2016 Ecology/Evolution/Organismal/Marine Biology Applicants

[otherss]

I will start this thread up to try to have a place for non-biomedical applicants to start discussions about this upcoming application cycle. Here is the topic from last year if you would like to read it and mine it for information.

2015 Application Cycle

Feel free to post your stats to get advice from others. Here is the template the main thread is using.

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:
B:


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

Good luck to everyone this year! I wish you all the best.

[shadowclaw]

Good luck to all of this year's applicants!

[Crucial BBQ]

Yay for the EEBs!

[mockturtle]

I feel like I half-belong in this thread, and half in the other. 

I'm interested in evolutionary neuro, sensory ecology, and behavioral neuro which takes ecology into consideration (if that makes sense), and I particularly love marine/aquatic model organisms..... so I'm straddling a few lines. My favorite labs incorporate both field-work eco and bench-work neuro! Some of the schools I'm interested in would have me applying under the EEB or Zoology banner, and others under Neuroscience or general Biology or even Psych. 

Does anyone know people doing this kind of work, or who have previous experience like mine, or are we as rare a breed as this website is making it seem? Would these programs likely expect more "EEB" experience than I've got under my belt, or will this be a reasonable direction to go in considering my background? Anything else I should know? Thanks!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Undergrad Institution: Medium-sized, research-heavy private university. Well-respected in life sciences. 
Transferred from: Small, private, liberal arts college. Well-respected but not in life sciences

Major(s): Biology (BS), Neuroscience (BS)

Overall GPA: 3.85 (Current school), 3.77 (Total) (I'm not sure which of these will be my official GPA upon graduation, or will determine my cum laude status)
GPA in Major: 3.73 (Biology), 3.84 (Neuroscience)
Position in Class: Not a clue, I'd assume high?
Type of Student: Domestic female, caucasian

GRE Scores (revised):
Q: 167 (94%)
V: 168 (98%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
B: Possibly??? UHawaii recommends it, but I don't know how necessary this is for me.

Research Experience: 
1 year (so far) in EEG social neuropsych lab - research assistant

We study the neural underpinnings of social interaction and motor control/planning/learning. I'll be doing my senior thesis in social interaction, cognitive load, and mu-suppression/empathy/self-control in the coming year, and almost definitely getting a first-author publication out of it (but not before application season). There's also the possibility for a second mid-author publication if a different study I helped out on collects more data, but I'm not counting on it. This will be a very strong LOR, and my PI went to one of my top choice schools (not sure if that matters).

1 summer in developmental visual neurobiology lab - research assistant

I worked on a PhD student's project in the development of directional selectivity in the V1 cortex: assisting surgeries and in-vivo electrophysiology, running visual training sessions, and doing general animal husbandry. I was pulling 14-hour-long shifts on occasion, and I'd hope that would speak well for my work ethic. This will also be a good LOR.

1 semester + 1 summer in genetics lab - lab tech, work study

Mostly animal care and cleaning, some miniprep/PCR/electrophoresis. Won't be seeking LOR from here.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
Dean's List every semester
Scholarships at both schools
It won't be in time for application season, but I'll be graduating with honors on my neuro degree & with magna or summa cum laude

Special Bonus Points: 
Grad-level classes: Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Principles of Neuroscience, Neurogenetics, Developmental Neurobiology
Learning MatLab and Java
My thesis will be preregistered for publication, if that helps?

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
I started out at a small liberal arts school with no neuro program and a tiny bio program, and transferred after my freshman year.
My 3rd LOR is coming from my Evo-Devo seminar's professor, and she went to another one of my top choice schools.

Applying to Where: If you've heard of any relevant programs I may have missed, please please please feel free to make suggestions! This is in order of preference, in terms of most-interesting-research, and italicized schools are ones I'm on the fence about.

