ryanmor

As of yesterday all my apps have been submitted (5/5). One of my letter writers (my undergrad thesis advisor) has been on the ball and has 4/5 of his letters submitted. The other 2 letter writers, not so much. I really need to stop refreshing the app status pages.

Hey Josh, I think you should be OKAY with those GRE scores. I have similar scores and have been told that as long as you meet the cut-off for the program (1100-1200 for my programs) than you will be fine. What bio programs really want to see is that you have a solid research interests and you show a definite passion for them (i.e. in your SOP).

Any thoughts as to where to mention prestigious scholarships awarded while an undergraduate? I received a Goldwater Scholarship (STEM research award) based on my undergraduate research work. Would this best fit in my PS where I briefly mention that research experience or is it better off being said in the Past Research essay?

They are required? Some of my schools also "recommend" the biology subject GRE. From talking with POIs, it sounds like as long as you meet the cutoff for the department (to weed out the under qualified) then they aren't really looked at too much.

My packet includes a general cover letter outlining my interests, the schools I am applying to, and whom I want to work with. There are also instructions on how to submit the letters. I'm also attaching my cv an SOP.

SOP was, for me, the hardest part of the application process thus far. I found it difficult writing about why I am so interested and what I want to do. It took a lot of thinking. I started in July and put it away for a few weeks. Came back to it late August and just last week came up with a solid draft. I am in the process of circulating it to my current and past advisors and getting their feedbacks. So far they have been a great help! By the end of the month I want a solid SOP down and then send out my LOR packets to my letter writers. Goal- Have all my applications submitted before Thanksgiving.

Hello all, I've been in the process of making connections with POIs over the past few months now and have received great responses from those that I've emailed. A few of my top choice schools have 3-4 POIs that I could see myself working with (some with better fit than others, but all would be great). These profs have provided some really good feedback, some have chatted on the phone with me, offered to review my NSF GRF application, and some have said "I look forward to reading your application" . I have also included their names on my SOP in the "fit" portion as people that I've communicated with. But one thing that has got me worried- what happens when/if I get accepted to these departments where I have expressed interest with working with multiple people? Do they understand that I need to pick one person to serve as my advisor and that all that time they spent talking with me was for nothing? Am I crazy for worrying about this stuff? Thanks.

Hello all, Thought it would be a good idea to get a common thread going where we can chat about the application process as it unfolds over the next few months. I am a current senior at a big name state university. I am applying to 6-7 PhD programs in Botany and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. GREs, narrowing down the school list, and finding letter writers are all done. Now its getting this SOP worked out. Who else is with me?

My advisors/mentors at my undergrad all suggested that I get started contacting around May/June. I've gotten a reply from 95% of the POIs I've emailed. Of them, I had 2 phone conversations, one with a POI from my number 1 choice school. I've also met one prospective PI at a conference in May. one or two mentioned that I was a bit early but then said I would stick out to them as having myself organized and interested ahead of the game.

I'm here! Applying to PhD programs in Plant Biology and Ecology/Evolutionary Biology for fall 2012. I've narrowed down my list of schools to 6-7 and in the process of contacting potential PIs. Already tired of the waiting.

Hey all, Took the GREs today. I scored in the middle of the range I was getting for the Quant and the lower end of the range for Verbal when practiced with power-prep. 720 M 550 CR 1270 I thought AW went surprisingly well, I would not be surprised to score somewhere in the 4-5...maybe 5.5 range. Of my programs, most don't have a set cut-off, others recommend higher than 70% in both or 1200 overall. What do you here make of my score? Not worth the retake? Rest of my application is strong- 3 years research, posters, at least 2 pubs in prep, REU in subfield, strong letters of rec, prestigious national research scholarship, solid GPA. Thanks.

I'm still early in the application process as well, so I can't really offer that much insight in to your chances. However, program-wise, check out the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology grad programs at some of the bigger name schools. Through my search for prospective PIs, I've encountered several faculty members doing fish related research in areas of ecology and then a few systematics type projects as well.

What are your research interests? You should have an idea about those now and look in to potential PIs/labs that fit those interests. This will, in turn, help dictate what schools/programs you apply to. I'm not sure about your school's biology major, but mine did not include a significant number of biochem courses to provide enough of a background to pursue a graduate degree in it. I had to take general biochem 1 and 2. Those pursuing biochem graduate degrees are have taken those courses, plus physical chem and other related courses (think chemistry major). I'm sure there may be some exceptions in particular research groups.

