GeoDUDE!

Its very common for the SOP,CV, and LOR to be the only things PhD programs look at as well (GPA and GRE too).

New A Sunny Day in Glasglow record.... and even though its a few months old now, the new War on Drugs record still gets a lot of play time.

I did not study. I took the free power prep tests online and then went and took the exam.

A version of this book: http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Physics-A-Calculus-Based-Text/dp/1133104266 is very good for the physics GRE. I found the depth of the questions on the pGRE to be in line with many of the intermediate problems in that book. Its expensive, but perhaps you can find a used earlier version for much cheaper.

rising junior or rising senior? You should wait until you are a rising senior, they wont remember you a year from now when you might begin applying if you contact them now. Plus, their lab spots might change in a year.

I see, I would call them, that makes sense.

No I haven't, but my understanding is that your department handles your financial aid. I got my official offer from the department.

you will need to likely score ~160 on Q to get past many top screen process OR have a professor pull you application before the screening process. That being said, smaller departments tend to care less about GRE screening, and some small departments are very high ranked. I think you will be OK, but you should try and get to score a 310 total. If you score under 300, it is very likely you will be rejected.

If your GPA is under a threshold they will put you on probation, and perhaps even kick you out of the program. I have never heard of anyone asking for anyone's transcripts for postdocs/jobs, but fellowships are sure GPA based. The fact that you got an F should cause alarm in the department: It is rare for a grad student to get a C/B let alone an F. Talk to the head of your department, swiftly. This is not a joking matter.

i'd imagine you'd need a GREAT not good cGRE

if you need to to suffix something witih "jk" it's probably not funny. (though I am moving labs because I graduated)

I think the distance is manageable, its 450 km. This is a short enough distance to see each other on breaks, long weekends, and even some weekends. Being a graduate student, you can take friday, saturday, and sunday off and work a bit extra earlier in the week to make up for it. Our schedules are really flexible. Its only 1 year, thats a drop in the hat. But you might want to think about an after plan too.

Half of my lab group (geophysics) is gay. You should be fine.

A lot of professors in Earth and Planetary Sciences keep a list ( 3 of my POIs specifically told me this after they accepted me) because they get so many people wanting to be their grad student that they like to mark down who are the strongest candidates that have contacted them. Its not the be all end all, i'm sure, but its really nice to be on that list. You could be 1/50 students who want to work with your POI, do you want to be one of those people who they havent heard from at all? All things being equal, I take the student who showed a bit of initiative.

I would say all work within the last 3-4 years or so is a good start: you don't have to read all of them but their significant work would be important. The work they did 10 years ago isn't as likely to be important as the stuff they did in 2010-2014 in terms of the type of research you will be doing and discussing with them. You won't be expected to make some super insightful comment about their work (but if you do, that might be enough to get you into graduate school) but show just enough that you have done some background work and it isn't some random flyer. PhDs tend to be broken up into multiple "smaller" projects connected by a central conceit, where the first project has heavy involvement from the advisor and less and less as you move on to different smaller projects. They realize this. It might also be just as important to know your POI's research as other people who do similar stuff. This is important because they might ask you where else you are applying, and when you answer, you want to answer like someone who is informed on the field they want to study. My conversations with POIs varied from a few hours to 20 minutes. I got into and rejected from places where i've had both longer and shorter conversations. There is no standard unless there is some sort of interviewing process in the graduate department.

Most people don't get into graduate school because of their stellar GRE; if you break 160 on each I really doubt there is any reason to try for better. Both my advisors don't even look at it, its just a requirement by the graduate school. I think its a bit alarming that you need someone to hold your hand for very simple material and you are in an MA program. I think you are making too much of this test, but I am not the one applying, so if it helps you be less neurotic about the application process as a whole and you have the money to spare perhaps then its worth it. My impression is usually people who take these courses are ESL or people who really didnt retain any of their skills from highschool and college.

You should go to the department where you will do the best work. That might include social/living stuff, but if you are making a choice based on a hypothetical, and getting a faculty position PERIOD is a hypothetical, then you are making the wrong choice. Lets not paint pictures here; If you work hard you will still be very lucky to get a Tenure Track position (assuming thats what you want) ANYWHERE. Take the better school.

Try to aim for a few sentences of text, and the CV. You don't need to cover much with the first response, just enough to get the professor to spend time on you. Its when meeting someone you want to ask out in a bar; You don't need to know their whole life story, just that they seem nice, funny and good looking.

Hello Professor A I am currently an English student in the UK and want to continue to study X in graduate school. I am particularly interested in particular X, and think that because your work "specific paper" is related to specific X, I think that you and your department would be a great place for me to continue my studies. Are you taking on graduate students for Fall 2015? Attached is a copy of my CV. Thank you for your time, Peachpenumbra. I used a very similar email to all my POIs and got a response from every single one. Even the ones that didnt take on graduate students, they referred me to someone else who they think I might be a good fit with. The email does a few things : 1) it states who you are and what you are interested in. 2) It shows you have at least read 1 thing of theirs and it relates to what you are interested in. 3) It is very short and doesnt waste the professors time. I would send 4 line emails and get back essays from them in a response. The CV attachment is important; If your CV is good or impressive they will be more likely to respond knowing you at least have a shot to get in. Many students who contact professors dont have a shot.

you got an A in real analysis and you really think they are going to give a care about a few points on your GRE ?

Web of Science

Who pays for a masters degree a thesis based masters in science ?

Step 1: Decide what kinds of things you find interesting Step 2: See where your Advisor's expertise fits under something you find interesting. Step 3: read 100-150 journal articles on the subject Step 4: identify a gap in literature you read Step 5: form a hypothesis to test that gap. Step 6: test that hypothesis Step 7: write up thesis step 8: defend thesis step 9: publsih

If you arent funded for a PhD chances are the department doesn't really care if you come. You are money to them, do not go.