2014 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[InquilineKea]

So I guess the time of year is starting again...

 

===

 

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in Biology?)
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA in Major:
Overall GPA:
Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)
Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:
V:
W:


TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

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:

School - Department - Research Interest
School - Department - Research Interest
School - Department - Research Interest

 

[Usmivka]

Blindingly fast off the starting blocks...

[fuzzylogician]

Dear (potential) posters,

 

Please take a moment to think before you post in this thread: are you revealing too much personal information? Could what you write be traced back to you, and could it hurt you? For anything and everything that you post online (here and elsewhere), assume that you are not anonymous in posting --- do you stand behind what you wrote, and would you want it to be known to everyone? 

 

Note that it's this board's policy not to delete posts, though we do understand that people can get carried away and over share. We are happy to edit identifying information out of your posts if necessary, but please, think before you post! Save yourself the anxiety and us the extra work. 

[St Andrews Lynx]

Blindingly fast off the starting blocks...

But then again...it *is* coming back in to GRE season... 

[Wander]

From past threads, it looks like most applicants filled out the information only after they submitted their application. I know I found these threads useful in the past - so I do plan to fill it out - but perhaps not until after my applications are due. At that point it is all more or less public info (i.e. my CV) for anyone who cares to look anyway right?

[Crazy454]

I am ready for this thread to wrap up before it even started.  My applications are done.  Now I am just satisfied with waiting a few  months to hear back

[geographyrocks]

All my apps are in more or less so I guess I'll be the first to post:

 

Undergrad Institution: Medium state school
Major(s): Geography with Environmental Analysis
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.92
Position in Class: No idea. #1 in department, I believe
Type of Student:

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156
V: 160
W: 4.5



Research Experience: Summer research, publication in review, several presentations, additional research for senior thesis with suggested publication from mentor after it's written (I take it as a good sign that he recommends publication before I've even written the thesis)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Won several scholarships, 1 of 20 (in the entire school) selected for the Summer Research Opportunity Program, 1st place in the KAS Annual Conference Undergraduate Research Presentation, was selected to present my research at the capitol, other various academic honors like dean's list and such

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergraduate teaching assistant for the 2013-2014 school year. 10 years of "real world" experience.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: One of my recommenders was the state Geographer for 2 years and is currently the head of the department. Another one of my recommenders has told me repeatedly how highly she spoke of me in her LOR so I'm counting that as an accomplishment. 

Special Bonus Points: Only around 2,000 females graduate with a physical sciences degree each year out of the 1.7 million people who graduate with an undergraduate degree.  Also the first female in my family to graduate college. I also have a Lifetime channel worthy sob story, but that shouldn't play a factor since I didn't bother mentioning it in my SOP.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm applying to PhD programs without a MS.  Some say that is a risky move.

Applying to Where:

CU Boulder - Environment Science - PhD - Hydrology/climatology

Denver University - Geography and the Environment - PhD - Hydrology/climatology

University of Nevada Reno - Geography - MS - Hydrology/climatology

University New Mexico - Earth and Planetary Sciences - PhD - Hydrology/climatology

[Usmivka]

 

Special Bonus Points: Only around 2,000 females graduate with a physical sciences degree each year out of the 1.7 million people who graduate with an undergraduate degree. 

OK, this is super nitpicky, but this line really stood out to me. I think your numbers are misleading.

 

It seemed like an unlikely statistic since women earn about half of science and engineering degrees in the US, and the worst imbalance is in physics and computer sciences, at 18-19% women over the last decade (NSF statistics and references therein). Compare this to your value of 0.1% and it looks like your numbers are off by at least two orders of magnitude if the only pool was US degree recipients (I'm interpreting that 1.7 million number as physical science degrees based on how you wrote it--that said, there are 1.6 million total degree recipients in the US alone, so that can't be right either).

