mutantmanifesto

Alright, I've posted definitely in this forum so many times, but I'm hoping with each post comes a little more knowledge and sophistication. That's probably asking too much of myself. From the get-go animal behavior, ecology, evolution, anthropology person here in need of some experienced people to chat with!! This post is for me to hear some opinions of my future options from you guys. I'll try to keep this as neat as I can, but I get so caught up in obsessing over it that I tend to get scattered. What I've always wanted to do, since I was probably 5 or younger, is work with animals and study evolution; particularly dogs. Dogs are my passion forever. I'm supremely interested in social behavior of dogs, the evolution of it, and the uniqueness of it. Since taking a number of these grad classes, I've actually created a project I would love to use as the basis for my dissertation were I to find a PI who takes on students that want to try out their own ideas. I don't know the etiquette to that, so any info would be great. The project is human-dog social interaction based, and will delve into co evolution among other things. All very well and good. The kicker is this, because I've just now gotten married and I'm really starting to plan a legitimate future with my husband and any future children. PhD in evolution has always been "it," but I never had much of a reason to think about what comes after "it." I have a good 2 years before I'm done with my MA while working full time, so the time is now to start major planning (thanks to SA mart for budgeting goons and CV goons!). I have my foot in the door, quite well, into the lab animal science field. I'm thinking the best of both worlds would be to go to school further and loop it right back to the field I'm already excelling in. No, I won't be studying humans and dogs playing with each other for a living because honestly that's not feasible for the life I want. Just one of many things I've settled with along the way. It recently occurred to me that I could absolutely go for a PhD in behavior and bring it back around to the LAS field-- the whole field is about having things done humanely and by the books...and the books are based on studies, many based on behavioral studies. So that is where my mind is headed right now. A compromise, but one that I think can bring me stability in my future in terms of job security while trying to hold down a family. I spoke to the top most person in my department and he didn't even bat an eye before telling me it's entirely doable- I just don't know how. So that's why I'm here. My current school stats: -BA Biology/chem minor (2009) from a small private school in NYC, nothing prestigious. Didn't do that well, 3.1 I think overall, maybe 3.6 biology. Undergrad was a shitshow for me psychologically so it's nice to have some distance from that to show what I'm actually worth. -2nd author publication in thrilling botany journal in 2009 -At the end of this semester, I'll have 15/30 credits done for my MA in Biology (Ecology, evolution, behavior based) at CUNY Queens College (again, yippee..not prestigious in the slightest). Currently I have a solid string of A-'s, and this current class I'll be getting an A in as long as I do my fucking research. So we'll go along similar lines and say I'll graduate with something between a 3.7-3.8. I've been at this degree for 2 years at the end of this semester because I work full time. -By June I should be done with the bulk of my master's thesis work, and I have promised my up-for-tenure PI that I will have a publication out by the years end as the primary author. A highly novel bird song experiment that will likely lead to further publications. I'm not anticipating lower tier journals, either. This is a pretty big deal study and my PI is very well regarded in the field and will get me set up fine I think. -My GREs are horrendous and fit the critera of "they will care if horrendous" so I'll have to redo those before this process even really gets going. My current work stats: -I entered the lab animal science field accidentally as I was desperately groping for a job in 2009 after I graduated. I wasn't really upset with the field, it did fit my interests well enough (animals and science). I haven't left the field and have since been promoted twice in one department, went over to another department for a higher up position, and now just landed back at the original department with an "elite" (their words) job. I'm one to three notches under senior staff (directors, heads, chairs, etc) and probably on the same ground as upper management. I'd say it's a midlevel job. I'm the youngest of my group at 26, and I'm probably the youngest comparatively across the different groups. I don't think that means anything, but I guess I'm trying to say that I sort of blasted my way through somehow very fast. -I have worked at two very prestigious institutions. A cancer center in NYC and a medical college/hospital in NYC. Very closely associated with each other. -I was offered this current positon before they realized that I had to absolutely have my RLAT certification prior to anything getting signed, so I had 10 days to register, study and test and magically managed to do this. So I'm an RLAT (lab animal tech) and can't see LATG (lab animal technologist) being that much more difficult. Why I came here There are so many of you with so many specialties. My dream school is UC Davis' animal behavior group, but even I don't know how I'd even approach that. On one hand I've got the dogs, on the other the lab animals...and I don't want to give up the dogs entirely. I think a well rounded behavior degree would cover LAS stuff, but I really don't know. I'm open minded with schools, really, except I know that I want to get the FUCK out of NYC and would rather be in California. Beggars choosers etc. I just want options. The most recent thought that occurred to me was maybe trying for vet school with a focus on lab animal science, which is the surefire "secure and won't be poor" way...but really medicine isn't for me. That would be settling for something I'm not interested in for money. I'm looking for a balance, or any ideas of how I can bring my interests into further schooling, and then wrap them right back to my field. FUNDING IS AN ISSUE. My husband is still working on his BA (I fucked him over by pulling him to NYC way before he was done with school, so at 29 he's desperately trying to get shit together too. I will need to find a program that at least waives tuition and gives a stipend at best. Like I said, my dream school is UC Davis but I don't even know how many people typically get funded [edit: I forgot that I saw that funding their is really iffy, so if anybody who has been in that grad group can chime in, I'd appreciate it!). That's the long post I have for you. If anybody sees anything that they might be able to enlighten me on, please feel free to PM me, email me (username@gmail), or reply. I want to do this right, and I want to find myself options and ideas before I just blindly start applying and contacting people. Thanks for your time, guys

