darwingirl

You would definitely need some kind of previous research experience that pertains to the field of EEB you want to study in graduate school. Having courses in EEB is also important, but not nearly as important as research experience. From my own experience with 2 cycles of interviews (masters and PhD), you have to have a PI that wants you in their lab. That is the most important thing. Most PIs are going to take someone that can show that they have knowledge and skills suitable for the type of research they want to do. You don't have to go in as an expert, but you should have some background that shows you're capable. You may be able to find a job in a lab, people do it all the time. You could also consider volunteering first. Another way to get the experience you need is to do a masters first. You won't need as much research experience. You will still need to be able to articulate what your research interests are and that you have some knowledge of how to carry out a project. You'll have to convince them you're a good applicant basically. Good luck.

OEB typically does interviews/visits. Last year invites were early January (8th or 9th). Not sure how consistent they are year to year.

For UMichigan I actually missed the initial interview weekend because it conflicted with another, so they scheduled me to come up by myself a lot later (early March). And I heard back from them right after that. I also know some others that went to the interview weekend and I believe they got admission decisions right after interviewing as well. As far as receiving the interview invite, I think it was around Jan 20..so very soon if they are consistent year to year.

I've been popping in here looking through these as if I'm still going through this (but I'm not). I hope everyone gets into the program they love and enjoys the ride. It's exhausting and stressful and really, really fun. I've interviewed at a bunch of schools (listed below) so if anyone has any questions about any of them, feel free to reply or pm me! UF Biology, Yale EEB, UChicago CEB, UMichigan EEB, UWisconsin Botany, UWashington Biology, MSU Plant Bio/Entomology.

Yep! No regrets here about how many places I applied/interviewed. Besides, interviews are the fun part

I guess I should have mentioned the others too since it really was so varied. I had 2 more large state school interviews, but one I missed the real interview weekend so I don't know how many they invited and accepted. But another invited around 15 and took ~4 (though I don't know how many offers they extended, not all 15 though). So it really is all over the place! Plus mine were in a variety of departments (Biology, EEB, Botany,CEB) so I'm sure that makes a difference in some cases. I would never go into an interview assuming one way or the other; BUT, out of the 5 interviews I went on, almost all of them were pretty upfront with us about how many students they intended to accept.

Very program specific. Two of the interviews I went on invited about 20-25 people, and extended offers to only 5-6 students and hoped 4-5 of those would accept. Both of these were private schools, so that could factor in. One of the ones I attended told us when we got there that they invited only people they were serious about and would probably extend offers to all of us. I think they did end up extending offers to most but not all. This was a large state school.

Once this semester ends in May a lot of apartments will be vacated and they'll start listing them. I would say if you want an August move-in, start looking no later than June. It would be worth signing a lease for July even, just to make sure you get what you want. And I definitely recommend coming to look in person before you decide.

I've lived in the Bayou St. John and City Park areas for quite a while (I'm from New Orleans) and I highly recommend them. Especially Bayou St. John since it's so central and you get anywhere in town fairly easy (with a car). Plus it's a great neighborhood and there are always fun things happening nearby. I love living by City Park since I walk/run with my dog there everyday. The Bywater is not a neighborhood I would choose to live in, but many college age people do. Some areas are great, some are very bad. I'd say take a drive around that neighborhood at night and on weekends, etc before you decide if you want to live there. It's also a bit out of the way of a lot of things, BUT there are some great restaurants in the Bywater (and all over New Orleans of course).

I visited for a few days and I thought it was pretty nice. I'm coming from a bigger city and am actually looking forward to the smaller college town feel of it. It's got a decent music scene, lots of restaurants, lots of nature/hiking places around, plenty of bars....guess it depends on what you're looking for. If you like sports, UF goes all out for pretty much everything, but of course particularly for football. I also like that it's a pretty short drive to some other major cities in Florida (Tampa, Orlando, etc) and from both coasts.

I'm about 99% sure I'll be heading to UF. Pretty excited, it was definitely my favorite of the places I interviewed.

I'm 99% sure I'm heading to UF! Also would like to hear about housing. I'm looking for a house with a fenced yard in particular, and if not then at least a dog friendly, quiet apartment. Any info on good neighborhoods or ones to avoid would be really useful!

I love love love Six Feet Under. And the finale is definitely one of the best I've seen.

Prison Break if it's still on there. Soooo good and very underrated.

Reviving this thread. Anyone else considering UF? For anyone familiar with the area, what are some good neighborhoods? I've heard the duck pond is where a lot of grad students live. Also, any areas (full of undergrads) to avoid?

New Orleans isn't the easiest city to live in without a car, but I think it can be done. If you don't like the area near UNO, you should try looking in Mid-City (near City Park and Bayou St. John) or in Lakeview. I have lived in both of these neighborhoods while attending UNO and road my bike to campus frequently. I do drive most of the time though because the weather here sucks. I don't know much about the bus system here but you could check that out as well. I have heard it's not very good so biking is probably a better option. Both the Mid-City and Lakeview neighborhoods have a lot of restaurants and groceries that would probably be easy enough to walk to and you can walk to the street car which will get you downtown. That's also fairly easy to get to by bike. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Just got my acceptance for University of Florida Biology! First one....what a relief to know I'll be going somewhere!

Same. For biology...

There are a lot of apartments in the uptown area near Tulane. The riverbend area is also decent, as is Mid City (though this is further from campus). Avoid Central City. Rent in New Orleans is unfortunately more expensive than it should be, even for crappy places, so if possible you should check out apartments (and the neighborhood) in person before you decide. $800 a month might get you a decent, small place without utilities included.

congrats!!!! I can't wait for my visit

I checked but I don't see anything. Is it just where you can return to your application and review activity?

Sorry to hear about Brown. I still haven't heard from them but I'm thinking I won't get in either. Hope your rescheduled visit to Umich goes well. I'm sad I didn't get to go with the group as well.

@microarray that's such a bummer! I hope you get to reschedule soon.

I'm in a funded biological sciences masters program. However, it's at a pretty unremarkable university that I don't think anyone would choose for ranking/prestige. We are all guaranteed funding for 3 years and people are most often paid through TA or RA.

Some of the interviews I've been to in the past were the kind where pretty much everyone was accepted and they told us that when we got there. (One example was Michigan State). Sometimes that is not the case though. Another interview I've attended told us up front that only 50% would be admitted. So basically, I think they will tell you once you get there. Good luck!