Monochrome Spring

My count so far is: Interviews at Michigan State University (Plant Biology PhD) and University of Pittsburgh (Evolution and Ecology PhD). Assumed rejections from Stanford University (Evolution and Ecology PhD) and UC Berkeley (Integrative Biology PhD). Nothing yet from University of Maryland CP (Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics PhD).

U. Pitt. applicants for Ecology and Evolution: Notifications for interview invites should come out this week. The interview dates willl either be Feb. 13-15 or Feb. 27 - Mar. 1 (not sure if you have a choice or they're still deciding which one they want). There are only 8 interview spots, instead of the usual 12. EDIT: Interview invites have started coming out. Weekend is by choice: 2/13-15 or 2/28-3/2. Plane and hotel are arranged by the department. I'll be there 2/28-3/2. If anyone else is going on that interview date, send me a message.

Definitely. I've been in contact with the recruiter for my area for about 5 months now, and we've talked about it.

In an ideal situation, this summer I'll start field work in Costa Rica, picking out plots and identifying which species I'll research. In a semi-ideal situation, I'll spend the summer traveling Central America, scuba diving, hiking, and reading. In a less-ideal situation, without any admits, I'll still spend the summer hiking and reading, but I'll also be applying to the Peace Corps to work in environmental education in Central and South America. Regardless of what happens, I'm happy with any of those scenarios.

Join Peace Corps, hopefully for environmental education in Central or South America.

Tropical plant community ecology, which an emphasis on herbivory-competition trade offs. : ) Interviews at Michigan State University and University of Pittsburgh, so far.

You are being both blatantly rude and ignorant, and don't try to defend yourself by saying it's "truth" because you are giving opinionated comments that contradict science. Just because the OP is having an unexpected child does not mean that he doesn't know how they are made, does not mean that he doesn't know how to use birth control, and does not mean that he isn't looking forward to this new child. It does mean that his girlfriend got pregnant when they didn't expect it. Despite the low probability of getting pregnant while using birth control, it can happen, and did. Since you don't appear to know how statistics work, I'll explain it for you: even if there is only a low probability of something happening to a person, there are still people that it happens to, as is the case here. That doesn't make those people irresponsible. The OP wasn't even trying to get opinions on this unexpected child's conception. He wants to know how to manage a child in graduate school. Maybe you should take a look at yourself before you give someone else life advice. You are obviously at a different point in your life than the OP, and how you want to live your life is irrelevant. Not only are you younger, you're also less mature both emotionally and academically. In addition to that, you seem to have a warped perception of what being married and having children entails. As someone who is seeking graduate school as a way to get a husband, you obviously have no idea what it means to be in a PhD program or be in a long-term relationship, which includes owning a home and being relatively financially secure. I've also just become aware that you have poor reading comprehension, as you somehow think that the original poster has a "crap income". I agree with Nohika that you should never become a social worker. You are obviously far too insecure with yourself to make sound judgements about anyone else's life, and you will probably do more harm than good.

Congratulations!! (Just ignore the people who would be unhappy for you b/c they're too worried about even finding a significant other in graduate school and don't understand how birth control works or what 'responsible' means.) It's going to be a bumpy road, but I think you're far enough into your program that you can handle it just fine. Like biotechie said, I think that med school will be tougher to balance a baby with, so this is right where you want to be. Maybe you can find a forum full of med students with babies (or even a group at your future program) and get support there. It's not that uncommon, and I'm sure they'll have wonderful tips to help you get through everything. Again, congratulations, and please keep us updated.

I found this website very helpful. It has a bunch of questions that you should ask as a potential graduate student. You can ask those questions when you meet, in addition to any questions you might have already formulated. Mostly, be ready to talk about why you're interested in that professor in particular. Be ready to elaborate on past research projects, potential future projects, your interests, etc. You can practice doing this with a friend/classmate. For dress, you can be semi-formal/casual. I wore dark jeans with nice dress shoes and a blouse; but I wouldn't go so far as to say that you need to wear a suit.

To those wondering about EEB programs, some of them (e.g. Michigan State University) are emailing the first round of interview invites this week.

I think you put this wonderfully. I think that Loric does give good advice in his own field, as he has a lot of work experience. And that has proven to be valuable to those applying for the first time in his field. But he doesn't accept that the majority of the people on this site are not in his field. Every field is going to operate in its own unique way. I don't expect anyone in his studies to follow the same 'rules' of my own, just as I don't assume that I must follow any of the 'rules' in his. I think the underlying issue here is that, since he is not in the typical field of study that is present on these boards, he probably feels outed as the minority. However, that is no reason to be hostile toward those who are in the majority on the boards and do want to go into academia. Regardless of the field, however, it is never appropriate to lie to your professors, bosses, or advisors in order to gain letters of recommendation before the deadline. This is supposed to be a recommendation of your ability to succeed, not only in academia, not only in whatever field you go into graduate school for, but also in life. This recommendation is supposed to speak about your work and academic experiences, as well as your moral character. Lying is not good character, and as was stated before, two wrongs do not make a right. Despite Loric's disrespect for academia and those in it, and despite the examples of late letters which have resulted in too many disqualifications for hopeful applicants, lying in this manner is not, and never will be, justified. I hope that future applicants who read this thread will see how many members, both experienced and not, disagree with Loric's opinions on manipulating his superiors for letters of recommendation and will not follow the advice that he has given.

It cost me about $1,000. Applied to 5 schools and took advantage of free score reports.

I have an Academia.edu and LinkedIn profile, but I don't have anything on either but a link to my main personal website. The main personal website is the one that I keep up-to-date. I don't have anything like Facebook or Google+.

Username: Monochrome b/c I like monochromatic color schemes. Spring b/c I like when all of the flowers start to the bloom and the world turns green again. Avatar: Pokémon Hoppip b/c it's cute and the Pokémon theme in the chatroom.

If you were sent to another department, most likely you weren't a good fit for the one that you applied to. They sent your application to the other department so that the professors there with closer research interests can consider your profile.

Most of my programs required an official transcript and a scanned copy for the application.

MSU applications had the option to upload additional documents, such as a CV, through the student portal.

I would ask the schools that, since it may vary on a case-by-case basis. You don't want to burn bridges, but you also don't want to hurt your app with a poor letter if you can get a better one to replace it. Good luck.

If you have time, I would get a new LoR. That one is so generic and unspecific that it almost appears that your writer didn't really know you or that you didn't stand out in a crowd of other scientists. If you don't have time, at least your other two letters are good.