Grad School Application Resources

If you’ve been thinking about applying to grad school but feel a little lost—you’re not alone. Academia can feel isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Over the past few months, I’ve been collecting resources that helped me make sense of the process—through confusion, imposter syndrome, and everything in between. I’m sharing them here in the hope that they might offer a starting point for anyone else feeling a bit stuck :)

1. General Application Advice & Strategies

These provide holistic overviews or step-by-step guides for applying to PhD programs:

• Talia Lerner – Navigating Grad School Admissions in Science

• Casey Fiesler – PhD Admissions Advice

• Paul G. – UCSD PhD Application Tips

• Brains Explained – Advice for Applying to PhD Programs

• Lucy’s Blog – All About PhD Applications

• LuxxxLucy GitHub – PhD Apply

• Sokol-Hessner Lab – How Applying Works

• Casey Fiesler’s YouTube Channel

  
  

2. Statement of Purpose (SOP), CV, and Application Materials

These focus on building strong application materials:

• Científico Latino – Application Guide PDF 1

• Científico Latino – Application Guide PDF 2

• Científico Latino – Writing Center

• Example Neuroscience CV – Max Planck Cognition

• WriteIvy – How to Write Your Neuroscience SOP

  
  

3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statements & Issues

On writing DEI statements and understanding their role in academic applications:

• Berkeley – Creating a Rubric to Assess Faculty Candidates

• Inside Higher Ed – Writing Effective Diversity Statements

• Yale Neuroscience – DEI Efforts

• Growing Up in Science – DEI Panel (NYU)

  
  

4. Research on Application Processes & Academic Culture

Essays and studies that look deeper into the systemic side of academia and admissions:

• PLoS Computational Biology – Advice and Meta-analysis

• Nature – The Hidden Curriculum in Grad School

• NCBI – Graduate Admissions Criteria and Bias

• PubMed – Study on Graduate Admissions

While I’m sharing these resources, I want to emphasize something very clearly: There is no one-size-fits-all guide to grad school applications.

Where you are in your journey—academically, personally, geographically—is valid. There’s no point in comparing your path to someone else’s highlight reel. If you're passionate about research, if there are questions that tug at your mind, if you're curious and eager to learn—you will find your place in the system, even if it's hard to navigate at first.

I might someday write more about the applications I submitted, the interviews I fumbled through, and the advice I received. But for now—if you think I can be helpful or if you just need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out.

Good luck.