2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Different_Name_111!!!]

@Miner 49er Sorry, I should have been clearer.  I was talking about the Earth and Space Science (ESS) department, not Atmospheric Sciences (They're separate departments in technically adjacent buildings).  I know ESS rolls out offers as students decline admittance and additional funding is confirmed or becomes available.  I don't have any information about the Atmospheric Science department.  Good luck 49er, I hope you hear good news! 

[magnetite]

Rejection from Caltech, my first. Would have been nice to have an acceptance by now. Oh well.

Haven't heard back from the professor at Arizona State. I'm pretty sure I didn't adequately answer why I've attended four different colleges, over a span of 14 years.

[emmuhhs]

3 hours ago, SickSlickensides said:

For those wondering, I was just told UW-Seattle PIs with guaranteed funding sent out their first round acceptances this week.  (Read: mostly glacier/climate people).  Offers will continue to roll out through April 14. 

Thank you for the knowledge  The group I applied to there was still uncertain on funding last I checked so we shall see...

[magnetite]

Looks like Washington's Oceanography department sent out interview requests to an open house the first week of March. I guess I'll polish my resume and go to my school's career day this week.

[CornUltimatum]

I just got an email inviting me to an interview/recruitment weekend from New Mexico Tech! I am SO pumped! 

Now I just have to look around and see what resources are on here about how to prep for it!

[magnetite]

@CornUltimatum Nice. Congrats, and good luck!

[zerozircon]

Anyone going to UCLA's prospective student weekend?  Any advice from previous attendees?

[Miner 49er]

Looks like Columbia EES has started rolling out their offers! Saw a post on the submissions page..

[trulytriaxial]

9 minutes ago, Miner 49er said:

Looks like Columbia EES has started rolling out their offers! Saw a post on the submissions page..

As have MIT/WHOI and MIT EAPS. *Shudder*

[magnetite]

Saw that someone got invited to Arizona State's graduate student visitation weekend, but for the astronomy/astrophysics part of SESE. Anyone know if the admissions for department and geological sciences are combined, or do they do things separately?

[Eita1989]

On 2/9/2016 at 9:02 PM, magnetite said:

Today a professor at Arizona State emailed me to set up a phone interview to talk about my interests and experience. I didn't mention this professor in my SOP, but he's involved in some projects that look interesting, though not exactly what I've envisioned myself doing. Regardless, I'm pretty excited.

 

2 hours ago, magnetite said:

Saw that someone got invited to Arizona State's graduate student visitation weekend, but for the astronomy/astrophysics part of SESE. Anyone know if the admissions for department and geological sciences are combined, or do they do things separately?

I am also curious about this. I had an interview last week and my interest is urban environment and atmospheric research.

[Miner 49er]

15 hours ago, trulytriaxial said:

As have MIT/WHOI and MIT EAPS. *Shudder*

As far the MIT/WHOI is concerned, they sent out all admits Friday 2/12

[trulytriaxial]

Oh well, then there goes that.

[gelologist]

20 hours ago, Miner 49er said:

Looks like Columbia EES has started rolling out their offers! Saw a post on the submissions page..

Yeah, they're sending out their first round now. Unfortunately, they can only take ~30 people so the first round goes out, then profs angle to get in line to pull in their pick as offers are turned down. Usually another round goes out in about March, though, so no one panic yet if they don't hear  (but maybe do so a little because it sounds like a super political process, and I heard there's like 500 apps, though I can't recall my source on that)

[Proford]

Hi guys, I received my first offer from a geology graduate program two weeks ago. My B.S. degree is in environmental science (geology minor). I'd like to enter the energy industry after I complete my M.S. degree in geology; I was sure to mention that on my application. 

The project that the department has in mind for me to complete is environmental-based, but I would still be on track for the geology M.S. degree the department offers. The project really does not incorporate the aspects of geology that I had hoped, but it does offer full funding for my M.S. I also find the project interesting.

I was wondering how important the topic of your Masters thesis is once you graduate. As long as the degree I receive is in geology, should I be concerned that my thesis may not meet the expectations of the energy sector? Since I am still earning the geology M.S., I will be taking graduate courses in geology just like any other geology graduate student in the department.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Edited February 17, 2016 by Proford

[gelologist]

3 hours ago, Proford said:

Hi guys, I received my first offer from a geology graduate program two weeks ago. My B.S. degree is in environmental science (geology minor). I'd like to enter the energy industry after I complete my M.S. degree in geology; I was sure to mention that on my application. 

The project that the department has in mind for me to complete is environmental-based, but I would still be on track for the geology M.S. degree the department offers. The project really does not incorporate the aspects of geology that I had hoped, but it does offer full funding for my M.S. I also find the project interesting.

I was wondering how important the topic of your Masters thesis is once you graduate. As long as the degree I receive is in geology, should I be concerned that my thesis may not meet the expectations of the energy sector? Since I am still earning the geology M.S., I will be taking graduate courses in geology just like any other geology graduate student in the department.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

A thesis is always a selling point for job apps, and being able to talk about what you did and have it be relevant could look good. Still, if you gain similar skills and exposure through the path you outlined, I imagine the master's will be viewed as a master's. I'd at least start down this path just to get started and set to graduate on time; you could always keep an eye out for switching projects if you find it necessary to be more industry-oriented in your work. That, or you could try for a summer position to help balance the En Sci aspect of your MS. 

