Crucial BBQ

I emailed this question to a few program directors for some of the programs I am interested in, although I phrased it in a manner that was suitable to my situation. The information I am about to provide may not specifically apply to the OP, but others may find it useful. Of the respondents, here is what I have gleaned, grouped by similarity: -Technically, yes, all transcripts are required. However, if I feel a transcript is not necessary I may chose to exclude one or more of transcripts. If the schools are not listed in the application, the adcoms will not know I attended the school. As such they will not need/want/require those transcripts. Some adcoms/advisors might find having taken college courses for no other purposes than personal enrichment as being unique or of showing a wide-breadth approach to an education. -Despite what the website/FAQs may say, only transcripts from school where a degree was earned are required. -If transfer courses are listed on the transcript, transcripts from the originating schools are not necessary.

Then again... ...if courses appear on your university transcript as transfer courses...

I have often wondered about this. While I am sure graduate school adcoms have seen it all I also am a firm believer that certain assumptions are made. Typically in the U.S. a college student attends ONE university. Okay, transferring is not unheard of so two tops for the majority. It is also common for students to do study abroad or to take a course or two at another institution or at a community college. I would bet top dollar that this is what they mean by "all transcripts"; they want to see the transcript from the school you attended while studying abroad or from that summer Calc I course taken at the local community college over the summer because the typical undergrad might not think that they are necessary. Honestly, I do not believe they are thinking of the applicants who took 12 different, random, courses at 9 different community colleges over the years for "personal growth" because even though it happens, they are so far from the norm. I have attended four community colleges in four different states. Only one of them is relevant to my course of study. I am thinking of leaving the other three out this time around.

Also, according to the University of Wisconsin, they have one of the highest rates of International students of all U.S. universities. http://www.iss.wisc.edu

I read the same FAQ that Justin123 quoted above: it also states that International applicants who meet the admissions criteria are "often" invited to participate in an interview via telephone. http://www.genetics.wisc.edu/PHDGradProgram.htm

Based on this and your other posts, it seems highly likely that you are simply trying to impress the graduate school adcoms, increase your chances of admissions. As someone who attempted to do/did the same thing, let me give you some advice: -If the graduate school programs you are considering require one year of introductory physics with labs, then they require one year of introductory physics with labs. Unless you have AP credit, IB? credit, CLEP, or have tested out of introductory physics by some other manner, the adcoms are going to wonder why you did not take the intro courses. On the one hand quantum mechanics does fit into the idea of mathematical biology, but on the other the adcoms are going to wonder how you were able to grasp the concepts in quantum mechanics and thermodynamics without first having the introductory background of a typical first-year physics sequence. There is a saying, sort of, in the U.S. that goes: generalize in undergrad, specialize in grad. Two of the programs that rejected me last year mentioned my "low" grades in introductory chemistry as a part of the reason. My "B" in a 400-level chemistry course in thermodynamics, taken as a biology major, did not impress them. They specifically wanted the broader range of knowledge gained from the survey courses. If you absolutely must do this, or think I am full of it (I understand that my experiences may be unique to my own situation and/or programs I applied to), you will be doing yourself a huge favor by explaining in your SOP why you took this route as long as your explanation is logical. It's a double-edged sword: adcoms might feel as though you were jumping the gun a bit too much. It might also help if you use your advisor for an LOR. I am not sure where you are from or where you are currently going to school, but in the U.S. "higher education" has not changed much over the last 200 years or so. Undergraduate is preparation for grad school and typically an undergraduate education in the U.S. has more of a broad focus than a narrow focus. Narrowing your focus too much may impress some, or it may inhibit your chances of admissions. Yes, take the separate courses if you plan on applying to graduate programs within the U.S.

I was assuming early action and early decision were the same. Are they not? I was a "regular" applicant, so I dunno. If I absolutely had to choose one....it would be the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute joint program. It's not about the prestige though. I really want to move back to New England.

I intended on applying to 11 programs last year; whittled down from a list of 22. Only managed to do four from my list and then a 5th program out of the blue (it was not on either of my lists). The reasons were largely financial. This year I got a solid 11 programs on my list again. The list is different from the last by about five programs. I got two programs waiting in the wings; one potentially being too far of a reach. I hope to apply at least to those 11 programs but can probably afford to send out ~14 this year. There is no minimum. There are posters on this site who claim to only have applied to one program, and got in. And then there are others who say they were denied by all 10+ programs they applied to. I have no real reason to limit or max my applications to 11. It's an arbitrary number really.

