F.graminearum

I just got accepted at NDSU with a 2.94 GPA.

It's getting to the point where I may not get accepted anywhere else. I was put in contact with a potential advisor who is looking for students but is very molecular oriented (completely lab based with some greenhouse trials), while what I'm looking for is more applied (field trials). Should I go with this guy, who said he would try to fit a field component in or should I call continue with my current job and give up on going to grad school?

Speaking from experience having lived in a room that was 9x9 w/o a closet. It can be extremely cramped I was able to fit a desk, twin sized bed one of those Rubbermaid wardrobes (to substitute for a closet) and a mini fridge, there was very little floor to be seen. If you're the type to be out all the time and only come home to sleep I would say that it could work, otherwise I would strongly recommend against it.

I emailed four of the schools I applied to on March 24th these were my responses. No reply after two weeks. Replied that I "should hear something very soon" but that they will check with the head of department for a better answer. They have not made many final decisions, they hope to know more in the next 2-4 weeks. Many of the faculty are waiting for grants to be approved and won't know until around June-July. I should let them know if I have been accepted elsewhere so that the grad coordinator can see if they can quicken their decision. So far no positive or negative decisions. Looks like it's going to be a long waiting game for me.

I'm not sure how, I can ramp up my cv more than working in research in my field as I have for the past 5 years. I have my name on several pending patents, but because of being in industry my ability to publish (or even try) is severely hampered by lawyers. Also, my field (plant pathology) doesn't offer graduate positions without funding. So the only option would be to look into online MS degrees, which are not well thought of by most of the people in the field. Also I'm still waiting to hear from everywhere I've applied. I've reached out to the schools and have been told by several that they have not made decisions yet.

I just emailed one of the professors that I've been in contact with since last August, about my application and will be emailing others later this week.

Unless the professor you're interested in has posted on their profile or website that they are actively looking for students I'd say it's most likely too late, but it can't hurt.

I would go with the German professor that you know better. They will likely write a longer letter that says more about you as a person as well as you as a scholar.

What do people think of online non-thesis masters programs for biological sciences? Is it worth the time and the money? Is it a good alternative if you don't get into a regular grad program?

Like everyone else on this thread I have a low GPA (2.946 to be exact), this was due to several factors, the primary ones being that I tended to overload my course schedule and work too many hours (30-40 depending on the semester). While I do regret overloading my course schedule I don't regret working so much since I was working in research laboratories in my field and that experience allowed me to get a job in research after graduating back in 2010. I've now applied to graduate school since I'm finding my ability to move into the positions I want to be limited by the fact that I don't have a graduate degree. I'm hoping that the combination of my academic research experience, industry research experience and good letter of recommendation will help overcome my low GPA and my ok GRE scores (V 155 (67%) Q 153 (52%) W 3.5 (38%)). Any thoughts? I am still waiting on all five schools I have applied to.

I have yet to hear anything good or bad from any of the schools I applied to as well. It's hard to tell based off of many of the posts since I haven't found anyone else on here who are going into the same field, plant pathology (or even any of the related fields agronomy/agriculture). From my coworkers who have PhD's in my field they all heard via phone call or email from their potential PI. I do relate to the anxiety getting worse as the wait gets longer.

I did the opposite and contacted the professors I was interested prior to applying and met with several at professional conferences. It helped me narrow down where I wanted to apply and who was interested in taking on students.

I'm trying to figure this out myself. I've been thinking about emailing the professors of interest that I was in contact with prior to applying, but have yet to find the wording that doesn't scream desperate.

I currently haven't heard from any of the five schools I have applied to. So in the interim to try to not go crazy from anxiety I have been working on my Plan B which is as follows: Continue working at my job which is in my field of interest Apply to online MS programs (which while not as highly thought of might boost my upward mobility somewhat) Save money