Evaluate profile for PhD in Oceanography

[Darkgod]

Undergrad Institution: Small engineering college in India
Major(s): Civil Engineering
Overall GPA: 73%
Position in Class: Amongst the top 5 in my class
Type of Student: India

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q:161
V:156
W:4.5


TOEFL Total: 111 ( R-28, L-28, S-27, W-28)

Research Experience: No research experience in Oceanography but did a couple of internships related to civil engineering

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Completed several MOOCs related to oceanography

Special Bonus Points: Good SOP and LORs.

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

 Good extracurriculars, worked as a sports journalist and also a good chess and soccer player (Not sure if it will matter)

Applying to Where:

University of Washington - Department of Oceanography - Physical Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Physical Oceanography
Texas A&M College Station - Physical Oceanography

Florida State University - Physical Oceanography

Oregon State University - Oceanography

University of Delaware - Physical Oceanography

 

[geographyrocks]

What courses did you take related to earth sciences or geosciences?

[GeoDUDE!]

Your application is competitive, but all the schools you are applying to are state institutions which are far more difficult for international students to get into. 

 

That being said Washington and Scripps take a lot of international students but are also a lot more competitive.

 

I think you will probably get in somewhere, but I would add private schools to your application like LDEO and WHOI, though those are competitive as well.  

[Darkgod]

My cumulative gpa is 3.51.

And I took two semesters of Geotechnical Engineering, 1 Engineering Geology course and 2 Water resources engineering courses.

These are in addition to the minimum required mathematics, physics and chemistry courses.

I also took Fluid Mechanics, Environmental Sciences, Remote Sensing etc.

[Darkgod]

Your application is competitive, but all the schools you are applying to are state institutions which are far more difficult for international students to get into. 

 

That being said UWash and Scripps take a lot of international students but are also a lot more competitive.

 

I think you will probably get in somewhere, but I would add private schools to your application like LDEO and WHOI, though those are competitive as well.  

Will my lack of relevant research experience affect my admission to a Ph.D. program? Should I apply for a few MS programs as well? Just in case.

[Darkgod]

BTW, I contacted a professor from Texas A&M and he replied positively. He suggested that I should specify his name and research interests in my SOP. Will that improve my chances?

[GeoDUDE!]

It might, it might not: I would apply to some MS programs if you do not already have one (or have one from india). 

[Usmivka]

I think your GPA is lower than than the average for admitted students in at least some of those schools, and will have to be offset by stellar letters of rec since you don't have within discipline research experience. Physical oceanography as a discipline is less picky about having any oceanography or earth sciences background though, so I think your course experience is fine (good even with a GFD course). You might focus your efforts on directing your letter writers in such a way that each letter is complimentary and speaks to slightly different strengths that are relevant to a program outside your current experience--your science and math aptitude, ability to conduct research, motivation and drive. The MOOCs aren't really useful to show you know the material, but they do demonstrate that you have a lot of interest in the subject matter and are taking advantage of available resources. It might be good to highlight that in your personal statement.

 

I don't know if UW still posts the stats of incoming students (I couldn't find it on their website), but a few years ago it was ~3.8 and had been rising steadily for a number of years. WHOI is in the 3.9 ballpark currently, and I assume Scripps is similar to the other two. Note that these averages reflect all departments--physical oceanography is generally at the higher end of the range, so a school wide average of 3.8 could easily translate into a physical oceanography department average of ~3.9 or higher. OSU used to be a little lower average GPA and incoming GRE, and they admitted most folks as masters students with an option to continue into the PhD if you have strong performance. I don't know if that is still the case. I've heard second hand that Florida State may be similar, but I really don't know.

 

I don't know much about TAMU beyond its strong reputation, but it seems promising that the prof suggested you reference him. Fair warning--some profs encourage lots of applicants knowing they will only take one student, just to give themselves maximum options during admissions season and when fellowship results are announced. It is always a good idea to talk to multiple profs--the one you spoke with may even be able to recommend others that you might contact in advance in case funding doesn't pan with him. You could emphasize that you think he is a great fit for you, but realize that he might ultimately not be able to take you--therefore, does he think there is anyone else int he department you should be talking to as backup options?

