katsharki3

Thanks for the advice. My research interests are kind of specific...I would love to work with shark reproductive biology, and if that doesn't work out, definitely at least work with fish reproductive biology and life history. So I'm not sure there are many last minute masters or PhD postings that I would really have appropriate experience for. But I am perusing that board and the AFS job postings board for field tech jobs and such. I'm just very anxious now though. Trying to enjoy my last few days of spring break now...but it's not really working out.

Well that's rejections from 2 of my 4 schools. Very general rejection letter from UNE, nothing from my PI who seemed to enjoy talking to me on the phone about why...(no e-mail from him or anything) Is it appropriate to send him a quick e-mail letting him I know I got the letter and thanking him for his interest in me and talking with me for the past 6 months, at least just to keep a cordial relationship with him as a potential fellow future collaborator? I must admit I'm starting to get discouraged now. I know I have 2 schools yet, but these 2 schools happen to be my first choices. And I would be much more upset if I got rejected from these schools. I did just send a quick e-mail to my PIs at both of those schools to check in and ask about any potential information and if they'd like to speak on the phone. My anxiety levels just shot through the roof though after receiving that rejection letter. I know there's a lot of factors that go in to getting accepted, and I have tried to be fully expecting the possibility that I get rejected from all four schools. I've applied to a few jobs/internships as a back up, but in general I am very nervous. I don't really have anything concrete set up to do next year if I don't get in to graduate school. And I really really want to go to graduate school next year.

Currently work is being done on the road (or something near the road?) right outside my apartment. And when I say right outside my apartment, I literally mean that the road is probably like 15 feet from my window. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong; it does seem rather serious, as when I walked out of my apartment this morning there was water running down the street and piling up on to sidewalks. So probably something wrong with the sewers? But anyway. The trucks and whatever machines they are using are REALLY loud and also flashing bright blue/red lights in through my window. I get that it is better do do all of this at night when no one is driving down the road (though this road isn't that busy anyway), but UGH. At the current moment it is just kind of an annoyance while I'm trying to write a paper/study, but if it's still going on in an hour and a half when I actually try to go to sleep, I'm going to be very very cranky. UPDATE: found the news story. Water main break, so yeah, pretty serious. (http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/28198557/water-main-break-closes-aala-street) But it is almost 23:00, and I have to be up early tomorrow. And they are still making so much noise. Very cranky right now and going to be even more cranky and in need of copious amounts of caffeine tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the reassurance. He sounded positive and interested , but of course I'm sure the applications are still undergoing departmental and university review and funding is probably still in question, so he's not going to offer me an acceptance just now. And I know he said he was still narrowing down from 4-6 potential grad students to the 2 he will be able to accept into his lab. And I don't know what it is with me and phones, but I'm the kind of person who hates talking on the phone for any reason, even if that reason is ordering pizza. The only time I like talking on the phone is when I talk to my parents. I've gotten much better over the past four years of undergrad, probably because I've taken on my own "adult" responsibilities, such as needing to talk on the phone to fix credit card stuff, make doctor appointments, book reservations, etc. But if given the choice, I would so much rather talk to someone either in person or over e-mail. I really, really do not like phone conversations.

Just finished talking on the phone with my potential PI at University of New England. It seemed to go okay? But in general I get very nervous talking on the phone and I am really hoping I made a good impression. While UNE is not my first choice (I think after 4 years in Hawaii I might find Maine winters to be way too cold), his lab does offer really amazing opportunities to collaborate with other students and other labs on projects, as well as the chance to mentor his undergraduate students on their projects. I've been anxious for the past six months since I started working on graduate applications. But after that phone call (my first phone call with an advisor after I had submitted an application), my anxiety has just skyrocketed 1000%.

So today after 4 years of college, I finally managed to lose my school ID. Walking to the bus, and it must have fallen out of my pocket. And had to pay $150 to get a new bus pass, since of course they won't honor the fact that you have already bought one and have a receipt to prove it. So that's $300 now that I spent on transportation for just this semester. Probably still worth it, ends up being ~$16/week of bus fare, which is probably about right. But it was a much better deal with the $8/week of just one bus pass. Ugh. I could've used that $150 for food.

