Jump to content

2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results


GeoDUDE!

Recommended Posts

@magnetite well i really love bio and geo, and paleontology didn't really feel quite right for me or at least not in the traditional sense, and i've always been incredibly interested in space and the potential for life outside of earth. so when i was looking around at grad schools and searching for POIs last semester, i stumbled across some astrobiology programs and realized that was what i want to do! i don't have any specific ideas in mind for what i want to work on, but so far i'm interested in geomicrobiology and geochem so basically microbial stuff. i learned a little bit about europa and enceladus last semester in my astronomy class, they're so interesting! i definitely think there's a lot of potential there for life near the hydrothermal vents.

also, re: having sort of unclear/broad interests, the POIs i've talked to said that's good! at least in their opinions. i think in astrobiology in particular, they're looking for creative thinkers who want to incorporate information from a bunch of different fields, 'cause there's so much we don't know about other planets so honestly anything is informative.

@Yunix i'm hoping to work with frank corsetti, if i'm accepted! have you worked with him before or taken any classes he's taught? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean, it's also a great school and totally worth applying to even I it wasn't free, but I think people may just say why not? That's also probably why their results take almost 3 months lol.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was browsing the Waiting it Out forum and saw people mentioning admissions committees reviewing LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.  I've heard of this happening to med school applicants, but the thought that someone may check my profile never occurred to me.  I signed into LinkedIn, and sure enough, I had a 'private mode' profile view Jan 3 - Jan 6.  It could be coincidental, but has anyone else noticed anything like this?  I don't have anything risqué on my Facebook, but I was glad to see that my account settings presented me in a mostly positive light for any rock nerd who should stumble across my profile.    

Has anyone else applied to Indiana University - Bloomington or Lehigh University?  This wait is making me increasingly neurotic - running until exhaustion is the only thing helping me cope haha   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, SickSlickensides said:

I was browsing the Waiting it Out forum and saw people mentioning admissions committees reviewing LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.  I've heard of this happening to med school applicants, but the thought that someone may check my profile never occurred to me.  I signed into LinkedIn, and sure enough, I had a 'private mode' profile view Jan 3 - Jan 6.  It could be coincidental, but has anyone else noticed anything like this?  

Yep. And when your in grad school get used to people checking your profiles all the time! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strange. Now LinkedIn won't even load for me. Are there enough people following this thread to crash their site, everyone scrambling to make sure nothing untoward is on their profile?

And I need to try the running to exhaustion thing. Constantly hitting F5 on the results page isn't gonna get me there.

Edited by magnetite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

I mean, it's also a great school and totally worth applying to even I it wasn't free, but I think people may just say why not? That's also probably why their results take almost 3 months lol.

 

Yea I mean it's right in the middle of Houston where all the oil companies are. They admit without funding right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@columbia09 Not really... I mean it's not completely unheard of, but realistically if your company isn't supporting you and the department doesn't have funding, you're not getting in. 

Edited by sjoh197
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Naturally, I find myself back in this forum now that I am finishing up my MS degree. I wanted some input on open house experiences...

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to Scripps Open House. Does anyone have experience with this particular event or similar events? It seems to be a pretty immersive experience (two full days), but I don't actually have any detailed idea of what to expect. I am bringing my own funding (NSF GRFP - 3 yrs) as well which may put me in a unique position (?).

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, chrissytine said:

I am bringing my own funding (NSF GRFP - 3 yrs) as well which may put me in a unique position (?).

 

Just be yourself, you have all the leverage. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SickSlickensides said:

I was browsing the Waiting it Out forum and saw people mentioning admissions committees reviewing LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.  I've heard of this happening to med school applicants, but the thought that someone may check my profile never occurred to me.  I signed into LinkedIn, and sure enough, I had a 'private mode' profile view Jan 3 - Jan 6.  It could be coincidental, but has anyone else noticed anything like this?  I don't have anything risqué on my Facebook, but I was glad to see that my account settings presented me in a mostly positive light for any rock nerd who should stumble across my profile.    

Has anyone else applied to Indiana University - Bloomington or Lehigh University?  This wait is making me increasingly neurotic - running until exhaustion is the only thing helping me cope haha   

I "friended" my POI on linkedin in early january. We had connections though. He looked at my profile the next day. I hope it helped him remember who I was?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

I "friended" my POI on linkedin in early january. We had connections though. He looked at my profile the next day. I hope it helped him remember who I was?

There is just no way of knowing what goes through anyone's mind by clicking on a profile, I think the best way to stay sane is to try not to get carried away by the details. I know this because I can spend a lot of time wondering e.g. what this one sentence a POI wrote actually means, or reading into the time it takes them to respond or whether I should have a different cover photo on my facebook page to make me look more like a nature-kind-of-person than an urban dweller and... It is just not a great path to follow, even though it is incredibly tempting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Yunix said:

@sarah0942 I've taken his sedimentology class. His class is probably the most popular among undergrads, since he's funny and the material is well articulated. Good luck!

thank you! :) good to know he has a good reputation there haha.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, chrissytine said:

Naturally, I find myself back in this forum now that I am finishing up my MS degree. I wanted some input on open house experiences...

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to Scripps Open House. Does anyone have experience with this particular event or similar events? It seems to be a pretty immersive experience (two full days), but I don't actually have any detailed idea of what to expect. I am bringing my own funding (NSF GRFP - 3 yrs) as well which may put me in a unique position (?).

Thanks!

Did you apply to the Climate Ocean Atmosphere Program? If so, when's the Open House? I'm still waiting to here from them and getting really anxious! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Miner 49er said:

Did you apply to the Climate Ocean Atmosphere Program? If so, when's the Open House? I'm still waiting to here from them and getting really anxious! :D

I did not, I applied to the the GEO curricular group. Open House is in ~3 weeks. Good luck, I hope you hear back soon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, chrissytine said:

I did not, I applied to the the GEO curricular group. Open House is in ~3 weeks. Good luck, I hope you hear back soon!

Ah, I see. Thanks! It's pretty nerve-racking  I must say!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, chrissytine said:

Naturally, I find myself back in this forum now that I am finishing up my MS degree. I wanted some input on open house experiences...

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to Scripps Open House. Does anyone have experience with this particular event or similar events? It seems to be a pretty immersive experience (two full days), but I don't actually have any detailed idea of what to expect. I am bringing my own funding (NSF GRFP - 3 yrs) as well which may put me in a unique position (?).

Thanks!

I think on-site events are usually built around chunks of time where you meet profs, and students in lab just to get a feel for whether it's a fit and so they can make sure you'd slot in nicely with the group there. Or so based on my relatively limited experience. Expect to be frequently asked about your ongoing work and research interests, otherwise it's just chatting with people trying to be friendly, and generally being Earth nerds :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does it mean anything or it appears to all of you that applying to UT Austin?

I just check my online portal and found this "If you are offered admission and employment at UT Austin, including employment as a GRA or TA, you must successfully pass a criminal background check. For information about how our office of Human Resources reviews criminal history background checks, please visit Human Resources website" in my applicaiton (the mention it as fyi). It was not there before

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

@columbia09 Not really... I mean it's not completely unheard of, but realistically if your company isn't supporting you and the department doesn't have funding, you're not getting in. 

Even with support I didn't got in, strange thing is I did got accepted into UT. Weird.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

I "friended" my POI on linkedin in early january. We had connections though. He looked at my profile the next day. I hope it helped him remember who I was?

One time the coordinator of one of the programs I was interested in added me on linkedin, maybe they do check your profile just to see if there's more info there

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use