University of Hawaii - (MS, Zoology)

McGill University - (MS, Biology)

University of Toronto - (MS, EEB or Cells & Systems Biology)

University of Alberta - (MS, Neuroscience)

University of Cincinnati - (MS, Biology)

Michigan State University - (MS, Integrative Biology)

Georgia State University - (MS, Biology)

Boston University - (MA, Biology)

[biokat8]

Hello fellow EEB-ers! I'm in the process of setting up my applications for EEB PhD programs, and am feeling overwhelmed as I research potential PIs. How many programs is everyone looking to apply to, and how many professors at each school are you reaching out to? Is it bad protocol to reach out to more than a few at one school? After scouring the internet, I'm under the impression that this whole thing is almost like matchmaking, so is there potential for hurt feelings or bad manners?? I'm feeling a little lost at this point and would love to hear where everyone else is on this!

 

[Pitangus]

 Is it bad protocol to reach out to more than a few at one school? After scouring the internet, I'm under the impression that this whole thing is almost like matchmaking, so is there potential for hurt feelings or bad manners?? I'm feeling a little lost at this point and would love to hear where everyone else is on this!

 

I've seen successful applicants to my program who listed two professors in response to the question of whose labs interested them. I've even seen applications that were sponsored by two professors, so contacting more than one professor doesn't seem to be an issue. That said, if you are considering contacting most of the department, then you might want to reexamine your research interests and consider whether they might be too broad. I recall a case where an applicant put down four or five professors (who all worked on noticeably disparate topics and with very different study systems), and it did draw attention to the fact that the applicant's stated research interests seemed vague and undeveloped.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Pitangus

[biokat8]

 

I've seen successful applicants to my program who listed two professors in response to the question of whose labs interested them. I've even seen applications that were sponsored by two professors, so contacting more than one professor doesn't seem to be an issue. That said, if you are considering contacting most of the department, then you might want to reexamine your research interests and consider whether they might be too broad. I recall a case where an applicant put down four or five professors (who all worked on noticeably disparate topics and with very different study systems), and it did draw attention to the fact that the applicant's stated research interests seemed vague and undeveloped.

Thanks for the insight!

[shadowclaw]

Ok, I know this is technically is an admission result from last year, but I finally heard back from Florida International University's Biology program. It was a rejection... kind of figured that out when the fall term started approaching.

[Crucial BBQ]

I feel like I half-belong in this thread, and half in the other. 

I'm interested in evolutionary neuro, sensory ecology, and behavioral neuro which takes ecology into consideration (if that makes sense), and I particularly love marine/aquatic model organisms..... so I'm straddling a few lines. My favorite labs incorporate both field-work eco and bench-work neuro! Some of the schools I'm interested in would have me applying under the EEB or Zoology banner, and others under Neuroscience or general Biology or even Psych. 

Does anyone know people doing this kind of work, or who have previous experience like mine, or are we as rare a breed as this website is making it seem? Would these programs likely expect more "EEB" experience than I've got under my belt, or will this be a reasonable direction to go in considering my background? Anything else I should know? Thanks!!

There are plenty of people who combine neuroscience and EEB; so I wouldn't go as far as saying it is a rare combo... ...just not as common.  At the very least you would not have too much competition on the job market and will have more flexibility in terms of employments.

As far as previous experience is concerned I don't feel it is as much about past experiences as much as it is about current passions and future desires as long as neither is "high paying job", among other things.  That is why it is so important, and a near absolute must, that you contact profs and PIs; they want assurance you are on board with the realities and that this is something you really want to do, or else they are not going to waste their time.   

EEB programs take in students from a variety of backgrounds.  Like medical school, for EEB it is simply a matter of having taken the required pre-rec courses for many of the programs and not necessarily having majored in a specific subject. 

Edited September 18, 2015 by Crucial BBQ
green eggs and ham

[mockturtle]

There are plenty of people who combine neuroscience and EEB; so I wouldn't go as far as saying it is a rare combo... ...just not as common.  At the very least you would not have too much competition on the job market and will have more flexibility in terms of employments.

As far as previous experience is concerned I don't feel it is as much about past experiences as much as it is about current passions and future desires as long as neither is "high paying job", among other things.  That is why it is so important, and a near absolute must, that you contact profs and PIs; they want assurance you are on board with the realities and that this is something you really want to do, or else they are not going to waste their time.   

EEB programs take in students from a variety of backgrounds.  Like medical school, for EEB it is simply a matter of having taken the required pre-rec courses for many of the programs and not necessarily having majored in a specific subject. 

