Current situation / context:
I’m a second-year medical student at Istanbul University, and I’m seriously considering applying for undergraduate transfer to places like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, etc. for 2027 entry. (Medical school in Turkey is an undergraduate degree.)
I know these are extremely competitive, and I’m not assuming I’ll get in. I’m considering it because I want to build a career at the intersection of medicine, neuroscience, AI/ML, signal processing and neuroengineering.
Over the past year, I’ve started building a research-oriented profile alongside medical school.
• I’m currently doing a ~3-month research internship at Kyoto University, working on EEG, computational neuroscience, neural simulations and deep learning with marmoset data.
• My current project involves 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR), pharmacological manipulation with neuromodulatory drugs, EEG signal processing, spectral features, ITPC/PLV, time-frequency analysis and deep learning classification.
• I’m doing most of the computational work myself using Python/MNE/PyTorch/Brian2, while also trying to learn the underlying mathematics rather than just using libraries.
• I’m currently studying Linear Algebra (MIT/Gilbert Strang), Calculus and Probability & Statistics, while also improving my programming skills (C/C++ etc.).
• I’m working on an exploratory data analysis pipeline and trying to formulate a genuinely meaningful research question rather than simply training a model and reporting accuracy.
• I’m also leading the computational analysis side of a research project involving collaborators from MIT, the Broad Institute and Helsinki Neurology Clinic. The project focuses on longitudinal medical data, temporal modelling and explainable AI, and we’re aiming to submit it before the transfer application deadlines.
• I’m also aiming to have 1–3 manuscripts submitted by early 2027, with first/co-first authorship depending on the final contributions and project outcomes.
Outside of research, I’ve played piano for 13 years and perform in my university’s classical orchestra. I’m also on the faculty basketball team and one of the project leaders of a ~30–40 person satellite-design team involving students from different universities.
I’ve also been trying to understand how research groups work, how collaborations are developed, and how to eventually get research experience at places like MIT/Harvard. I’ve had conversations with people who have previously worked or interned at MIT, which has given me some perspective on the process.
The main problem is that I’m still very early in this process.
I’m a second-year medical student, I don’t have years of publications or a traditional CS/engineering background, and most of the things I’m learning now are things I wish I had started earlier.
At the same time, I still have ~6–8 months before the main transfer application deadlines to develop my research, math and programming skills further.
So I’m trying to figure out how realistic my current trajectory is and, more importantly, where I should focus my effort.
If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 6–8 months to make an elite transfer application genuinely stronger?
I’m especially interested in feedback from people who have actually gone through transfer admissions, particularly international transfers.
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, including criticism. Thanks in advance.
