Shawn398

Hi All, I would like some advice regarding the viability of a first/second year application, considering that I will only be able to apply once. A bit about myself: Undergrad GPA: 3.38 | 3 years research experience | NO publications | Already accepted to grad school | Already have plan for a project I'll be taking classes my entire first year, but might have time to collect some preliminary data for my project (in atmospheric chemistry) too. My program has pretty high standards, so I expect my graduate GPA to be much better than my undergrad GPA. I've already started writing the papers for a GRFP application this year, but my adviser just suggested that I might have a better chance if I waited to apply next year. My questions: 1) I've read that a first year application is more likely to get accepted than a second year, but haven't seen the numbers to prove it. Opinions? 2) Given that I have great references from my undergrad lab who I've known for 3 years, and whose opinions of me are fresh, would it be possibly detrimental to wait a year and use new references with less to write about? Thank you for your help!