[NeuroCog]

Hi everyone,

I am applying for PhD positions in the field of cognitive neuroscience. I have applied for the program offered by the Max Planck Institute of Neuroscience (located in Leipzig). I would like to know if any of you have ever been there, your opinions about the center and the quality of the program.

I'm also applying to join the PhD program at the Neuroscience Center of Zurich.

I'm checking everything a I can (like publications, lines of investigation an so on), but I would like to know how it is doing the programs and living in those cities.

I would appreciate if any of you could help me with this. I'm finding so hard to make a choice... and I want to make it right!!

Thank you very much!!

[timo]

Since I wouldn't know who of the regular members here should be able to help you on this (CharonY, perhaps), I'll give you a few bullet point comments. Keep in mind that while I have been formally employed at a Max Planck institute last year (not the one you are interested in, though), my knowledge stems almost exclusively from experience at my current university (where we have some collaborations with local MPIs - which is why I was paid from them).
- Max Plack Institutes have a good reputation in research.
- Students from MPIs are notoriously bad speakers and terrific teachers.
- That is -presumably- because their supervisors push them into doing the lab-rat work rather than wasting their time with giving yearly progress reports and tutoring university students.
- Pressure on PhD student in MPIs tends to be a bit higher than in German universities, but no where close to the horror stories one hears about being a PhD student in US universities.
- Leipzig should be relatively inexpensive to live in.
- The good looking women usually get on and off the train in Leipzig
- People having lived there tend to say the city is nice (may be related to either of the previous points)
- I have no clue about the particular MPI you are looking into, never even heard of it (but I'm not into neuroscience, so that doesn't say much)
- Same for the Neuroscience Center of Zurich
- You may be interested in this link: http://www.nncn.de/ (but it may also be inapplicable - "cognitive" is a buzzword to me).

[imatfaal]

timo - just one clarification - terrific or terrible? "Students from MPIs are notoriously bad speakers and terrific teachers" Maddening point of english - terrific is a very positive way of describing things (in the context you have used) whereas terrible has very negative connotations.

- The good looking women usually get on and off the train in Leipzig I have known people choose which area of London to live in on this basis (for Londoners, he was convinced that of all the eastern central line (TCR to Loughton) , the prettiest girls got on/off at south woodford)

This post has been edited by imatfaal: 1 February 2012 - 11:06 AM

[timo]

Terrible. Interestingly, leo.org translates the word with both, good and bad. Thanks for the comment; I'll edit my previous post accordingly.
EDIT: No, I won't. The can-still-edit period seems to be over for that post.

This post has been edited by timo: 1 February 2012 - 11:10 AM

[CharonY]

I am familiar with MPIs, too (worked in, collaborated with some), but again, not the one you are interested in. Since I have no idea about the program in Zurich I can at best compare MPIs with Unis. Most of timo's observation match with mine.

Quote

- Students from MPIs are notoriously bad speakers and terrific teachers.

This is partially also because their mentors (i.e. group leaders) have fewer teaching responsibilities compared to their Uni counterparts.

Quote

- Pressure on PhD student in MPIs tends to be a bit higher than in German universities, but no where close to the horror stories one hears about being a PhD student in US universities.

This depends largely on the supervisor, of course, but I would agree that the pressure could be larger. They are better funded and often need to show a higher output (whether it is feasible or not) than unis.

The programs in either MPI or Uni do not differ in quality much. The only real difference is the group that you are going to join. For that matter, I can recommend you to talk to people there, but also to people (i.e. postdocs) that have left a particular lab. If there are horror stories of some sorts or if you get canned phrases "oooh we have no problems here, we all just live for science" be wary. You won't believe how important a good lab atmosphere is to be productive.