News Article 1

What every science and math undergraduate needs to know about grad school

Ellefson, Anne Cooper; Holt, Mike; Hyland, K.C.; Kasl, Emily; Philips, Katrina; Whittingham, Mark

As a science majors at the University of South Carolina, we have heard about and have been experiencing the complicated and stressful process of applying to and deciding on a graduate school. During the past sixth months, we have learned a lot about this process through interviews with faculty and wanted to share this with others. Enjoy.

Starting freshman year…

It’s alarming, we know, but the graduate school process should begin your freshman year. As you go through classes within your major, and those that are not, make sure to follow up on subjects that interest you. Ask professors questions after class, look into research, ask about jobs that could be associated with that subject. This is the best way to have an idea of what you want to do when it is time to apply.

As many faculty and graduate admission counselors will tell you, letters of recommendation are one of the most important part of an application. To ensure that your letters of recommendation are the best and most informative that they can be, make sure to begin developing faculty relationships from the start. A faculty member can write a much better letter for someone they know and have a relationship with.

While it may not happen your freshman year, your sophomore year and beyond is a perfect time to begin research, independent study, summer internships, and other hands on experiences in the science field. This will not only strengthen your application, it will also help to narrow down your interests. Another benefit to these opportunities is that these people you are working for are great for recommendation letters as well as suggestions and guidance when you are in the application process.

You will hopefully hear throughout your college career that you need to visit the Career Center, and you will almost as certainly not visit it. Many scientists think it is a waste of time. In truth, it is a great resource to discover jobs that you can perform with your degree in biology other than to become a doctor. One final thing that is a must beginning early in your college career is to begin a resume. Even if it is just a list, make sure you keep track of the volunteer work you do, the organizations you are in, the awards you win, and the offices you hold. This will help you to remember it all when you have to submit an application so that everyone will know all the activities that you enjoyed during college (and get involved, it looks great on a resume and is a great way to get the most out of college).

Senior year…

To begin, take the GRE’s at least a month or two before you need to send in applications. It takes a couple of weeks to get the writing scores graded and you need to make sure you have plenty of time to request your scores to be sent and for them to get there. It also helps to have an idea of where you are applying when you go to take the GRE because they will send four for free if you can list them that day. This doesn’t mean you have to apply to the schools, it just means they will get your scores. Otherwise it can get very expensive to have them sent later on! You should prepare for the GRE’s much like the SAT: brush up on basic math skills, read vocabulary words, and most importantly, become familiar with the format. When you register for the GRE, you will be given a site where you can go and download two practice computer tests. Take them before you go so you know what to expect and don’t have to waste time reading instructions. While not everything, GRE scores are important (for example, if your verbal scores are really bad, they may think you won’t be able to write papers) so make sure you give the test enough attention.

While you are trying to decide which grad schools to put down for the GRE, also look at potential faculty at these schools. It shows great initiative to get in contact with the faculty before and during the application process so that they can be on the lookout for your application, and hopefully convince the committee that you are a worthwhile student. In addition, it is a great way to determine what they may be like as an advisor (Do they respond to emails and are they easy to get in contact with? Are they friendly and informative, or do they seem too busy to talk to you?).

Finally, begin the long process of applications. Make sure that you know when various applications are due. You should start this process as early as possible (first semester). Many departments have rolling admissions and may have their best slots filled before the posted due date. Don’t let senioritis be the reason you don’t get into grad school!

Picking a school to apply to…

Picking a school to apply to is perhaps one of the hardest parts of the process, aside from the final decision. One of the best ways to determine where the best programs are is to talk to people in your field. Just because a program in marine science exists at Harvard doesn’t mean that it’s the best program there is. Focus more on the department and the faculty and not as much on the prestige of the name.

As you have gone through college and have been researching and following up on interesting subjects, you should have come across familiar names in your field. Look at where these researchers are working to get an idea which schools are doing the research you are interested in. In addition, scientific meetings are a great place to network and see various graduate programs. At many meetings, they will have an event set up just for schools to publicize their programs and for students to get an idea of which programs are out there.

When Applying…

You’ve searched and searched and finally have an idea about the graduate schools you want to apply to. Keep in mind that there is normally an application fee associated with the process (typically around $50), so you want to be somewhat conservative. One common feature for most applications is the personal statement, statement of objectives, whatever they may call it. While it may be tempting to write a generic statement, don’t. The more specific your letter is to the program you are applying to, the better, and committee members will notice and appreciate this.

In writing your personal statement, remember that this is your time to communicate to the committee. If you got a bad grade in a class one semester because you had mono, let them know, and show them that you worked hard to pull your grades back up. If your overall GPA isn’t that great but your science GPA is, let them know. Make the statement dynamic and interesting so that they will remember it. And most importantly, proof read it. Read it aloud, get your mom to read it, get your roommate to read it, whoever, just make sure there are no typos or errors.

Be strategic with your recommendation letters. If you are applying to an analytical chemistry department, make sure that you have a recommendation letter from your analytical chemistry professor. It is also best to have a letter from someone that you have worked with and who can provide personal experience. Remember, it’s not GPA, GRE scores, recommendation letters or the personal statement that is most important, but a combination of all of them, so work hard on all of it.

The Visit

As many of you will be pleased to know, most graduate departments have a visitation weekend, and many will even help pay your way. The reason for this is that these weekends are the best way for them to convince you to come to their school. It depends on the field and school as to whether you have been accepted or not when you get there. Some make offers of acceptance and then invite you, while others invite you and then decide which students they want to accept. Regardless, these are important weekends and you should prepare for them.

