jande48

Finally, admitted into one program (UT-Austin) after rejections from Stanford, Duke, and Wisconsin. I'm so excited. Good luck to all of you, especially Geopergin. I know how frustrating it was to wait for UT, but as in my case, they are still admitting folks. I hope to see you in Austin. Any other future longhorns out there?

Rejected from Wisconsin. ... I got a letter from the potential PI (Jean Barh) that there was 2 positions available and I wasn't one. :S ... ... Good luck to Mylonite and others that applied to Wisconsin

Hey DEVGRU and bariumanomaly, Just wanted to let you know that I applied to Stanford (GES) and haven't heard anything. :S Like you, I'm trying to keep calm and carry on, hehe. ... Let's stay in touch. Let me know if you hear anything.

Hey Mylonite, Yup, I'm applying to UW-Madison and hoping to work with Jean Bahr as well. I met her at GSA and she seems like a good advisor with several projects in the works. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from any of the schools that I applied to. You? Good luck, and I hope to work with you in the future!

Hey Mylonite, Great to hear from you! ... Your background appears to really good to get into those schools. ... Is UW-Madison your first choice? ... I applied there as well. Also, I contacted Jean Bahr and talked with her at GSA this year. She seems really nice and has some cool projects in the works. I haven't anything (positive or negative) from any of the schools that I applied to. ... ... But I will keep you in the loop. Great meeting you! .. I hope that we get to work together in some capacity in the future. Cheers!

I applied to Stanford. ... but want to work in CO2 storage rather than sedimentary geology. Hopefully we both get in there, hehe. Here are the full details. Undergrad Institution: LSU (Petroleum Engineering) Boston College (MS - Geochemistry) Major(s): PETE & GEO Minor(s): GPA in Major: ? Overall GPA: LSU (3.2) BC (3.6) Position in Class: not sure Type of Student: run of the mill domestic white male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 163 V: 162 W: 4.0 P: TOEFL Total: Research Experience: Worked for Shell Oil as a petrophysicist for 2 yrs. MS thesis on the transport of geochemical tracers that may turn into a publication? Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nothing major Pertinent Activities or Jobs: full time with Shell Oil, undergraduate internships with BP & ExxonMobil Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: volunteered in Bolivia for 1.5 years working with Engineers without Borders on potable water projects. Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Applying to Where: Stanford - CO2 storage UT Austin - Hydrogeology, but may try to work with petroleum stuff Wisconsin - Hydrogeology Duke - Hydrogeology Thanks for sharing. Good luck with your applications!

My principal advisor is a flaky professor. He asked me to write my own LOR and then he'd submit it. It's uncomfortable to write about myself, and I don't want the LOR to sound like my SOP. Any suggestions? Thanks!

It looks like I'm going to write my own letter of recommendation. :S (My advisor asked me to do it, and he said he would submit it.) Any suggestions of what to write about? ... or more importantly, what to avoid? btw, i'm applying to PhD programs in Environmental Geosciences and Energy Geoscience. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the feedback! appreciate it

Hey Grad Cafers, Thanks for the great threads you've posted in the past! I'm a master candidate in geology at Boston College, and plan to pursue a PhD in geochemistry. My GPS is 3.6, and my GRE is 163 Q (780) and 162 V (640) and haven't yet received my AW score yet. My master's thesis is similar to what I want to study for a PhD thesis, and I'm assuming that my LOR & SOP will be good. My question is whether or not it's worth it to apply to top 10 programs (Harvard, Stanford, Texas, Wisconsin, Penn State)? ... ... I have a feeling that profs at these schools may encourage me to apply, even though they know that I will likely be rejected. Do these schools accept ppl with a 3.6? Thanks for the honest feedback!