ScreamingHairyArmadillo

Just make sure you're also getting tuition remission and/or health insurance coverage. And you may have to pay some graduate fees. But otherwise a year or two on fellowship is awesome! I have that now and while I look forward to teaching at some point, I know I'll be much more prepared for my coming field season than I would've been otherwise. And also to agree with an above poster, depending on your frugality, you shouldn't have to take out loans.

fwiw, a friend of mine that goes to WashU got in the math program with a 50th percentile in the Math GRE (with an 800 on the regular math section). He also didn't hear back until I think mid-Feb that he was wait-listed, and an acceptance came in March.

I also had options to start in the fall, but decided not to. I didn't really take a break (I worked 2 jobs to save money), but I wanted to take a mental break from academia. I also had more time for a mini camping vacation, which I wouldn't've been able to do had I started my field work in the summer. However, I already knew who my advisor was so I didn't need to stick my foot in to get the advisor of my choice. But without any summer work I couldn't go to the national conference of my field in the late fall (which was in San Diego, dammit!). Weigh your pros and cons. Might you get a month before/after your school's summer term, and may that be a long enough break? Either way it won't look bad at all to start in the fall, it's just an option you have.

I had something similar happen during my application season. I applied to a program that required a sponsor, so I emailed the professor I was most interested in working with and she immediately wrote back a very detailed email which also expressed her interest in having me as a student. I didn't fly out as early as a week later, but we very quickly arranged for a visit. It was really awesome to be courted by a faculty member! I'm sure your PI will set up some schedule for you to meet others in the department and the graduate students. I think faculty carefully pick who they have for visits, so be happy!

As long as your schools signed the resolution that accepted applicants have until April 15, don't let yourself feel pressure to decide earlier. I heard from my top two schools in December and January, but waited until late March to make a decision after my boyfriend finally heard from his programs. Institutionally speaking, I did not "officially" tell my programs I was making my decision with a boyfriend in mind (i.e. I did not tell them he would sway me one way or another or that I would have to go where he goes or vice versa). My potentially advisors did know though that I was in a relationship, but because I had one-on-one time with them and it just came up. I doubt any of them spoke to my boyfriend's potential department. The two-body problem is difficult to tread when you aren't engaged or married (or otherwise long-term). IMO, I don't think it is "serious" enough for an admissions committee to consider when deciding on applicants. Maybe if they just have to have you, they can be swayed, but again I only hear stories about this when it's engaged/married couples.

I'm currently reading the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay. I love (love love) the show and need more so I'm on to the books, which are good reads, but not too demanding on time or language. If you're looking for some non-cheesy sci-fi, I suggest just grabbing a copy of The Year's Best Science Fiction or Hugo Award winners from pretty much any year.

I definitely think research in most fields translates well to others. It's about learning the scientific process, how to formulate hypotheses and test them, and discuss your conclusions. I'm not sure by your post if you mean that you have studied theoretical biology and want to go into astronomy, or vice versa, but I think because both involve applied mathematics that they can complement each other well. I also think that if you want to go from astronomy to theoretical biology you'd have a major advantage as there is a dearth of biologists/ecologists with strong mathematical backgrounds. However, I also bet a grad program would want you to have at least taken 200+ level classes in the subject you want to continue with.

I don't really have much input, other than you should also direct this question to the Chronicle of Higher Education's forum. Plenty of profs there will give critical advice and experiences about academia and graduate school.

I use yellow legal pads and number the top left hand corner so I can keep them in order. Then I just throw them in a folder.

I often feel like I have some mental deficiency, but then I get positive feedback. But yeah, I've never felt dumber in my life. I enjoy it though, knowing that it'll pay off.

I don't think you'd hurt your chances at all by going to Uni C's 2nd weekend. They did give options, precisely for this reason. And looking at A and B as practice is not a bad idea. If you do get an offer by Uni D, you could ask if there is an option to come alone. However, if they already have recruitment weekends, I wouldn't count on it. Otherwise, go with your gut on which to visit, which is probably Uni D.

