EEB interviews

[eco_env]

what kind of questions should I expect in an ecology program interview? I'm getting the impression that I'll need to have a detailed research plan in place, is that right?

[jaxzwolf]

I'm getting the impression that I'll need to have a detailed research plan in place, is that right?

Not from what I've heard, although I could be wrong. My undergraduate advisers, current grad students in EEB programs, and prospective grad advisers have all said more or less the same thing-- admissions committees/potential advisers don't expect you to have a specific research plan in place, but you should have ideas about the types of research questions that really interest you. Typically, your first one or two years in an EEB program are for coursework and narrowing down research topics until you have a fully-formulated research plan. A large part of graduate school in EEB should be learning how to put together your research ideas and find appropriate methods/analyses to answer your questions.

Professors will, however, want to learn about your research interests, and the types of questions that drive you to pursue an advanced degree. They don't expect you to be specific (e.g. "I want to study the ________ of __________ in Western Foreign Country using the methods developed by ___________ and analyses A. B. and C."). From what I understand, it's more important for them to see the types of questions that interest you in general (e.g. "I'm interested in the evolution of communication among social insects" or "I'd be interested in studying the evolution of sex-linked traits in _________"). If you can take your general ideas and show the department how their ongoing research aligns with your interests, you'll probably be okay.

That's not to say that you'll be at a disadvantage if you do have a detailed research plan in place, but that (from what I've heard) you shouldn't be at a disadvantage if you don't.

Edited January 31, 2011 by jaxzwolf

[Langoustine]

Agree with jazxwolf! Grad school is to explore and hone your research interests! Obv you picked these schools bc someones' research is very pertinent to what you want to do...show them this