While we're on the topic of things people do that annoy us when we're trying to study: Today when I was in the library, the guy in the carrel across from me kept slamming things down on his surface, making our entire connected carrel shake obnoxiously. Why??? What are you slamming down? Are you that angry at your homework? He also decided he absolutely needed to stretch out at one point, and in doing so managed to kick my foot. Bleurgh. Certainly not the worst person I've been near when studying, but it was very obnoxious. I don't need my table to shake violently every few minutes because you are apparently so angry at your books.

I do this, and I'm sorry. It really does help me to relax. I'm a very anxious person in general, and being able to let out some of that anxious energy in the form of actual physical movement is very helpful. I know it can be annoying, but it really is very helpful to me and many other people. I usually do try to stop if I notice it is becoming excessive or if I notice someone glaring at me at least. I'm not trying to distract anyone when I'm doing it. I do make sure that my leg/knee/foot isn't in contact with anyone else's desk or chair or whatever, because I'm definitely not trying to make your writing surface also shake along with my foot/leg. EDIT: I should also note that I really try to NOT do this during class as I know it is distracting not only to other students around me, but also possibly to the lecturer who has to look out at the class and possibly at my jiggling leg.. And if anyone in a class/seminar asked me to stop, I absolutely would do so. So I mostly do it when I am studying/doing homework. And I would appreciate it, if I am doing the jiggling the library but it isn't directly causing your study carrel to vibrate, please don't tell me to stop. There's no reason you should be staring at me studying anyway, if watching it is what distracts you...

Rejected from FSU's MS in Biology program today. Trying to not be too disappointed, as while the PI there does some really amazing work with sharks and rays, the research fit wasn't perfect. And I got encouragement from him, though he did let me know that admittance to the biology program at FSU is highly competitive, and I never got any feedback from him after I had submitted my application and it went for committee review. Still makes me nervous though. My prospects at UNE seem to be good at the moment based on the e-mails I've got from my prospective PI there, and hopefully I'll talk to him on the phone soon. Really still crossing my fingers for VIMS though. I have fallen in love with that program unfortunately, so we'll see when I get official word from them...

Question for maybe anyone who can respond: I heard back from a PI today about my application to UNE, saying my application made me one of the top candidates and he was still very interested in me. This is absolutely great news, and I do love the research that PI conducts. Still, with that being said, I do have another three schools to hear back from, and funding to consider when that information also potentially becomes available. Anyway, in my response to this PI, is it OK to say that I am still very interested in working in his lab, and that I would be interested in talking to him on the phone (he requested this), but that I also am not prepared at the current time to commit 100% one way or another to any school? I don't want to sound ungrateful or make it sound like I don't want to work in his lab or attend the school, but I also don't want to tell him this early on that yes, I absolutely will go work in his lab if the university accepts me. Is this appropriate? Any advice?

Got this e-mail from VIMS today: "Dear VIMS applicant, The Admissions Committee for the School of Marine Science at VIMS has selected your application for further consideration. Please have your official transcript(s) sent to the address below." !!!!!!!! Very exciting. First good news I've really heard from any school so far!

So for the whole application process I kept telling all my friends and family that I didn't have a first choice school, and would just go with what school accepted me and gave me money. This is still true of course, as I only applied to schools with professors doing research I am really interested in, and that I would be interested in attending. But finishing and submitting all my applications has now given me too much time to think, and I have now instead realized that my first choice school definitely is VIMS...I love the research that professor is doing, it is a wonderful school and program, and I think I'd really rather live in Virginia than the other locations.... This realization though has now made the waiting game 1000x worse. I just want to go back to thinking I don't have a first choice school!

As of about an hour ago, I have now officially completed and submitted the applications for all of my graduate schools. ....Now begins the waiting game for results.

