Reasonable Prospects for my Stats?

[voaku]

Hi all! Just a quick post asking for advice for the coming application season. 

Me: Current undergraduate junior. Female. At major research university. First gen college student. 

       GPA: 3.4/ major 3.6

       Work: 2 paid jobs, one is supervising at a customer service place, another is a work study in a geology lab

       Research: 1 semester of helping out w/geochem, just offered my own project to perhaps publish on in Fall

       Goals: PhD program, possibly in paleobio, at CU Boulder, Washington (Seattle), Montana, Wyoming

       GRE: Havent taken yet, but preform well on standardized tests (SAT score 2080). Have started studying though!

       Honors: Deans list 3x, several merit based scholarships, honor society

What programs should I be looking into reasonably? Would love some advice! Will definitely cast my net wide no matter what, contacting profs early. Thanks in advance guys/gals!

 

[Black Beauty]

@voafduLJ Continue to follow up on the availability of PhD funding at all schools you apply to. I can only speak to the availability of funding at Washington (Seattle). For Geoscience, Washington(Seattle) has an excellent program. I was fortunate to be invited to interview but soon found out that being funded each year (after the first) may depend on winning external scholarships.

[journosci]

@voaku good on ya to start contacting profs early! research experience is super important, but, in my experience, so is breadth -- really, other than your stats, your application is about telling a compelling story. also look into columbia's earth science program if you're interested.. funding is guaranteed for 5 years and they have a ton of resources for graduate students. 

[voaku]

@Black Beauty thanks for the info! I wouldn't have thought of that at all about Washington. And @journosci I'll look into their curriculum but I didn't think of them at all because of their big name

[Marshall]

What exactly are you looking to do?

[voaku]

@Marshall Pretty much any paleo work I can get my mitts on with funding. I'm interested in invert mostly, though who doesn't like megafauna? 

[journosci]

@voaku don't sell yourself short!! if there are people there who you're interested in, and who you have good conversations with.. that's your foot in the door