 

Some of these programs strongly suggest (require?) and subject specific GRE in physics. A good showing on this is nearly mandatory for international students.

 

The extracurriculars aren't relevant to your application (really, I don't think you should put sports into a grad school application!), but you could maybe spin the sports journalism if you intend to make science outreach and communication a major theme of your graduate work and scientific career.

[Darkgod]

I think your GPA is lower than than the average for admitted students in at least some of those schools, and will have to be offset by stellar letters of rec since you don't have within discipline research experience. Physical oceanography as a discipline is less picky about having any oceanography or earth sciences background though, so I think your course experience is fine (good even with a GFD course). You might focus your efforts on directing your letter writers in such a way that each letter is complimentary and speaks to slightly different strengths that are relevant to a program outside your current experience--your science and math aptitude, ability to conduct research, motivation and drive. The MOOCs aren't really useful to show you know the material, but they do demonstrate that you have a lot of interest in the subject matter and are taking advantage of available resources. It might be good to highlight that in your personal statement.

 

I don't know if UW still posts the stats of incoming students (I couldn't find it on their website), but a few years ago it was ~3.8 and had been rising steadily for a number of years. WHOI is in the 3.9 ballpark currently, and I assume Scripps is similar to the other two. Note that these averages reflect all departments--physical oceanography is generally at the higher end of the range, so a school wide average of 3.8 could easily translate into a physical oceanography department average of ~3.9 or higher. OSU used to be a little lower average GPA and incoming GRE, and they admitted most folks as masters students with an option to continue into the PhD if you have strong performance. I don't know if that is still the case. I've heard second hand that Florida State may be similar, but I really don't know.

 

I don't know much about TAMU beyond its strong reputation, but it seems promising that the prof suggested you reference him. Fair warning--some profs encourage lots of applicants knowing they will only take one student, just to give themselves maximum options during admissions season and when fellowship results are announced. It is always a good idea to talk to multiple profs--the one you spoke with may even be able to recommend others that you might contact in advance in case funding doesn't pan with him. You could emphasize that you think he is a great fit for you, but realize that he might ultimately not be able to take you--therefore, does he think there is anyone else int he department you should be talking to as backup options?

 

Some of these programs strongly suggest (require?) and subject specific GRE in physics. A good showing on this is nearly mandatory for international students.

 

The extracurriculars aren't relevant to your application (really, I don't think you should put sports into a grad school application!), but you could maybe spin the sports journalism if you intend to make science outreach and communication a major theme of your graduate work and scientific career.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. All the universities stated that a subject test in physics is not required. None of them even suggested anything about it actually.

I am also thinking of applying to University of South Florida and University of Rhode Island. They have high acceptance rates. Do you have any idea about their oceanography programs?

[Darkgod]

And I forgot to mention, I am still in my final year of undergraduate program.

[Usmivka]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. All the universities stated that a subject test in physics is not required. None of them even suggested anything about it actually.

I am also thinking of applying to University of South Florida and University of Rhode Island. They have high acceptance rates. Do you have any idea about their oceanography programs?

I don't know anything about South Florida, sorry. I think highly of URI oceanography in general, but I really don't know about it's physical oceanography department. Consider contacting a current student in the department to get a feel for what they like and dislike about it.

 

You might contact admissions officers about the Physics subject test--I don't see much about it on admissions sites either, but what I've heard from a couple international students before is that the subject test is an important way to distinguish themselves. The way they spoke about it I got the impression it was an important application component. International students cost more to the host program, so anything you can do to convince them you are a safe bet is likely worth your time. Maybe contact a acouple of non-US students in one or two of these programs and ask about what they think is important for a successful application.

[GeoDUDE!]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. All the universities stated that a subject test in physics is not required. None of them even suggested anything about it actually.

I am also thinking of applying to University of South Florida and University of Rhode Island. They have high acceptance rates. Do you have any idea about their oceanography programs?

 

URI is not a high acceptance rate (as someone who got into URI Oceanography dept). Their Oceanography department also hosts geologists/geophysicists/geochemists and thus there are many people who apply to the school.  I don't know how good their oceanography research is (I would imagine very good) but as a general "Earth Science" school its one of the better schools, and certainly one of the better programs in the north east.