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Overview of the MIT BCS PhD program can be found on the BCS website.

How Admissions Works

• Applications are triaged into domains of research interests, and filtered by BCS faculty in charge of the specific domain.
  • BCS's main research domains include:
    • COG - Cognitive Sciences
    • MOL - Molecular Neurosciences
    • SYS - Systems Neurosciences
    • COMP - Computational Neurosciences
    • There are certainly overlaps across these domains but there is usually a dominant area!
  • At this stage, a BCS faculty usually only spends 5-10 minutes per application. Being concise and punchy in your writing style will help you stand out.
• After the initial filtering, remaining applications are reviewed by more faculty members (particularly those mentioned by the applicant in their application). It is extremely important that applicants name 2-4 faculty they would like to work with, as this will determine who will read their applications more carefully in the second round.
• In both rounds of the selection process, recommendation letters, personal statements, CV and academic record are important. Selected applicants will be invited to the interview, which typically happens in March.

Qualifications to highlight in an application

• Sustained commitment to and clear potential for research through personal statement, letters of recommendation, conference presentations, or publications
• Solid scientific background, with an undergraduate major in physical/ quantitative science (for example, neuroscience, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics).
• Demonstration of significant interest and ability in the brain via one or more of the following: course selection, research topics, focus of entrepreneurial activities, letters of recommendation;
• Understanding of BCS and intellectual fit
• Other valuable characteristics applicants may consider highlighting: consistency, leadership, or unique interests, ability to innovate, activities or experiences that require dedication and perseverance.

Writing an Effective Personal Statement

• NOT TOO LONG - be concise with your language, and certainly stay with the recommended word limit
• Narrative is nice, but the stories you tell should demonstrate your strengths/ aptitude for academic research
• Having had research experience is important and your personal statement is an opportunity to show what you got out of those experiences that is not necessarily evident from simply listing it in your CV
• Mention 2-4 faculty you would like to work with and why - this demonstrates that you’ve thought about what your graduate training experience would look like. This also helps determine if your research interests would be a good fit for the BCS department.