Getting Into Graduate School… is very different from applying to college! This document will help those looking to go to graduate school in ecology, evolution, or wildlife/marine biology. Although some of this information may intimidate you, don’t let it discourage you; getting into graduate school may be difficult, but isn’t pursuing your dream worth it? I. Research Experience You need it. All post baccalaureate schools are getting more competitive, so the more experiences you have the better. The best candidates have research experiences that have led to published manuscripts (or have manuscripts in preparation) and/or presentations at local or national conferences. Getting research experiences at UP: There are several active research labs at UP, but how do you get into them? Not only do you need to take classes from the faculty that run the labs, but it is imperative you do well in those classes. This includes tests, assignments, (and perhaps especially) class participation and office hour visits. Faculty can only take on a few research students each year, and we want to know the students that we work with are motivated and genuinely interested in the subjects we study; the only way for us to learn that information is for you to demonstrate it (in and out of the classroom). Plan on working on these faculty relationships early, as by senior year it may be too late to become part of their labs. Getting research experience outside of UP: Most of the students getting into graduate school had serious summer research experiences. While there are some at UP, you will likely need to seek opportunities at other institutions, field stations, or state/federal agencies. Ideally you get paid for these experiences, but the reality is they may require you to volunteer your time. If you are in a financial position where you cannot afford to volunteer your time, ask yourself why college was worth the loan but a summer research experience is not… Let faculty know you are looking for research experiences, as we often get emails advertising student jobs or internships. And of course, the internet is an outstanding resource to find opportunities. One of the best websites is the Texas A&M Job Board: http://wfscjobs.tamu.edu/job-­‐board/ There are also graduate opportunities posted here: http://biology.duke.edu/jackson/ecophys/grad.html II. Know what you want to become an expert in. You don’t go to graduate school “just because”. You are going to become an expert in something specific, and only you can figure out what that something is. If you don’t yet know what you want to specialize in, you aren’t ready for graduate school. Reality #1: geography is sometimes a non-­‐issue, and it is rare that you pick your graduate school based on location. If you want to become an expert in dung beetles, you must find where those experts are and you go to them. Reality #2: funding is a major issue. While funding for some students comes from the institution itself (paying you as a Teaching Assistant for example), many PI’s get their funding from grants. You will need to do your homework to find out which experts are taking on students (either by phone or email). So even though you may have found the most perfect fit online/based on their website, that PI may not have any openings in their lab. The funding issue is one of the factors that is making graduate school more and more competitive; funding for evolutionary/ ecological/ ethological research has been decreasing steadily since the 1990’s. And by the way, “PI” stands for Principle Investigator, and it is the common term for a faculty member who runs a lab with graduate students and post-­‐docs. Reality #3: the application process takes time. Potential matches between students and PI’s often takes six months to a year. If application deadlines are in fall/winter, plan on beginning your graduate school search and communications with PI’s the previous spring. And set aside some time to travel and meet with potential PI’s, on your own time and/or your own dime. The chances that you will end up in a lab of a PI you have never met are slim. III. Read Do you read primary literature? If so, do you do so by choice or only when forced by a teacher? If you do not currently read scientific articles on your own time “for fun” or to learn more about subjects you are passionate about, you are not yet ready for graduate school. For example, if you know you want to be a dung beetle expert, how current are you on the literature? Do you know the classic literature? When you begin you conversations with potential PI’s, you will need to have this knowledge to demonstrate your genuine interest and dedication in becoming an expert in this field. If you don’t currently know what you want to become an expert in, reading primary literature will help immensely. One suggestion is to go to the webpage of a large University that has links to every PI’s website. Some examples: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/ib/faculty.aspx http://www.biology.washington.edu/research/eec http://ebio.colorado.edu/index.php/people-­‐faculty/people-­‐professors Read their homepages and see if their general area of interest excites you. If so, read their papers. Still interested? Keep reading! Look at the papers they cite and read those. This next piece of advice is very important: if you are not interested, that's ok! Move on to another faculty/topic. If you are not excited to read their paper