mayanway

Congrats, shadowclaw!

I'm rooting for all of you who are still waiting! The late notifications are super frustrating. I was lucky to receive two offers in early February, but one program was pressuring me to accept/decline ASAP and the last 2 schools I was considering weren't even making decisions until March. I ended up accepting their offer last week, as they were unwilling to wait any longer for my answer and I was about 90% sure I'd go there even if I got fully funded offers from my last 2 schools. I'm happy to know where I'm going and super excited about the research I'll be doing, but it would have been nice to know all my options before committing.

I was in a similar situation this week. I wrote a quick note explaining that I appreciated the offer, but had a few applications out and would like to wait until I knew all of my options before committing. PI and administrator who sent the offer email were both fine with this - realistically, they know you probably didn't just apply to their school, and most universities have a mutual agreement that they cannot require you to accept/decline an admissions/funding offer before April 15.

Thanks! Ha, too many OSU's - my acceptance was at Oregon State, veterinary department

So I got an acceptance and fellowship offer from OSU (yay!), and think there's a pretty good chance that's where I'll end up. However, I haven't heard back from all of my schools, and they want me to accept or decline the offer in 2 weeks. Time to send out emails asking when I can expect to hear back, I guess...

I applied to the epidemiology program at Davis and haven't heard anything yet. Based on the results page, it appears they do all notifications pretty late.

Finally some news! Acceptance at UW-Madison Comparative Biomedical Sciences program - technically not EEB but my research will still fall within that sphere. Still have to be accepted into a lab prior to admission as my original POI doesn't have funding this year.

No. I've gotten a couple of "your application is complete" emails, but no status updates. 2 of my programs had December 1 deadlines and will be interviewing in February, and it's starting to seem unlikely that I'll get an interview invite. The rest of mine had later deadlines and I don't expect to hear anything until February.

alejandromolina - I applied there too (assuming you mean Michigan State and not another MSU) and haven't heard anything either. Given their early deadline, I'm hoping it's soon. Also, I almost added another school when a colleague forwarded me a link to a position that looked great, only to find that it's only open to UK citizens : /

Solanus - my experience was more like the first scenario you brought up. That said, I think there's some variation between schools/departments, so read the instructions on the department website carefully. Most of my programs either explicitly require a professor that is willing to take you into their lab to be considered for admission, or state that having one greatly increases your chances. I applied to 6 schools and contacted POIs at all of them. 2 invited me to talk to them by phone/skype (and I ended up helping with fieldwork for one of them based on our phone conversation, but that's another story), 1 I had met and talked with at a conference, and the other 3 just sent emails back saying they are taking students this year and encouraged me to apply. I contacted a LOT of people to get those 6 schools (many had full labs or no funding), and like you was typically only interested in the work of 1-2 at each school.

EEB/Zoology applicant here. I submitted all applications in November, but most of my programs notify pretty late. This waiting game is getting old already!

Shadowclaw - which department did you apply to at Oregon State? Zoology (now integrative biology) does not do interviews according to the PI I'm applying with there. I can totally commiserate about the wait, too! I submitted all of my applications in November, but most of my programs haven't even started reviewing applications yet and typically Feb-March notifications according to results search. Not sure if this is common to EEB/zoology or just the schools I applied to. Here's hoping some good news will be arriving soon for the other late deadline folks.

Congrats to those who have interview invites already! Color me jealous - most of my programs haven't even started reviewing applications yet. As far as I can tell, only 3 of mine do interviews/prospective student weekends, the other 4 just send out acceptance/rejection emails in the spring.

Well, it's worthwhile to spend the time editing and getting a nice, tailored SOP, right? Don't be like me and paste the essay intended for the wrong department in the statement of purpose box, then realize it after submitting.

Shadowclaw - out of curiosity, are you finding these announcements on the ecolog listserv? I subscribed for a while, but for me it was too much volume compared to my (relatively narrow) set of interests. I've submitted all my applications except one, which I'm on the fence about. POI there does cool wildlife research in East Africa and encouraged me to apply, but said that she wasn't 100% certain she'll be taking new grad students this year since she's planning to retire in 4-6 years. Plus they're the only school that requires a separate statement of purpose and personal statement...

