chaparralcountry

Hey Pru, I was waitlisted at YSE this cycle and reached out to them a couple of weeks ago. Apparently they'll admit students throughout the summer as spots open up but I have a feeling they might have (?) filled their class at this point. Yale started notifying students the week after the April 15th deposit deadline (as seen above, congratulations!) but you could always send them a letter of continued interest if you haven't already, and they will add it to your file. From a different forum post, it looks like YSE accepted around 15% of applicants, so it was a pretty competitive cycle! I was admitted to Duke last year but withdrew from the program relatively late in the summer because it didn't feel like a good fit for me personally and I wasn't sure about the large cohort size. I do recall people getting off the waitlist around this time and later, so hopefully you'll hear some good news soon - I'll be heading to Tufts in the fall for their Urban + Environmental Planning and Policy program, which I'm really excited about. They have a strong GIS and climate science component and offered me generous ($$$+) funding. The students I've met were great too and had that kind of crunchy, Yale Forestry vibe that made the above a dream school for me in the first place, so I'm happy with the way things turned out. Good luck to everyone on their grad school journeys!

@ratatatis an amazing duo and I'm from the Pacific Northwest so I thought I'd try to answer this! The Evans School is a 30-minute drive from my house. I would really look into the GSI/GSR and tuition remission policies at UW, because that can end up covering the entire cost of your entire degree. I think Berkeley is the best about this, but it looks like Washington does something similar. The question would be how difficult these grad TA/RA positions are to get, because I know at Michigan it's unfortunately not that easy. If it looks like they're pretty much equal on that front, and Michigan's offered you more funding (and you're not really considering reapplying), I would probably choose SEAS. I think their program is stronger, there's a broader alumni network, and they have a stronger social science/environmental justice emphasis for sure. I think Evans is a lot more quantitative and most people tend to stay in the area after they graduate. Ann Arbor is awesome! I might be biased because I went to undergrad in a similarly crunchy college town, but it's a lovely place to spend two years. Good luck with your decision!

@tiaki I’ve essentially decided on Nicholas too! Glad we’ll be in the program together I was pretty undecided about whether to attend grad school this year, but the NSOE info sessions and website were really useful. I’m interested in geospatial analysis and data visualization, and I feel like Duke’s the best place to go for that. There are also opportunities to get involved with well-organized student working groups, project teams, and research centers that aren’t as present at other schools. I’ve talked to a couple of current students and some people familiar but unaffiliated with the Nic School to see if there were any pressing issues with the program—with the original intent of convincing myself not to go—but came up short. People are generally pretty happy with their outcomes and time on campus here. I do wish I’d applied to Yale, but my very first post on here was on a YSE applicants’ thread from 2015, so it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with its existence. I feel like my Duke vs. Yale reasoning would be a lot stronger had I actually done that (and been a cross-admit!) but I’m not going to spend an additional cycle trying to prove that point, lol. Anyhow, I’m excited to see people in Durham, and I'm hopeful the rest of us will get to cross paths!

amazing, congratulations @herewegoah!! SPIA is certainly tough to pass up

@tiaki, those are really great points! I felt like it was more about Yale making up for deficiencies in their environmental program (their lack of focus being a big part) by overhauling their entire curriculum, than strengthening anything in particular, to be honest. This post by a current student kind of sums up the issues they were dealing with. And it's hard to gauge YSE's success with this revamp, given that their first "new" cohort graduated right into the pandemic, but I like the direction they're headed—it's hard to explain! (I'll also be applying to 4-5 more schools, I realize I didn't make that clear originally and it sounded like I was going to throw this great opportunity away without really considering). There's plenty to like about Duke! They definitely do really well at preparing folks 0-2 years out of undergrad for the workforce (as someone who visited halfway through college and was convinced I'd go straight through, this was really important to know) and there are plenty of research and developmental opportunities. There are probably also institutes and centers for just about every subtopic, and the Stanback is great for meaningful internship opportunities. Grainger Hall is also a lovely building to call home. And yes, I think the energy program at Duke destroys the competition, hands down! It's not my thing, but for folks who are looking to work for companies in the Bay Area (or even nearby in NC, there are a couple of notable ones...) in the solar industry, for instance, I can't think of a better place to go. I've been a research associate at a university for the past two years, and it's been really helpful re: figuring out certain avenues of environmental work I'd like to pursue. I think I would prefer to wait another year (even though I'll feel a bit old!) because I'm weighing an MEM/MBA and going into consulting, or sticking with a pure MEM with a remote sensing focus, and another year working in a different field would help clear things up. But that's just me! This should be a really exciting time for everyone.