In retrospect, those worries were definitely stemming from the somewhat-bewildered reactions of my (neuro/psych) coworkers when I told them I wanted to move towards ecology  I don't know if it just isn't on a lot of people's radar, or what, but I guess from their perspective it could be a bit of a crazy direction. 

But having now contacted a few possible PI's (to positive replies), I can certainly confirm all of the above! .....Unfortunately they're also urging me to apply as a PhD student instead, for greater ease of funding. Time to do some soul searching? 

[otherss]

Well all of the professors' labs that I was interested in are full except one. So I only applied to one school. I guess I'll keep scouring TAMU, OSNA, SCB, Eco-Log and other places for potential positions.

[shadowclaw]

On 12/2/2015, 11:30:06, otherss said:

Well all of the professors' labs that I was interested in are full except one. So I only applied to one school. I guess I'll keep scouring TAMU, OSNA, SCB, Eco-Log and other places for potential positions.

Don't get discouraged! Last cycle, there were ads out on OSNA, TAMU, and Ecolog through March. Sometimes funding becomes available last minute.

[TWitt]

Previous Institutions: Undergraduate; Big State School, Mid line reputation in Biology, Tier 1.  Masters: Medium state school, not much reputation but advisory well known, tier 2
Major(s): Biology
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: Undergrad 3.2, Masters 4.0

Position in Class: Undergrad, near top. Masters, Very top
Type of Student: non minority domestic

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 161
V: 164
A: 4.5





Research Experience: 4 years, 2 published papers, 1 first author, 2 talks, 5 poster presentations, national and regional conferences

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 within school fellowships, 2 outside school scholarships, one departmental grant

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Volunteer work as an undergraduate on a research council

Special Bonus Points: Have very strong recommendation letters from three somewhat well known faculty, undergraduate adviser wrote that he treated me as a PhD student when i worked in his lab. Have had phone interviews with three potential advisers before applying. 



Applying to Where: UCSC EEB

TAMU EEB

ASU Behavior

UW EEB

UVA Biology

UM EEB

 

 

Pretty much all reach schools, hope i get some invites.

[hipstermermaid]

I'm applying for Biological Oceanography/Marine ecology PhDs. I contacted over 30 professors in the past year, only 8 finally responded and 3 of those 8 have money and/or are interested. This is a rough year. I thought I had covered by bases by contacting literately every person in this country that is doing what I want to do but no luck. There is no money in this field to sponsor student research, particularly at UH Manoa. These are all reach schools so I am incredibly nervous. I really don't want to take another year off. 

Any words of comfort for a freaked out Master's student?

Previous Institutions: Undergraduate; small liberal arts, Master's: Big school, Tier 1, 
Major(s): Biology & Oceanography
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: Undergrad 3.44, Masters 4.0

Type of Student: white, female, upper-middle class

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 16
V: 159
A: 4.5





Research Experience: 6 years, 3 papers in preparation, 1 conference presentation (poster)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 1 teaching scholarship, 2 departmental scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Multiple internships and 4 years teaching/tutoring experience

Applying to Where: UCSC EEB

UCSD Scripps Institute of Oceanography

MIT/WHOI Joint Program

[TWitt]

Just got an invite to the interview weekend in January at the University of Washington. Email came from my POI not the department. 

[Kayce]

Undergrad Institution: Big State School, medium ranked in bio
Major(s): Psychology
Minor(s): Biology
GPA in Major: 3.73
Overall GPA: 3.66
Position in Class: Not sure
Type of Student: Domestic, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 151
V: 152
W: 5.0
B: -
Sad, I know.

Research Experience: 1 year at home institution in infant language lab, 1 year at home institution in reptile ethology lab, 1 summer REU in integrative bio (no publications)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: some scholarships, dean's list

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points:

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

Applying to Where:

University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (PhD Animal Bio)

UC Santa Cruz (PhD EEB)

UC Davis (PhD Animal Behavior)

UNC Chapel Hill (PhD Bio)

Penn State (PhD Ecology)

Plus some various psych programs that also dabble in animal behavior.