you have not found your passion. Again, only you can decide what you want to become an expert in, and that decision should align with your strengths. IV. Classes and grades Your future PI’s don’t care what classes you took per se, but they will care what you took away from them. If you took entomology, do you actually know how to identify a scarab from a buprestid? If you took evolution, do you actually know how to interpret a phylogeny? Your GPA matters, but when you start having email and face-­‐to-­‐face conversations with professionals, can you hold your own? I suggest breaking all habits related to cramming and memorizing; your future requires comprehension and deductive reasoning, not regurgitation. Although UP only requires you to take three biology labs to graduate, take as many labs as possible. That offers you the greatest biology experiences, as labs are where you learn the skills and knowledge you need to conduct research. It also demonstrates (to your future PI) that you can handle a rigorous course load, which includes many biology laboratories. In addition to all the classes you probably wanted to take (ecology, evolution, marine biology, vertebrate biology, wetlands/freshwater ecology, botany, etc.), you should also take statistics (preferably upper division) and cell-­‐mo, development, and genetics. The content and techniques you will learn in these lectures and laboratories are an important compliment to a future in ecology, evolution and/or marine/wildlife biology. In short, students who avoided these classes will be at a disadvantage in graduate school. V. Your CV and cover letter “CV” stands for curriculum vitae and it is very different from a resume. When you initially make contact with a potential PI you should attach it to your email. If you have never seen one before, many UP faculty have them on their websites or posted as a link in the directory. This link will help explain the fundamentals of a science CV: http://chronicle.com/article/The-­‐Basics-­‐of-­‐Science-­‐CV/46273/ You can ask any biology faculty to share theirs with you for ideas/format/style, and many of us will help you work on your drafts. If nothing else, definitely ensure you have had your CV proofread by a UP faculty before you start sending emails to potential PI’s. It is also imperative you learn how to write an effective cover letter (or an email that serves as a cover letter). This cover letter/email is your first impression to potential employers or graduate school mentors and they likely receive dozens if not hundreds of inquiries. How does yours stand out and represent you? The Career Center here at UP can be helpful with your first drafts, and (like your CV) ensure you get feedback from a faculty member here before you send it out to the specific position/lab you are applying for. VI. GRE Although many schools don’t put a lot of weight on the GRE, some schools do, and all schools have a minimum requirement. Take the time to study and do it right. If you don’t do well on standardized tests, study harder and longer. If you take the GRE multiple times, they will send all your scores to the graduate school you are applying for, so don’t take it if you aren’t ready. VII. Outstanding Academic References Its easy to get a letter of recommendation at UP; students at UP are generally wonderful young people and the faculty here tend to know our students well. However, the quantity and quality of praise offered in a letter of recommendation varies extensively (not unlike the variation we see in student evaluations of our courses…). It is never too early to think about your behavior as a student and what that means for future letters of recommendation. Whether in class, in lab, in the field, or during office hours, did you grow as a student and scientist? Did you demonstrate your strengths and own up to your weaknesses? Did you perform above and beyond? If so, expect faculty to write above and beyond letters for you. If not, consider asking someone else. Exceptionally strong letters of recommendation can “make or break” an application. VIII. M.S. or Ph.D. How to decide whether you want a masters or doctorate? This is difficult to give general advice on as it depends on what you want to become an expert in, how much experience you already have in that field, what you hope to do with your degree, whether the PI’s you have found are taking on only M.S. or Ph.D. students, etc. Plan on discussing this with a faculty member at UP after you have decided what you want to become an expert in and have seriously thought about what kind of career you are pursuing. Some other helpful websites about getting into graduate school: http://careers.washington.edu/News/2009/Eight-­‐Tips-­‐for-­‐Getting-­‐into-­‐Grad-­‐School http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-­‐college-­‐solution/2011/06/28/5-­‐things-­‐you-­‐
need-­‐to-­‐know-­‐about-­‐graduate-­‐school http://eeb.bio.utk.edu/graduate-­‐studies/how-­‐to-­‐get-­‐into-­‐an-­‐organismal-­‐biology-­‐graduate-­‐
program/ http://www.pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.biology/files/THINKING%20OF%20APPLYING.pdf Finally, talk with the ecology/evolution professors here at UP (in alphabetical order): Laurie Dizney (BC 269, [email protected] ) Tara Maginnis (BC 264, [email protected] ) Katie O’Reilly (SWI 208B, [email protected] ) Dave Taylor (BC 268, [email protected] ) Christine Weilhoefer (BC 279, [email protected] ) Good Luck!