 

I realize things are a lot worse in some other countries, but then the degree completion numbers ought to be much, much higher than 2000 women. Again from the NSF statistics (take a look in the appendices of the above link), there are more than 7000 women graduates in the physical sciences each year in US schools alone, which is about 45% of granted degrees in the physical sciences, or about 0.5% of all US degrees.

 

Therefore I think your case is overstated, and women physical science degree recipients in general are about 5 times less rare than you've made them out to be, and hardly less common than their male peers. It is important to sell yourself to adcoms, but misleading (and in this case wrong) statistics won't help your case, and may seem disingenuous to an adcom if you are trying to use them as a selling point.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Usmivka

[geographyrocks]

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2013/pdf/tab5-7.pdf

 

Bachelors degrees awarded 2010 all fields: 1,668,227

Female all fields: 954,891

Earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences ALL: 4,802 FEMALE: 1,889

 

I should have specified Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences.  Using the term physical sciences was misleading.  It won't let me edit my original post so I can't fix it now. 

 

And whether you believe in it or not, it is still considered "special" to be a female in the physical sciences.  Just ask my male professors who refuse to believe that I could be good at math or sciences in general.  It may be more widely accepted elsewhere, but I still encounter prejudice and I suspect other women do as well. 

 

Also, none of this was listed in anything I sent to graduate schools (aside from first female to attend college). I was told that should be mentioned in my SOP for whatever reason.  I think it would be extremely hurtful to quote statistics in a SOP. 

Edited December 24, 2013 by brooks40204

[Usmivka]

And whether you believe in it or not, it is still considered "special" to be a female in the physical sciences.  Just ask my male professors who refuse to believe that I could be good at math or sciences in general.  It may be more widely accepted elsewhere, but I still encounter prejudice and I suspect other women do as well. 

 

 

I'm sorry to hear that has been your experience, though clearly I cannot "ask" your professors. These particular statistics don't tell us anything about attitudes, simply demographics, which is what I was getting at above.

 

Incidentally, the stats for graduate study and earth/atmosphere/ocean sciences (all natural sciences, not physical sciences as defined by NSF) are actually weighted towards women. More recent numbers will come out in February, but over the last decade in a subset of schools keeping track of demographics in Earth/Ocean/Atmosphere programs (UCs, UW, MIT, Harvard, UH, etc...) female grad students are between 55 and 65% of the total. I doubt anyone will think twice about your gender in grad school.

[Wander]

Undergrad Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Major(s): Environmental Engineering (5 yr BS/MSE)
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.77
Overall GPA: 3.75
Position in Class: Not certain
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164
V: 167
W: 4.0 (I hope this is counterbalanced by my SoP and the quality of writing in my publications, which are a better indicator of my ability to write well.)


Research Experience: One published article first author, two submitted first author, one submitted second author. Two were from my time as a student and two from my time working since then (I'm 1.5 yrs out of school). I've presented my research at conferences (posters) and to policy makers (oral presentation, as a member of a research team from at my current job).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: departmental and general honors

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research position currently in a related field. As mentioned above this has led to submitting two papers that are now in review.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Some relevant experience in professional service doing things like organizing a panel event

Special Bonus Points: Rec letter from someone that knows 3 or 4 of my POIs personally. This may not be uncommon enough to give me "bonus points" but it did give me an in to meet with them before submitting my application.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where: PhD programs relating to the hydroclimate and drought.

 

University of Maryland - PhD Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Columbia - PhD Earth and Environmental Sciences

UC Irvine - PhD Earth System Science

 

Princeton - PhD Civil and Environmental Engineering

 

 

Good luck brooks40204! It doesn't look like we're applying to the same programs, but I may see you around at some conferences I suppose.

[anthony333]

I'll bite on posting here because I'm eagerly waiting to hear back and have a phone interview on the 2nd.

 

Undergrad Institution: Public Ivy
Major(s): BS Environmental Science
Minor(s): none
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.27

Graduate Institution: Small Public Engineering School

Major(s): MS Environmental Engineering
Overall GPA: 3.5

Type of Student: White male

GRE Scores (revised/old version): Took these in 2011
Q: 155
V: 155
W: 5.0 

Research Experience: A couple posters, some independent study projects, some service learning work.

