MEM 2011 applicants

[surprisecake]

Where are you planning to apply?

[2shieh]

I'm applying to Evans (environmental policy concentration), SIPA, Bren, UCLA (again, environmental policy concentration), UPenn (environmental studies), and Yale (environmental studies). Hopefully these aren't all reach schools... what about you?

[surprisecake]

Yale FES, Nicholas (Duke), and UPenn. My undergraduate degree is in science so will also try for environmental MS programs at Cornell, Berkeley, Indiana and Michigan.

I've only managed to identify my reach schools so far Everytime I try to seriously research matches, my heart is just not in it.

What background are you from? are you applying directly out of undergrad studies?

[2shieh]

Yale FES, Nicholas (Duke), and UPenn. My undergraduate degree is in science so will also try for environmental MS programs at Cornell, Berkeley, Indiana and Michigan.

I've only managed to identify my reach schools so far Everytime I try to seriously research matches, my heart is just not in it.

What background are you from? are you applying directly out of undergrad studies?

I'm applying with a social science background (international studies and accounting to be exact). I quit my job about a month ago and have been focusing more on an internship at a native environmental restoration area that I've had since February and also have been volunteering with the nonprofit that I've been involved in. Are you applying right out of undergrad?

Good luck on your apps!

[seahawk2k]

Where are you planning to apply?

Hello all!

I am planning on applying to Duke, U Michigan, Arizona State, Indiana, and UCSB. Anyone applying to Michigan: the SOP says to identify faculty you would like to work with. Should I also be emailing the faculty I am interested in? It's complicated when most of these degrees are Professional so I never know if I should be contacting faculty.

Thanks and good luck!

[monotreme]

I'm applying to Yale FES for MESc, Duke Nicholas School for MEM, UCSB Bren School for MESM, and maybe Cornell for MS in their Dept of Natural Resources.

Have you all taken the GRE already? I'm taking it next month.. a month before the first app is due..

Also, has anyone visited the campuses? I visited Yale last month and talked to MEM and PhD students, assistant dean, and the doctoral program coordinator.

Some things I noticed: Many international students. Students look younger than Yale's stated average age of 27. Large class sizes for grad school - I sat in 2 classes that had 30-40 students.

Edited October 8, 2010 by monotreme

[surprisecake]

Can you believe its OCTOBER ALREADY??! *panic*

I did the very same thing. My GRE date is the 1st of november, a month before the first deadline. Have you identified or contacted an advisor at Cornell? They require you to finger someone but nobody is close to my field!

I'm quite happy Yale is skewing younger because I'm applying right out of undergrad at Yale is my dream school.

[monotreme]

Can you believe its OCTOBER ALREADY??! *panic*

I did the very same thing. My GRE date is the 1st of november, a month before the first deadline. Have you identified or contacted an advisor at Cornell? They require you to finger someone but nobody is close to my field!

I'm quite happy Yale is skewing younger because I'm applying right out of undergrad at Yale is my dream school.

i'm feeling.. paralyzed.. why is it already october?? or rather, why is Yale's app due so early? Hahahaa

Mm, I haven't identified an advisor at Cornell yet. I only decided to apply yesterday after looking at this list on Treehugger: 10 of the Best College Environmental Programs in the U.S.

I need to identify an advisor at Yale too, since I'm applying for the MESc. I want to get a PhD ultimately, but I don't know exactly what I want to spend 6 yrs researching..

What's your background? I'm also right out of undergrad. I majored in Environmental Science and minored in Global Studies.

Edited October 8, 2010 by monotreme

[monotreme]

Hello all!

I am planning on applying to Duke, U Michigan, Arizona State, Indiana, and UCSB. Anyone applying to Michigan: the SOP says to identify faculty you would like to work with. Should I also be emailing the faculty I am interested in? It's complicated when most of these degrees are Professional so I never know if I should be contacting faculty.

Thanks and good luck!

Hi,

I'm not sure if it's the same at Michigan, but I talked to admissions at Yale and they said that you should email and establish some sort of relationship w.a professor. It's kind of like how PhD applicants have to be backed by a faculty member, but for masters programs, just a few emails is good. Enough to align your interests with the prof and let him/her know that you're applying this yr.

Hope this helped!

[surprisecake]

Mm, I haven't identified an advisor at Cornell yet. I only decided to apply yesterday after looking at this list on Treehugger: 10 of the Best College Environmental Programs in the U.S.

