cobalt27

Thanks for the response. Yes, I was asking about #1 - finishing up my MS at my current university and potentially continuing on with a PhD at a different school. That's good to hear! I was professional with all of my interactions, but we're all only human and I wasn't sure if declining would leave a sour taste or make me seem unreliable somehow.

Hi all, I'm currently in an MS program. I'm enjoying it and like my advisor, but the more work I do, the more I realize that I'm not crazy about my project or my advisor's specific area of research in general. To be honest, if I'm just doing a MS then this is fine - my original plan was to get in and out in two years, and I'm on track to do that. However, being back in school and so engrossed in my subject has really reignited my love for it, and I am considering continuing on for a PhD (if it would benefit my long term career goals). I almost accepted at a different school, and the POI there was disappointed when I turned down their offer. In general, how receptive do you think a POI would be to accepting a student for a PhD who has already turned down an offer? Thanks in advance for any comments or insight!

One more point I would add (and something you may already be doing) is the value of informational interviews. I found these extremely helpful in my decision to apply for an MS. I was lucky enough to have a few personal connections who kindly provided me with contact information of individuals currently working in positions I am interested in pursuing after grad school, but LinkedIn is also a good resource for cold contacting people. Everyone likes to talk about themselves, and I found people happy to help out the "next generation" of people in the field with a short phone call.

My cGPA was 3.39 - not terrible but not stellar either. Earth sciences may be different from engineering, but my experience was that it was more of a holistic process. I had strong LORs from professors and supervisors in industry, and I heard positive feedback regarding those during my interviews. I started looking early, which helped - you still have time to make calls to departments and ask about funding. There were a few schools I contacted who told me they really only offer funding to PhDs - I crossed those off the list and moved on.

I applied to 8 programs, all of which were fully funded. I ended up accepting at a school with RA funding (students without grants had the opportunity for TA funding). Before reaching out to POIs, I contacted the schools and asked what the funding situation was for MS students.

I recommend emailing the graduate coordinator and asking what the dress code is. I've been to a few recently for geology programs, which I think tend to be more on the casual side; I wore business casual for the interview day (dark dress pants, button down, sweater and flats) and felt comfortable. A good amount wore business casual, a few guys wore khakis/polos, and one person wore a suit - they stood out a bit, but to be honest, no one really cares so long as your clothes are clean. I'd also suggest bringing casual clothes (nice jeans, sweater/blouse) if you know you will be socializing with the current grad students in the evening, and good walking shoes since you may be invited on a campus tour.

Greetings, I'm reposting this here as I think I may get better advice on this forum. I've narrowed my choices down to two schools - UF in Gainesville, FL and USC in Columbia, SC. Both programs are fully funded masters in geology. I've spoken with both POIs who seem great and who have interesting, concrete projects in mind. I'm curious to hear what people's impressions are of each school/program. Any advice on making this difficult decision is appreciated!

Hi everyone, I've narrowed my choices down to two schools - UF in Gainesville, FL and USC in Columbia, SC. The programs are fully funded masters programs in geology. I've spoken with both POIs who seem great and who have an interesting, concrete project in mind. I'm curious to hear what people's impressions are of each school/program. Any advice on making this difficult decision is appreciated!

To start, I applied to 8 M.S. programs, all fully funded. School A and B invited me to recruitment weekends for this month, and I have booked flights to attend both. A POI from School C recently emailed me, with what sounds like an unofficial offer. She explained that my app was well received, described the financial aid package, and asked how early I would be able to commit to attending. She explained that if she goes through the process of extending a formal offer to me and I don't accept it, the school will make her wait a few months before she is able to offer the spot to a different applicant. What is the etiquette in this situation? I still intend to participate in the recruitment weekends at Schools A and B. Is it advisable to tell the POI at School C that I need until at least March to formally respond? Do I offer her any details as to why, or is it implied that I am considering offers from other programs? Any advice from people who have been in similar situations is appreciated! All things considered this is a great "problem" to have and I want to be sure I handle it as smoothly as possible.

Thanks for the responses! I ended up deciding not to submit an application - I couldn't find a POI who was currently taking on grad students in my area, and needed to focus more on my other apps.

I had a couple of Skype interviews before submitting my applications. Both were very relaxed conversations, about 30 min. Try to be friendly and excited about your application. We chatted about my motivations for attending grad school, and the POI discussed potential projects I could work on. As someone else recommended, I would suggest reading a few papers of the POI. Ask about the department, program, how many grad students they have... Pretty typical questions. I interviewed after work and was in business casual attire, which felt appropriate. Good luck!

Thanks for the response. I may be overthinking this...

Hi all, So by this point, I've already reached out to POIs and am in the process of submitting applications. One of of my supervisors at work, who has been in the industry for over 20 years (and has numerous connections), has been kind enough to provide introductions to several individuals on my behalf. These introductions have been solely for informational interviews. Recently he offered to introduce me by email to a prof he used to work with in industry. This prof is at a school I hadn't looked at, but after checking out the program and the prof's research, I am interested in applying. Is this acceptable, or would it be more appropriate for me to politely decline and then send my usual email of interest that I have to other POIs? Thank you in advance for any insight or suggestions!

Thanks for the response. That's interesting to hear that you consider research "way more" important than coursework - I've heard they're about even. After looking into the programs more, I'll probably end up applying to the MEES program. Out of curiosity, how was the transition from geochemistry to engineering for you?

Hi all, I'm interested in both the Geology and Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) programs at the University of Maryland. My research interests are focused on geochemistry in aquatic environments, and I think both programs could be a good fit. I am slightly more interested in the geology program mostly due to the coursework described on the program website - however, the only faculty member in the geology department I would be interested in working with has been unresponsive to my emails (so I'm assuming this person is not taking on new students). I am considering focusing solely on the MEES program, as I am unsure how it would impact my admission to the geology program to have my only POI be from a different program. The geology program at UMD is also more competitive than the MEES program. Does anyone have experience with UMD, or been in a similar situation with a different school? Thanks in advance for any advice!