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jimmay

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Posts posted by jimmay

  1. 1 hour ago, amandav said:

    I applied and haven’t heard anything either. What is the results page people have been referring to? Anyone know?

    Hi friend. FYI this thread is a few years old, so probably not the best place to find current applicants. If you go to the Earth Science home page, there's a thread for 2019 applicants, linked here.

    Results can be found on www.thegradcafe.com where there is a box for you to enter search terms. You might try "Berkeley" or "earth" or "Berkeley Earth" to see all results for UC Berkeley, regardless of field; all earth science results, regardless of school; and UCB Earth & Planetary Sciences department-specific results. Please don't follow recent trends, and use the results board as a forum to ask for applicant stats, or whether anyone has heard anything: the Earth Sciences forum is the place for that.

  2. 5 hours ago, BrockHarrison said:

    Stanford is doing interviews (potential grad visit) right now. I was there last Friday. I think there are still more people coming in for interviews so they won't make decisions until after the interviewing process is over.

     

    4 hours ago, BrockHarrison said:

     

     

    5 hours ago, BrockHarrison said:

    It is individualized, which I hear is a new thing they're doing this year. I recommend you come anyway and see what the department is like.

    For which Stanford department? And are you at Cornell? Interesting setup, I'll be curious to see if they stick with the individual visit thing.

  3. 18 hours ago, Camillalxy said:

    @jimmay hi there! I'm a bit confused, so did @chasebf mean Stanford geological sciences by "deciding a while ago"? Cuz I haven't heard anything either nor anyone posted result. Also I noticed you've been accepted by Cornell, congratulations! I applied to EAS and I'm waiting to hear back. Would you mind sharing with me some details of their admission progress? Like visiting dates, how many rounds of acceptances... Thanks in advance!

    Update on this: I'm messaging you now, but decided it might actually be useful for other people to know re Cornell. My visit was suggested a couple weeks ago by my POI, but I was given a choice of dates so it seems very individualized. (A bit upsetting too: I like to meet my future cohort.) I know next to nothing about how many rounds of admits they do, etc. Identifying details like POI name I'll keep for the PM.

  4. 19 minutes ago, Unconsolidated_Regolith said:

    What's up yall.

    I got an email last night from NCSU saying "Congratulations! The graduate program to which you have applied has recommended your admission. The decision is not final until the Graduate School performs a review of your application materials." (they only had unofficial transcripts so far)  I reached out to my PI yesterday asking for an update. I haven't heard from him in over a week. We were in the middle of talks about a visit and he ghosted, and now this.  

    I'm interpreting this as: the PI that I applied to recommended me for admission even though we haven't interviewed or met... I should assume that the graduate school will find my application materials acceptable if the department did.

    Does this interpretation sound reasonable?  Even good news makes me nervous.

    Yeah I think you are likely in. Most places the dept selects you but then the official bureaucratic graduate school has to approve that you meet their minimum standards. Only a couple times have I heard of people not passing that stage, or the opposite: the graduate school tells you you meet their minimum standards but it isn't meant to be interpreted as an actual admission to the program. 

  5. 2 hours ago, Coffee Hound said:

    Question: is it better to wait patiently for a decision or to check in with POI/department on status of admissions decisions?

    So far I've been waiting patiently and haven't bugged my POI or departments since around the time I submitted applications. Could checking in with them show extra interest?

    I've done both, it usually seems to have no impact on the decision so sadly I'd say to just (Netflix and) chill. Like my Stanford app still says incomplete lol, I asked and they copy pasted the FAQ at me even though it only says they take all of January to sort out documents (I emailed second week of February). Never saw such snark before.

    1 hour ago, Camillalxy said:

    @jimmay hi there! I'm a bit confused, so did @chasebf mean Stanford geological sciences by "deciding a while ago"? Cuz I haven't heard anything either nor anyone posted result. Also I noticed you've been accepted by Cornell, congratulations! I applied to EAS and I'm waiting to hear back. Would you mind sharing with me some details of their admission progress? Like visiting dates, how many rounds of acceptances... Thanks in advance!

    No idea what they meant regarding Stanford, that's what I was commenting on too (hadn't seen anything about geological sciences). I don't know much but i'll message you later today about Cornell. Thanks for the congrats :)

  6. 26 minutes ago, rockwizard said:

    Can I ask what POI at OSU? I was thinking of applying there and am just curious.

