As an undergraduate and first-time annual meeting attendee at Neuroscience 2018, my biggest goal was to learn new aspects of neuroscience, especially outside the bounds of my research project. I also wanted to develop my professional and presentation skills and to become more comfortable navigating a national conference. The meeting was more than I hoped for. I came away with knowledge that enlightened aspects of my research, and I had the opportunity to grow as both a scientist and a presenter. The best advice I could give undergrad attendees is to plan ahead, explore all of the sessions listed on SfN.org and in the Neuroscience Meeting Planner, and download the meeting app for your phone, which has helpful maps of the convention center. If you’re giving any sort of presentation, I cannot overstate the importance of practice. You can’t be too prepared. In this guide to the annual meeting for undergraduate students and other first-time attendees, I outline what to do to prepare, share how I chose sessions to attend, recount surprises and what I learned from them, and offer advice for how to have a successful SfN annual meeting.
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