[gelologist]

Anyone else apply to the AMNH grad student fellowship?

[GeoMex]

6 hours ago, Proford said:

Hi guys, I received my first offer from a geology graduate program two weeks ago. My B.S. degree is in environmental science (geology minor). I'd like to enter the energy industry after I complete my M.S. degree in geology; I was sure to mention that on my application. 

The project that the department has in mind for me to complete is environmental-based, but I would still be on track for the geology M.S. degree the department offers. The project really does not incorporate the aspects of geology that I had hoped, but it does offer full funding for my M.S. I also find the project interesting.

I was wondering how important the topic of your Masters thesis is once you graduate. As long as the degree I receive is in geology, should I be concerned that my thesis may not meet the expectations of the energy sector? Since I am still earning the geology M.S., I will be taking graduate courses in geology just like any other geology graduate student in the department.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

There´s a lot of jobs in the environmental part of the energy sector. But it seems as if you would like to be a petroleum geologist or something alike. If that´s the case, I don't think the courses offered for an environmental project would be very relevant. You could either take more courses or divide them so you learn the skills necessary, or you could continue normally and assist some workshops or labs independently. 

[CornUltimatum]

8 hours ago, Proford said:

Hi guys, I received my first offer from a geology graduate program two weeks ago. My B.S. degree is in environmental science (geology minor). I'd like to enter the energy industry after I complete my M.S. degree in geology; I was sure to mention that on my application. 

The project that the department has in mind for me to complete is environmental-based, but I would still be on track for the geology M.S. degree the department offers. The project really does not incorporate the aspects of geology that I had hoped, but it does offer full funding for my M.S. I also find the project interesting.

I was wondering how important the topic of your Masters thesis is once you graduate. As long as the degree I receive is in geology, should I be concerned that my thesis may not meet the expectations of the energy sector? Since I am still earning the geology M.S., I will be taking graduate courses in geology just like any other geology graduate student in the department.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

One of my friends did her Master's thesis over xenocryst distribution. She also took a lot of courses over petroleum, had a few internships and what not. She was very on top of her game academically - and she was the only person I know of who landed an oil job at my University last Fall. 

 

I assume that while her thesis was not totally relevant she highlighted aspects of how she performed the research and how that experience was relevant, or something of that sort. It's certainly ideal to have a thesis pertaining to energy (oil), but if your options are limited, and the project is fully funded (congrats!) there are other things you can do to bolster your background. 

[Different_Name_111!!!]

8 hours ago, Proford said:

 I'd like to enter the energy industry

Important things to think about:

Where did your POIs graduate students work after graduation?  What about the department as a whole, where did graduate students work after graduation?  Department choice is very important here, i.e. some departments don't have recruiters visit.  O&G is cyclical, and is in very rough shape right now, if you could predict a recovery date, you'd be very wealthy.  I know a recruiter for a major oil company; this person told me they only took 3 geology interns last year (out of hundreds of grad student applications) and I think offers were only made to 1 or 2 at the end of the summer.  Mining is also in terrible shape. 

Edited February 17, 2016 by SickSlickensides

[magnetite]

Another acceptance posted for Arizona State's astrophysics part of SESE. Still no word from the professor who interviewed me.

 

[Usmivka]

On 2/16/2016 at 11:32 AM, trulytriaxial said:

Oh well, then there goes that.

I've seen folks accepted to the MIT/WHOI joint program as late as April. The initial invites can cover a lot of those ultimately accepted (>80%), but not all. If you have a good connection with a PI and they have money but don't get their first choice student, you may end up hearing form them later. Obviously this isn't high probability, but also consider that the top applicants are often accepted to multiple top programs. As they can't accept everywhere, opportunities for others will inevitably open up later in the application cycle.

[carlsaganism]

9 hours ago, Usmivka said:

I've seen folks accepted to the MIT/WHOI joint program as late as April. The initial invites can cover a lot of those ultimately accepted (>80%), but not all. If you have a good connection with a PI and they have money but don't get their first choice student, you may end up hearing form them later. Obviously this isn't high probability, but also consider that the top applicants are often accepted to multiple top programs. As they can't accept everywhere, opportunities for others will inevitably open up later in the application cycle.

oh my god... i hope what you say is true...... I have yet to hear back from pretty much everywhere...... 

[trulytriaxial]

10 hours ago, Usmivka said:

I've seen folks accepted to the MIT/WHOI joint program as late as April. The initial invites can cover a lot of those ultimately accepted (>80%), but not all. If you have a good connection with a PI and they have money but don't get their first choice student, you may end up hearing form them later. Obviously this isn't high probability, but also consider that the top applicants are often accepted to multiple top programs. As they can't accept everywhere, opportunities for others will inevitably open up later in the application cycle.

Thank you. I wouldn't call my connection with the WHOI PI solid. He essentially said he applied for a bunch of grants but has not much funding at the moment, and that NSF or external fellowship awardees would be his priority (which isn't an option for me as an int'l student). It's okay though. I pretty much intended it as a shot in the dark.

[Miner 49er]

Haven't received word from other schools still! Should I be buckle up and wait for a barrage of rejection letters now or what..