I just bought the 8 book set of Manhattan's. It's much cheaper on amazon than through the actual company. I also bought their 5lb book of questions and the ETS guide, along with Barron's flashcards. I'll report back when I get everything!

Just to get it out of the way: I need a course. I know this as fact. Ok, so, I work fulltime and absolutely have no way to take an in-person or live-online course. I need a go-at-your-own-speed online course. Kaplan, Barron's and The Princeton Review all have courses. Kaplan is $500, but you can pay in 3 installments (awesome for me). 7 practice tests. By the looks of it, you get some books to study with as well. Barron's is $100 and has a nice ipad app to go along with it. 4 practice tests. The Princeton Review is $500 in one go. 8 practice tests. Anybody have experience with any of these? I'd lean towards Barron's, but...well, in general you get what you pay for. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, really. I need to bump my score, but, oh, double.

Hey this is super encouraging, thanks! I'm going to hustle on the GRE, really focus and get it done. This summer I'm only taking research credits, and I asked my adviser what that would mean. He said, and I quote, "I will just kick your royal arse about your work, not that I don't do that already." So yay, no extra work load over the summer. Plenty of time to get those scores up.

If I didn't have $500 a month in student loans, I'd be set. My rent right now is only $1,100, and I split it with my boyfriend so it's really not bad. It's definitely a fallback option, but I'd be living REALLY tight. Same really goes for UCLA, rent is quite similar, they'd just pay me a couple thousand more. If I'm not mistaken, one person in my lab got their funding up to $30k, so it's something that might be a possibility for me. The downside of staying in my lab, is that my adviser doesn't specialize in the topic I'm looking to study. HOWEVER (and a BIG however), he's an incredibly smart guy who is VERY well rounded in all areas of animal behavior and evolution, so advising me in whatever project I so choose will not be difficult for him. He has already told me that if I stay on, that I can do whatever project I so choose.