Awards/Honors/Recognition: Undergraduate and Departmental Honors.  Community service award from national organization.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Currently work as an environmental consultant with tons of field work and technical report writing experience.  Interned with other public and private sector companies and organizations.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Started a charitable organization and raised over 20k. Certified Erosion Control Supervisor. GIS/data collection experience.  Should have Phase I and Phase II Assessment certification in near future.

Special Bonus Points: Rec letter from my department head in undergrad and a well respected retired professor.  Have had informal phone interviews with all 4 POIs.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Banking on work/internship experience and graduating early from both undergrad/grad while working through both.

Applying to Where: Got into 3/4 schools for masters, hope to have as much luck now.  

UNR - Hydrology PhD

Oregon State - Geography PhD (was accepted here when I applied for masters)

UBC Okanagan - Civil Engineering with a specialty in Water Resources PhD

SUNY ESF - Ecology PhD

 

Good luck everyone!

Edited December 31, 2013 by anthony333

[Pacifico]

Hi all,

 

So I am applying for a PhD straight out of my BS, and I'm hoping to head down the paleo-ecology/ biostrat path despite having little biology education in the classroom. Most of my research, however, has required me to build a general understanding of biological/ evolutionary patterns relevant to my work. Since my interests cross both geo and bio I am posting in both forums. I'm a bit nervous due to my bio inexperience, but I am hoping that my application (esp LoRs) will speak highly of my ability to learn quickly. I'd love any feedback on where you guys think I stand....

 

Undergrad Institution: medium sized public urban college
Major(s): Earth and Environmental Science B.S.
Minor(s): 
GPA in Major: 3.9
Overall GPA:3.1 (well explained in my SoP- my first few years were wayward until I discovered earth science)
Position in Class: top
Type of Student: female/ returning student

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 156
V: 153
W: 4.0
B:


Research Experience: 1.5 years with well renowned paleontologist; Smithsonian REU; ridiculous amount of field work spanning 1.5 years (for my research as well as others- domestic and international); 3 poster sessions, 1 talk, 1 paper in prep (all first author)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 1 from my school; 1 from Institute of Prof. Geologist; Dean's List

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Part time job while attending school; secretary of my school's geo society

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Granted fellowship to fund independent undergraduate research

Special Bonus Points: audited paleo-bio graduate course; all 3 of my LoRs are *superb* and 2/3 are highly successful really well known paleontologists

 

Also, I arranged to meet with the potential adviser at Berkeley over this past summer (went really well!) and he came to 1 of my poster sessions (also went well!)

I also have strong connections with (most) potential advisers at the other institutions and have met with (most of) them over conferences

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I feel my SoP is quite strong and unique (addresses my low cum GPA, speaks to my previous ambitions as an artist, etc)

Applying to Where:

UC Berkeley- Integrative Bio

UT Austin- Jackson School (potential adviser already phoned my LoR authors to discuss me further- that must be a good sign!)

University of Southern California- Earth and Environmental Sciences

CUNY- Earth/ Environmental

Richard Gilder- Comparative Bio (I've done field work/ research for 1.5 years with one of the committee members)

** I'm already in to continue my masters at my current institution and continue my research if all else fails 

 

 

Thanks!! Good luck everyone and happy new year!

[vaalbara]

Took a gap year to prepare for graduate school. I'm applying to chemical oceanography programs, and I'm specifically interested in ocean acidification. Not sure if I want to do laboratory/field or computational research, but I have experience with both.

 

Undergrad Institution: Public ivy
Major(s): Geology
GPA in Major: Not sure
Overall GPA: 3.5 (2.57 my first semester of college)
Position in Class: Near top, I believe
Type of Student: Domestic, male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 164
V: 165
W: 4.5 (Wrote myself into a corner on the first essay & didn't have time to rewrite, fairly certain I got a 6 on the other essay)

 

Research Experience: Three years working in a stable isotope paleoclimate lab at school, spent two summers interning at Woods Hole, and conducted a year long original research project for my capstone. No publications, but I have experience in method development and designing an original research project.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated with departmental honors.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored and participated in a number of science outreach events, mostly targetted towards younger, underpriviliged students.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Familar with laboratory, field, and computational work. Taught myself how to use MATLAB.
Special Bonus Points: Interned under a big name in oceanography up at Woods Hole, getting a letter from him. Took two graduate level classes & did well in both, one of my LoR writers ranks me in the top 1% of students. Submitted an application to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Looking back, I did a pretty piss poor job of contacting some professors. Ah well. :/

Applying to Where:

Scripps - Chemical Oceanography

Princeton - Atmospheric & Oceanic Science

WHOI/MIT - Chemical Oceanography

Oregon State - Ocean Biogeochemistry

Washington - Chemical Oceanography

Delaware - Oceanography

Edited January 2, 2014 by vaalbara

[geographyrocks]

I'm sorry to hear that has been your experience, though clearly I cannot "ask" your professors. These particular statistics don't tell us anything about attitudes, simply demographics, which is what I was getting at above.

 

Incidentally, the stats for graduate study and earth/atmosphere/ocean sciences (all natural sciences, not physical sciences as defined by NSF) are actually weighted towards women. More recent numbers will come out in February, but over the last decade in a subset of schools keeping track of demographics in Earth/Ocean/Atmosphere programs (UCs, UW, MIT, Harvard, UH, etc...) female grad students are between 55 and 65% of the total. I doubt anyone will think twice about your gender in grad school.

 

Thanks.  I really couldn't believe anyone was concerned with gender at my current school.  I really don't think that gender should be an advantage or disadvantage. 

[geographyrocks]

 

So I am applying for a PhD straight out of my BS, and I'm hoping to head down the paleo-ecology/ biostrat path despite having little biology education in the classroom. Most of my research, however, has required me to build a general understanding of biological/ evolutionary patterns relevant to my work. Since my interests cross both geo and bio I am posting in both forums. I'm a bit nervous due to my bio inexperience, but I am hoping that my application (esp LoRs) will speak highly of my ability to learn quickly. I'd love any feedback on where you guys think I stand....

 

It looks like we're in the same "jump to PhD" boat.  Did any of your professors try to talk you into applying to Masters programs instead? 

[Pacifico]

It looks like we're in the same "jump to PhD" boat.  Did any of your professors try to talk you into applying to Masters programs instead? 

There was a short discussion, but ultimately I decided to just go for it. Firstly, all of the scientists I've collaborated with over the years feel strongly that I am capable of the work a PhD entails, and as a returning student I am diligent and very capable of time management, etc. Also, a lot of my research I've already conducted as an undergraduate has been quite focused in a specific subdiscipline of paleobiology (mass extinctions/ recovery communities), and I'm confident that it is the field I want to jump into. Besides having a focused interest, most of the programs I want to enter are PhD only (Berkeley, CUNY, USC, Richard Gilder). I realized I could apply to some other less competitive schools as a Masters for a backup plan, but ultimately if I am ready to make such a commitment then why settle at a school that isn't one of my top choices. If I end up not getting in to any of these, then I have an invitation to continue my current research at the school I am attending now as a Masters. This way, if I end up doing a masters prior to PhD, then it is in the subfield of my choosing. (Also, I absolutely adore my department and the people I collaborate with, so my worst case scenario is still pretty great.)

[petr. engineering]

Not sure if this belongs in this section or engineering...Feel free to comment on chances and all that. I have thick skin and won't take it personally lol...OK here goes:

 

Undergrad Institution: Cornell Univ.
Major(s): Civil Engineering
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.42
Overall GPA: 3.3
Position in Class: no idea? (rumored avg. eng. gpa 2.7) 
Type of Student: Domestic/Male/Minority

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:165
V:154  (should've tried harder in these other sections, but I was told they don't matter much so didn't retake )
W:3.5

Research Experience: No pubs or conferences. Kind of got a late start on the research train.                      

Co-director of research-design-build project team focused on providing sustainable housing options for local, low-income families; Summer internship at Ghana's largest energy company where I conducted "research" on the feasibility of a waste-to-energy facility; DOE, research-based, summer internship through selective program where I conducted research in the area of reservoir simulation. Hired part-time to continue research back at school. (most recent and sparked my interest in the field of study)

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 3 school scholarships, DOE summer "fellowship", Shell corporate sponsorship award (smaller than it sounds)

 

Activities or Jobs: Varsity athlete for major sport, Part-time research with DOE, Philanthropy chair for fraternity, Minority engineering society (e-board), started a finance club?

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: eh nothing really. Sports took up most of my free time the first three years. Finally quit so I can enjoy my senior year!

Special Bonus Points: Have decent/good connections at all schools except UT-Austin through past employers and mentors. Have had phone conversations with POI at almost every school. Gotten good vibes, but you never know. Work done for DOE pretty similar to POI's research at some schools 

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Upward trend in grades. And really good grades in geo classes... Some of the professors seem to respect the (varsity sports+engineering) thing more than I anticipated. Also, I have been told being a minority and us citizen in this field of study in particular is a plus.

 

Applying to Where: MS ONLY

USC - Pet. Eng. - Reservoir Eng./Simulation/Smart fields
Stanford - Energy Resource Engineering - Reservoir Eng./Simulation/Smart fields

UT austin - Pet. Eng.  - Reservoir Eng./Simulation

Texas A&M - Pet. Eng. - Naturally fractured reservoirs/Simulation

Penn St. - EME - Reservoir Eng./Simulation

 

Good luck to everyone!

Edited January 8, 2014 by petr. engineering

[GeoDUDE!]

UC Davis is reviewing applications now if anyone is wondering... this from my POI there. (Also I have a phone interview with POI soon).

Edited January 14, 2014 by GeoDUDE!

[geographyrocks]

CU Boulder and UNR are also in the review process. 

 

I have no idea what DU is doing as they refuse to accept my 3rd LOR.  The professor submitted it online, but they say they didn't get it.  He resubmitted it by emailing them directly (which is what they requested) and they still haven't updated by profile even though the deadline is today.  I realize they're swamped and it's probably fine, but that doesn't make me feel any less stressed about the entire thing. 

 

I also have no idea what UNM is doing as the graduate department doesn't keep track of what the individual departments are doing. They only show the application and transcripts as the LORs go to the department.  Should I call the department to verify that all of my LORs arrived? 

[GeoDUDE!]

I would call them.

[geographyrocks]

Thanks GeoDUDE!  I called and not only were they missing one LOR, they never received my application to the department (which is separate from the Graduate School app) or my letter of intent!  That's the last time I question whether to call or not.   

[Wander]

So with most (all?) of the application deadlines past, any other applicants for Fall 2014 lurking out there waiting to post applicant stats? If not, and I understand some not want to do so for concerns of privacy, who else applied this year and to where?

 

Trying to mute the anxiety of waiting with some company. Surely there's more than 6-8 of us out there trolling this thread for this year.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Wander

[GeoDUDE!]

I don't want to post my stats because they are fairly distinct; I'll mention that columbia DEES tends to make their decisions fairly late.

[Wander]

Just curious (and this is not meant in any way to pressure you), but is there info in your stats that's not public record for anyone with access to your complete name and the internet? Or is it just that you'd rather not be tied to other posts on thegradcafe.com? For me, all of my info is more or less in all of the standard places anyway (google scholar, academia.edu, my home page, linkedin, etc...) and I have relatively few posts, which I try to make as if my complete name were to be attached to them anyway.

 

The only reason I ask is so that those applying in future years understand pros/cons of posting their profiles on these threads.