prospecting

Of the five interviews I had, not one Professor gave me any indication that they would my supervisor. (Of the schools you will be applying to, UT-austin and UHouston were two I had interviews at with my POI). They did however ask that I mention their name in my SOP so it would be brought to their attention when it comes to the application review session. I have never heard of being "accepted to supervise" before reviewing all applicants. But you are coming in with funding which is a huge advantage and it could very well be Professors are eager to hire you on.

I just find it inappropriate for Professors to unofficially accept to supervise you before the deadlines have passed.

A little strange but congratulations!

I'd rate highly your chances. Yes, being able to speak with your POI may help establish an impression which will be useful in drafting letters of support to the graduate admissions committee (if they become interested in recruiting you). Candidates applying to highly competitive programs like MIT's, will have similar (if not better) credentials. Amongst all application requirements, I find relaying your intentions, aspirations, and motivations through a face-to-face session to be pivotal in securing admission. I also noticed you are not applying to Scripps. Is there a reason why? It is worth a shot with your credentials.

I find UT's admission highly motivated by the connections you/your UG adviser has in the department. Have you made contact with any POI?

Credentials looking very good! I think you'd do well for the upcoming application season. Have you been in contact with any POI?

I am not sure which program/discipline you are with, but if I may suggest looking up past conferences' picture galleries to get an idea from past participant attires.

Lol this guy - much naivete.

You'll receive the prompt after you have completed the test. You'll receive your Q and V scores right after the test, but the writing scores come in roughly 10 to 14 days later.

UT is pretty good with sending out acceptance letters. If I recall correctly, I received mine at the end of January. Most acceptances heard back by Mid-February. I believe they send out rejections up till April.

Or apply to private schools where domestic residency won't be a deciding factor.

I would think you have the grades to be competitive. I understand that the application season can be a stressful period, but it would be best to focus on the task at hand, as opposed to worrying unnecessarily about how you measure up to competing candidates Good luck and Godspeed, friend.

Don't worry about it OP, you have bigger fish to fry

You definitely have the credential to seek admittance into the programs you have listed; I in fact know of people with less impressive credentials being admitted. Professors and Research Associates from those schools are contacted by potential candidates all the time, and are on the lookout for their application. Grades are not everything and you don't want to be just another one at the bottom of the pile.

Yes - schools can have a very stringent hold on the quality of their admits to preserve their standing. Although a department may support a student's application, graduate admissions may still reject the candidate. This may be due to a slew of reasons, not limited to personal/criminal background, GPA, and GRE scores. Departments may appeal but ultimately the decision lies in the department of admissions. Such cases are uncommon and you should be the last thing on your mind. All the best with your applications. Always more than happy to answer more questions, so keep them coming!

No worries, and could you elaborate your question? What specifics are you looking to understand better?

With regards to who your application gets handed to: 1) If you indicate interest in a specific research focus highlighting the faculty you wish to work with, the PI should/will receive your application packet 2) The department's graduate admissions committee will receive your application packet The most critical part of the application process is to have a faculty, from the department to which you are applying to, support your application. Most graduate committees base their decisions on their fellow faculty. So be sure to make good contacts with the Professors/Research Associates you wish to work with. I have had my fair share of seeing how far networking can get you. As you mentioned about difference in application process - the only true difference is taking the GRE is required at most schools in the USA.

I love dem Zebra mechanical pencils, and pens. They are awesome in quality and last. They got some weight on them too, which I like

Have you looked into University of Alaska, Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute? They have plenty of faculty there who seem to be a good fit for you. Here is the list of faculty: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/profile/faculty-list What do you think? Edit: I understand the need to be next to a body of water and I believe Fairbanks would satiate that need; albeit, you'll have to deal with the winters. But hey! Winters are awesome!

i'm not familiar with that research focus at the schools you are looking to apply to. someone else might have a better clue.

jamesy1116 - what are your research focus/interests? nave1990 - If you intend to continue incorporating GPR into your graduate research projects, you might like to look into applying to Professor Guoquan Wang's (University of Houston) research group. He is definitely looking for motivated students, but realize that UH's program is one of the most competitive in the nation and your GPA is a tad on the low end. Never hurts to try though. You may also like to look into the University of Alaska - Fairbanks; they have a strong group with your research interests. Here is the link to the faculty using remote sensing for their studies: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/research/remotesensing/People/Faculty crystalline_sunlight - What is your intended research focus and have you contacted any professors? You definitely possess the credentials for the schools you are exploring. Good luck all!

Yes, Professors typically prefer PhD students as they are able to get more out of them. I see you are interested in applying to a variety of research focus. Do you have one you're really interested in? Advise on schools can be better sought if your interest is known.

You should have little difficulty getting into those program with your profile, but are you seeking to do a MS or PhD? Also, what is an ambi university? I am not familiar with that term....

Geology programs usually send out acceptance letters earlier than geophysics programs. Think most geophysics programs only started sending out letters in March last year.

Are you applying to a PhD or MSc program? Unless you have a faculty member at the school itself who will support your application, I'd say your profile will not be competitive for admission into UT Austin, Rice, UHouston, and Oklaholma State. UHouston - According to a faculty there I know, they had 600 applicants to UH last year and less than 5% were offered admissions. It would be a shot in the dark, but hey why not try when there is no application fee for domestic applications.