References are a
critical part of the application process. Choose them
carefully. Letters of recommendation are most effective when
they are written by faculty members or experienced researchers
who know you well and who can comment favorably on your
potential as a graduate student in neuroscience. The best
indicator of success in graduate school is a solid record of
undergraduate research in a neuroscience laboratory. A letter
from the faculty member who serves as your research advisor
and who thinks highly of your abilities can have an enormous
impact on the admissions committee. Supporting letters from
other faculty members who know you beyond your role as a
student in their classes also are important. To get such
letters, follow the guidelines listed in the previous section
on getting to know faculty, and cultivate these relationships
even after work in a particular class is completed.