    Also, (to the general forum) any updates on when Harvard EPS decisions go out? I see some people posting on the results page but haven't heard anything yet. 

    Harvard decisions came out last week if I remember, visit days are in three weeks (3/7-8) and I don't think we usually see a second round, sorry :(

  7. Hey gang, geoscientist here. My last 2 app cycles, I've told the Earth Science forum about a resource I use to help weigh the values of offers, and figured I'd share for all. It's www.phdstipends.com, there's details about offers people get (though sometimes the reporting is weird, like people include tuition value in the stipend dollar amount lol) and how that compares to the living wage (not sure how accurate this is, but still). Anyway, I've found it a good first order resource for determining how badly I'll penny pinch during school - hope it's useful. Also, NerdWallet cost of living calculator might prove good, too. I'm not affiliated with either, just another broke boy trying to make it who's generally disinclined to go to a place that doesn't value me enough to let me survive. Good luck with apps/congrats on admits/you can still do this even if you've gotten rejected! (Trust me, I know about the latter.)

  8. One other PSA: I've said this in the past, but a resource I've found helpful is www.phdstipends.com - I'm in no way affiliated, but my partner and I used this to help estimate how far my stipend would go. It can really help you figure out whether financial stress will weigh on you over the course of grad studies, which I definitely have found to be bad enough without having to pinch pennies. Also consider adding your own data to it, like I do, so it remains up to date. There's also cost of living estimators, such as that provided by NerdWallet that can help.

    Lastly, I know this is shouting into the ether, but whoever made PhDstipends.com, thank you!

  9. 17 hours ago, geononymous said:

    Any hope remaining for Penn State Geosciences and Rice EEPS PhD programs? Is it already too late for their first round of selection?

    Rice usually goes after top people mid January, but not sure how long they roll the admits out. Still, I'd say less and less likely with each passing week

    14 hours ago, rockcycleralph said:

    Anyone know if Oregon State, University of Oregon, or UNC Chapel Hill have sent out anything? I know UTK sent their first round out last week. 

    Oregon usually admits first 2 weeks of Feb, rejects in first week or two of March.

  10. 20 hours ago, chasebf said:

    WHOI has finished their work.  You might get a waitlist, but more than likely if you haven't heard you'll likely get a rejection here soon.

    Stanford decided a while ago.  They move QUICK

    figured WHOI was done - there was that batch of admits last week that seems to be par for the course for them, but Stanford surprises me... there's been no peep about Geological Sciences. They seem like a weird dept though (heavy oil focus, big on the geophysics and ESS) so who am I to know. How are you so up to speed with these programs?

  11. On 2/5/2019 at 5:14 PM, goosejuice said:

     

    On mobile so can't seem to get rid of the quote box. 

     

    Anyway, I did mine in front a laptop so I felt comfortable looking up something if I needed. More importantly, it let me have a doc of bullet points that I wanted to be sure I touched on, out included in my app so I could make sure I heard close to the story I had projected in my statement so I would sound more coherent and be reminded of how to show my interests and how everything I've done, whether intentional or not, helped me get to the point I'm at. Include also any details you don't want to forget like thesis results if you think that would come up. Lmk if you need more advice, I don't want to prattle. Good luck!

  12. 18 hours ago, cratergator said:

    I saw Stanford sent out a notice to someone today.  If youre reading this, was it the generic email to look at the portal?  Also, im sorry about that.

     

    I just got my first notice and rejection the other day, so Im waiting with bated breath over here.  Also, a fun fact I learned from this rejection: you can have excellent qualifications but be rejected based whether the POI likes you or not.  I got an offer to visit from this school, then my POI grilled me on my personality last week, and got my visit rescinded based off (and im paraphrasing since I deleted that email) "depsite an excellent background, you werent excited enough and fit is incredibly important".  Which I believe is code for they personally didnt like me.  Ultimately it makes sense to base a decision off that, especially in a PhD program, but damn does that sting. 

     

    This is really hard to hear, but I think the silver lining is that you should be glad the POI didn't take you on. As someone transferring institutions because of a bad advisor fit and no other lab to switch into, I wish I had heeded warnings more prior to coming here so I wouldn't have lost 3 years and some confidence. You'll end up in a place that's a great fit, where someone cares about you, meshes well with you, and will work with you for whatever is your goal at the end of the PhD. Don't be afraid to have a frank discussion to this end with prospective advisors; it can make all the difference. And if you haven't realized already, those aforementioned things should probably be most of what makes your decision for wherever you decide to enroll. Good luck!