I don't really have much to add to this thread at the moment, but I just wanted to say thank you to Enhydra for creating it! I definitely felt lost in the larger thread, which seemed to really focus on the more bio-medical science type fields...and it certainly never seemed like those applicants wanted to hear about our concerns or deadlines. Which is completely understandable, but didn't make me want to participate in that thread very much. Anyway, good luck to everyone this application cycle! I myself am applying to marine biology/science programs as well as some Biology-Ecology programs that offer a concentration in marine biology. I haven't heard anything yet from my schools, other than that FSU hasn't evaluated their Ecology applicants yet. But, the deadlines for my last 2 schools (UNE and UNF) haven't even passed yet, so I'm not worried. I want to hear something, of course, but I'm really expecting to have to wait until March or April for that.

Hello. I am someone who is getting a BS in marine biology, and I just want to say I think you will be fine with just a general biology degree. It is actually pretty common, as many schools do not have a marine biology degree. And you should definitely I am guessing have gotten good background in general ecology through your coursework. If you are worried, do make sure to read some important journal articles or books discussing the basics of marine ecology. And, if you can, try to some research experience? I know it can be hard to get internships, but if you can get a summer internship working with some aspect of marine biology, that could definitely be a plus. This could be hard depending on where you live, but even just volunteering at an aquarium could definitely boost your resume and show how interested you are in the marine field. Good luck!

I think it depends a lot on the school. I am really primarily interested in doing shark/ray research, so my school choices are somewhat limited. Even within that, my most experience and interests lie in studying reproduction, life history, movement, habitat, etc, which limits advisors down further (even if I did want to do other sorts of shark research, the advisors understandably want their students to have some experience doing the type of work they do). The other two schools I was seriously looking at were branch campuses of TAMU (Galveston and Corpus Christi), and both very clearly say that they will not consider you for admission unless you state that an advisor has agreed to accept you. UNF also similarly says you must include the name of the advisor who has agreed to accept you if you get accepted to the university in your statement of intent, though they don't say they won't look at your application if you don't have one. And luckily I have been in contact with and received an eager response from the professor at UNF. As for why I'm only applying for Master's programs...I imagine this isn't very common on these forums, but I'm not entirely 100% sure I want to go for the PhD. I'm about 95% sure, but I really felt like I wanted to get some more research experience, especially some more experience working with sharks in the field. There's also the fact that since I live in Hawaii for school, I likely won't be able to visit any of these schools. So I also wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a school at this point for 5+ years without visiting it first. I'm not sure this answer will make sense to some people, but yeah. One of the main reasons I am interested in VIMS, though, is that they have a Master's bypass option. They actually do say they very rarely accept students as PhD candidates straight out of undergrad, but you can bypass doing the Master's thesis (and thus shorten your time in grad school) and move straight to a PhD candidate after you have been at the school for a year. Anyway, sorry this was long. Thanks for your response. I almost went to UNE for undergrad, but they are an expensive school and didn't give me as much scholarship money as other schools. I'm really interested in all four of the schools I have currently applied to and the work I could do there. I'm actually concerned I won't get into any of them, not because of my stats, but because marine biology programs are incredibly competitive, and shark research more so than other fields of study. But we'll see. I'm not solely interested in sharks (though I am very passionate about them), so if it doesn't work out this year, I will probably broaden my searches more next year--still apply to some shark programs, but also I would love to do research with general (bony) fish reproduction and life history as well.