Thanks! That was really helpful, I appreciate it! I'm going to really, really try to pull my score up significantly. Regardless, I am definitely going to cast my net wider than I thought I would. I definitely have to start compiling schools and finding POIs in the lower ranked schools. I actually have been told by my current adviser that I can probably stay with my lab and do my own thing at CUNY. The only issue is they pay their students something around $24,000. While at most schools this wouldn't be that big of a deal, in NYC it's a dealbreaker. I just cannot live on that at all. However, it's something to fall back on. I have to chat with my adviser about it. I appreciate your feedback, it helped a lot

So, so helpful!! Thank you SO much! Whenever it comes to applying for anything, I obsess immediately and feel the need to figure everything out way in advance. Not a bad trait in this case, actually. I like your take on the subject GRE, and I actually have a feeling what you said is probably totally true. Also, thanks for the nice words about the top tier school! That actually made me feel a lot better. Seriously, thanks so much. You helped a random Internet stranger a whole lot

This is a cross-post from Applications, but I didn't even know there was a life sciences section. Whoops! "I'm new here, so sorry if this is rambling/difficult. I'm in my second semester of an MA program and Queens College (CUNY), a research thesis route. I'm part of an amazing lab and I'm doing a research project on swamp sparrow song development, which will [hopefully] be published we me as the first author. Spring 2014 will be my last semester, if I play my cards right. I'm hoping to apply for fall 2014 PhD programs in Biology, with an Ecology/Evolution/Behavior focus, which means apps out by the end of this year. Here's what I got going for me: My adviser will give me a stellar reference, and if this research gets a publication, it will be my 2nd (second author of a paper from undergrad). I also have two references from undergrad, as well as one from my boss who is a PhD in I believe genetics. My undergrad references are above and beyond, and have gotten me a great paying job and also admission into grad school. One of the professors who will be writing a recommendation for me just asked me to present/lecture to her undergraduate animal behavior class this month. Currently I have a 3.7, and I'm anticipating at least getting A-'s in the two classes I'm in now, so it will stay at 3.7 or go up. I don't plan on ever going below a B+ in any class I take. Maybe a lofty goal, but I think it's reasonable. I also have a conference presenatation under my belt from my undergrad research. I have a BA in biology, and I finished with I think an iffy 3.2. And now the bad part: I took the GREs in 2009 twice. I really sincerely suck at standardized tests. My scores were: 450/580/4.0 and 430/560/4.0. I think that's quant/verbal/writing. That's the old scoring, right? Anyway, abysmal. I will be taking the test again this summer after taking a prep course, I am anticipating doing a lot better. I should note that during the time I was prepping for the two tests, I had just met my boyfriend (now of 4 years, goddamn) and I was in ~~~love~~~ so yeah, I'm planning on focusing a lot more this time around. I am looking to apply to: UCLA, UC Davis, UT Austin, and a couple of higher tiers like Columbia and Cornell. I'm not banking on getting into the last two. Right now, there is a lab at UCLA that is studying what I'm interested it (canine evolution). I contact the head of the lab, laying out my interests and talking about some of his research. His email back was short, but said, "I am going to be taking students in Fall 2014, and I encourage you to apply." Verbatim. I'm taking that as a positive response. A couple of labs at Columbia have gotten back to me saying I don't fit, so I know what negative responses look like. A couple of questions: -If I'm applying for Fall 2014, and I'm not technically done with my degree until Spring/summer 2014, what do I say? I forget how this worked when I was applying to graduate schools last time. Do I explain how the rest of the schooling will play out (ie how many credits I have left/when I anticipate finishing?). How my next year plays out is: summer 2013 6 credits, fall 2013 6 credits, winter 2013 3 credits. Apply by the winter. After the application goes in, Spring 2014: 6 credits (3 being research, 3 being class credits). I'm hoping to also finish up my thesis in Spring 2014, but it may extend to Summer 2014. Either way, I will be done by the Fall 2014 semester. That all sounds sort of confusing, sorry. -If I have my sights set on schools like UCLA and UC Davis, for example, what GRE scores should I be looking at? Obviously I'm going to try to up my scores significantly, but I'm terribly afraid of bombing again. -If schools say a subject bio gre is "recommended" by not required, in my situation, would it really hurt me not to take them? I want to focus on the general test and get my scores up, however long that may take me. I have a feeling that by December of this year I won't be able to master the material for both the general and the subject, and I know the general is much more important. -What else should I be doing, if anything? I feel like I'm doing everything I can, but I'd really appreciate any other tips on how to beef up what will be my application. -How doomed am I?! Thanks guys!!"

