate achievement metric predicts success at the graduate level, measured by graduate GPA, years to degree, or number of publications. I extrapolate these results to suggest that students from non-typical backgrounds should not be deterred from applying to Ph.D. programs in Neuroscience. I speculate that less tangible traits may be most important for graduate success. These include critical thinking skills and independent research experience.
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spelling pubmed-35981782013-04-26 Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences Mennerick, Steven J Undergrad Neurosci Educ Commentary This article was motivated by the 2010 SfN session on Undergraduate Curricula and Graduate Expectations. To prepare for my role as panelist, I examined the background of Washington University Neuroscience Ph.D. students. Current students with a declared thesis lab were queried, and records from past graduates were reviewed to determine the characteristics that contribute to graduate success. This pilot research suggests that no specific undergraduate curriculum element or quantitative undergraduate achievement metric predicts success at the graduate level, measured by graduate GPA, years to degree, or number of publications. I extrapolate these results to suggest that students from non-typical backgrounds should not be deterred from applying to Ph.D. programs in Neuroscience. I speculate that less tangible traits may be most important for graduate success. These include critical thinking skills and independent research experience. Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience 2011-10-15 /pmc/articles/PMC3598178/ /pubmed/23626501 Text en Copyright © 2011 Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience
spellingShingle Commentary
Mennerick, Steven
Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title_full Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title_fullStr Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title_full_unstemmed Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title_short Input-output: The Role of Undergraduate Curriculum in Successful Graduate Training in the Neurosciences
title_sort input-output: the role of undergraduate curriculum in successful graduate training in the neurosciences
topic Commentary
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598178/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23626501
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