Advice for Applying to Graduate School
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Advice for Applying to Graduate School
Applying to graduate school in the geosciences
Applying to graduate school is a significant decision. Pursuing a master’s degree (typically ~2 years) or a Ph.D. (often ~5 years) represents a substantial investment of time and financial resources, but it can also be a highly rewarding experience. The advice below is intended to help guide students considering graduate study in the geosciences. While much of this guidance applies broadly across scientific disciplines, application processes and expectations can vary among fields.
Consider the advice below:
Many careers in the geosciences require a M.S. or Ph.D., but graduate school is not by any means the next necessary step after your undergraduate degree. Plenty of career paths are possible with a B.S. or B.A. in Earth Science! Doing a M.S. or a Ph.D. is rewarding, but also requires hard work, dedication, self-motivation, and 2-5 years of invested time for relatively low pay. Before making the commitment, it is important to consider whether a graduate degree is right for you. And please keep in mind that there’s no time limit to apply for graduate school; beginning a career does not make you ineligible for graduate school in the future and can often generate experience valuable to the pursuit of a graduate degree.
Before you apply, consider your career goals and the types of research topics you are interested in, and then look for programs and mentors that can help you reach those goals. Keep in mind that you will spend two or more years in graduate school. The relationship and chemistry you develop with your advisor, your enthusiasm for your research project, the department’s social culture, and where you are located will determine whether you are happy and successful during your graduate program. So where should you start? And how do you navigate the process of identifying programs, applying for admission and funding, and ultimately deciding if and where to attend graduate school?
- Ask your professors for advice! You may be interested in grad school but not sure where to start. Ask! Your professors
all went to graduate school and can offer advice on research areas, grad school life,
and prospective advisors, and are ALWAYS happy to talk, even if they may be a little
hard to pin down. So please don’t be shy about reaching out. Even if a particular
professor doesn’t work in your field of interest, they can still help make suggestions
about how to start the process, provide recommendations for who you might contact,
and talk about grad school in general. In addition, you can and should talk to the
graduate students in your department. Start with your teaching assistant, or ask your
advisor to put you in touch with one of their students.
- Decide what you want to study. What field of the Earth Sciences are you interested in? Do you want to pursue a M.S.
or a Ph.D., and why? You will highlight this in your application, and the more focused
you can be, the better. Although you may be interested in many aspects of the geosciences
(and we hope that you are!), you will want to be as certain as you can that your chosen
field and degree path is right for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t pivot if your
interests and career goals change, although graduate school is a substantial time
commitment.
- Research potential advisors. Research prospective advisors by reading their papers, checking out their website,
and talking to their current or former students. Again, if you aren’t sure where to
start (or what you might want to do for grad school), ask your current or former professors
for advice.
- Contact your prospective advisors. This is the MOST important thing to do before you start applying! It gives you an opportunity to get to know your prospective advisor, for them to
get to know you, and to see if the current research opportunities in their lab align
with your interests. If it seems like a good match, your advisor will be sure to keep
an eye on your application and advocate for you during the admission process. Once
you know who you might be interested in working with:
Send your prospective advisor an email and schedule a virtual or in-person meeting. Attending conferences is a good way to meet and sit down with prospective advisors.
When you email them, clearly explain why you are interested in working with them specifically, and what you would like to study. Write a formal email: address them as Dr., make sure to use correct spelling, use formal salutations, sign your name with a “Sincerely,” and attach a current CV. Potential advisors don’t want to have to guess why you are emailing them, and don’t appreciate informal or hastily-written emails. (But at the same time, do present your genuine self.) Here are some websites with example email templates you might use:
- https://contemplativemammoth.com/2013/04/08/so-you-want-to-go-to-grad-school-nail-the-inquiry-email/
- https://lucklab.ucdavis.edu/blog/2018/9/17/emailing-faculty
- https://grad.ncsu.edu/news/2020/02/how-to-email-your-professor/
- https://americanornithology.org/how-to-send-a-graduate-school-inquiry-email/
Talk to their current and former students. Hopefully your prospective advisor will put you in contact with some of their students, but feel free to reach out yourself. You can often find an advisor’s graduate students on their research website or their department’s webpage, and you will get to meet them during your prospective student visit. You can also talk to other grad students in the same department. Graduate students can give you perspective on what a potential advisor is like to work for, and the social scene in the town. Advisor-student and mentor-mentee arrangements are relationships, so it is important to assess your own style and preferences when asking questions and gathering information about prospective mentors. For example, advisors may be more hands-on or hands-off in management style. One isn’t inherently better than the other, but it isn't ideal if a potential advisor’s style is mismatched with what will best support you through your graduate experience. Be honest with yourself as far as what works for you and what does not.
