Teaching Faculty Wannabe

@loveandcookies I don't know much about immunology in terms of research. The NSF solicitation states this: "Individuals are not eligible to apply if they will be enrolled in graduate study focused on clinical practice, counseling, social work, patient-oriented research, epidemiological and medical behavioral studies, outcomes research, and health services research. Ineligible study includes investigations to provide evidence leading to a scientific basis for consideration of a change in health policy or standard of care, and includes pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and behavioral interventions for disease prevention, prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy. Individuals pursuing graduate study focused on community and other population-based medical intervention trials are also ineligible. Individuals are not eligible to apply if they will conduct biomedical research for which the goals are directly health-related, such as etiology, diagnosis, or treatment of physical or mental disease, abnormality, or malfunction in humans and other animals. Research activities using animal models of disease, for developing or testing of drugs or other procedures for treatment of disease, and statistical modeling for which the purpose is diagnosis or epidemiology also are not eligible for support." If your research falls under this, then that would be very bad and I would suggest writing something else. If not, you could always choose Life Sciences, other as your field of study and type in immunology. Good luck!

@sbs96 I would take a look at this to determine what fits best for your graduate programs in terms of mathematical sciences: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/programs.jsp?org=DMS I think this should give you a better idea of what each of the programs mean.

I just submitted my application. Eek! Now, I am just waiting for two recommenders to submit their letters. Double eek! Good luck everyone!

In my opinion, I think it would be good to include your injury explaining you GPA as well as how it resulted in your current research interests. I am not sure how other people feel about this, but I think the admission committee would appreciate your explanation and also help them understand not only your situation but also your interests.

I did apply early decision, but I have yet to be contacted by any employers and my employer status still stays unmatched. However, according to what I read in the previous forums, people didn't start getting contacted until early next year, so there is still hope for us yet! I started on my statement now and what I have been focusing on are detailing my career and graduate goals as well as my research interests and how my interests led me to apply to grad school, and how this fellowship will help me achieve my goals as an engineering and researcher.

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

Hi @mg0217! I suggest looking into North Carolina State University. While I did not study Computer Science, I did get an engineering degree there and heard many great things about the computer science department from CS students I was friends with. I would also check out the Electrical and Computer Engineering program there. They do a lot of programming with their projects. Good luck!

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 optimal length is two pages, single-spaced.

Hi @misslitty! I am actually doing the opposite of you. I got my BS in MSE, and want to purse a PhD in BME. I also want to focus on biomaterials, but the tissue engineering side of it. Anywho, I am applying to a few MSE programs that have a focus in biomaterials. They are University of Delaware and Boston University. You might also want to look into NC State and the University of Connecticut.

Hi all! I have a question about including something on my CV. So, I have a section in my CV about presentations where I put poster presentations I have done. I also am thinking about including the fact that I gave a speech at my departmental graduation when I graduated a few months ago. I am not sure if this is important or not, but I think it can maybe make me standout compared to other applicants. The speech was about my time as an undergraduate, in particular detailing my love for the department and my fellow graduating classmates. (The department I graduated from was small, so I got fairly close with a lot of my classmates.) FYI, I wasn't the only senior who gave a speech. My senior class voted me and another person to give speeches. Also, if I should include this, how should I write it in my CV? Thanks for your help!

I honestly feel like a piece of garbage. I am currently taking a gap year before (hopefully) attending grad school. I can't find a job, and I will soon either have to start paying loans or find a way to defer them. I am happy that I have time to focus on my applications, but I feel like not doing anything else makes me look super lazy.

Although I love contractions, I have always avoided them when writing for a more formal or professional setting. That's what I was taught in school, and I suppose I agree with this "rule" somewhat. I think if you still want to get your story/point across in the 500 words SOPs without getting rid of necessary info., I would say keep the contractions. I feel like the SOPs for telling the admission committee about who you are, how you connect with the university, and how you will help the university grow as well as how the university will help you grow. As long as you get those points across and have them flow together (which it seems like you have already achieved, which is awesome), I don't think the contractions will be that big of a deal. Also, I just want to say that I hate the 500 word cap limit for some of the SOPs. I feel like that is not enough room to actually write about why you want to go to grad school, etc. Okay, rant over! I hope helps a little.

@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!!

@I_Charge_by_the_foot Just a warning, this is my first time applying to this fellowship, but I was planning on ordering my awards in order from newest to oldest, since it is common for a resume/CV set-up. I am not sure if that is the right way to go, but I feel like the newer items are deemed most important than the older ones? This is probably subjective. though. Also, I would list as many as you can, even if that means that includes ones below a 50% tuition waiver amount. You want them to see as many scholarships as possible, in my opinion. One last point, you might want to add a description of the scholarship/discuss the requirements of getting the scholarship for any that aren't super well known or may seem ambiguous from their titles. I hope this helps! Hopefully someone can offer better advice since I know very little myself and I would also like to know the best answer to this.

Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): a leading public research (heavily focused in STEM) university located on the east coast/south, ranked in the Top 25 Engineering Schools in 2019 according to US NEWS Major(s): Materials Science and Engineering Minor(s): Biomaterials concentration GPA in Major: 4.00/4.00 Overall GPA: 4.00/4.00 Demographics/Background: Hispanic/Latina, from a lower middle class family (resulting in occasional financial difficulties and many loans for undergraduate), one of my parents immigrated from Venezuela, grew up on college campuses (my mother is a university professor) GRE Scores: Q: 157 (65%) V: 152 (56%) W: 4.0 (59%) *I know these scores aren't the greatest. I really suck at standardized tests and don't have the finances/desire to retake it* LOR: Two letters from professors I had classes with (one of the professors I also did research with and the other professor I connected with before taking their class through a research program they run that I was participant of) and a letter from a supervisor I did a summer internship with last year Research Experience: A little over a year of research, 9 months of undergraduate research with the same PI (research on materials used to improve electrochemical processes), 10 week summer research experience at a university in Australia (research on a ceramic material used for refrigeration applications), 10 week summer internship at NASA (research on growing graphene for gas sensor development) Publications/Abstracts/Presentations: Two poster presentations at state-wide conferences for NASA research, poster presentation for materials science and engineering senior design project at my university's undergraduate research symposium Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Received travel grant to visit University of Michigan at the end of this month Outstanding senior award in my department Best senior design paper award in my department Semester Dean's List for seven semesters (didn't get it for my last semester because I wasn't a full time student) Received for four one-time scholarships in the past four years. Fellowships/Funding: Applying for NSF GRFP and GEM Fellowship Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I know it is recommended to not discuss activities done before undergrad but I did a summer internship at Jefferson Lab, a national accelerator facility, when I was in high school that exposed me to the world of research/helped me discover that I want to be a researcher Research Interests: Broad interest are biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine; more narrow interests are using polymeric scaffolds for tissue growth/regeneration Institutions/Programs: University of Delaware (Materials Science and Engineering) University of Florida (Biomedical Engineering) University of Washington (Bioengineering) University of Michigan (Biomedical Engineering) Boston University (Materials Science and Engineering) University of Rochester (Biomedical Engineering) Northwester University (Biomedical Engineering) California Institute of Technology (Medical Engineering) Comments: Just an FYI, I recently graduated and am taking a gap year. I have done some traveling, but I haven't found any research opportunities as of yet, so I am just focused on getting my applications completed/refining my research interests. Please offer advice on: My research experiences pertaining to my lack of biomedical engineering experience (also it seems like a lot of people have a ton a lot more research than me) Being a gap year "student" and is it bad that I am not currently working right now (I have been applying to a variety of jobs, just haven't gotten anything ) My mediocre GRE scores (can my GPA and other experiences make up for it?) Thanks!

I'm so sorry . Like quantum mechanics, relationships are one of those things I can't fully wrap my head around. They are definitely complicated, and I hope one day you can find that special person!

Hi all! I know the deadline for this fellowship is super soon, but I thought I would share a document I created that complied advice I found on various websites that talk about how to approach the two essays. (Those websites are included as well. Thanks @alexhunterlang for your wonderful website!) I hope this helps! NSF Writing Tips.docx

Hi all! So, I noticed a forum hasn't been created for the GEM Fellowship 2019 applicants. I was wondering if anyone else is applying this year and/or has advice on applying for it. This is my first year applying, and I am having some trouble with the personal statement. What have you all included in your statements? Also, here we can update each other on our statuses and discuss any other questions people may have. Here are the links to a few of the past years of these discussions: GEM 2018 GEM 2017 GEM 2016 GEM 2015 GEM 2014

So, I realized there is another thread related to the same topic, but if anyone has any further advice, that would be great! Thanks so much!

Hi all! First, do you think it is a good idea to contact people who I would like to work with for my PhD before completing grad school applications? If yes, then do you have any an recommendations on what to say in the email, such as discussing my research interests and see how it connects to their research? Thanks for the help in advance! Good luck to everyone applying this year!

@yash13177 Thank you so much for your advice! This is so useful, and makes me feel less nervous about the visit! Good luck with your applications!

Hi! I got accepted in a program to visit the University of Michigan at the end of this month. While there, I will be visiting the department I am applying to as well as attending a symposium where graduate students give poster presentations on their research. I have yet to send in my application, but will be doing so soon. I have a few questions for people who have gone on visits before: 1. What should I wear? 2. Should I email professors I am interested in working with beforehand to see if I can meet up with them if I have time to do so? 3. What should I see in Ann Arbor while I am there? Any recommendations for cool places, restaurants, etc.? 4. Any other additional advice would be great! P.S. I am applying to mainly biomedical engineering PhD programs. Thanks so much!

Hi all! I just got my Bachelor's in May, and am in the process of applying to PhD programs starting in Fall 2019. I decided to take a gap year so I could focus on applying and hopefully obtain some additional research experience. I am having a rough time finding research opportunities, however. I have been searching since February, and one of the reasons I haven't found anything so far because most post baccalaureate programs start during the summer and I was traveling then. Do any of you know of short-term research opportunities lasting 6 months or so? My background is in materials science and engineering, but I want to focus my PhD research in biomaterials and tissue engineering, which means I am applying to a lot of biomedical engineering grad programs. I appreciate any help! Thanks so much in advance!