afritz87

I. can't. breathe. I got an award!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy shit... total disbelief. I had pretty mediocre GREs and even the HM felt like a pipe dream!! CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! Well, definitely won't be sleeping tonight!

So.... where do I find this link to posted review sheets that everyone is talking about? I'm not seeing a place for it anywhere on the "Manage My Application" page.

Hey! That's awesome.. microbial ecology is definitely a cool field. I tend to not worry about funding issues too much, but I'm just resigned to the fact that I won't make as much money in my lifetime as genetics/molecular/neuro people. And I'm fine with that. I'd rather have a field site in Ecuador and get to play around outside while doing science than be stuck in a lab and have tons of money! Haha.. But also something that is a comfort to me thinking about funding is that the primary field I'm interested in is the ecology of emerging wildlife diseases. Both NIH and NSF have pretty substantial funds for this field, and it's a bit of a hot topic that has enough money thrown at it to make me feel a bit better. Have you decided where you're going yet? Looks like you've got a couple great offers!

Hello! It's not officially official for me yet (haven't sent offer acceptances/rejections to my schools) but I'm 95% sure I'll be at UGA in the Fall. I'll be in the Odum School of Ecology as a PhD student. So excited about the move to Athens! Do any of you have ideas for where you want to live yet?

Hello. The above posters gave some really helpful advice, but I'll throw in my bit too. I finished my undergrad last May, and have applied to and will be attending a PhD program in the fall. During my undergrad, I had 2 years of research experience with an incredible advisor who encouraged me to give talks at professional meetings and submit manuscripts (currently have 2 publications in review from my undergrad thesis). Personally, I just felt like skipping my MS and heading straight to PhD was "right" for me. Granted, as some of the above posters have said, some people really regret skipping a masters... I'm hoping that's not me in the next couple years It's a risk I was willing to take. If you don't feel comfortable enough with your research skills (expt'l design, grant writing, field/lab methods, and analysis) yet, then probably going the MS-first route would be a good choice. As far as GRE's, I had mediocre scores on the general test (70th percentile across the board) and managed to get into my dream school, which is ranked in the top 10 for Ecology Phd's. So apparently mediocre is alright. One suggestion I have is to consider taking the Biology subject test. Only a couple of my schools required it, but I did really well (much better than the general test) and sent my score along to said dream school anyway. During my interview there, my future advisor said that it was very helpful that I submitted it, and that it kind of counteracted my blah general GRE scores. Good luck with everything!

yoga? Really though, there's no way to make it easier. Have you emailed/called the departments to inquire about your status?

Ugh, I'm still waiting on 5 of 7 schools, and I have an INTERVIEW this week. An interview... in mid-late-ish March!?! Probably won't have all the cards in play for at least another few weeks.

Stage presence

Yep, this WEEK is going to be it for me. I was told that my top choice adcomm is meeting for the last time this week (hopefully EARLY this week), and then notifications will be sent out, unfortunately by snail mail. How long does something take to transit between Georgia and Colorado?!!? Ughhh I wish they would just email. This is giving me heartburn.

I unsubscribed from about 8 mailing lists this week because I almost exploded with frustration every time I got a damn email from Victoria's Secret or whatever other stores are wanting me to spend money I don't have. ugghhh booo irrelevant emails!

HAH, couldn't agree more. Moving back after graduation to live day to day dealing with the stress of applications and WAITING is definitely not what I envisioned. I also can't wait to get out from under the parents' roof.

Ditto, I was accepted to Tulane (with funding) without an interview. Don't worry about it!

I've been opening emails from schools at lightning speed, preferring to just rip the band-aid off. But maybe when I see an email or an unopened letter from my top choice I'll be a bit more ceremonial about it. I like what some previous posters have said about taking a few minutes before opening to meditate on the meaning of the decision either way. I guess the only unusual thing for me is that, as a long time non-believer in wishing on things like eyelashes and 11:11am/pm etc., I've actually been wishing for this acceptance. Can't hurt, right

I've been having dreams this week about getting the award. It makes getting up in the morning and facing day after day of waiting even harder. Grrrr. My money's on the thread growing by.. hmm.. 8 pages?

Under qualified

I would guess that if you get the GRF, you'll have a golden ticket into that school. Good luck! And I absolutely agree with those who think the wait for this is rougher than waiting to get in to schools. It's a close call though, both are pretty awful.

cast judgment

AHHH got my first acceptance today! Even though I'd rank the school 5 out of 7 in my preference order, it's still a relief. Funny, too, because it was the latest application I submitted (February 1st), and my top choice (which promised notifications BY the first week of March) was due sooo early, on December 5th. These places follow no patterns, do they?

Nope, and I'm waiting (desperately) to hear from their Ecology program. I'm not sure how it works in your department, but Ecology said they sent their recommendations for admission to the general Graduate School Office some time last week; as soon as the grad school decides on university-wide fellowships and other funding stuff, the departments will be able to let us know. Better be soon! Is UGA your top choice too?

Haha oh sorry... Wasn't intended to be an eyeroll, just a smile.

hey Sarah, Just out of curiosity, when did you hear back from UGA? (And sorry to hear about the rejection, btw). I applied to the Odum School of Ecology there, and apparently now the school of graduate studies needs to make decisions about funding before I'll hear back from the department. Hoping to hear soon!

I'm a biologist, and have also noticed that the standard attire is super casual. I went to my first professional meeting this January (Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology), and on the first day, wearing linen pants and a sweater, was probably in the upper 5% of dressiness. Pretty surprising. Same deal at interview weekends -- lots of jeans and wrinkles. I'm less concerned about it than the OP though, I think. I make the effort to look classy in those kinds of situations, but I've just accepted that biology, and really academics in general, is pretty casual. I'm thankful that I'll never be expected to wear stuffy 3piece suits or heels for any occasion. LadyL, surely you can express your style as you like once you're in somewhere. You could even probably wear what you wear now, and as long as you express your intelligence in interviews they won't factor your fashion into the decision.

Hey there. Who are you thinking about working with at Georgia? SUCH a great program there, tons of great faculty. Were you at the recruitment weekend? Good luck with your Stanford interview!

Ya know, I was thinking early March would be "it" for me, but I found out today that I have an interview (with my 2nd choice school) on the 18th. MARCH 18th!!!! Damn. Guess that means I won't hear from them until April. I'm hoping that I'll hear back from my #1 choice SOON (they promised early March), and that I won't have to even bother with that interview. Like many of you all have said, I'm seriously, physically having a hard time keeping it together during this waiting period. Acid reflux, headaches, lack of sleep... the works. Trying to stay busy with yoga, cooking, and other calming things that keep me from pulling my hair out and attacking those around me. PLEASE let this be over soon!

I applied to 7 schools but really truly only want to go to University of Georgia, and specifically the Odum School of Ecology. Had an amazing recruitment weekend visit there, and loved the location. The program is ranked 7th, I think, for Ecology Ph.D programs, and is really the single best place for what I want to study, which is wildlife disease ecology. Second choice might be Virginia Tech, but I haven't had an interview there so we'll see.