Don’t forget to ask prospective mentors questions of your own! You want to do your best to make sure that this will be a supportive relationship for you. In addition to questions about potential research, funding, and coursework, you might consider some questions about advising and expectations such as:
- What is your advising style? Do you tend to be more hands-on or hands-off?
- How often do you meet with your advisees? How often do you meet with the lab group as a whole?
- Are group meetings more formal (presentations) or informal (discussions)?
- What is your preferred relationship style with advisees? Do you prefer a purely professional relationship, or are you willing to discuss workplace-appropriate personal details?
- What professional development and networking opportunities do you expect your students to pursue (e.g., teaching, conference presentations, workshops)?
- What amount of information do you want to know about your advisee’s travel? Do you prefer to be informed when students take personal trips? Do you have expectations regarding when students will and will not be available around major holidays? - Research the school and the place. Living in a place where you will be happy is important for a healthy grad school
experience. Talking with current grad students in the department is a great way to
go about this. Many graduate departments will also invite prospective graduate students
for a visit, which will be a great way to get a feel for the place prior to accepting
a position.
- Apply to multiple programs. Even if you are confident that a particular program or prospective advisor is a good
fit, admission is never guaranteed. In addition, the application process itself can
be valuable, as it often helps you clarify your interests, strengths, and long-term
goals. Furthermore, exposure to a range of programs and institutional cultures is
a valuable experience in its own right that can help you better understand what types
of environments, mentoring styles, and program structures are out there and will best
support your success. It is not uncommon to be convinced that you will accept an offer
at one location, only to find that a department visit changes your mind!
- Again, remember that ~2 years (for a M.S.) and ~5 years (for a Ph.D.) is a long time! You want to do everything you can to ensure you are happy as a grad student. You will develop relationships both academic and personal in your research group, department, university, and community, so gathering information ahead of moving is essential.
- Writing a personal statement: Here are some links to advice on your personal statement. Your prospective advisors
will want to know why you are interested in working with them, and why you are interested
in their program specifically. They will also want to see evidence that you are hard
working, self-motivated, and responsible. Show them with specific examples, and highlight
any prior research experience or relevant class or work experience. This is also an
opportunity to explain any personal struggles that led to poor performance in previous
programs. Be authentic, and candid. The examples below have good suggestions for how
you might organize your narrative.
- https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2006/01/sell-yourself-guidance-developing-your-personal-statement-graduate-school-applications
- https://geology.ucdavis.edu/students/careers/gradschool
- https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/personal-statement/ - Standardized tests: Though standardized tests, such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), are falling out of favor with some geoscience departments, you may need to take it or another test in order to gain admission to your program of choice. If you are an international student, the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam is generally required for admission. If you can afford the expense, books and/or courses to prepare for taking these exams are very useful, and you may want to take the exam more than once to get the best score possible. Consider planning your admissions timeline with this in mind!
- Soliciting letters of recommendation: Approach your letter writers early. If you aren’t sure who to ask, consider your undergraduate
advisor and/or any professors whose class you did well in and/or feel you have a good
rapport with. Give them at least 3-4 weeks advance notice, but more time is better.