@pabloworldwideThinking of doing the same! I don't think a deferral is binding, but I'll probably just submit a new application instead of sticking with one that'll be two years old by the time I matriculate. I'd feel far less guilty that way if I did end up going somewhere else haha. I expanded the number of schools I applied to from one last year to several this time (not in a huge rush) but YSE wasn't one of them for the reasons @EscapingBrexitmentioned above. I think their recently updated curriculum and restructuring is impressive, though. I also like SOM a lot more than Fuqua—considering a dual degree—so take that with a grain of salt. I probably wouldn't have considered pre-2018 Yale F&ES/Environment, but I think the rebranding has been pretty good (I've lurked here a while!) and am seriously considering applying next cycle. I'm pretty flexible on my timeline. But we'll see!

Hey! Since there have been similar threads for the past several years, and I didn't see one up yet, I thought I'd make this year's iteration Where is everyone applying to or waiting to hear back from?

It looks like Duke NSOE is offering Fall 2020 completely online for those who want or need it! Anyone else still undecided?

Yikes, I have a feeling Duke might too...

Admitted to the Nic School at 7 pm ET today!!

Right?! Will they email us if decisions come out or are we supposed to check the status page ourselves? Are things taking longer because more folks applied this year or are they trying to standardize the decision timeline? Will funding information be included alongside (if we were to get in) or will that be sent separately? I have too many questions and no answers hahah

It is such a big change! On a personal note, I discovered the whole world of Environmental Management through F&ES when I was a senior in high school and frantically trying to discover career paths that weren't premed or engineering (I went to a high school like Stuyvesant where the parents were just as intense as the students, sigh). Stumbling across the Yale site on a blustery March afternoon and seeing the alternatives available changed the way I saw everything -- I feel like I owe the school a lot just for that. Hooray to the new Yale School of the Environment! Best wishes to all folks who are waiting on these decisions, and I definitely hope the timeline is closer to mid-February than March.

Alright, here I go! Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): Duke University - Nicholas School of the Environment (MEM) Schools Applied To: Just Duke this year! Schools Admitted To: n/a Schools Rejected From: n/a Still Waiting: Duke University Undergraduate Institution: Ivy League Undergraduate GPA: 3.6 Undergraduate Major: Environmental Science GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 155 (hoping to retake but math's never been my strong suit) / 166 / 5.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 1.5 years Years of Work Experience: 1.5 years Describe Relevant Work Experience: I've interned for a federal agency and well-known environmental nonprofit (like the Environmental Defense Fund) doing policy and sustainability work. I currently work in academia studying the effects of climate change, and will hopefully have shored up my quantitative + programming skills before I attend any program. Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): Pretty good. I've had an idea of what I've wanted to do for a long time (you can probably see from my account history haha) and I think I have a pretty decent arc? Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm happy with them. One is from the federal agency, another from a state agency I interned for, and the last one is from my academic advisor/professor. Other: Good luck everyone! I'm just testing the waters but hoping for the best, attending the Nic School has been a dream of mine since I was in high school.

@alaqua Ah, I'm not applying to SEAS this cycle (I definitely considered it!) but I would've gone for Environmental Policy and Planning, although Conservation Ecology would've been a close second. In that same vein, I'm applying for the Environmental Economics and Policy concentration at NSOE but hoping to take many electives in Ecosystem Science and Conservation. Another day closer to hearing back!

Mid-February also. I applied by the priority deadline and completely put this out of my mind for a few months, but now that decisions are imminent I'm really thinking about it!

Waiting to hear back from the Nic School here!

