[Richard Gilder Grad School (AMNH) reputation?]

Hey breadwinner, just wondering what you ended up doing—and what your thoughts are since? I just applied to RGGS and had the same concerns you had but I was happy to find other faculty there that are younger who I applied to work with instead. I think they’re actually better suited to mentor me while I try to answer my research questions than those that I maybe would’ve applied to work with had I no prior information. The program seems incredible on paper. 

On 2/23/2016 at 12:38 PM, breadwinner said:

Thanks kimmibeans. I agree with what you're saying. I was super impressed by the research and resources they have there and the curators are definitely at the top of their fields. However, in the weeks since I posted this topic I have heard some things confirming my suspicion. I, and everyone I talked to, agreed that the research is great and the scientists are really intelligent, so the program as a whole doesn't have a bad rep.

However, a number of the very parsimony-centric people there, some of whom are also perceived as somewhat mean-spirited by some other phylogeneticists, are apparently sufficiently disliked so as to drag down the reputations of their students when they apply for certain jobs. I have had 3-4 unaffiliated organismal bio/phylogenetics profs at multiple schools tell me that working with the specific (very senior) people I wanted to at RGGS would hurt my CV just in terms of the social climate of the field. It's a shame because they have a super cool program, but the only people who really do the stuff I want to study are also the worst-perceived.

 

[Auburn, AL]

I'll be beginning my PhD in the Fall at Auburn.  I'm super excited, but my future roommate & I are having some difficulty finding good quality housing options.  I've heard north campus is preferable.  Does anyone live in Auburn and/or have any tips on finding cheap, awesome housing remotely in Auburn?

[Interviews: questions to ask]

46 minutes ago, Fallen said:

To piggyback - it is okay to write down notes while people answer these questions? I just figure that the interview day(s) will be somewhat intense and I may have trouble keeping track of who said what when it comes down to making a decision. 

I took notes at all of my previous interviews & I plan to on my future ones.  One faculty teased me, but I don't think this affected me negatively b/c I think we had a nice chat.  Taking notes helps me remember what I talked to everyone about, which is nice when sending thank you emails out or just generally reflecting on my visit.  Plus, some faculty have made some suggestions on additional papers/ faculty to check out... some have talked about ideas, methods, etc., that I didn't recognize & I liked their explanations... others have suggested additional analyses to run in my research... & these are all things that I want to remember to look into.  Other people have warned me about such & such class or so & so professor... some grad students have told me where the cool & cheap places to live are... all info that I would want to know should I matriculate into that program.  So, even if I look silly with my tiny notebook, I'm glad I have it.  

[2016 Ecology/Evolution/Organismal/Marine Biology Applicants]

On 1/28/2016 at 1:22 PM, cephnerd said:

Whoa. How many interviews are you guys doing per visit? I just got one of my schedules and I'm set up for 12 in one day...plus another over Skype with a faculty member who will be away during my recruitment visit. 

I know the feeling!  I was totally surprised when I received my first schedule.  I've been invited to 4 interviews, 2 of which I've already attended, another 1 of which I've received my schedule.  At the first place I visited, I had 11 thirty minute meetings, but a couple of those were meant to cover the specifics of the grad program (stipend, resources available, etc.).  At the 2nd place, I don't actually remember off the top of my head how many interviews I had (I didn't even get my schedule until I arrived), but each meeting was about 30-40 minutes.  I want to say I had 6 or 7 interviews on interview day, plus general info sessions with all the prospectives.  According to the other schedule I received, I have 9 meetings, including a 1 hr block with my POI.  My first interview day was definitely exhausting -- to talk about so much science non-stop while quickly switching between topics, always trying to have something interesting to say or ask, was draining, but I've been told by several people that it was good practice for faculty interviews (which apparently consist of two of those days).  I was definitely ready for a beer by the end of the day.  My last interview day didn't feel nearly as intense.  I think part of it definitely comes down to how busy the faculty is.  I would've had more interviews at the 2nd place, but many of the people I would've liked to chat with were already booked, e.g., by the time my POI reached out to them.  At the first place, I was the only prospective student on that day.  Good luck!  :-) 

[2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

On 1/13/2016 at 3:53 PM, cephnerd said:

I did apply, and I was invited to interview this morning (eep!). The PI with whom I have been communicating said that they extended the deadline, but hadn't received many additional applications after the original Dec. 1 deadline. Who knows? Recruitment events are the weekends of February 6th and 19th. Good luck!