  13. 11 hours ago, rocksandstuff said:

    Wtf that is so harsh, I’m so sorry that happened to you. 

    Also. I unofficially received an offer from a PI at Stanford, have arranged a visit for Feb 28, and have yet to receive any official or portal letter of any kind. I really think it is still too early for Stanford. I can let you know if/when I get a more formal letter!

    @Camillalxy yeah... I’m bummed about caltech too... I suppose you never know though! It’s not over until you’re officially rejected!!

    where else did you apply @rocksandstuff? you never posted a profile

  14. 26 minutes ago, chasebf said:

    To Rockwizard (sorry unsure how to tag people here, or if that's a thing).  Allow me via the anonymity of the internet to have a frank conversation with you.

    You're background in research is stellar.  GPA is a bit low, but nothing bad and as long as it wasn't showing a downward trend in your junior-senior year will be washed out by your research easily. 

    That said CU and Harvard (probably Arizona) will look for a few type of candidates coming form a pure undergrad background, these are generalizations but you'll get the point:

    Candidate A:  High GPA, High GRE - these are your 'that guy/girl' valedictorian students.  What filters these people out is how much they bank on their high scores to get in.  If they're just in it thinking this is high school and good grades get you everywhere they're likely to be rejected.  They will need a good research focus to be let in, even with top marks. Some risk with these students, top marks doesn't mean good researcher. 

    Candidate B: High GPA, High GRE (probably less so than Canid A, but still high), and research experience - these are you admits everywhere. Proven proficient students and proven proficient researchers. The total package.  Almost no risk in them failing.

    Candidate C Okay GRE, Okay GPA, and research experience - these are admitted some places, rejected others.  Entirely based on the discretion of the POI and admin council.  Usually what gets these people in is research experience or a SOP that's focused towards a particular avenue of research at that school indicating they'd be a good fit. For example: this candidate might like seismic geophysics and have some background in it.  In their SOP they indicate the seismic geophysics people at that school and discuss briefly how they'd really like to be involved in their work. 

     You're a candidate C, or you could be as your GRE is an issue.  151 on quant is ~43rd percentile or so.  CU and Harvard will see candidates with stellar GREs and GPAs applying,  and almost all will filter out anything below a 50th, and most schools will filter out anything below a 70th (even though they say they wont).  Now this isn't to say you need a 95th+ on everything to beat out all of those 70th percentile cutoff people, you don't, research is far more important than GPA and GRE and you've demonstrated you're proficient in that.  WHAT YOUR GRE IS HOWEVER is this analogy:

    You've built a really solid ship, great potential, this thing could sail the oceans for decades, and it's got all the amenities I'm looking for, nice cabin, a pool, open bar ------ this is your research experiences and background

    But prior to launching this ship you decided to torpedo the side of it ------ this is your quantitative GRE. 

    Now that ship could still float, heck it could make it across the oceans forever.  But if I'm left with the options between that torpedo-ship or another ship that doesn't have a torpedo hole, I'm going to go with the non-torpedo ship.

    Get the quant up, it's dragging you down. Consider doing research for a year while you stage for 2020 applications. 

    Let me stress this to you:

    YOU HAVE A HARVARD, MIT, COLUMBIA, name a fancy school and it fits, application package in the making. But you've shot yourself with that GRE. 

    Your PhD is merely delay, not on hold, and it's only delayed a year.  Spend the hundreds of dollars again to retake the GRE, it's trivial compared to how much you've invested in your education already. 

    That said I hope you get into Harvard and this conversation is moot. 

    Maybe -- but for example, Harvard EPS has moved to GRE optional stance to my knowledge because of how standardized tests add cost to applicants and only vouch for things like socioeconomic status, both of which reduce diversity. As someone who got into Harvard with a terrible undergrad record, I'm much more convinced it's the statement that makes the biggest difference in any package. If you have a clear goal for what you want to do, how your trajectory has prepared you for that work, and how this slots into your present view of your long-term aims, you're okay. Add in what benefit the department will get from you being there (as opposed to just what you will get out of the relationship) and you're even better. It also never gets said enough about how things like funding make a huge difference...the same application in 2 different years could see 2 very different results. Same goes for advisors, one might be okay taking a chance on someone, others (I can think of one in my current dept) are much more particular about boxes applicants have to check to be considered qualified for entry, but as long as your POI is vested enough to pull you in, that's all that matters. Of course, none of us have sat on adcoms and so this is mostly speculation, but this is my 4th application cycle so I like to think I've gotten some anecdotal sense of what can help you rise in the pile.

