CAWater13

Feedback would be super welcome! Undergrad Institution: Lower ranking IvyMajor(s): Environmental Science (aquatic ecology/water management focus)Minor(s):GPA in Major: N/AOverall GPA: 4.1 (out of 4.3)Position in Class: summa cum laude, first in majorType of Student: domestic asian femaleGRE Scores (revised/old version):Q: 167V: 170W: 6B: N/ATOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)Research Experience: Biofuels lab at undergraduate university, ~1.5 years Aquatic invasive species project, summer internship -- 1st author publication and regional conference presentation Bioremediation microbio lab, 1 semester Aquatic ecology / microbiology senior honors thesis (evaluating disease regulation), ~1.5 years Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Undergraduate research scholars program - 4 years of undergraduate funding Two $1000 undergraduate research grant supplements Faculty nomination for senior class award (1% of class) None outside of undergraduate university Pertinent Activities or Jobs: EPA water division summer internship 1.5 years work experience at a groundwater management/engineering firm 2.5 years work experience at an academic non-profit conducting applied water quality science/research: 2nd author publication in prep; 2 national conference presentations; 2 regional conference presentations, but "research" is very applied Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Special Bonus Points: Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My research experiences have clearly jumped around, and some of my LORs will be from prior research advisors (one who supervised my paper, one my senior honors thesis advisor) in fields I am not directly applying to. (Third LOR is from a current non-academic program director and a statewide science program lead) How much of a concern is this? How do you recommend discussing diverse research backgrounds / future research interests (i.e. completely ignore older experiences, mention everything you've learned, ensure future focus area is quite narrow?)? Applying to Where: Aquatic ecosystem ecology focus -- biogeochemistry or ecotoxicology bent depending on the program Duke - Environmental Sciences/Ecology University of Wisconsin - Freshwater & Marine Sciences Harvard - Environmental Engineering & Public Health Deciding: University of Washington - School of Aquatic Fisheries Science or CEE (biogeochemistry focus) Stanford - Earth Systems Science UC Davis - Ecology or Toxicology UC Berkeley - ESPM University of Toronto - Ecology I am concerned that my diverse/short-term research experiences will look more like a negative than a plus, and as a result I have not done a lot of truly independent research. Suggestions for addressing this? I am relatedly struggling to find the line between defining interdisciplinary interests and appearing unfocused -- and between applying specifically to one particular professor and leaving options open for multiple to potentially pick up my application. Also -- any suggestions for perhaps lower tier school options? Thanks!

I'm also very interested in this topic -- are certain categorize more or less competitive, and what are the advantages/disadvantages of choosing interdisciplinary? My project is also mostly ecology with some aspects of chemistry/ecotox thrown in, though the overall topic is contaminant impacts on ecosystem ecology.

Hi -- new question from a non-student here. Given the new combined personal statement and research history format, how would you recommend balancing a detailed description of all technical/relevant experiences (i.e. glorified CV), versus dedicating space towards linking each experience to soft skills learned and growth towards your current path (more of a traditional "personal" statement)? There doesn't seem to be another space to mention or briefly describe experiences that were relevant but may not be among the 2 or 3 most pivotal experiences; is it better to mention everything at least briefly or completely omit some in favor of elaborating on other experiences? My relevant experience list is rather extended given I have spent a significant amount of time conducting research after undergraduate in a non-academic setting. Thoughts? Thanks!