For what it is worth, the program/department/school knowing where else you have applied to is great information for them to know. The information collected can tell them if the school/program is a reach to most applicants or is it a safety (assuming there is such a thing), for example. It might also be conferred if students are applying "just because", applying to multiple schools in hopes of being accepted into at least one, or, applying to this particular program because the program/department/school is a fit. In general: how well is the school/program attracting the type of students it wants to attract? All schools/programs use algorithms to determine N number of offers that need to be extended in order to fulfill S number of spots. These formulas are based on historical data. As an example let us say that Program P has five available slots. Based on history, the program knows it needs to extend offers to N number of applicants in order to get A number of acceptances. In short: the program needs to extend 10 offers because they know that historically 50% of the offers are rejected. So to answer questions #1 and 2; the program would admit you if you were a top applicant because you have a 50/50 chance of saying yes (or what-ever the split may be). Many applicants (perhaps most?) apply to programs based on fit. More often than not fit is not based on how you look "on paper". So your scenario would not apply.

In my opinion the best things you can do now are to hammer out some seriously well crafted SOPs. And, retake the GRE for higher scores. Taking a subject test is a great idea, too. There is a good amount of discussion from "students" over the relevancy of taking a subject test to "boost" low GPA; some say it is a good idea, others, a waste of time. "Professionals" seem to think it is a good idea in general while some programs specifically say not to do it.

To my knowledge all graduate programs require either B average for GPA (which leaves room for a few Cs) or a minimum of a B earned in every and all courses within the program. So in essence if you have earned a Master's degree than your GPA must be at least 3.0, which is good enough for most (all?) programs. You might be able to request official "unofficial" grades, but as long as you are going to graduate from the program I would not worry about it. I believe that in cases like this GRE and LORs would carry more weight.

Honestly, hard to tell. What was the original baseline score?

*correction: glean not gleam. But perhaps the information you gather from the phone calls will shine on you like a beam of light?

Your three years of "real world" work experience may trump your GRE scores (and more-than-likely GPA as well), but it is one of those things that you cannot be 100% certain about. The best thing you can do is to call the program directors of the prospective programs you are interested in and ask. They will not give you a flat-out answer, and cannot tell you what your chances are (even if your GRE and GPA were perfect), however, they see the applications, including those who were admitted, and will be able to give you a very general idea of what you should do. In the very least you will probably be able to gleam whether you are within the range of accepted applicants (my guess; yes). It would not hurt to retake the GRE, but you really need to ask yourself if it will be worth it. A 160 in QR is an odd score: it is good enough for nearly all graduate-level programs but it might not be competitive enough for the programs you are considering (however, note that does not mean that you do not stand a chance, your application is considered in whole, not in part). Going from a QR score of 160 to a QR score of 165/167 could really be the difference between answering only one more question correctly. If you feel confident that you can repeat the original X number of correct answers that earned the original QR score of 160 + answering ~1 more question correctly, then go for it. It would be easier to go from a QR score of 155 to a QR score of 162 (i.e., more room for improvement: opportunity to answer more questions correctly). It is really up to you but another thing to consider is to spend the next few months working on and hammering out a very solid SOP instead spending the time also studying to retake the GRE. According to ETS, the average (mean) QR score for those intending to major in CS is 157: http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table4.pdf

Yes, as Vene suggests these websites have not been updated in quite a while. ETS went with the new grading scale back in August of 2011.

I do not know which schools you should apply to or the prevalence of the programs you are looking at, but I would hardly call Iowa, Ohio, and perhaps ASU, safeties. Also, I would seriously suggest you research just how effin' cold and snowy Madison gets in the winter (as well as Stony Brook, Boulder, Amherst, Iowa, Ohio, and maybe North Carolina, too). Average daily low of Mangalore in January: 22˚ C (72˚ F). Average daily temp for Madison in January: -11.2˚ C (11.1˚ F).

1. Information regarding whether or not to include a CV/resume in the initial contact email is all over the place. In short, some will tell you to do it, some will tell you to ask in your initial email if you can send one in your next email, some will tell you to ask in your second email [after you have received a response] if it is okay to send your CV/resume in a future email, and others will tell you to wait until after a repertoire between you and the POI has already been established [whatever that may mean]. Honestly, I do not think there is any standard convention here. Some professors might welcome an unsolicited CV/resume, and others might be miffed. Personally, I would ask in the initial email. 2. When you contact him do so as a former student who desires his mentorship. Your initial email, and all corresponding emails, need to remain professional. That extends to how you address him: always Dr. or Professor. It is a sign of respect no matter how laid back the guy is. I know this peeves many Americans, but it shows that you understand and respect the roles that each of you are playing: mentor/student. 3. Two weeks seems to be standard advice. You do not want to come across as desperate. You don't want to come across as aloof, either. How long you wait is really up to you; at least two weeks, but no longer than a month.