Me too!  :-)  I'm going the 6th.  Congratulations!

[2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

On January 11, 2016 at 1:47 PM, cephnerd said:

Just saw that the application deadline for Duke's PhD program in biology has been extended...by a month and a half... Not enough decent applicants by the original Dec. 1 deadline, or am I reading too far into this?

Weird.  Did you apply, too?  Do you think this means we should be anticipating later notifications?

[Who Can I Ask For A LoR? (Post-Doc vs Research Associate vs PI)]

I struggled with this myself.  I had 2 letters locked in: my current PI & my honors thesis advisor.  I was torn between asking 1) my internship supervisor (technically faculty at a great institution, but not tenured, & relatively young in career), 2) the director of a science outreach program I worked very closely with (tenured faculty, good reputation), & 3) a professor I had for 2 courses (tenured faculty, but I never worked closely with in a research setting or otherwise).  I ended up opting for option 3.  I don't know if that was the best decision, but it's one I would make again.  Likewise, I would recommend choosing a professor whose class you did well in & who knows you personally & can attest to your potential to succeed in grad school over a post-doc -- especially if you're interested in pursuing academia & already have letters coming from the PIs whose lab(s) you've done research in.  Hope that helps.

[Are all LOR's supposed to be submitted before the deadline? Please help]

You can still submit your application.  My understanding is that as long as your application is in on time you're okay.  For 3 programs I applied to, 2 of my letters were submitted 3-6 days late.  One PI emailed me suggesting I follow up with my writers.  The other departments didn't seem to care.  So far, I've been invited to interview with one of those programs, so I can at least say my late letters did not disqualify my application.

[2016 Ecology/Evolution/Organismal/Marine Biology Applicants]

On December 22, got a phone call (left voicemail) & email from PI at UW inviting me to the interview weekend in January

[2016 Ecology/Evolution/Organismal/Marine Biology Applicants]

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, pretty good reputation in Biology
Major(s): Zoology
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.69
Position in Class: In Biology, near top if not top
Type of Student: Domestic, female, first-generation

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised
Q: 157 (68%) <-- Hardcore lost track of time.  Oops.
V: 163 (92%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
B: No

Research Experience: 

- 2 years at home institution in physiology lab, 2 years at home institution in phylogenetics lab, roughly 12-20 hours per week, REU, full-time ecology internship elsewhere after graduation, currently full-time evolutionary genetics lab technician at alma mater in different lab, also collaborating with another lab on campus

- Currently preparing first author manuscript for publication on senior thesis

- Recently gave talk at small conference, talk & poster at undergrad symposia, 1 seminar at small research station 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: NSF REU, Smithsonian Internship, small research grant from undergrad, best talk at a small conference, graduated summa cum laude

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA, lots of science outreach experience

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Lots of science outreach experience, applied for NSF GRFP, strong letters, all prospective PIs personally know at least 1 of my writers, reached out to prospective PIs prior to application (including phone/skype/in person discussions with all but one prospective PI)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Inconsistency in academic performance, lots of dropped classes, clear that interests changed quite a bit/ I had some difficulties, but ultimately graduated with highest honors in Zoology

Applying to Where: 

University of Washington - Biology

Duke University - Biology

University of Florida - Biology

Auburn University - Biology

University of South Carolina - Biology
 

I'm interested in evolution, phylogenetics, genomics, & bioinformatics