Once they agree to write a letter, send them some information that includes (1) where
you are applying, (2) who you are applying to work with, (3) why you are applying
to that particular program and that particular advisor, (4) why you are asking them
for a letter (e.g., what specifically they can speak to as far as your strengths);
and (5) anything else you would like them to know about you or that they could emphasize
in their letters. Consider sending your personal statement or other essays required
for admission to your recommendation writers, as details you include may be unknown
to them and useful information when drafting letters!
- Note that you can usually send links to letters of recommendation through the application system before your application itself is finalized. So even if you are far from ready to upload your final personal statement, you can still send the requests for recommendations to your letter writers.
- You will typically be asked whether you wish to waive your right to view letters of recommendation. It is strongly recommended that you do so, as this is the standard expectation in graduate admissions. Letters that are confidential are generally viewed as more candid and credible by admissions committees, whereas letters that are accessible to applicants may be interpreted as less forthright. However, if you have any concerns about whether a particular writer will be able to provide a strong letter, it is entirely appropriate to ask them directly whether they feel comfortable writing you a strong and supportive letter of recommendation. This is a normal and professional part of the process. If a letter writer does not respond enthusiastically to a request, consider finding another mentor to write you a letter. - The timeline: Most graduate schools have a particular due date, but we recommend that you aim to get your application in earlier, both to impress your prospective advisor and because you may need time for your letter writers to submit their recommendations. Once your application is in, you wait. It could be a few weeks to a few months before you hear back. Offers will typically (but not always) come in as early as December or as late as March, with a deadline of April 15th to accept or reject an offer (although many prospective students make decisions earlier).
- Prospective student visit: Before you make your decision, most schools will arrange for you to visit campus,
usually with a cohort of other prospective students. Take advantage of this excellent
opportunity to see the place and meet and talk with people, particularly your prospective
advisor(s) and the current graduate students. Even if you are not invited for a formal
visit, you may be able to request one to get that same opportunity.
Some prospective student visits are more formal than others, but no matter what, act professionally. Remember that every person you meet, including the faculty, staff, and graduate students, may have some influence on your admission decision. In some cases, you might have already been accepted into the program, and in other cases, the program may still be considering your application. Outside of specific questions about your research experience and interests, questions you might be asked could include:
- Why have you decided to pursue a M.S. or Ph.D.
- What do you want to do after you finish your degree? What sort of job would you like to have?
- What skillset would you like to have developed by the end of your program?
- What will you do if you are not accepted into graduate school this year?
- Describe one of your strengths and one of your weaknesses. - Offers and funding: Offers can come with and without (guaranteed) funding. In most geoscience programs, students are supported on research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), or a combination of the two. Your offer letter will have details on what you will be paid, as well as other expenses, fees, and benefits. If anything is unclear, ask the graduate coordinator or your prospective advisor, although don’t be surprised if your advisor doesn’t know all the details. You may also want to consider your options for deferring student loans. The graduate office or department graduate coordinator can provide you with information on those options.
Not everyone is successful in the application process! If you don’t get the opportunity you are looking for, don’t give up. Many times it is not you, but a potential advisor may just not have funding to take on a student at this time or may not have room for more students in their lab. Reach out to your professors and academic advisor at your current institution, and talk with them or your friends and family about how you can improve your application next time. Remember that there’s no time limit to apply for graduate school. Starting a career does not make you ineligible for graduate school later on, and often some professional experience will make you a stronger candidate in your next round of applications.
Here are some other sites with good advice on applying to graduate programs in the
geosciences:
- https://geology.ucdavis.edu/students/careers/gradschool
- https://rock.geosociety.org/net/gsatoday/groundwork/G410GW/GSATG410GW.pdf
- Info and advice on applying to graduate school, from the U of Minnesota Earth and
Environmental Science Department
- https://geogradapp.com/about/
Some programs have specific pages with advice tailored to their applications, such
as:
- https://www.geosc.psu.edu/graduate/prospective-students/how-apply-graduate-studies-geosciences-penn-state?
- https://cse.umn.edu/esci/graduate-program-admissions