Monochrome Spring

I've just started studying for the gen. GRE. I took the bio. GRE last weekend. My study plan is to do about 2 hours per weekend day, while I'm still in class. Then, over the summer, I'd like to do 2 hours per day. I will be taking a practice test in the near future and will update then. When are you all taking the GRE? I was planning for end of summer/start of fall quarter.

What programs are you applying too? Biology, math, polisci, etc.? Your verbal is great. For any math-centric programs, your score is low. And your writing is definitely low for any program. For programs with cutoffs on the GRE, you would most likely be cut just from writing alone.

This is great advice. I was feeling like it was too long and impersonal. So, what I got from your post is that I should meld P1 and P2 for a quick introduction then meld P3, P4, and P5 into a more personalized talk about how my research experience ties into their work and a possible proposal for what research I want to do in graduate school. So, are you saying that I should be only writing to a fraction of the advisers that I am interested in (only the ones I think are the very best fit)?

I was wondering if anyone could review my email template for potential advisors and give me feedback on how I could improve it. The section about the professor's research as it pertains to my own interests will be highly individualized, but it is simplified in the template. "Hello. My name is []. I am an undergraduate at UC Davis, majoring in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity. I am considering applying to [university] for [Program] starting fall 2014, and I am contacting you as a potential advisor. Currently, I am working with Dr. Sharon Strauss and Dr. Brian Anacker at UC Davis, researching higher adult competition among closely related plant species. I am also researching increased herbivory in neighbor-removal experiments that look at plant-plant competition; I am presenting the preliminary results of this project at the UC Davis Undergraduate Research Conference. My research interests include tropical rainforest conservation in plant biodiversity, and discerning how plant interactions can increase biodiversity. I would like to look at how plant interactions may evolve with climate change and how that will affect biodiversity in tropical rainforests, as well. My current work on plant associational defenses against herbivory has made me think about how these facilitative interactions increase biodiversity in tropical rainforest ecosystems. I am interested in your lab’s current research on and how it might relate to my focus on . Below is the link to my website, which includes my CV. Please let me know if you are accepting applications for fall 2014 admissions and if you are interested in my research interests and background. Thank you for your time."

As I'm preparing to apply to graduate schools for the first time, I was wondering, how did everyone else go through the process of choosing which schools to apply to? I first filtered down schools by overall strength of the program, then by faculty with interests similar to mine. I'm finding that my biggest hurdle is that my field-of-interest isn't common, though. I'm interested in tropical biodiversity conservation (specifically plants) in an ecology and evolution program. I'm finding that most programs aren't using tropical study systems or aren't interested in plants, so my application choices are becoming limited. Did anyone else encounter a similar problem, or was there another glaring issue that came out when looking up programs?

I've heard good things about Magoosh. And I just checked their site. They're having a sale on their test prep. materials, if anyone is interested.

General GRE: I'm taking the test in a few months, I plan on doing a few long weekend study sessions in the month beforehand. (See below for about 30 hours). Biology GRE: I'm taking the test 4/27. I thought I would prepare more, but I've realized that my courses have actually taught me most of what I need to know in the tested subjects. I bought a Campbell biology textbook and have been glossing through it, reading in depth on subjects I'm not as familiar with. I'll probably do about 6 hours each weekend day from now until the test. Leaving room for error, that's around 30 hours preparation time, not including my coursework. I did well on the SAT and tend to be a good standardized test taker, so I'm hoping that it carries through a bit to the GRE.

As everyone else has already stated, you will need to get another B.S., this time in a related field, like microbiology, and with a better GPA. Of course, aim high, so you can offset your previous university experience. While you're doing your second degree, you won't be having the same introductory experiences as most of the first year students. So, spend your time with internships, especially (I can not emphasize this enough) ones where you can do independent research. You could work with a professor at your university, or take part-time industry work to get some experience. You need to show that you have the skills necessary to do Ph.D. work in virology, while you offset your previous work. I recommend reading through blogs, like Cal Newport's Study Hacks, for information on how to study more effectively. He also gives advice for graduate school success and being happy overall as a student. I also respect your dedication to virology though, and I think that admissions offices will be interested in how you progressed through your schooling. The passion behind your interest in virology research is just as important as your grades, if not more so in some aspects. So, just keep pushing to get the "on-paper" stuff.

