bsharpe269

What is your end goal school/career wise? MS or phd? acedmia or industry etc? Also, if your goal is phd then what is your research experience up to this point? And you mention retaking the GRE but what is current score that you applied with this cycle?

Explain the situation to them, just like you did here. Say that you are not admitted but have been told by (admission person's name) that you will be if professors express interest.

If you do suspect ADD then seriously get it checked. I have a pretty bad case of ADD and no matter I did in college, I was a B+ student who did not impress teachers at all. I basically made it through on intelligence but then I started my masters and had to get medicine. I seriously went from an average/ bellow average student to straight A+s on everything I do. Taking ADD medicine has completely changed my life.

I probably spend 75-85 per week for two people, including toiletries. I buy organic produce, grass fed beef, etc so I could spend less if I needed to.

I can't tell you want is going on... this seems like a really weird situation. It sounds like you talk to your professors about this but keep doing so. See if you can get extra credit assignments to get Bs in your classes. If your professors know that you understand the material and are trying this hard then I bet they will work with you to get your B. It sounds like you understand this stuff and will be great with your reserach. I would just see if your professors are willing to give you Bs to get to that point.

Well, to get into a good phd program, I would say you definitely need an MS with a very strong gpa to make up for the low upga. Keep in mind that gpas are weighted a bit different in grad school so you would probably want a masters gpa in the 3.8-4.0 range. Applying for MS at the local university vs your current one is entirely up to whether you want to take the year off or not. Of course, a higher ranked university is better than a low one but I think that either way, a phd program cares more about how well you do at whatever university you go to. If you already have a lot of research experience, then the research tech position probably wont make too big of a difference in your applications and you will get more research experience while working on your MS anyway. goodluck!

I am doing my MS at the school near my parents so that I can live at home. I am SO happy that I went this route. I think that for an MSW that this could be even more important since you're not going into a very lucrative field. Also, both schools have very good reputations so I don't feel like you are comparing a super low ranked school to Harvard. I definitely recommend going with the cheaper option!

I think that for you, more than anyone, your SOP will be super important. You need your SOP to give a very clear picture of why you want to do conservation bio and it needs to be convincing. Your experience can either be seen as wishy washy or as positive since you tried so many things and so you know for certain what you want to do. Make sure your SOP gets across the latter. Also, most people write about what makes them different or stand out in their SOP. You know what makes you different! Make sure you "sell" yourself and your experience. I am sure you can think or skills you picked up from your diverse experience that most students would not have. You need to talk about these skills.

Hmm this seems very different then my impression on research importance. My undergrad was in math and I was advised to get all the research experience I could. I did research all 4 years of undergrad. Also, all of the students at my school who got into top programs had tons of research experience. Since you just applied to programs, I'm sure you know more about this than I do. I switched fields after undergrad. To the OP, I would say its at least worth discussing research importance with professors in your department though. Getting some experience in the form of research definitely wouldn't hurt.

I actually doubt that your undergrad grades will hurt you too bad since you have done so well in your masters. You have proven you can handle the course work. if you are still worried about that then a strong math gre could also help. I would actually be more worried about your lack of research experience. Can you do a project over the summer? I think that would make a huge difference in your application.

My advisor is amazing! He is extremely available to students, encourages us to do conferences and other resume boosters, offers constructive criticism, and goes out of his way to nominate us for fellowships. I have nothing at all negative to say about him. I think when looking at grad programs, some good questions to ask are: What is your mentor style... Weekly meetings, hands-off etc? Do you expect students to be in the lab for a certain number of hours a week or can they work from home mostly? Do you encourage students to come to you with questions? Some of these questions might be better for a professors grad students than the professor himself. First year Rotations can also be useful in determining personality for before choosing a lab. Don't be discouraged! Get experience there and then move on to something better!

Well it seems to me that the phd students do rotations and then once they join a lab, they work on a variety of projects with their lab until they submit their dissertation proposal and then they focus on that mostly. Thanks for the advice! If anyone else has opinions (even just saying they agree or disagree) then I am definitely open to hearing. Otherwise, I think that I will go with what you are saying... just ask his opinion on it. Since he will be the one paying me this summer then I will make sure he is ok with it before discussing it with the other professor.

I think that this entirely depends on your priorities and interests. Dentist: - More Money - Prestige? I suppose that being a medical doctor is pretty prestigous but I dont think that anyone would judge you for "only" being a scientist - More people oriented profesion. You may like this better if you like working with tons of people and are really outgoing. Chemist: - If academia, better hours - More research oriented, less people oriented (of course, you will teach so will still interact with many people) - Great university benefits, including medical on campus and gym. Basically, if you want a career where you have a people oriented, more routine sort of job, then a dentist is a great career. If you want a research job where you are often shut in a lab, investigating something that you are really interested in then you should be a researcher. These careers are hard to compare since they are compeltely different. I think that in order to be a reseacher, you have to be REALLY passionate about what you do. People become chemists for passion, not for money. So I think that should figure out what you are passionate about and go with that.

If you get into program Y then I recommend it. It sounds like it would be a jump for you... something totally different and new. This is probably one of the few times in your life though when you wont have husband/kids etc to worry about in making a decision like this. If the school is a better fit, which is sounds like it is, then I say take the risk and go!

Well I've never head of another student working in two different labs but most students in my program want to go into industry. I'm much more involved in research than most so it's hard to compare. I know primary professor thinks very highly of professor B. Their research areas are very different but they collaborate whenever there is an opportunity to.