I've sent out a few emails to some potential research advisors at school's that are on my list. My emails have been 2-3 short paragraphs. Name, major at XXX Univ. Honors thesis work, mention my big REU internship this summer that is totally in my subfield. General interests in that subfield. A statement a question regarding the work their group does (what plant families do they prefer or where do their grad students do their field work) I then end with the "are you accepting students next year" question. Attach a cv. So far I've gotten a response from every advisor I've emailed (5 for 5). Some have been very thorough (scroll down to read it all) type, one asked to talk with me on the phone (!!!), One was sounding kind of the standard cookie-cutter response, one was a few sentences with no mention of me having any more questions. Now- where do I go from here? Should I continue the dialogue with those that seem receptive and start talking about what specific research questions I find interesting from their previous work? What about those who did not seem open for me to discuss ideas or answer questions that I have? Thanks for the help.

Hey everyone, I am wondering how major GPA is calculated for graduate school admissions? My undergrad calculates both major and cumul GPA, but my major GPA is a bit low due to a few required classes (hmmm....physics...hmhm), those of which have little to no relevance to my field of interest. But I am doing really well in my major subject and related field classes. When I apply, do I report out the major GPA that my school produces or do programs recalculate that from only the relevant classes? Thanks

I think that you'll that we are few and far between on these boards. I'm here, but I won't be applying until next year. Where did you apply and what is your research area?

Hey all, I had a meeting with a member faculty fellowship committee at my school. She is a young asst. prof and a major hot-shot in her field. I meant to discuss with her the applications for a scholarship. After I mentioned I intend to go to graduate school she grilled me about my research interests right there on the spot. I wasn't expecting it and I found that I had the HARDEST time explaining what it is specifically I am interested about in my field. Although I have still a year until I will be applying (currently a junior) it was disheartening to hear that my interests are too broad, will be difficult to fund, and my ideas need work. Needless to say, I left the meeting questioning my ability to succeed in graduate studies. Can anyone fill me in on how to I go about narrowing down my interests? I feel I have a good background in my field, I have significant research experience in an area related to my intended field, but I can't seem relate my idea of research interests into specific topics. Help?

NIce, another plant bio person! I've been looking at programs as well, and most recommend a general intro series in biol (general, eco/evo, cell, etc), physics, gen and ochem. So they don't explicitly name plant biol courses as a prereq, but having them would help you with your research. I guess to what extent would depend on the subfield you plan on going in to. Taxonomy/systematics and physiology would require a lot of prior plant background as botanical terminology is pretty unique and specific. Cell/molecular biol and maybe ecology wouldn't need all that much prior botanical background I would think. If you have a firm grasp of molecular biology you could, with some reading, understand specific plant cell concepts. A lot of profs I've seen in ecology or molecular biology have general degrees. One of my advisors is a well known plant molecular biologist, she did not become interested in plants until her senior year in college. By the time she applied to grad schools she did not have any specific botany classes under her belt. Maybe you could show adcoms your background by discussing your independent work and how it contributed to your interest in botany in your writing?

I haven't taken it yet (next April) but I've heard going through a General Biology textbook (Campbell) from the beginning is a big help. I've also picked up a few review books.

You could always work with plants....

hey everyone, I am starting my third year of undergrad this year and have been working on research projects in the same lab for two years now. The work I'm doing will end up being incorporated into my senior honors thesis. I've been seriously looking into PhD programs and relevant professors. How critical is it for my undergrad research to be related to my graduate research/prof area of interest? The work I've been doing is in the field of ecology, but after taking several classes and talking to a few other profs, I think I may be more interested in evolutionary biology/systematics research areas. I can easily incorporate some ecological concepts into other fields but I'm afraid some evo bio profs may not want to take me on with little research experience in their field. Any thoughts?

But plants have feelings too....right?

Thought I would join in here. I am finishing up my sophomore year at a large NE state university. I am majoring in Biology with an option in Plant Biology. I am definitely interested in attending graduate school for a PhD, I guess that would put me applying for Fall 2012. My undergrad research thus far has focused on evolutionary ecology of plant reproductive systems and will be writing a senior honors thesis based off it. I can see my interests though shifting more towards plant systematics work as I continue my coursework in my major. I am also a teaching assistant for several introductory biology courses. I love the interactions I have with my students, not so much the grading. My GPA has been hovering around a 3.8 for a while now and I don't anticipate it going anywhere else soon. Question though- As finals week approaches I can see myself getting a C in Organic Chem 2. I am doing great in all my other classes but this one (can anyone say orgo burn-out?!?!) so it should only knock my GPA back slightly. What effect would that have on grad schools when they review my transcripts?