Email sent!

I'm new here, so sorry if this is rambling/difficult. I'm in my second semester of an MA program and Queens College (CUNY), a research thesis route. I'm part of an amazing lab and I'm doing a research project on swamp sparrow song development, which will [hopefully] be published we me as the first author. Spring 2014 will be my last semester, if I play my cards right. I'm hoping to apply for fall 2014 PhD programs in Biology, with an Ecology/Evolution/Behavior focus, which means apps out by the end of this year. Here's what I got going for me: My adviser will give me a stellar reference, and if this research gets a publication, it will be my 2nd (second author of a paper from undergrad). I also have two references from undergrad, as well as one from my boss who is a PhD in I believe genetics. My undergrad references are above and beyond, and have gotten me a great paying job and also admission into grad school. One of the professors who will be writing a recommendation for me just asked me to present/lecture to her undergraduate animal behavior class this month. Currently I have a 3.7, and I'm anticipating at least getting A-'s in the two classes I'm in now, so it will stay at 3.7 or go up. I don't plan on ever going below a B+ in any class I take. Maybe a lofty goal, but I think it's reasonable. I also have a conference presenatation under my belt from my undergrad research. I have a BA in biology, and I finished with I think an iffy 3.2. And now the bad part: I took the GREs in 2009 twice. I really sincerely suck at standardized tests. My scores were: 450/580/4.0 and 430/560/4.0. I think that's quant/verbal/writing. That's the old scoring, right? Anyway, abysmal. I will be taking the test again this summer after taking a prep course, I am anticipating doing a lot better. I should note that during the time I was prepping for the two tests, I had just met my boyfriend (now of 4 years, goddamn) and I was in ~~~love~~~ so yeah, I'm planning on focusing a lot more this time around. I am looking to apply to: UCLA, UC Davis, UT Austin, and a couple of higher tiers like Columbia and Cornell. I'm not banking on getting into the last two. Right now, there is a lab at UCLA that is studying what I'm interested it (canine evolution). I contact the head of the lab, laying out my interests and talking about some of his research. His email back was short, but said, "I am going to be taking students in Fall 2014, and I encourage you to apply." Verbatim. I'm taking that as a positive response. A couple of labs at Columbia have gotten back to me saying I don't fit, so I know what negative responses look like. A couple of questions: -If I'm applying for Fall 2014, and I'm not technically done with my degree until Spring/summer 2014, what do I say? I forget how this worked when I was applying to graduate schools last time. Do I explain how the rest of the schooling will play out (ie how many credits I have left/when I anticipate finishing?). How my next year plays out is: summer 2013 6 credits, fall 2013 6 credits, winter 2013 3 credits. Apply by the winter. After the application goes in, Spring 2014: 6 credits (3 being research, 3 being class credits). I'm hoping to also finish up my thesis in Spring 2014, but it may extend to Summer 2014. Either way, I will be done by the Fall 2014 semester. That all sounds sort of confusing, sorry. -If I have my sights set on schools like UCLA and UC Davis, for example, what GRE scores should I be looking at? Obviously I'm going to try to up my scores significantly, but I'm terribly afraid of bombing again. -If schools say a subject bio gre is "recommended" by not required, in my situation, would it really hurt me not to take them? I want to focus on the general test and get my scores up, however long that may take me. I have a feeling that by December of this year I won't be able to master the material for both the general and the subject, and I know the general is much more important. -What else should I be doing, if anything? I feel like I'm doing everything I can, but I'd really appreciate any other tips on how to beef up what will be my application. -How doomed am I?! Thanks guys