ETS claims that the GRE offers an indication of preparedness for study at the graduate level. Some people claim that the GRE is not a good indicator of success in graduate school, and even ETS states that this is true. If you read through the ETS website, one word pops up numerous times: comprehension. There also are a handful of other words that have a similar meaning that ETS likes to use, a lot, as well. So, the GRE is then a measure of how well you can comprehend, analyze, and respond to what you read. As a standardized test the GRE is meant to be the same test to everyone who takes it while giving everyone who takes it the same chance at acing it; the MIT engineering student, the Stanford computer science geek, the rhetoric major from Yale, the art student from The-No-Name-University, and the english major from the small LAC all take the same test. Issues with the GRE aside, it is really the only way to compare applicants against each other as it is the only part of the application outside of the SOP (and perhaps LORs) that all applicants have an equal, measurable, chance to make the cut [at least hypothetically]. The GRE is just an accepted part of the application process (there are some programs that do not require it. Actually, quite a few). Chances are that everyone on the admissions committee, as well as all of your professors past, present, and future, had to take it. And like everything in academia, those before you who had to jump through the hoops will expect you to jump through those same hoops, too. A rite of passage if you will. I have heard anecdotal accounts of programs that do immediately dismiss all applications that do not meet a certain, specific GPA (usually 3.0), but never yet heard such accounts for "low" GRE scores, although I am sure they are out there. If you are concerned, I would suggest shooting an email to the respective program directors at all programs you may be considering. Simply state that you are interested in their program and want to know if the program has a minimum GRE requirement.

If I were in the OPs shoes, I'd probably be upset, too. However it seems that the OP is more upset about not getting into his/her safety school than anything. Based on the few snippets of evidence provided, it seems probable that Madison has a preference for on-U.S.-soil applicants because of the weather associated with the upper Midwest during the time of the year they hold interviews. The potential for cancelled flights is high. It is simply easier for someone within the U.S. to make necessary changes to travel if needed (inclement weather). International travel will not be as easy. Also, if they are paying to have you it is simply a heckofalot more expensive to fly in potential candidates from outside of the U.S. The term "frequently": The OP seems to think that it means always. It doesn't.

Not much help, but a family friend earned a Ph.D. in wildlife biology and is currently studying birds in Alaska. She seems to really like what she does.

I recently spent three years in Maine (Portland). If by Southern Maine you mean University of Southern Maine, I'd reconsider. That school has been having some serious financial troubles over the last decade. It seems like a decent school, my GF at the time went there. I'd definitely visit first. If you meant a school in Southern Maine....I'm thinking the University of New England. UNE has a new president and is currently embarking on a...five year plan?...to change the school's reputation from rather unknown to.....being put on the map. It is one of the best schools for marine mammal rehabilitation, sports medicine, and occupational rehabilitation (you should see the theme here). For both schools....Maine is extremely rural. It is larger than the other five New England states combined, but barely has a population of 1.4 million. It's largest city has 65K residents. To give you some perspective: you can fit five Marylands into Maine, but Maine only has 1/5 the population of Maryland. I almost went to UNE for undergrad, and have considered them for grad school in the past, but if you are looking at Maine then why the University of Maine?

What is the chance of your program finding out it is you behind this website? Does the clause stipulate no more than 20 hours/week? Or does it stipulate at least 20 hours/week? If the hours are capped at 20/week you can argue that your recent pay cut on top of a 60 hour work week is note paying the bills. This might go over better at a less research-intensive institution than U of Iowa, but it might be worth a shot if it comes up.

I have taken the GRE general test a total of three times since August of 2011 (was one of the first to do the new, revised, GRE). Yes, you have to accept your test before you can see your scores but you do not have select and send your reports from the testing center to see your scores at the testing center. I saw my scores at the testing center all three times but only had my scores sent from the testing center to my four free recipients a total of one time.

I apologize if this question has already been asked, and Google was not much help. When you take the GRE general test you are presented with your quant and verbal scores at the end of the test; giving you the ability to see your scores before you accept and send the scores/report. The subject tests are on paper, and are scantron...is the test scanned at the testing agency and do you get your raw score before you decide to accept the scores? Or do you decide to accept the scores based solely on how well you think you did? Two of the programs I am considering applying to do not require a subject test but both strongly recommend one. I am considering taking a subject test but do not want to send my scores [to the four "free" recipients] on test day based on a feeling of having done well (or not sending them because I thought I bombed...but ended up doing okay). I suppose I could just wait until the scores are available to view online, then decide then, but then I'd lose the four free reports, right?

Of all the programs I have looked into the most basic requirements are: one year of intro bio, one year of intro chem, one year of intro physics, and calc I. A lab component should accompany all courses (minus calc, of course). Most will also ask for additional courses in science and/or math, usually two more.