Crazy454

http://www.geoscienceworld.org/site/mobile/index.xhtml

A great spot to search multiple journals

Got into MS Hydrometeorology at U of Arizona. TA ship at USD 16076!!! 

I applied to places that were proved to be a good fit. The state has diverse geology and the university is in somewhat close proximity to the Bakken shale play and strongly field oriented. When I met with a professor, I decided the university could offer me what I needed from a school and applied.

Those ratings are nice but by no means are they the be all end all. The most important thing for me had been my connection with the potential professors and what my likely thesis would entail.

I applied to places that were proved to be a good fit. The state has diverse geology and the university is in somewhat close proximity to the Bakken shale play and strongly field oriented. When I met with a professor, I decided the university could offer me what I needed from a school and applied.

Those ratings are nice but by no means are they the be all end all. The most important thing for me had been my connection with the potential professors and what my likely thesis would entail.

Because it seems to be at least a halfway decent program, and maybe Crazy wants to study exactly what the faculty and courses offer there.  People also apply to schools as safeties, among other reasons.
 
Anyway, not trying to be cold about this by any means, but I think there's little reason, really, to look at rankings for a grad program.  Ok, sure, if you want to be a professor or something, it helps having a top tier school on your PhD degree. Not to mention, top schools arguably are better off in the funding department, and all the benefits that brings with it.  Otherwise, though, so many amazing PhDs are churned out by just the top tier programs alone that many people with incredible academic backgrounds end up at schools that wouldn't be at the forefront of anyone's mind when considering so-called top programs.  However, just because they aren't at universities that are household names doesn't mean these faculty aren't great people doing incredible work, and doesn't mean that there's no reason to apply to work with them, especially if there's a great research and personal fit with them, and the institution these faculty are at.  This last bit may be a stretch, but I liken it to saying, "it's not where you do your degree, but who you do it with." (Meaning it's more about studying what you want with an amazing advisor, than it is about slogging through school to get the university name on your diploma.)
 
Comments and discussion welcome here, but I guess I'm trying to say there's no reason to discount the quality of an education from a school - or to question why someone would apply there - when many of the faculty at all institutions (and the research they're conducting, which - however limited - may be appealing to someone) are all incredibly qualified these days, regardless of rankings.
 
Cheers!
 
gelologist

I applied to places that were proved to be a good fit. The state has diverse geology and the university is in somewhat close proximity to the Bakken shale play and strongly field oriented. When I met with a professor, I decided the university could offer me what I needed from a school and applied.

Those ratings are nice but by no means are they the be all end all. The most important thing for me had been my connection with the potential professors and what my likely thesis would entail.

I applied to places that were proved to be a good fit. The state has diverse geology and the university is in somewhat close proximity to the Bakken shale play and strongly field oriented. When I met with a professor, I decided the university could offer me what I needed from a school and applied.

Those ratings are nice but by no means are they the be all end all. The most important thing for me had been my connection with the potential professors and what my likely thesis would entail.

Got into Colorado State! Excited, I know where I'm going next year now!

Field camp was the best experience of my geology education. It is where you put it all together.

Just got into the University of Florida's MS program with full funding!!!

It's actually a bit more complex than that, even if I want to agree with the sentiment. 

I got accepted to both CUNY and UT Austin today!! I am over the moon!

Accepted into CU Boulder for a PhD.

EDIT: Geological Sciences department, fyi

Double edit: I forgot, if anyone else is still waiting to hear from from the geology department at CU Boulder they said they hadn't sent out a bunch of their acceptances yet. Also, it seems I am funded but no word on what that package entails exactly.

All this atmospheric / climate talk is great.... but where are my sed/ strat/ paleo people?? I know you are out there somewhere...!

I wonder how many people that normally would have been "graduate school bound" have been getting employed in industry.  Our graduates are getting pretty decent jobs in the oil and gas industry (not necessarily geology related)

Invited to Indiana University (Bloomington) Student Weekend.

I am unbelievably excited. Thank you.

Accepted at the University of Texas (Austin) TA/RA 9 month stipend.

Invited to Indiana University (Bloomington) Student Weekend.

Just received an email from my prospective adviser at UNM. He told me to expect an acceptance letter in the mail with full tuition, health insurance, and a $16,000-$18,000 TAship that will turn into an RA as soon as he gets funding. 

Congrats! See you there!

I am in the same boat.

Undergrad Institution: Small Texas state school
Major(s):Geology
Minor(s):Geography (GIS)
GPA in Major:4.0
Overall GPA:3.48
Position in Class: #1
Type of Student: Non-traditional Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:154
V:158
W:4.0


TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: Honors college research projects, nothing major

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: President's List, Honors College, Summa Cum Laude, Local Geological Society Scholarships, AIPG Scholarship, NAGT/USGS Internship nomination (Field Camp)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: AAPG Student Chapter President, Volunteer at regional and national GSA's,

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Miscellaneous short courses: (Well Logging, Sequence Stratigraphic Concepts)

Special Bonus Points: Picked cotton like a boss would.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I want to study mudrocks, sequence stratigraphy, basin analysis

Applying to Where:  Probably too many places, but in the end I only applied to the schools that I felt gave me information on projects along with an idea of whether or not they will have funding for a student. 

University of Texas - Geology - Mud
Texas A&M - Geology  - Mud and Lime
Oklahoma State - Geology - Mud Lime and Relative sea level 
Colorado State- Geology- Mud Mud and more Mud
University of Utah- Geology- Lakes and Mud
Montana State- Geology- the architecture of sand and such
South Dakota School of Mines- Basin Analysis (Accepted- No funding)
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Accepted-No funding details, possibly up for it as it comes available)

I was accepted to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and South Dakota School of Mines, but have no word on funding from either school.