I need to identify an advisor at Yale too, since I'm applying for the MESc.

I hope we haven't left this for too late! I have to identify advisors at 4 schools and I haven't mailed anyone yet. That first email is a b*tch to compose.

What's your background? I'm also right out of undergrad. I majored in Environmental Science and minored in Global Studies.

I'm a veterinarian (yeah, WTF, I know!) Final year vet school. I have some undergrad research experience in environmental health and I want to work in animal resource management. I don't know if my background is going to work for me or against me, but one thing's for sure, it's very hard to find any advisors!!

What GRE score are you aiming/hoping for?

I want to get a PhD ultimately, but I don't know exactly what I want to spend 6 yrs researching..

Interesting thought. You, like me, know you want to study, but don't know what in particular! These schools have traditionally looked for students with some pre-existing career direction. So we've always been told that our SOPs are supposed to draw a logical path between our pasts and our futures via that school.

Hopefully thats changed recently and they are accepting of people who want to find our exact path *in* school.

[monotreme]

I hope we haven't left this for too late! I have to identify advisors at 4 schools and I haven't mailed anyone yet. That first email is a b*tch to compose.

I'm a veterinarian (yeah, WTF, I know!) Final year vet school. I have some undergrad research experience in environmental health and I want to work in animal resource management. I don't know if my background is going to work for me or against me, but one thing's for sure, it's very hard to find any advisors!!

What GRE score are you aiming/hoping for?

Interesting thought. You, like me, know you want to study, but don't know what in particular! These schools have traditionally looked for students with some pre-existing career direction. So we've always been told that our SOPs are supposed to draw a logical path between our pasts and our futures via that school.

Hopefully thats changed recently and they are accepting of people who want to find our exact path *in* school.

don't worry right now about identifying a particular advisor. i called Yale (since u need an advisor for MESc) and they said that you don't need to start contacting faculty right now bc they don't review applications until jan/feb. so that part of the app can be done later. but for your SOP, you might want to identify 1 or 2 faculty that attracts you to that school.. so, have someone in mind for your statement, but don't email him/her right now.

are there any masters programs in animal resource management or related to it? if you're getting your DVM, why do you need a masters degree?

and im aiming for a GRE score around 1300 ::crosses fingers and flips through vocab cards::

[surprisecake]

don't worry right now about identifying a particular advisor. i called Yale (since u need an advisor for MESc) and they said that you don't need to start contacting faculty right now bc they don't review applications until jan/feb. so that part of the app can be done later. but for your SOP, you might want to identify 1 or 2 faculty that attracts you to that school.. so, have someone in mind for your statement, but don't email him/her right now.

are there any masters programs in animal resource management or related to it? if you're getting your DVM, why do you need a masters degree?

and im aiming for a GRE score around 1300 ::crosses fingers and flips through vocab cards::

There aren't any animal resource management courses... or anything close. The equivalent to the DVM in India is the tongue-tying B.V.Sc. and A.H. - Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry. There's no pre-med requirements here, so even though the BVSc gives you the same qualifications, we do it right out of high school. and then there's the whole "A.H." part... which basically includes every animal related thing on the planet! Wildlife management, commerical fishing, Goat rearing, how to make pork products, Public health, agricultural practices and I cannot even remember what else.

I'm basically already qualified in animal resource management but I want to learn how to integrate it with environmental management using a broader perspective. There's too huge a gap between biologists, sub-sections of biologists and policy makers!

I scored an 1100 on a practise test last week... 3 weeks to go for my GRE date

when are you taking it?!

[surprisecake]

Bump?

[seahawk2k]

Bump?

I was accepted to Indiana University for MSES/MPA!

[surprisecake]

WOAH how did that happen! I barely got done with submitting my SPEA app this week....

also... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Edited December 3, 2010 by surprisecake

[seahawk2k]

WOAH how did that happen! I barely got done with submitting my SPEA app this week....

also... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Any updates?????

[surprisecake]

No sir. I had an issue with my first TOEFL because they had a technical problem while scoring my speaking section. I had to take the damn test again on Dec 12, and schools would have got my scores barely a few days ago. I'm guessing everything was frozen post Dec 23, so I'm going to wait til Jan 3 to see if my application packet is FINALLY complete! What about you?! Did you hear back from anyone else?

