Navigating the Grad Program

Graduate Program Benchmarks and Steps

• Virginia Tech Graduate School Guide

• Biological Sciences Graduate Program Documents

• Signing up for classes

• Signing up to TA

• Scheduling committee meetings

• Scheduling prelims

• Scheduling your defense

Suggested Courses

Suggesting Reading (see below)

Choosing a committee and preparing for committee meetings

Preparing for prelims

Hypothetical Timeline:

o Y1: Read the literature, develop an annotated bibliography, and write your prospectus. Try out a project, using archived freezer samples or data. Use this project to gain experience, develop project management strategies, flex your brain, apply for small grants, and design a first spring/summer project. If the Y1 project works and goes in your dissertation, great! If not, you’ll be fine; use this moment to reflect on your goals and interests. Decide on an area of focus for broader impacts (e.g., teaching, outreach, science communication).

o Y2: Use the fall to finish lab work and analyses from the first spring/summer project, apply for grants, including an NSF predoc if eligible. These grants will refine your plan for the spring/summer field season. Think about writing an NIH F31 (and taking Clay Caswell's F31 course). Use the spring/summer to conduct a project that will go in your dissertation. Y2 spring = prelims. Start writing your first paper (will take ~one year). Give a poster at a national conference. Participate in one broader impact effort.

o Y3: use the fall to finish analyses/lab work on the Y2 summer project, and design a plan for your subsequent chapters (in the form of grant proposals). Submit your first paper. Spring = more writing/analyses and conducting another experiment. Give a talk on your work at a national conference. Apply for grants. Participate in one broader impact effort - develop a track record of engagement.

o Y4: Fall = finish analyses/writing on Y2 project, start analyses on Y3 project. Submit your second paper, and start writing the third. Give another talk. Apply for more grants. Take on a mid-level leadership role in an area of broader impact.

o Y5: similar to Y4, except it’s time to explore post-PhD career choices. Convert your annotated bibliography into a review paper. Contact mentors, network, apply for jobs. You might not be collecting new field data at this stage but will continue to collaborate on team projects. Take on a leadership role in an area of broader impact.

o Y6: keep writing and submitting papers as you go. Apply for jobs/fellowships. Defend.

** If you decide to write an NSF Postdoc application plan on an extra year of grad work!

Resources/Opinions about how to grad school: