2015 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

[GeoMex]

Undergrad Institution: Earth Sciences School in México.
Major(s): Geophysics
Minor(s):----
GPA in Major: ----
Overall GPA: 2.9 (83.2/100), 3.3 (88/100) in last two years.
Position in Class: Average
Type of Student: International male

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


TOEFL Total: 110 ibt

Research Experience:

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 4 years in the gas/oil industry as a geophysicist (5 when enrolled)

Special Bonus Points: Complete funding by my company

Applying to Where:

University of Texas - JSG- Petroleum Geophysics with focus on unconventional reservoirs
U of Houston - DEAS - Petroleum Geophysics with focus on unconventional reservoirs
Colorado School of Mines - Petroleum Geophysics with focus on unconventional reservoirs

Stanford- Petroleum Geophysics with focus on unconventional reservoirs (Still unsure, probably pointless since I won't meet the requirements)

 

Edited October 7, 2014 by GeoMex

[GeoDUDE!]

Hey GeoMex,

 

I would apply to stanford (you are doing MS right?) If I were you, having full funding is a huge leg up. Plus, if its a company that they don't already have connections to, you would serve as that connection making it better for their graduates to get jobs if they want to go internationally. 

 

Goodluck!

[GeoMex]

Thank you Geodude, yes I am going for the MS. Unfortunately, my company does not hire international people. We do however have third party companies working for us, and now that the energetic reform has been approved, a lot of companies and international personnel will enter. Still, I don't know how hard the Stanford is compared to the others, or if it's just their prestige. The worst that could happen is that I lose 130 dollars from the application, I guess.

[columbia09]

Undergrad Institution: Big State School with one of the top geoscience programs in the country 
Major(s): Biology and Geology 
Minor(s): History minor
GPA in Major: 3.75 ?
Overall GPA: 3.83
Position in Class: I guess near top ? My school doesn't rank 
Type of Student: Domestic male, homosexual (put that on my Stanford application) 

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:145
V:145
W:Waiting 


Research Experience: Currently working on my senior thesis in geology and I'm also doing research in the biology department for credit.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Multiple scholarships, four honor societies, Eagle Scout, Service award 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab tech and student researcher 

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: All the advisors I contacted know my senior thesis advisor well. He's also writing me a letter of rec. 

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

Applying to Where:

Standford - Geoscience- Micropaleontology and paleoceanography 

Rice

U of Wisconsin

U of Nebraska

Virginia Tech

U of Massachusetts

UT Austin

Texas A&M - Oceanography-Paleoceanography   

[ssynny]

I suppose I'll post one since I finally decided what schools I'm applying to .

 

 

Undergrad Institution: Smaller private school (They call themselves an emerging ivy, but can you really be "emerging" for the past 6 years??...>.>)
Major(s): Environmental Science 
Minor(s): Chemistry and Japanese
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 2.9 (3.4 upper division)
Position in Class: No idea
Type of Student: Domestic, female, minority

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 157
V: 157
W: 4.5



Research Experience: 3.5 years research experience, including two positions directly in my intended field of study

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just some speeches outside my department

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab tech, lab manager, research assistant

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Survived 6 weeks on a glacier!

Special Bonus Points: One rec writer is really well known in his field, one is from a famous institution, the last is such a fun person

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm a pretty good juggler

Applying to Where:

Florida State University - EOAS - Glacial biogeochemistry 
Dartmouth College - Earth Sciences - Glacial biogeochemistry

[GeoDUDE!]

Thread is very dead this year, but maybe it will pick up in december--->feb like last year.

Edited November 10, 2014 by GeoDUDE!

[EG3R]

Undergrad Institution: well-known liberal arts
Major(s): physics
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.3
Overall GPA: 3.0
Position in Class: below average
Type of Student: domestic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 160
V: 168
W: 5.0

Research Experience: One summer of research in a physics lab, another summer doing research at an engineering lab

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nope.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab tech/lab manager sort of position for 1.5 years after graduating.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: female

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've taken some geology classes since graduating, and did well in those.

Applying to Where:

I don't know where I should apply. Any advice on where I could study seismology would be great. I'm trying to figure out where I would stand a chance of getting funding despite a not-so-great academic record.

[GeoDUDE!]

Undergrad Institution: well-known liberal arts

Major(s): physics

Minor(s):

GPA in Major: 3.3

Overall GPA: 3.0

Position in Class: below average

Type of Student: domestic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 160

V: 168

W: 5.0

Research Experience: One summer of research in a physics lab, another summer doing research at an engineering lab

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nope.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab tech/lab manager sort of position for 1.5 years after graduating.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: female

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I've taken some geology classes since graduating, and did well in those.

Applying to Where:

I don't know where I should apply. Any advice on where I could study seismology would be great. I'm trying to figure out where I would stand a chance of getting funding despite a not-so-great academic record.

 

 

Your record sound looks very similar to mine when I was applying to graduate school the first time, I'll send you a PM 

[prospecting]

I'm doing my graduate studies in geophysics-seismology and may be able to help you.

 

Are you looking at active source seismology or studying teleseismic data? Are you interested in deep earth or shallow crust?

[sjoh197]

Undergrad Institution: LSU
Major(s): Geology
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 2.9

Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 154
V: 169
W: 4.5

Research Experience: 1 year of  geochron analysis. 1 Summer job in the same research lab running prepping geochron Illites. 

I am currently at UCSB, dating zircons at the split stream laser ablation ICP-MS facility. 



Applying to Where: UT Austin, Rice, University of Houston, Oklahoma State, UT Arlington

[prospecting]

Are you applying to a PhD or MSc program? Unless you have a faculty member at the school itself who will support your application, I'd say your profile will not be competitive for admission into UT Austin, Rice, UHouston, and Oklaholma State. 

 

UHouston - According to a faculty there I know, they had 600 applicants to UH last year and less than 5% were offered admissions. It would be a shot in the dark, but hey why not try when there is no application fee for domestic applications.

[columbia09]

When do we start hearing from these schools ?

[GeoDUDE!]

When do we start hearing from these schools ?

 

 

It all depends. I heard from my current school in January (jan 15th deadline). I heard from a few schools in feb, and a few schools in march, and most of the rejections come in april and may.  

[prospecting]

When do we start hearing from these schools ?

 

Geology programs usually send out acceptance letters earlier than geophysics programs. Think most geophysics programs only started sending out letters in March last year.

[ScarletAmethyst]

Undergrad Institution: Foreign (South Asia)
 

Major: Geology (126 credit hours)
 

Minors:  Physics (8 credits), Chemistry (8 credits), Calculus (4 credits) 
 

GPA in Major: 3.832 (in last 40 credits)
 

Overall GPA:3.55
 

Position in Class: within top 20%
 

Type of Student: International,female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):308/1210
Q:156
V:152
W:3.5


TOEFL Total: 113 ibt

Research Experience: RA at Geotechnical and Engineering Geo Lab ( about 1 yr), 1 paper-5th author

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: fresh graduate,no job experience

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: organizer of national level earth olympiad competition

Special Bonus Points: Strong Recommendations, moderate  SoP ( I guess)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: need fellowship/ assistantships 

Applying to Where:

CSU,Long Beach -Geology-Tectonics-MS

 

WVU-Geology-Tectonics-MS

 

U of Arkansas,Fayetteville- Geoscience -MS 

 

U of Miami, Ohio -Geology-Geophysics-MS

 

IUPUI -Earth Science-PhD

 

 

*** please suggest me some moderate and ambi universities that provide funds  for MS/PhD***   
 

[prospecting]

Undergrad Institution: Foreign (South Asia)

 

Major: Geology (126 credit hours)

 

Minors:  Physics (8 credits), Chemistry (8 credits), Calculus (4 credits) 

 

GPA in Major: 3.832 (in last 40 credits)

 

Overall GPA:3.55

 

Position in Class: within top 20%

 

Type of Student: International,female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):308/1210

Q:156

V:152

W:3.5

TOEFL Total: 113 ibt

Research Experience: RA at Geotechnical and Engineering Geo Lab ( about 1 yr), 1 paper-5th author

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: fresh graduate,no job experience

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: organizer of national level earth olympiad competition

Special Bonus Points: Strong Recommendations, moderate  SoP ( I guess)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: need fellowship/ assistantships 

Applying to Where:

CSU,Long Beach -Geology-Tectonics-MS

 

WVU-Geology-Tectonics-MS

 

U of Arkansas,Fayetteville- Geoscience -MS 

 

U of Miami, Ohio -Geology-Geophysics-MS

 

IUPUI -Earth Science-PhD

 

 

*** please suggest me some moderate and ambi universities that provide funds  for MS/PhD***   

 

 

You should have little difficulty getting into those program with your profile, but are you seeking to do a MS or PhD? Also, what is an ambi university? I am not familiar with that term....

[ScarletAmethyst]

You should have little difficulty getting into those program with your profile, but are you seeking to do a MS or PhD? Also, what is an ambi university? I am not familiar with that term....

ambi= ambitious  

 

I am seeking to do MS mainly.I heard universities do not offer assistantships to MS students nowadays. So I was thinking of applying to a few PhD programs as well.

[prospecting]

ambi= ambitious  

 

I am seeking to do MS mainly.I heard universities do not offer assistantships to MS students nowadays. So I was thinking of applying to a few PhD programs as well.

 

Yes, Professors typically prefer PhD students as they are able to get more out of them. I see you are interested in applying to a variety of research focus. Do you have one you're really interested in? Advise on schools can be better sought if your interest is known.

[jamesy1116]

Undergrad Institution: Large State School
Major(s): Geology
GPA in Major: 3.4
Overall GPA: 3.0
Position in Class: No clue
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 165
V: 158
W: 4.0


Research Experience: I'll graduate with 1.5 years in a lab, GSA poster presentation, maybe get my name on a publication. I'll have used well known labs at UNC and Arizona

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Several departmental scholarships and undergraduate research funding.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I work at the Geological Survey

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Several grad classes, my LOR writers are fairly well known, and my research advisor knows most of the people I've talked to. I've had good conversations with most everyone I've talked to about school. UBC advisor seems to really like me and said no one else has been in touch with him about what I want to do, but I'm still not sure how admission there works.

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

Applying to Where:

 

UBC- MS Geology

U Maryland- MS Geology

Boise State- MS Geology

U Montana- MS Geology

Virginia Tech- MS Geology

 

Maybe/Probably applying:

New Mexico State- MS 

U Vermont- MS

Utah State- MS

Iowa- MS

 

Hope it goes well. I've got very relevant experience in what I want to do, and had good conversations with my POIs 

[nave1990]

Undergrad Institution: University of Pune, India (2012)
Major(s): Electronics and Telecommunication
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.0
Overall GPA: 2.88
Position in Class:  Average
Type of Student: International, Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:160
V: 157
W: 4.00


TOEFL Total: 117

Research Experience: Two yrs as Junior Research Fellow and presently six months as Research Scientist. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging, radar signal processing, SAR Interferometry. remote sensing.

 

Publication : One IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters publication as First author  and Two international conference publications.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions : Best researcher award at institute for 2013/14

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Weekly lecture in the Institute on signal processing.

 

Interested in a PhD in Geophysics.  Using GPS/InSAR/Lidar techniques for remote sensing with applications to plate tectonics/volcanoes/glacier dynamics. 

Please Suggest!!!
 

[Crystalline_Sunlight]

Undergrad Institution: Small state school

Major(s): Physics with Astronomy emphasis
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.55
Overall GPA: 3.67
Position in Class: No clue. Probably near the top.
Type of Student: Caucasian Female

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

Research Experience: About a year's worth of research at my home institution, 2 REU programs and one SURF fellowship at JPL

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honorable Mention in mathematical modeling competition? Does that count? Also participated in physics competition (results haven't been posted)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Was a tutor and a grader for physics

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Currently working on article to be submitted for publication from my last internship. Presented research at two conferences previously (poster sessions) and will be presenting at AGU this December.

Special Bonus Points: Female

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

Applying to Where:
This isn't final just yet... still trying to decide, narrow things down...
CalTech - Planetary and Geophysics - 
UCLA - Earth Planetary and Space Sciences - Mineral Physics
UC Berkeley - Earth and Planetary Sciences - Planetary interiors and fluid dynamics (applied to Europa)

Harvard - Earth and Planetary Sciences - Geodynamics and Planetary Interiors?

Cornell - Earth and Atmospheric Sciences - 

University of Washington - Earth and Space Sciences

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville - Space and Planetary Sciences - 

UC Santa Cruz - 

University of Western Ontario -

University of British Columbia - 

University of Toronto -

UT Austin - 

WashU St. Louis - 

 

 

[prospecting]

jamesy1116 - what are your research focus/interests?

 

nave1990 - If you intend to continue incorporating GPR into your graduate research projects, you might like to look into applying to Professor Guoquan Wang's (University of Houston) research group. He is definitely looking for motivated students, but realize that UH's program is one of the most competitive in the nation and your GPA is a tad on the low end. Never hurts to try though. You may also like to look into the University of Alaska - Fairbanks; they have a strong group with your research interests.

Here is the link to the faculty using remote sensing for their studies: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/research/remotesensing/People/Faculty

 

crystalline_sunlight - What is your intended research focus and have you contacted any professors? You definitely possess the credentials for the schools you are exploring.

 

Good luck all!

Edited November 24, 2014 by prospecting

[jamesy1116]

jamesy1116 - what are your research focus/interests?

At the risk of giving away who I'm applying to, Metamorphic Petrology/Geochron.

Edited November 24, 2014 by jamesy1116

[prospecting]

At the risk of giving away who I'm applying to, Metamorphic Petrology/Geochron.

 

i'm not familiar with that research focus at the schools you are looking to apply to. someone else might have a better clue.