waderpanda

I recently did this a bunch of times and every single time was as intimidating as the first. But here's how I went about it: Hello Dr. [name of POI], My name is [your name] and I am currently [doing something]. I am interested in the [school and department/program] and I was wondering if you are planning to take new students in [year you plan to apply]. [A few lines about what they do that interests you and how that fits in with your overall interests] [ a few lines about your academic background and/or current work. If you are doing/have done any research related to their work, definitely include that info]I have attached my CV and a short research statement with this email for your consideration. If you would like any additional information, please let me know. Thank you, [your name] Any variation on this should be good. Just remember to show real interest in their work and keep it short. You can expand on your research interests and past work in your research statement, but mention it in a few sentences in the email. That way they can quickly skim the email and find out what you're about, and, if interested, can get a better idea by reading your statement. The website link from @shoupista is a good one and helped me when I was writing my emails.

Hi all! I'm heading in for a PhD. I'll be moving there in late August/early September. I started looking for apartments but it looks like most places listed right now will be gone by the time I plan to move. Though I've been talking to another incoming student about rooming together, we're still keeping out options open because we'll be moving in at different times so I'm also potentially looking for a roommate. Super excited either way!

Thanks for the help @savay and @perpetuavix ! I'm going to be moving from the east coast so I've been looking into the grad apartments just because I don't think I'll have time (in the midst of finishing up a thesis) to visit in the summer to look for a place. I was planning to head there for a few days in maybe July but now I'm thinking that it might be too much of a hassle. How has your experience been in grad housing? It sounds like I'll just have to wait to find a place because I'll be moving in the beginning of September. But this still gives me an idea of what to expect. Thanks again!

I've been doing the same. I'm probably not going to move there till the semester actually begins but I was planning to go apartment hunting sometime in the summer. Is there a good time to do this? I know some places are pretty time sensitive in terms of finding an apartment. Anyone know when most apartments are listed as available? I'm optimistically looking for a reasonably priced studio/one bedroom, but I'd be happy to share a place with one roommate. Also, does anyone have recommendations for neighborhoods closer to campus? I was originally looking onto Wallingford but I don't see any places listed as available currently.

Got it! I'll try that. also, congrats on getting the fellowship!

Congratulations Kaede and to everyone who got the fellowship! Sadly I didn't, but I'll try again next year. Does anyone know if we have access to reviews and comments (like that for the GRFP)?

Well, I guess it's just a waiting game then.

Does anyone know when we hear back from the fellowship?

Does anyone know when we are supposed to hear back from the fellowship? I thought it was sometime in early March.

Thanks for the advice I'm going to try to keep it short, talk mostly about the thesis, connect all of my previous research to my research interests, and keep practicing. Hopefully, I don't screw it up

Hi all, I've been asked to make a short presentation (5-10 minutes) for one of my interviews and I'm not entirely sure what I should put in it. The presentation is supposed to contain a short introduction with some information about my previous research accompanied by some slides. Should I include short info on all the projects I have worked on, or simply focus on my master's thesis (currently working on it)? How much of a background should I put in about me (like where I'm from and where I currently am)? Should I include a short section of questions I am interested in exploring? My advisor mentioned that this can be both good an bad; it's good because it showcases how you think and that you are looking ahead in your career, and bad because the lab group/PoI may already have a basic plan of what they want out of their student and if this is too different from this plan, they might think twice before accepting you. Is there even a correct way to do this? I'd appreciate any help

I've head back from UCB-IB, UW-Biology, WashU-Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology program, and UMCP-BEES about interviews.

I got an interview offer a few weeks ago for the Evolution, Ecology, and Population biology program. I'm not entirely sure about any of the other programs. Hope this helps!

This is definitely not my field and I am not sure how it works for electrical engineering. But since I just went through the process of looking into schools myself, I thought I might give my two cents. There are 4 ways I went about finalizing a list of schools. If you have a primary advisor, ask them for recommendations. It's very likely that someone they know is currently looking for a student. Even if this is not the case, they have a better grasp of what your interests are than anyone on gradcafe and would be able to direct you to programs/PIs they might think would be suitable for you. Look into the papers you read often. If you identify anyone whose name tends to reoccur then check them and their school out. Look into listservs/professional association websites to check out if PIs are actively looking for grad students Just do a general search of the specific area of electrical engineering you are interested in. If you are broadly interested and do not have a well defined area of interested yet, that's fine. Just go off of what interests you right now. That being said, PhD applications in my field (ecology, evolutionary biology) focus very much on the interest of your faulty of interest. Though the ultimate decision (probably) lies in the hands of the admission committee, if your faculty of interest can make a strong case for you, I am sure your chances of getting accepted increase tremendously. I am not sure how it works for electrical engineering, but I'm hoping that this helps. Good luck on your grad school searches

Thanks for the response. Now that you've laid it out this way, it makes a lot of sense and seems so obvious . Since both schools are equally away from me (I'm on the East coast and both school are on the West), I don't think I'll have the issue with one school being closer than the other. But I really appreciate how thorough your response is. Thanks again !!!