Am I aiming too high?

[cryoguy]

Hi all,

 

I'm looking at Earth Science Programs to apply to next year (Fall 2016), and I'm not sure if I've included enough mid to safety level schools in my tentative list.

 

I'm interested in climate modeling, particularly of ice shelf and sea ice dynamics in the arctic and antarctic. 

 

Undergrad Institution: Top 30 LAC, Reputed Engineering program
Major(s): Mechanical Engineering
Minor(s): Environmental Science
GPA in Major: 3.85
Overall GPA: 3.84
Position in Class: 3rd in Engineering Class
Type of Student: International Male

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 165 (90%)
V: 166 (96%)
W: 5.0 (93%)

Research Experience: 3 month summer research of solar thermal heating systems, 1 month research of flow dynamics in blood vessels. By the time I'll apply, I'll also have been a Research Associate at a Center for Climate Research & Development in my home country for a year, working on hydrological modeling of river systems in South Asia and a lot of policy-based climate mitigation and adaptation work. 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 7/8 Semesters on Deans List, Kathryn W. Davis Peace Prize finalist, Tau Beta Pi member
 

I'm applying to:

 

Columbia U - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Princeton U - Science, Technology, & Environmental Policy (STEP) program

UC Boulder - Geography

U Washington - Atmospheric Sciences

UC Irvine - Earth System Science Department

Penn State - Geoscience Department

Oregon State U - Geosciences

UT Austin - Jackson School of Geoscience

 

Am I aiming too high with this list? I've read in places that applying to state schools is risky as an international student, as these programs tend to be more competitive for us. Most of the schools in my list are state schools - should I rethink this?

 

Thanks for the help guys!!

[prospecting]

You definitely have the credential to seek admittance into the programs you have listed; I in fact know of people with less impressive credentials being admitted. Professors and Research Associates from those schools are contacted by potential candidates all the time, and are on the lookout for their application. Grades are not everything and you don't want to be just another one at the bottom of the pile.

[cryoguy]

Thanks for the input prospecting. I've heard that international students have a harder time getting into state schools for graduate studies. Do you think this is true?

[prospecting]

I would think you have the grades to be competitive. I understand that the application season can be a stressful period, but it would be best to focus on the task at hand, as opposed to worrying unnecessarily about how you measure up to competing candidates

 

Good luck and Godspeed, friend.

[GeoDUDE!]

To answer your question, of course international students have a tougher time getting into public schools. Why of course? Because international students can never establish residency, and therefore cost ~2x times the cost of a domestic applicant. Thats why only exceptional international students (most times with a MSc in hand) get into PhD programs. That being said, they still get in, and you have good grades, gre's and come from a heavy quantitative background (earth science undergraduates in USA tend to not have the math chops to really do atmospheric science). 

 

Goodluck!

[Usmivka]

Thanks for the input prospecting. I've heard that international students have a harder time getting into state schools for graduate studies. Do you think this is true?

For funded positions, yes this is true. In other earth sciences departments at UW, the international students that are accepted often have funding in hand from special fellowships portable from their home country. Otherwise the tuition charged by the university to the grad program (which your advisor has to come up with) is two to three times higher than a domestic student, as GeoDUDE! indicated. You should discuss funding with potential advisors in advance of applying.

[prospecting]

Or apply to private schools where domestic residency won't be a deciding factor.

[cryoguy]

I've actually also been having a tough time finding programs that do climate modeling of the cryosphere... Kind of a specific field. Do you guys have any ideas of potential programs I could apply to? Preferably not state schools?

[GeoDUDE!]

I've actually also been having a tough time finding programs that do climate modeling of the cryosphere... Kind of a specific field. Do you guys have any ideas of potential programs I could apply to? Preferably not state schools?

 

Find papers you like and contact the authors. Thats all you can really do if you want to do something that specific. If all you are about is atmospheric modeling, and are interested in many aspects of the atmosphere, then it will be much easier to find schools. 

 

You currently have a lot of schools on your list... so its not as if you are having trouble finding any schools at all.

Edited December 2, 2014 by GeoDUDE!