I'm applying this fall for PhD programs, and know that at least one of my schools does an interview weekend for candidates who have made a first cut. I'm a little concerned about being available for this if I'm selected. I have to submit PTO requests from my job 3 months in advance, and suspect that there won't be that much lead time for the interview process. Is it acceptable to inquire about possible interview dates even before submitting applications to graduate programs?

Undergrad Institution: Big State U, good research school Major(s): BS Biomedical Sciences Minor(s): GPA in Major: not calculated Overall GPA: 3.37 Position in Class: don't know Type of Student: Domestic female DVM GPA: 3.32 GRE Scores (revised/old version): scores now expired, retaking later this week Q: 710 V: 690 W: 4.5 Research Experience: No publications, 1 manuscript that will be submitted in the next few weeks, also helped with 2 seasons of fieldwork for that project. Lots of work on the fieldwork/data collection side of other people's research projects in the past. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: National Merit and some academic scholarships as an undergrad Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have worked as a vet for 2 years. Worked as a wildlife biology tech on 2 different projects during summers and volunteered on 2 additional projects. TAed a class for vet students while in school and taught a field course for vet students in the tropics last winter. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Vet externships in school were all with wildlife agencies, lots of experience in the field on both international and domestic projects. I've had extra training in wildlife immobilization. Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...): Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Applying to Where: Oregon State University - Integrative Biology/Comparative Health Michigan State University - Zoology University of Georgia - Wildlife Ecology UC Davis - Epidemiology Princeton - EEB University of Wisconsin - Comparative Biomedical Sciences It's a weird mix of departments/areas of study, but all of the POIs are doing similar research (wildlife epidemiology/disease ecology). I've confirmed POIs at all the schools and have had lengthy conversations with 3 about project ideas. I'm hoping that my vet skills, work/research experience and time since undergrad (6 years) will help make up for low GPA.

I'm not currently in a wildlife graduate program (I'm a vet who is applying to go back for a PhD to do wildlife work), but I can chip in based on my past experience. I wouldn't be too concerned about how multiple seasonal jobs look on your resume - it's very, very typical for people working in the wildlife field with just a bachelor's, particularly when they're recently out of school. Presumably the people who review applications will know this. Generally, getting the master's would be a positive for your career. I know people who got permanent positions without going to grad school, but most worked multiple years as seasonal employees first, had exceptional experience coming out of school, and/or had federal preference from military service or peace corps. I know a lot more who left the field after a few years or are still doing the same seasonal work but are quite disenchanted with their prospects and are looking to either go to grad school or get out. At least one of the state wildlife agencies (ID) considers a master's to be the entry level degree for wildlife biologists. You might look into some of the programs that have cooperative agreements with their state wildlife agencies, as this could be a good networking opportunity for post-grad school jobs.

I'll be working when the email comes...I'm hoping that the cold doesn't scare away all of my clients so that I can at least keep busy during the day

Hi Spainbound, I'm also coming from the working world, with 1.5 years practicing as a vet. I was able to apply through my university. I was told that I could be eligible for the Scholar program, but that my chances would be better through the student program, since the scholar program is directed more towards those who are already in academic careers. I asked professors for my recommendations. Like you, I didn't want to inform my employer that I might be leaving. I had kept in touch and collaborated on research with 2 of my letter writers since graduating, but the third was someone I hadn't talked to for some time. She didn't seem bothered by it - I think you just have to use the contacts that are available that won't jeopardize your employment. Most professors won't have an issue with doing a rec for a former student, particularly if you had done research with them or had some sort of relationship/dialogue that went beyond attending their class.

Just submitted my application for Sweden. I graduated a little over a year ago and applied for a full grant through my alma mater. Now it's time to prepare for the interview and get ready for a long wait. Is anyone else applying for grad school as well? I'm going to apply at a few top choice PhD programs this year, but it could be a tough choice if I were offered Fulbright and a great funded acceptance (though I certainly won't complain if I end up in that situation!)