I'm late to this game, but I just thought I'd put my stuff up here. Undergrad Institution: Small private school. I think maybe well known for its marine bio program? Major(s): Marine Biology Minor(s): Chemistry GPA in Major: 4.0 Overall GPA: 4.0 Position in Class: I have no idea, I don’t think my school does this. But I would guess I am near the top, at least definitely of my marine biology cohort. Type of Student: white female GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 160 V: 169 W: 5.5 B: N/A Research Experience: I have worked in my professor’s fish physiology lab for the past two years, the first being primarily volunteer work involving feeding his fish, measuring their growth, monitoring tank water quality, and assisting his graduate students with some of her experiments. This year I am conducting my senior thesis in his lab, with the goal of determining the optimal method for measuring the standard metabolic rate of the juvenile Hawaiian flagtail we have. This past summer I spent 9 weeks at the NMFS lab in Panama City, FL conducting research under the guidance of the Shark Population Assessment Group. This involved aiding in age and growth studies, population assessments and habitat assessments in the field, and also my own independent project. My project reassessed the relationship between shark maternal size and litter size in a myriad of shark species, using data provided by past researchers. This project did not culminate in a paper, but I did present the results of my project at the NOAA Student Symposium for Hollings and EPP Scholars at the end of the summer. I’ve also been a part of my school’s marine mammal stranding team for the past three years. This experience hasn’t involved so much independent research, but I have been an integral part of the larger research the university conducts, aiding in necropsies, bone cleaning, organization of samples, etc. I’m also a “team leader” for this program, helping to train new volunteers in our procedures as they come to help out. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship (2013-2015), University Scholars Program, Multiple merit scholarships from my university Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I had an internship the summer before my sophomore year working in the Education department at Mystic Aquarium, which I am hoping at least shows my passion for outreach (especially to young students) and teaching. I've also worked in my school’s library, helping students find books, fixing computer/printer issues, shelving books, acting as a kind of assistant manager for the circulation desk, for what will end up being all four years of my time in college. OK, I’m not sure this is actually pertinent or important, but I do have it listed on my CV under professional experience. Maybe at least it will show my commitment to working in the same place for four years… Special Bonus Points: I’m having one of my NOAA mentors from my summer internship be one of my reference letter writers. And my other mentor has contacted a few of the professors at schools who I am interested in doing research with. Both of them are well known at least within the shark research community, and I believe the latter mentor is generally well known as a NOAA scientist. Applying to Where: Florida State University M.S. Biology—Elasmobranch habitat use, reproduction University of North Florida M.S. Biology—Elasmobranch reproduction, impacts of pollutants on elasmobranchs University of New England M.S. Marine Science—Elasmobranch and other fish reproduction, methods to reduce bycatch Virginia Institute of Marine Science M.S. Marine Science—Elasmobranch reproduction, reef mesopredators, deep-water shark biology I’m also considering a few other schools, but they all require a definite commitment from a potential advisor before the school will even look at your application. Some advisors I haven’t heard back from at all, while others have said, “Oh, well, it depends on funding,” which of course it does. But we’ll see. Those are the four schools I am most interested in at the moment, and paying all of the fees for those applications is already making me feel poor…

That's good, and would definitely make sense. I do remember someone saying that in the past someone had gotten disqualified for having their margins too large. But maybe NSF realized that makes no sense, since, yeah, it gives you no advantage over other applicants. Glad it was able to work out for you!

I do agree that it is odd to disqualify for the margins being LARGER than they should be. Very odd. I definitely checked mine a lot too, even though I always have it set to 1" since that is APA formatting for all of my school lab reports/essays.

It should be easy to check your margins? I assume you have a copy of your statements saved somewhere. But, I mean, they are very clear about how large they want the margins to be. So I'm not sure why you would be surprised someone was disqualifed for having their margins the incorrect size.

Yeah, I did the same thing, as I said copying the style of a friend who had won the fellowship. I figured those things might actually make it easier for the reviewers. And, as I said, basic title/name/page numbers don't add anything to our actual essays. I wasn't really worried at first, but I did have a random fit of panic after I had submitted the application, so I wanted to e-mail them to make sure. And it seems like all of us are fine. Just wanted to pass on the message I got from them.

Hi. I also did this, and I e-mailed them about it. I also copied my header style from a friend who had won the fellowship, so I didn't think it would be a problem, but in a fit of panic I decided to e-mail them to make sure. They responded "Applicant names and page numbers in the margins are excused, as long as the actual text of the statement (including all references, etc.) is contained inside the 1" margins." Names/page numbers are fine because they don't actually add anything to either of your essays. But it is kind of "cheating" (probably not the right word to use but whatever) to put your references in a footer when everyone else had to shorten the length of their proposal to be able to include references.