I would definitely go to Ford, personally. I don't think the prestige factor of HKS supersedes a full ride at another well-known policy program, especially since your funding situation there is uncertain. I mean, it sounds like you already know what you want to do and that Michigan will help you achieve those goals (plus, Ann Arbor's a really cool town!) For what it's worth, I was essentially offered "conditional deferred admission" to my top choice as an undergrad and took it. That year of stasis really sucks - it's sort of like you're just there, waiting for the next chapter in your life to happen...

@missblue - Thanks for your comment, it was really helpful! If you're still on the site I'd love to PM you.

Agreed with the helpful insights! I'm planning on applying this fall to Duke NSOE, Yale FES, and Michigan SEAS. I'm also curious about the funding situation - were scholarships/assistantships + summer work enough to defray most of the costs? Were these things decided by test scores, work experience, or other factors? Also, what's graduate life like at these places? I remember someone in a past thread was kind of snarky about FES being a "hippie" school and praised NSOE for its pre-professionalism, but I honestly wouldn't mind the former, and don't know a lot about SEAS. I've had a chance to visit all three campuses. If these questions belong in another thread, just consider it a free bump. Congrats to those who heard back already!

thank you so much. i’d be focusing my applications on fully-funded programs to be financially pragmatic although i realize that means looking at places with 1-2% acceptance rates (if even that!) the publishing part is comforting because i definitely don’t have that, alas i don’t even have enough for a portfolio. i’m looking at some graduate mfa faqs and “30 to 40 pages double spaced” is so much more than anything i’ve ever submitted, so i’ll have to start from scratch or at least heavily expand what i do have. i recently discovered the option of doing a certificate in creative writing through a local university’s extension program - is this something you’d recommend looking into for the sake of reference letters/receiving faculty critique? or would writing for the heck of it in my spare time (still doing something environmental for now) and getting it proofread by friends and possibly one MFA pal be enough? i think i’d be applying the following cycle, if not the one after that, since unfortunately i don't have much to show for this currently. do relevant jobs or internships matter? not that i can land one at some literary magazine with mostly field biology experience, but i’m wondering if i should express my interest in writing in more ways than just sending in an application and staying where i’m at professionally. i feel like i have more questions but don’t know what to ask! i also seriously appreciate you taking the time to respond, i felt better from reading the first sentence

the title sounds nuts, i know. i was pretty set on environmental science until my last year of college when i had finished all my graduation requirements and essentially took electives for two semesters. i attended undergrad at an institution with a well-regarded MFA program (brown, cornell, michigan, uva, vanderbilt etc.) so i took advantage of this and primarily took creative writing/poetry classes my senior year. i loved it. my original plan was to pursue a MPA which would've made the most sense career-wise considering what i've been doing most of college, but if you were to ask me what i really wanted to do, it'd have been to write (secretly always has been - i went to a stuyvesant-esque high school where everyone went into STEM and never even considered the possibility of focusing in the humanities as an 18 yo). but here i am. has anyone been in this position before? how did you develop your body of work? did you try submitting to any college-based periodicals or publishing houses? how did the application process go? did you take a couple of years off? how about jobs in the interim??? aaaah. i have a couple things i've written for classes that i'm pretty proud of but i know the competition's steep and am wondering if i should give this dream thing a shot.

Free bump. I'm a junior who will probably be applying to the Nic School in Fall 2018, so I'm excited to follow along and see how things are going. What are you all planning on concentrating in?

Hey everyone, I’m currently a sophomore thinking about going into natural resource management/environmental policy in the future. I’ve recently joined a lab, but I’m starting to have second thoughts about it because the work I’m doing isn’t very relevant to my major (it has to do with rabbits, and I love rabbits, but still) and because I’m kind of uncertain about my PI, who’s been friendly to me so far but quite the opposite with the rest of the members in the lab. My high school had a very robust research program, and I kind of went into college assuming I’d continue what I did in the past. But I’m starting to think I’d rather spend my time elsewhere, especially if sustainability-related campus jobs open up that could give me practical career experience as well as be something I’m interested in pursuing. Would it reflect negatively on my applications to places like Yale FES or Michigan if I didn’t have research experience? I feel like that’s such a silly, calculating question to ask but sometimes it feels like the only thing keeping me here… Thanks in advance!

Free bump, and best of luck! (I am an undergrad who is also interested in several of the programs listed above)