I'm planning to pursue a PHd in the next few years. I'm a veterinarian who figured out in vet school (too late for a dual program, alas) that my interests fell more in the realm of population level wildlife/zoonotic disease research than standard cat and dog medicine. However, a really intriguing opportunity has come up through one of my contacts. It would involve a year abroad (2014-2015) conducting disease ecology research in wildlife populations and working as the vet for some other wildlife capture projects. The few other people that have done this before me were funded by Fulbright scholarships and some had additional grants. Two have stayed on to get their PHds through the associated university. I'm trying to decide whether my best strategy would be to focus solely on finding funding for this opportunity, or to apply for US grad schools at the same time. It is really a dream position, but would only be for one year and I would still need to pursue further training to make this my career. Of course, the competitiveness of Fulbright (and the similar region-specific grant I'd also apply for) makes this far from a sure thing. Staying in my current job for another year if I were rejected without having pursued anything else is a really unappealing thought. On the other hand, if I were accepted to a PHd program in addition to getting funded for this research year, I'd have some tough decisions to make. Is it possible to defer PHd admission (and funding?!) for something like this? Has anyone else gone through the same dilemma, and what did you do?

You may actually be better off doing either a post-bac or taking some relevant courses at a local community college rather than doing a master's. From what I understand, GPA is calculated from undergrad level coursework only at most schools. While good grades in a master's program might be looked up favorably, doing undergrad level work will help a lot more in shoring up your calculated GPA to make minimum cut-offs. You're going to be swimming upstream starting from a 2.7, but with stellar grades in future coursework and fantastic credentials otherwise, it may be possible. I'll second SDN as a great resource - it was very useful when I was applying to vet school, and the medical boards are even more active

I'm planning to apply for PhD programs next year (for a Fall 2014 start) and am just starting to research my options. I'm discovering that I know very little about the graduate school application process, so please forgive me if these questions are overly basic. Some background: I'm a recently graduated veterinarian hoping to make a career in research focused on "One Health" concepts - particularly on factors that influence transmission/spread of infectious disease within wildlife populations. My actual course of study will most likely be in ecology or epidemiology, and I will probably focus on programs associated with veterinary schools. I spent most of my school breaks working on wildlife research projects, but wasn't sure that pursuing further study was for me until a few months before graduation. I'm currently a small animal vet and will continue to work this job until I am accepted. I routinely see announcements for graduate assistantships on specific projects. Some of them are extremely relevant to my interests and background. I'm curious whether there's a major difference between pursuing one of those opportunities vs simply applying to a PhD program within a department of a particular school. I suppose the advantages would be guaranteed funding if accepted, knowing your lab/advisor from the start and potentially being able to start work on your project earlier in the curriculum. Disadvantages might be less flexibility to pursue a project of your own design. Anything I'm missing? Any implications for program "prestige" or employment opportunities post-graduation? My other questions pertain to the general application process and funding. My understanding is that people typically apply to a program within a department at each school and that funded positions are typically reserved for more competitive applicants. Are you typically notified of your funding situation when you receive your acceptance to the school, or does that come later? Does in-state vs out-of-state factor in at all? Is it an entirely different situation for a US citizen applying to programs abroad? Can you be committed to a particular lab at the time of acceptance - and is that typically established simply by contacting a POI prior to the grad school application? Two important factors for me are that I end up in a program with a significant field research component (ideally where my DVM degree is relevant) and that I don't accrue any additional educational debt. In that vein, I have seen multiple threads where people mention that outside employment is forbidden - how common is that, and does it apply to school breaks as well? I understand that most grad students don't have much time for outside work and are still in the lab when the undergrads are off, but relief veterinary work could potentially be a nice secondary income source on an "as time permits" basis if allowed. Thanks to anyone who read through all of that! Any input is appreciated, and in the meantime I'll continue perusing the previously amassed knowledge in old posts