No, I don't think it means that. I just signed up for it as a first-year grad so I can start getting an idea of what skills I should acquire so I'm competitive for post-docs (which really is a long time from now ).

Just wanna pass along an idea here for ecologically interested people. I suggest joining ESA's listserv (https://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=ecolog-l&A=1). Almost every day there are emails from faculty looking for MS or PhD students in all sorts of subdisciplines. If you're still looking for departments, rolling admissions, or for next application season, the listserv provides some good opportunities.

I really want to ditto this entire post. The car question is almost entirely dependent on where you will be living and/or how often you want to visit home. Columbus is pretty accessible without a car, but I live far enough from campus that it makes it just too inconvenient to take the bus (and believe me, I wish I could, it's the first year I've had a car and I miss not paying for gas or insurance). I'll also be moving to a satellite campus during the summers and want to come back here to visit my boyfriend on weekends. So, I had to get a car. But it's really nice to plan my own grocery trips or take the cats to the vet or whatever else needs to be done without being on a bus. I would hazard a guess that you could go the first year without a car and then see how it goes. If you're in a STEM field you'll probably have a stipend, and if you plan wisely you could start saving for a car if you start thinking you need one.

If school B offers admission in person, you can definitely say you are waiting for hear back from all other schools you applied to before making a decision. Schools know they can be competing for students, and should be willing to wait until April 15.

If the C class was one in your field, I think you may be better off explaining the grade. Otherwise, I'd leave it alone.

It's definitely not weird for your current project advisor to write letters for you. However, from what I know about working in ecological fields, if you stay within that lab now you will need to go elsewhere for your PhD. Diversity in lab experience is crucial in ecology. Granted, it's not going to be your undergrad alma mater, but I really think as researchers we benefit from working with a variety of different advisors.

While I'm not in your field, I don't think having a publication is some "unofficial" requirement. I didn't have one, and no one made it seem like it matters. It's a plus, definitely, but I wouldn't worry over not having one. Besides, you do have a publication (from high school even!), which counts. I bet most other undergrads with pubs are not first authors, or the journal is low tier.

We did keep our search to schools around each other (or at least driving distance), but just another example that two people can go to grad school together. And no, he didn't have official interviews, though he did speak through email or phone with a few faculty members. Didn't seem to matter either way, as he got in to one and not another.

He got into a few, unsuccessful at a few others. It really seems to be hit or miss. And I think I was neurotic one during the whole process while he was just numb. It worked out in the end though, OSU is a good school for both of us.

Sorry to say, MegMill, but history programs take awhile (my boyfriend applied last year so I kept my eyes on the boards). The Results page is fairly accurate and will give you a good time line. If I remember correctly, my bf started hearing back from schools mid-to-late February, with most results in March and some unfortunately much later in April. Just try to enjoy your holiday! You seem to be done with applications, and I understand the feeling that once something you have poured so much time into is actually completed, you barely know what to do with yourself. When I finished I just kept reading the boards and about grad school. God, we're all sort of freaks here, I think.

FWIW, my friend's sister quit her PhD largely because of being in a group of all foreigners. She was inherently excluded, not because her lab mates were rude, but because it's easier for them to speak in their native language. Small conversations of just day to day stuff was not in English, and she became increasingly isolated and left. However, if you enjoy the research more in group 1, that interest will keep you going. Lab members also change over time, who knows who will be there in 1-2 years?

Preparing to apply - assuming you're including putting together school lists, GRE, SOP writing deciding where to go moving where you got in waiting for replies - this might be an anomaly as I heard from my top 2 in Dec. and Jan. sending in the applications

The GRE criteria for the OSU fellowship I received is "a 75th percentile average on the GRE general exam’s Verbal and Quantitative components and a 4.0 on the Analytical Writing component"

You should see if they will offer you reimbursement and/or will schedule meetings for you with professors. When I was invited to schools, my travel and rooms were paid for or I was set up with a grad student.