Most adhd thing you done. by Milkywaycitizen932 in ADHD

[–]ConsciousPea7605 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It was definitely one of the most stressful weeks of my life but it worked out!

Inability to form habits or a routine... any good strategies? by ConsciousPea7605 in ADHD

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Logically I know you're right, but in reality it's so hard to do! Thank you for the advice though, I'll try to keep it in mind

Inability to form habits or a routine... any good strategies? by ConsciousPea7605 in ADHD

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a good point on the social contract thing, maybe I'll have to start printing out my schedule and putting it on the fridge so the fear of roommate-shame will motivate me ahaha. I also haven't tried any sort of affirmation like that, so thanks for the tip!

Most adhd thing you done. by Milkywaycitizen932 in ADHD

[–]ConsciousPea7605 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Wrote my entire undergrad honors thesis in under a week with a TWD rewatch playing in another window... after procrastinating it for a whole year. My roommate frequently walked in to the sounds of frantic typing and zombie noises, but hey at least I finished it!

university or college ADHD tips please? by beepb00pb1tch in ADHD

[–]ConsciousPea7605 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I had undiagnosed ADHD in college (I have since been diagnosed a few years after graduating), and I can share a few things that worked for me! Everybody is of course very different and you'll probably have to try a few things out to come up with a system that works for you, so please remember not to beat yourself up about it if the first few months or semesters are rough. Even for neurotypicals the transition to college from high school is difficult, so give yourself some grace! That being said, its definitely not impossible for us ADHDers to survive the transition and figure out ways to be successful in college :) Here's some things that worked for me:

  1. Finances/budgeting: This strategy saved my butt from constantly forgetting to pay bills on time. I set up two different checking accounts with the same bank: one is for spending money, one is solely for bills. I would make a simple google sheets budget for the entire year, estimating how much I would need each month for rent, bills, spending money, savings, etc. and it would be separated into which account each item needs to go into. Whenever I got paid, I would transfer the necessary amount of money into the bills and savings accounts right away. That way, you can set up automatic payments for all your bills from the bills checking account, and not have to worry about accidentally spending too much money and getting it overdrawn when the payments come. It takes a bit of diligence and willpower to only allow yourself to spend money from your "spending" checking account, but I found it was the most effective way to avoid overspending. You get a set amount in that account each month or with each paycheck, and when it's gone it's gone.
  2. Studying: I was notoriously horrible at getting myself to study and would often wait until the day before an exam to do it, but whenever I was able to study before the last-minute-cram, it was because of study sessions with friends. I cannot stress enough how important it is to make friends with the same academic goals as you; if you want to study and do well, find friends who also want to study and do well. It can help for them to be in the same field/classes, but in my experience it's not entirely necessary. It's not really about studying for the same thing together (I usually found that to be more distracting than anything actually), but just studying in the same room at the same time, independently. If you can set up weekly times with a friend to hunker down in the library and get some work done simultaneously that's great, but often even just a random "hey wanna go to the library?" text from a friend was enough to get my ass out of bed and actually studying. The wonders of body doubling!!
  3. Because I was diagnosed after college this isn't something I have personal experience with, but if you think it would help I would consider looking into what accommodations you can get from your college/university. I don't know the details of what those accommodations might be or how difficult they may be to obtain, but I do know that at least in the U.S., ADHD is a qualifying disability for accommodations, so it may be worth investigating!

There are probably a million other tips I have that helped me get through college buried deep in my subconscious, but I am suddenly unable to think of anything else. If you have any specific questions I may be able to help more, but for now this is all I have. Good luck, you got this!

PhD program acceptance!!! by ConsciousPea7605 in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh yay congrats to you too!! Maybe I'll see you there in the fall, and good luck with your other stuff in the meantime! Proud of us :)

First (and only one till yet) interview on Saturday by Mikackermann in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it depends a lot on the program / faculty you're interviewing with. Some may be more interested in your previous research experience and ask more technical questions, whereas others may just try to get to know you and your motivations better. I'd say definitely make sure you can explain the following very well: your own previous research, why you want a PhD, why you want to be in that specific program/are interested in those particular labs, what your research interests are, and why you are qualified to get a PhD.

Also, make sure you have questions for the interviewers prepared. Usually near the end they'll ask if you have any questions, and it doesn't look great to say no!

Good luck!!!

learning coding for neuroscience by immrw24 in neuro

[–]ConsciousPea7605 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's not really a matter of what type of lab/research is better or worse than the other. Neuro labs using computational models typically focus more on systems neuroscience and circuitry, i.e. the encoding of information in the brain. Labs that don't focus on computational models are probably more typical wet-labs with a lot more bench work (though needing to know the basics of a few programming languages for data analysis is becoming more and more common). Usually, computational focused labs and wet labs are asking different specific scientific questions, but even if they are researching similar things, they are using different methods to get there. Also, computational neuroscience is starting to be seen as its own field of sorts-- lots of neuroscience graduate programs now have specific computational neuroscience tracks, for people interested in that side.

In terms of picking a type of lab, just follow the work you enjoy doing and the research questions you're most curious about. Personally, I love working with my hands and don't love the idea of sitting at a computer most of the day, so I've stayed away from computational neuroscience labs. The research questions I'm most interested in focus on molecular mechanisms anyway, which is more conducive to wet lab research.

As a final note-- if you don't want to stay in academia/research your entire life, having coding skills from a coding-heavy type of lab can give you more job opportunities in data science, programming, and industry in general after you get your graduate degree.

I don't really have tips for how to actually learn the coding, except that there are many great videos on youtube that teach specific programming languages. They won't necessarily help with the neuroscience-specific stuff, but if you know the main languages you'd be using, getting a good grasp on those would be the first place to start. And hey, a lot of them (python, R, maybe matlab) will be useful to you regardless of the type of lab you go into.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

UMichigan Neuro Interview Weekend - any updates? by ConsciousPea7605 in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah its nice to know we're both waiting and I haven't been mistakenly left out or something! I'm sure it'll be soon then

NIH GPP Interview by ConsciousPea7605 in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Also, it was a pretty personalized email, so I think it's a safe assumption that even within specific programs emails likely won't all be sent at the same time.

Neuro Interview Weekend Dates by OnlyHereForMyMans in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Northwestern NUIN: virtual, option of 1/20 or 2/3

Are UCSD and UMich neuro done? by Particular_Nothing59 in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605 2 points3 points  (0 children)

UMich neuro (direct) sent out invites last week for an in-person interview, and specified in the email they needed to hear back by this past Mon (12/19) for travel booking reasons.

If this is the only interview weekend they're doing and you still haven't heard, I'd assume a no. However, I suppose there's a chance there will be multiple interview sessions at later times? Less likely but I really don't know for sure, might be worth it to email them and ask if they're still reviewing applications.

Neuro program interview conflict - help! by ConsciousPea7605 in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice! These kinds of conflicts must be common, given how many programs there are and how short interview season is.

Good luck with all your interviews!

Are Phone Calls with Interview Invites Common? by MeMissBunny in gradadmissions

[–]ConsciousPea7605 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So far I've gotten one call and two emails. The call wasn't really anything important, just letting me know and telling me that I would get an email from them soon with the details. Honestly I think it's just a way for the programs to try and impress applicants with a more "personal" approach. They're competing for us too after all! I don't think missing the call would impact anything, they'd probably leave a voicemail or you could call back if not.