I know that Ecology at UC Davis takes a long time to respond, so it might be pretty common in all ecology programs, though I don't know why.

I would use it, but what about articles that site back instead of always siting an article that you haven't seen sited before? Could you make the tree more interactive or highlight repeated sources?

I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. I rotate, depending on my mood. But, I've been having a difficult time getting into fiction. I'm trudging through The Lord of the Rings, but it's taking me forever.

I'm finishing in 3, and I'm actually finding that to be a disadvantage. I don't have as many years to take more courses, to do internships, to take advantage of undergraduate resources. I recommend not rushing through it (I came in with a lot of units already, so 3 is my max I can stay).

In many sciences, you can't even get your PhD without publications. If you mean after you get your PhD, then I think it depends on the person. Not everyone will continue with research and publications. But that doesn't mean they are less successful.

Congratulations on your job contract, and good luck if you choose to reapply.

I generally use a plain composition notebook or one with a nice pattern. I like wide ruled so I can add notes above each line if I think of something later. In my plant ecology lab, field work is typically recorded in any kind of waterproof notebook with grids for tables. Like abberant, if I can, I try to record all of my data straight into the computer, even if it's measurements in the lab. I only use a notebook to keep track of daily tasks and quick records if I can't have my laptop out.

It is better to get a letter of recommendation from a professor that you did research or some other job with. And it's better to have someone in your field write it, too. I would go with the advisor, since he/she knows more about you and your specific coursework, goals, etc. The professor in an unrelated field, unless you did work with him, will probably not be able to write a letter that shows that you're ready for the field that you want to go in.

I think it depends on what you're doing. In the ecology graduate department, we use phones to communicate moving tools and samples from site to site, as we're often spread very far apart around campus or our field sites. If you don't plan on using it for something like that, I think you could get away with it. I would make sure to let your advisor and others you're working with know about your situation so that they make your email the 1st method of contact. Also, there are a lot of prepaid phone plans, like misskira mentioned. I think Virgin mobile has an iPhone for $35/mo. with limited phone calls, but unlimited messaging and internet. And of course you have to pay for the phone to start.

You can teach community college as a lecturer with a Masters usually. I know at my school (UC Davis), you have to do research in addition to teaching to be called professor. That requires a PhD (or other terminal degree). We also have lecturers on campus that have a terminal degree, but they do not conduct research, so they are not called a professor. I hope that clarifies some of the terminology, at least for a University of CA. It might vary, depending on where you want to teach and at what level and with what responsibilities.

Context?

If your school has a free counseling center, definitely take advantage of it. Let someone know about how you're feeling, even just a close professor or advisor. Even if you can't see a future without grad school now, I promise that there is one. And even though you may think it's the end of the world, it's only end of a small world out of thousands of possibilities. It's the end of the idea of going to grad school in fall and the expectations that come with that. But it is not the end of the world in which you can attend grad school at all, the world in which you can fall in love or travel the world, or the end of the world in which you can do many other exciting and fulfilling things. Just remember that grad school is a small part of life compared to all that is out there. And you have a support system here and with your friends, family, and colleagues. /hugs

Having any publication, even not a first author, will look very good for graduate admissions. Graduate admissions committees are looking to see how good you'll be at research and publishing your results. If you've already proven that you can do that, it'll set you apart from other applicants.

Listening to Adagio for Strings composed by Samuel Barber while I study for the GRE.

nose goes

I am presenting my own meta analysis, but including some of the work previously done by my lab group, which I have contributed to. The audience is a small group of faculty and anyone else from the university who want to attend. The 1 slide/minute rule of thumb sounds really good for my project! Thanks.