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Nicole Hill
Welcome to the CNBC! If you are looking for an interdisciplinary
graduate training program in Neuroscience, you have come to the right
place. If you are looking for the website of a cable news channel,
click here.
For those of you who remained, I'm Nicole (
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), and I'm
proud to say that I have just completed my first year of grad school.
If you are reading this, you probably want to know about the type of
training we provide and if the people here work and play nicely. I can honestly say
that the training is first rate and the Pittsburgh Neuroscience
community really does get along. Since I still remember what it's
like to apply to graduate school, I'll try to give you some sound
advice while selling you on the CNBC.
As you probably know, the CNBC is a joint institution between Carnegie
Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh. It is truly a
unique place to work because of its sense of community. The faculty
and students interact across university and department affiliations,
making this an exciting place to work and learn. The sense of
community is so strong that you may spend as much time with other CNBC
members as with the people in your home department. I'm a Cognitive
Neuroscience student in the Department of Psychology at Pitt, and I
have gotten to know people from every department through colloquia,
coursework, and social events. The community is very active so I
found it easy to meet students who have similar research interests.
And it was also easy to meet students whose work is very different
from mine. As a CNBC student you will have the opportunity to attend
talks at both universities in addition to the CNBC student-run Brain
Bag series and the colloquia series. I encourage you to attend these
events because they are opportunities to find out what others are
working on and equally important, a place to get a free meal! Talks
are not the only way to get involved. Last year I was a member of the
fMRI journal club and the Modeling workshop committee, and this year I
am on the social committee.
So I've told you about my experience here, but you may also want to
know why I choose the CNBC in the first place. Grad school is a
wonderful place where you have the opportunity to explore the
questions that interest you. But I won't lie to you; grad school can
also be really stressful. That is why it is important to choose the
right program for you. The wrong environment can be the difference
between success and failure. I chose the CNBC because I wanted a
broad exposure to Neuroscience and because the program is rich in
intellectual and material resources. Graduate school is a guaranteed
challenge so I wanted to ensure that I would have the means to
implement my ideas. In addition to the expertise of both
universities, the CNBC provides travel funds every year, a private
computer, one year of funding, and the opportunity to learn another
methodology through the IGERT training program. I can't stress
enough, the importance of finding a program that fits your training
philosophy as well as provides the facilities and funds to support
your research.
But enough about work, it is also important to have a life outside of
school. It's very easy to define yourself by your work and your
department affiliation, which is why you must make time to pursue
other interests and to relax. Pittsburgh has a lot to offer on a
student's budget. It is a relatively inexpensive city so you can find
an affordable place to live while still having money left over to have
fun. Most museums and cultural events have student discounts so you
should definitely take advantage of your student status. When I'm not
working I like to go dancing, mostly salsa or hip hop, or listen to
any genre of music, especially jazz. Some of my favorite places to
unwind are Club Havana, for dancing, the Shadow Lounge or the 61 C,
for coffee, and the Mattress Factory Museum (www.mattress.org). And
if you love North Indian food, as I do, Pittsburgh is a good place to
live. If you come for a visit check out India Garden
(www.indiagarden.net) on Atwood, you'll probably see me there. Good
luck with the application process, and feel free to e-mail me.
Home Program/Department: Psychology
Advisor: Walter Schneider
Year: Second
Research Interest: Learning, working memory, fMRI
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