Hi All, I am a masters student who will be applying for phd programs this fall. I have been working with a lab since september and have been offered a summer position. I am doing a ton of work for the lab and am as involved as the phd students. I recently did a poster for a graduate symposium and plan to have a publication and national conference before appllying to phd programs. I want to stay in this same subfield for phd reserach. So as I mentioned, I will be working in the lab this summer and hopefully will be able to get a lot further with the reserach without classes as a distraction. There is another professor on campus who I get along with well and am loving his class. I have considered volunteering on a small side project over the summer (like 10 hours a week) with this other professor in addition to my primary research (40-50 hours per week over summer). This could help with my LOR from this professor and expose me to something completely different. So the question: Is it OK to ask my primary advisor if I can pick up a 2nd small project over the summer if it doesnt affect my work in the first lab? Is this encouraged or is it not ok?

If you do put off applying then I would recommend increasing interactions with the professors as well. Since I am half way through my masters now and plan on applying to phd programs, LORs have definitely been on my mind. I actually have had professors in this program offer to be a phd program LOR without my asking. Being an A student really doesnt mean much in grad school since half of the people in a class are probably also A students and working as hard as you. I don't think Id ask a professor who i wasnt the top grade or at least 2nd top in the class for an LOR. Also, here are the sorts of things that have resulted in professors offering to write an LOR: - All extra class work opportunities should be taken. For example, one of my professors put a problem on the slides that he hadnt been able to figure out and mentioed that it would be great if anyone could get a solution. I spent a ton of time on it and got a solution. This sort of thing really sets you apart from the rest of the class who also got As on the test. - Also, I highly recommend reading your professor's publications and going to their office to discuss them and ask questions. - This sort of goes back to number 1 but another thing I do is if I am really interested in a topic in class then I ask the professor if they have recommendations for further reading on that topic. This shows you are interested, sets you appart for the class, and also lets you gain more knowedge on subjects you like. I do think that professors expect these sorts of things from the grad students they write LORs for. A professor can only write an LOR for 1 or 2 students saying they are amazing/top of their class so it takes extra stuff to get those letters.

The people in my department who try to be cute and carry shoulder bags end up having to pack them SO full that they look huge and sort of ridiculous. I think it's worth it to just go with the backpack. You can fit more in it and it is so much more convenient. There are plenty of extra pockets for bringing my coffee mug and lunch with me and it doesn't hurt my back. There's also a padded area for my laptop so I don't have to worry about breaking it.

I think it is pretty standard to get this info in April or May. From what I have seen, the amount offered through fasfa doesn't change much from school to school except maybe to account for differences in living expenses.

I am sure most SOPs have a small mistake in them. I would let it go. If you friends didn't notice it then the school may not either. If they like you otherwise and do notice it then I am sure that tiny mistake wont change their mind.

Transferring really isn't an option so I think you should either take the offer and stop being upset and just be excited to study what you love or wait and apply again next year. 63 isn't a horrible ranking and some unknown school. Most of the schools around that ranking are good state schools. If you are that upset about it though then I would get a job and apply again next year.

if you dont want to get an entire bachelors again since you already have one, you could look into doing a postbac. I know med students who switch field sometimes do them and they basically fill you in on all of your basic science classes and include chemistry through orgranic. If you get involved with a professor there in chemistry research then I think that you would be in a good place to apply to masters programs. The undergrad to phd route works well too... just wanted to throw in another option!

Auditing is a decent option but I would say that just buying the textbook that the class is using and going through the info on your own is an even better option. Then you can learn the exact same information without having to do the problems that are irrelevent and you can save time by not having to come to class etc. You learn the exact same info in less time! I think the reason people say you need to be spoon fed the information is because you should be able to buy a book and learn like this instead of having to sit through a professor explaining everything (ie spoonfeeding). Everyone has gaps in their education... Thats normal and fine! My statistics teacher just said the other day that he has never taken linear algebra even... yet he uses it in his teaching. He taught it to himself! I have never taken orgranic chemistry and I basically do chemistry research and will be applying to some biochem phd programs. A gap in class work isnt an issue if you can buy the book and go through it on your own. I understand orgranic chemistry as well as anyone else who has taken the classes since I went through a few text books. Edit: I also wanted to add that everyone learns better from a class than on their own because its easier and you get lots of help. As a professor you cant do that though. The expectation of grad students isnt that they learn linear algebra all on their own of course... but that is the expectation of a professor. The expectation of grad students is that they start working towards that, meaning they go through the book on their own and when they get stuck, they have a department full of professors to help. Trying to learn on your own, getting frustrated, working through it is the only way to become an independent reseracher.

I would just send a very professional, polite email to her, thanking her for the opportunity but that you have decided to pursue another opportunity. I would CC the department head or whoever in teh department you have been cooresponding with though and make sure you respond to the nasty email instead of creating a new one... this way you are completely polite but the department head will see the email she sent you.

I did not workout much at all the first semester of grad school and felt horrible and unhealthy because of it. I am runner and am really just one of those people that just feels miserable mentally and physically when I don't get that outlet. In the past couple months I have focussed on incorporating at least 3 runs per week in my schedule, minimum of 20 minutes but usually more like 30-40. I didn't think I had the time (and it is hard to find it!) but lately I have prioritized it just like I do assignment deadlines. I have to get those 3 runs in no matter what... even on midterm weeks, even when conferences are coming up. Since I made this change I feel so much better! I would love to excercise even more but I feel like 3x/week is a good compromise where I don't take away too much time from studying but stay healthy!