[surprisecake]

Also: are you applying to the School of Sustainability at ASU?

[chocolate_blanche]

I am really glad to find other applicants to Environmental Sciences and Management/ Policy on this thread. I am trying for the PhD level though.

I am puzzled every time I hear of 'the relationship' we need to establish at Yale FES. I mean, other than contacting a particular professor about our matching research interests and then letting him or her know that your application is in, what else does this 'relationship' comprise?

Also do you guys know how much faculty contact factor in admissions at UCSB Bren and Yale FES?

Thanks and good luck to you all (and to me!!)!

[swend]

@ chocolate_blanche

I have the same question

it seems that MEM applicants do not need to estabelish a relationship with Yale FES faculty. But, maybe a relationship will put weight on your application, maybe not.

[surprisecake]

I don't think there's any tangible advantage to establishing relationships with professors for the MEM program at Yale. From what I can tell from their eclectic student body from the last couple of years, they care more about diversity than "fit". (I haven't mailed anyone at FES or Bren)

The relationship you're supposed to establish is giving them more detail than your official application about why you fit into their lab... sending them copies of papers, and posters, for example. I've had one successful exchange of emails with a professor and after I gave her extra background, it ended with "I look forward to reading your application", and I left it at that. It's also helpful to hear from them about what their current research areas actually are. Faculty bios tend to be misleading.

As for the PhDs, it looks like faculty relationships are a lot more important at USCB Bren as opposed to Yale. I'm feeling the heat for not establishing contact with any Bren professors even though I'm applying at the masters level. A lot of the faculty bios at Bren said that you should send them your background and CV, then a dialogue can be established and THEN you can *consider* sending in an official application.

At schools where faculty contact isn't mandatory, I guess the yearly intake is the indicator for how important it is. If there are a only few spots available in your sub-field, a professor would obviously prefer to admit someone they know in detail via a series of emails. If its a large program and there's a pool of applicants competing for spots on the basis of their official applications, then faculty contact should be less important.

But... I was always under the impression that faculty contact is essential when it comes to PhD programs at high ranked schools.

What does everyone think about Bren? They seemed to be missing any faculty for a lot of big sub-fields, and by WOM i've heard that its "cut off" from the rest of the environmental schools on the east coast. I'm still drawn to it though, and I just had to apply. But i'm not sure why I did!

[chocolate_blanche]

@ Swend

Now that I have submitted all my applications but one, we will have to wait to find out. But if you search in the results for Yale, it does indicate something along the line.

@ surprisecake

Thank you. Its great to have some discussion to have the time pass by faster. To me really, whether a faculty contact is mandatory or not, I did not want to apply to a school where I have no idea who I may work with, on what, and what the professor is like. About Bren, yes, they make it explicit on their website, especially for intl students. I am very impressed about their being innovative and also the diversity of the subfields there.

Do you happen to know anything about the funding situation at Bren? After all it is still in the UC system.

Again I am going for the doctoral stream, which may imply differences from you guys.

[seahawk2k]

@ Swend

Now that I have submitted all my applications but one, we will have to wait to find out. But if you search in the results for Yale, it does indicate something along the line.

@ surprisecake

Thank you. Its great to have some discussion to have the time pass by faster. To me really, whether a faculty contact is mandatory or not, I did not want to apply to a school where I have no idea who I may work with, on what, and what the professor is like. About Bren, yes, they make it explicit on their website, especially for intl students. I am very impressed about their being innovative and also the diversity of the subfields there.

Do you happen to know anything about the funding situation at Bren? After all it is still in the UC system.

Again I am going for the doctoral stream, which may imply differences from you guys.

Well it's great to see some other MEM people. I did not contact professors at Bren, but probably should have. I was not 100% sure about their fit for me so maybe I did not put as much effort into the process as I should have.

@ suprisecake- I did apply to ASU School of Sustainability, and I did have a brief email conversation with one professor. Hopefully we hear something from them soon! (early February according to the email!)

[surprisecake]

are you applying for the MS or MA at SoS? I can't believe they only admit EIGHT students for each program in a year. I wonder how many applications they get.

[seahawk2k]

are you applying for the MS or MA at SoS? I can't believe they only admit EIGHT students for each program in a year. I wonder how many applications they get.

wow that's scary! I applied for MS. Where did you get that statistic?