Misguided hope?

[volatile.]

Hi everyone, 

I have been perusing the forums here for quite some time (anxious grad student) and I am really impressed with the community here, so thanks in advance for anything you can share with me!

I'm currently enrolled in an MSc program in Canada and I have just recently submitted my application to one school -- UNR. As much as I hate the idea of putting all of my eggs in one basket, there are only 2 or 3 schools in North America that have facilities that can support the research that I am involved and interested in. With that said, I have spent the majority of the month after submitting my application experiencing waves of confidence and discouragement. 

I am a pretty average candidate academically. B.Sc: cGPA 3.4, mGPA 3.7, M.Sc: GPA 4.0. My GRE scores are not stellar either: V155 Q156 W4.5. My strengths, I think, are really in my research experiences: 4 field seasons, 8 independent research projects, 1 publication, 2 conference presentations. This was accomplished in ~3 years. 

 

I met my POI through a research collaboration that we had about a year ago, and she informed me that she would be interested in having me as a graduate student in her lab. Our research interests are in complete alignment and I have actually spent the better part of the last few months assisting her in developing an NSF proposal for my prospective research. Sounds promising, right? maybe? The problem is that from what I understand POIs have little to no sway in admission decisions in the US compared to Canadian universities. I don't want to raise my hopes too high, but I am also finding it hard to accept that I might be rejected after putting in so much work. Just going through the motions. I'm sure many of you feel similarly. 

So... can anybody share what their experience was like applying to UNR, particularly as an international student? It's certainly not a "top tier" school but I'm really not sure how competitive their geology program is. Can anybody relate to experiences where they have had a similarly strong relationship with their POI? 

 

[GeoDUDE!]

Just because a professor wants you does not mean she can get you: funding is a consideration. 

 

I'd say most graduate schools in US are competitive, especially state schools as an international student because you are twice the cost of domestic applicants. 

 

That being said, perhaps UNR hasn't made their decisions?

 

I know my school is lagging, last year I already knew I was in but this year they haven't even had their first meeting. 

Edited January 31, 2015 by GeoDUDE!

[volatile.]

Thanks for your reply! Quick question: does funding for international students come from the advisor, school, or both?

[GeoDUDE!]

Thanks for your reply! Quick question: does funding for international students come from the advisor, school, or both?

 

Either or. TAs come from the department/school, Fellowships come from the department/school, RAs (research assistants) come directly from advisor grants (generally).

 

This is all general. 

[geographyrocks]

If by UNR you mean the University of Nevada Reno, notifications came out last year around the second or third week of February.

Also, POI sway is program specific. At my current university, the profs get whatever students they want based on funding. So if the prof has their own funding, they get who they want. If not, they get to argue amongst each other for "shares" of the TA funding. I'm sure they have some way of dividing it up, but no one tells me those things.

[Usmivka]

Thanks for your reply! Quick question: does funding for international students come from the advisor, school, or both?

In your case (Canadian) you'd best be applying for an NSERC fellowship. International students are much more expensive than domestic at state schools (like UNR). Luckily for you, Canada is one of relatively few countries that allows federal funding to be used internationally (eg US). If you come in with this money you are a much more desirable candidate because your advisor doesn't have to cover your stipend.