  15. 17 hours ago, goosejuice said:

    Undergrad Institution: One of the UC's
    Major(s): Earth and Planetary Science (focused on latter)
    GPA: 3.73 at graduation (mostly major/important classes); transferred from junior college with separate GPA
    Awards/recognition: among top of major class, cum laude in university, multiple dean's lists, undergrad research award/scholarship
    Type of Student: Domestic

    GRE Scores:
    Q:156
    V:153
    W:4.0

    Research/Experience: 

    - Currently working at well-known research contractor for NASA; working on paper now

    - Undergrad senior thesis + poster presentation at AGU and two university symposiums

    - Summer internship at NASA + poster at two internal symposiums

    - Worked in lab for 8 months as a lab/research assistant

    Publications:

    Two aforementioned posters, one abstract. Working on a paper now, but it was not part of my application at time of submission.

    Applying to Where:

    Dartmouth

    UT Austin

    Brown

    Tulane

    Columbia

    Northern Arizona

    NC State

    -----------------------

    Most of my program choices are focused on planetary surface processes, geomorphology, and remote sensing. My research/work experience since graduation is all over the place in terms of subject matter, but I've got a lot of universally-applicable knowledge and experience to show for it. I have no reason to not be confident in my letters of recommendation. GRE scores are definitely my weak point; they're just average enough to not bother retaking it. With that being said, this is my second grad school application cycle...

    Any other planetary science/geology peeps?

    Going for MS or PhD? Because at least when I applied to NAU I think it was masters only, but u could've been wrong/maybe it was for different departments

  16. Undergrad Institution: SLAC
    Major(s): geo
    GPA in Major: 3.0x (3.14 cumulative)

    Type of Student: dwm

    GRE Scores: 161/162/4.5 (Q/V/W)

    Research Experience: masters, current PhD student applying to transfer

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: one award, one GSA grant, 2 scholarships

    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 7x TA over 3 degree programs, 1 y industry after ug

    Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: paper soon to be submitted, 11 conference abstracts, some workshops, outreach and service professionally and in dept

    Applying to Where:
    MIT/WHOI, Brown, Cornell, ASU, UCSD, UCSB, Stanford, UBC, Auckland

     

  17. On 1/27/2019 at 11:27 PM, 5beats3summers said:

    Undergrad Institution: NC State 

    Major(s): Undergrad - Meteorology

    Minor(s): Nope

    GPA in Major: 3.38 

    Overall GPA: 3.10

    Position in Class: N/A

    Type of Student: Traditional White Male

    GRE Scores:

    Q: 162 V: 162 W: 4.0

    Research Experience:

    NSF REU at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences researching stable water isotopes

    Awards/Honors/Recognitions:

    Pretty bland in this department

    Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

    Student Volunteer at American Meteorological Society

    Two internships and 9 month stint in broadcast meteorology

    Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: N/A

    Special Bonus Points: LoR should be pretty robust, experience as a live TV weatherman is a unique.

    Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: No

    Applying to Where:

    M.S. At Penn State, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Albany, UNC Charlotte 

    For grad student standards I consider myself somewhat mediocre; proud of the GRE and cultivating great relationships with some professors, but wish GPA and extra honors and awards was a little more solid. Also would of liked to eke out a poster presentation from REU, but timing didn't work out

    I'm also really hoping that schools don't view my quick departure from broadcast meteorology as a negative; touched on it in my statement of purpose some. 

     

    Yeezus here should get accepted for user name alone 

  18. On 2/1/2019 at 3:40 PM, rockwizard said:

    Yeah if anyone has heard from/hears from Harvard, CU Boulder, or U of Arizona please PM me the details! I'd love to hear about if you had to go through an interview, etc. and what the name of POI is. 

    Harvard accepts should come soon ish: they usually sit around 1 Feb, and visit days this year are 7-8 March. Who's your poi?

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