Teaching Faculty Wannabe

Sleep. It is so important for our mental health. You are going to schedule your classes, research, papers, reading... also schedule time to sleep. There will be days when things impede on your plans, for sleeping and other things, but do your best to prioritize sleeping as much as your other school and life activities.

Hi Moods!
I'd say that you can describe how you will contribute to diversity however you'd like! If you have a specific experience about how your various identities have intersected with STEM that might be good to share. For an example, if I was to write a diversity statement I might talk about some of the things I have overcome related to my identity in STEM (maybe an experience with a faculty member, or a learning experience for someone outside of my identity), or about some of the work I had done in undergrad on increasing diversity. I've had some powerful experiences with outreach and mentorship (young girls realizing they too are / can be scientists) etc. Sometimes its hard to figure out how exactly you "contribute", but I'd say that you contribute to diversity just by being yourself! Simply by existing as a Hispanic pansexual scientist you are paving the way for others who might have similar identities to succeed. Emphasizing your identity is key - your presence and love for science is a huge step for representation in science, and if you wanted to discuss any possible ideas you would have to create space / events for members of your identity group that would also be a good addition. 
I can't speak to anything specific about engineering, since I don't think we have an engineering department here, but I hope this helps frame your thoughts. 
Best of luck!!
the UCGRIT team

Just submitted!! Best of luck and see you all in Spring.

Thank you so much for taking the time to find this! It definitely puts me at ease. Appreciate you and everyone else on this board for the constant advice everyone provides! 

Thank you, my friend. I'm going to take your advice and rearrange my scholarships and provide a brief overview of what each one looks for. Admittedly, I am slightly reluctant to describe some scholarships because many of them were awarded based on financial need---this was an orchestrated effort on my part since I come from a very poor family. I simply spent my time wisely. Arguably, it's in my best interest to be vague on need scholarships, and in general, to show no pattern of deceitful behavior.

Thanks for the input Moods! Good luck to you too ☺️

Hello I applied early as well. The application is not due until next month so I dont think they will make decisions at least until then but applying early puts you over the edge. I have been contacted by university about waivers for applications.

Seconding that having extensive research background is more important than having a background in your specific field. What I said I wanted to do when I applied last year didn't really relate to what my background was in, and I did fine! I also don't think that taking a gap year looks bad - usually, people come off as "more mature" and sure of what they want. And you're GPA will definitely offset the GRE scores. 

I uploaded my community college transcripts and was not disqualified.

I almost done with my NSF application! I am feeling super nervous about it, but am also proud of myself!

I would say optimal length is two pages, single-spaced.

I feel like most professors are used to this type of thing. It is common for people to apply to 5-10 programs along with a few scholarships and fellowships. I am applying to nine schools and two fellowships, each with their own separate portals for my letter writers to submit to. When I asked them if they could be my LOR writer, I gave them a list of everything I was applying to as well as any instructions on how they will submit their letters. All three them of them were fine with it. I think if you are upfront with them about how many letters they need, then they should be accepting and understanding. If you just ask if they can be a LOR writer without telling them specifics, it might throw them off when they get all these emails from various programs you are applying to.
I hope this helps! Good luck with your applications!

I have an informal Skype interview with a potential grad advisor tomorrow...wish me luck everyone.

I just started my program this week, and my cohort is super nice, and my advisor is impressed with my statistics and research skills and wants me to explore an existing data set for a possible publication! 
I'm very excited about the next few years.

I ended up dropping in on a meeting an undergrad was having with my advisor about life after college. I ended up talking to her for an hour. After, my advisor said I did a good job. I'm really happy that I was able to give her some really honest advice. 

when the data comes out nicer than expected.

I actually made some headway on my honors thesis. 

I did only slightly better than you on the Quant. by 1 point, and I am a engineer (eek!), so I wouldn't worry! To be honest, I freaked out about my scores too (let's just say none of my scores were in the 160's), but if you make the other parts of your applications shine, the GRE won't be too much of a focus for the admission committee. Anyways, your scores are great, so be proud of yourself! Good luck! 
Also, sorry for barging in on the Art History folks!

I would say 2-3 pages single spaced would be good. 

@sgaw10 Thank you for your input! It is pretty neat to "meet" someone with similar research interests and some common schools?️☺️! It would be funny if we ended up at the same place! Good luck with all of your applications!!

Hi Moods,
This sounds like a great opportunity, congrats on getting a visit! Here is my opinion on your questions:
1) Always better to be better dressed. I say, business casual. For men this means nice pants (not jeans), nice shoes (no sneakers), a button-down and a tie. Jacket can be added. For females I think nice pants (again not jeans) or knee-length business skirt and a nice blouse. Heels are not necessary. For both, be professional with accessories/makeup/outfit/etc.
2) YES!!! I totally think so!! I mean this is such a perfect time to do so! Plus, you can get an idea of what they would be like as mentors/PIs and see who you would be interested in working with. I also suggest to visit the posters of the labs you're interested in and talking to the graduate students. You can learn so much from the students currently in the lab!
3) Sorry not from the area
4) When my friends went on campus/program visits and interviews they told me some tips:
Stay hydrated (lots of water). With so much talking/interacting/traveling it's easy to get sick. Write notes! At the end of the day try to summarize what you remember, what you like and things to do. Keep in contact. I think it is completely okay to email anyone you talked with after your visit to say "thank you" and to also gently remind them that you're interested. Have fun!! Programs, PIs and grad students are looking for someone that they can get along with. Make sure to be yourself and get a feel for your maybe future peers and faculty! Best of luck! Hope this helps!