Either before or during your visit, make sure that there is time set aside to meet with graduate students already in the program. This is the best time for you to get a handle on what the program is really like from students who are experiencing it. Make sure to ask students things like the time professors spend with their students, the ease of talking to advisors, how hard advisors push for publications and if they are supportive, the quality of the graduate level courses, and the general atmosphere of the department. If you are getting your PhD, this could be where you will spend the next four to six years and you want to make sure you will be happy.

While on your visit, you should also have time to meet with various professors who are performing research that you are interested in. Make sure to ask them about the projects they are working on and plan to work on, how you would choose your topic, the time they spend in the field, collaboration with other faculty and departments, and facilities available.

Other general questions to ask involve stipends (yes, many programs will provide a stipend since you won’t have time to work). Ask about whether you will have to be a teaching assistant and the time this will demand, summer support available, housing availability and costs, cost of living, health insurance, fees, time to degree, and requirements. These are all important issues that you should consider when comparing graduate schools. Is the stipend that they provide going to be enough to pay for housing, or are you going to have to take up a loan or another job? Are you going to be there for ten years just to get your masters? Don’t be ashamed to ask. If anything, questions show the school that you are prepared and have been researching their department. While talking to researchers, grad students, and other prospective students, make sure you get contact information. This will come in handy if you have questions later about the program, or if you decide to go and are looking for roommates.

Finally, tour the campus and local community. This is where you will live for the next few years, and you want to make sure that it is somewhere you can at least tolerate! The most important thing about the visit is to just be you. They are trying to decide if you will be a good fit in their group, and you are trying to decide the same thing. The only way they can determine this is if you are relaxed and natural. Remember that these weekends are going to be filled with dinners, hours of interviews, and long tours of campus. Make sure you are well rested before you go so that you can pay attention and remember all that you experience.

Choosing a school…

You’ve looked on the websites, you’ve filled out the applications, you’ve visited the schools, and now you have to make a decision. Many might think that this is the easiest part of it all, but in fact it can be the hardest. One important thing to try and do after each visit is to write down the pros and cons for each school. This can range from how good the food was and how ugly the buildings were to how much you loved the research and the people there. No matter how insignificant, write it down. That way, you can remember all the small things about each school when you are back at home trying to decide. By that point, you may have been on several visits and barely remember all of them, and you will be very glad to have taken the five minutes to write it all down.

You will be bombarded with information from each school, so it is important to look at the things that are really important. One of the most important points to consider is the research. Make sure that there is at least one or two faculty members in the department whom you would like to work with. This is what you will be doing for while and need to make sure you enjoy it. Also look at whether or not the professor has tenure. Those without tenure are in danger of moving to another school, and often may be more demanding as they attempt to gain tenure.

Funding is another very important issue. You don’t want to be three years into your degree and discover that the grant has run out and your advisor has no other way to support you. You also need to make sure that there is enough money to not only fund your research, but also to put food on the table, and to provide health insurance. You more than likely will not have time to take on another job and won’t want to eat ramen every night. In addition, make sure that there is an active graduate body. Most of the learning you receive while in graduate school is not just from the professors, but also from your fellow graduate students and post docs, and you want to make sure that the students are around and involved.

One final important point to consider is location. While it may not be the most important, if you can’t stand the thought of living farther than thirty miles from an ocean, Kansas might not be the best place for you. While the qualities of a graduate school most important to an individual may vary, the overall concept remains the same and the decision should not be made lightly!

And now you’re in grad school…

You’ve decided where to go and are on your way! Now what will it be like? More often than not, you will be working over forty hours a week. But don’t forget, you’ve chosen somewhere that is doing the research that you enjoy, so this shouldn’t be so painful. Make sure that you learn from your fellow students and take all the classes that you can. Graduate school is unique in that the course load is not quite as structured and you often have a lot more freedom to choose the classes that appeal to you.

Not to bring up unpleasantries, but make sure that if you are unhappy at the school you are attending, it is okay to switch, but do it quickly. It is much easier to go to another school when you are still in your first year doing class work than it is in your third year then you’re halfway through your degree.

We hope that this rather long summary of the graduate school application process has helped you, whether you are a freshman or a senior. We think one of the most important points of the whole paper is to get an undergraduate advisor or mentor that you can trust to help you through the process. Not only can they write you a good recommendation letter, but he or she can provide you information about a graduate school that is not published on their website, such as their reputation in the field and the quality of the program. In addition, an advisor or mentor is a great person to use as a sounding board when trying to make your decision. Most people don’t understand graduate school in science and math, and it can be frustrating when you’re making such a large decision. Many don’t understand or underestimate the importance of the research being conducted, but a good advisor won’t and can be an invaluable resource throughout the process.

Overall, do what is right for you. It can be hard to tell someone that has just flown you halfway around the country that you don’t want to be a part of their program, but they are used to it and will get over it. Don’t let others sway your vote but trust your instincts and the decision will hopefully be an easy one that will prove to be the right one.

Acknowledgements:

We would like to thank the following faculty and graduate students who provided information about the graduate admissions process: Dr. John Ferry (Chemistry), Dr. Robert Thunell (Marine Science), Michelle Hardee (Marine Science), Maxine Henry (Marine Science), Kim Schneider (Biology), Richard Vogt (Biology), Dr. Steve Stancyk (Marine Science), and Dr. Richard Showman (Biology), and Dr. Doug Williams (Geology).