[TWitt]

Woo more ucsc! Who are you interested in working with there? 

[otherss]

Congrats. I forgot how much I hated this waiting game.

[Kayce]

Yeah! TWitt I'll message you since I guess people don't like posting names on here? (I learned this from lurking haha)

[TWitt]

Just got an invite from UVA, they said their comitee just finished meeting. 

[SaraForSure]

Undergrad Institution: Mid/high ranking state school, very strong in biology but less so in ecology
Major(s): Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA in Major: 3.6
Overall GPA: 3.4
Position in Class: Legit no clue. In biology courses I'm usually near the top, but in Chemistry that wasn't the case!
Type of Student: Domestic female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):
Q: 162
V: 153 (yikes)
W: 4.5
B: --


Research Experience: Been in the lab for 2.5 years, 1 co-authored publication and 1 first authored in progress. 1 Poster given, honors thesis, assisting other grad students with various aspects of their projects too.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduating with honors in the department

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I work in a museum of natural history in the section of birds - lots of taxonomy/classification and taxidermy! I also TA. I'm VP of my school's outdoors club and was secretary of an environmental organization on campus for a few years. Love spending time rock climbing, skiing, camping, hiking. Love field work.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: I sit in on graduate-level ecology classes. My adviser for my honors thesis/PI in the lab I'm in is pretty big in behavioral ecology I guess. Editor for a few journals/ was on the board of the animal behavior society.

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

Applying to Where:

University of Colorado Boulder - EBIO - Behavioral Ecology (2 labs)
Colorado State University - Ecology/GDPE - Behavioral Ecology (2 labs)
University of Arizona - Ecology/Biology - Behavioral Ecology
Utah State University - Ecology/Biology - Behavioral Ecology
(I'm interested in the implications of animal behavior/animal personality!)



Guys I have all my applications submitted and am just waiting for replies. I've been told I'd hear back soon, so the waiting game is happening... So stressful.

[ctenophora]

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, pretty good reputation in Biology
Major(s): Zoology
Minor(s): N/A
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.69
Position in Class: In Biology, near top if not top
Type of Student: Domestic, female, first-generation

GRE Scores (revised/old version): revised
Q: 157 (68%) <-- Hardcore lost track of time.  Oops.
V: 163 (92%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
B: No

Research Experience: 

- 2 years at home institution in physiology lab, 2 years at home institution in phylogenetics lab, roughly 12-20 hours per week, REU, full-time ecology internship elsewhere after graduation, currently full-time evolutionary genetics lab technician at alma mater in different lab, also collaborating with another lab on campus

- Currently preparing first author manuscript for publication on senior thesis

- Recently gave talk at small conference, talk & poster at undergrad symposia, 1 seminar at small research station 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: NSF REU, Smithsonian Internship, small research grant from undergrad, best talk at a small conference, graduated summa cum laude

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA, lots of science outreach experience

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: Lots of science outreach experience, applied for NSF GRFP, strong letters, all prospective PIs personally know at least 1 of my writers, reached out to prospective PIs prior to application (including phone/skype/in person discussions with all but one prospective PI)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Inconsistency in academic performance, lots of dropped classes, clear that interests changed quite a bit/ I had some difficulties, but ultimately graduated with highest honors in Zoology

Applying to Where: 

University of Washington - Biology

Duke University - Biology

University of Florida - Biology

Auburn University - Biology

University of South Carolina - Biology
 

I'm interested in evolution, phylogenetics, genomics, & bioinformatics 

[ctenophora]

On December 22, got a phone call (left voicemail) & email from PI at UW inviting me to the interview weekend in January

[chaparral]

HOORAY! Glad to have found some fellow EEBs on here  I've been constantly checking my email... waiting is stressful.

Applying to (all PhD programs):

UCSC EEB

UC Berkeley Integrative Bio

UCLA EEB

U of Georgia Plant Bio

U of Florida Plant Bio

Has anyone heard from any of these schools/programs? I have an invite to UGA recruitment weekend, which I am super excited about! But I would love to hear from other schools as well   

[TWitt]

I also applied to ucsc eeb, I have not heard anything from them yet.