I bought a hundred envelopes, a hundred stamps,
and a lot of paper, and I typed letters to every
single graduate department in the country that
was listed in Peterson's guide under "ecology
and evolutionary biology." This was, after
all, the late 1980s, before word processors were
popular and before information was available at
one's fingertips and within seconds via the Web.
After sifting through pages of faculty research
interests, looking at departmental brochures,
and finding out which schools offered teaching
or research assistantships to M.S. students (a
lot of schools reserve these for Ph.D. students
only), I narrowed my choices down to five.
I never even heard back from
my first choice, a top-rated research university.
My second choice accepted me with no immediate
funding but promised me a teaching assistantship
if I could "prove" myself by the end
of the first semester. A third school rejected
me but kindly informed me that they had received
over 60 applications for only two slots. School
#4 offered me a 12-month research assistantship
on a faculty grant, although the project I'd be
working on didn't exactly make me want to jump
up and drive to Utah. But it was the best offer
running, untilone day before I was expected
to notify school #4 of my decisionthe University
of Vermont (UVM) pulled through and offered
me an attractive, three-year teaching fellowship.
I eagerly accepted, never imagining that I would
enjoy myself so much at UVM that I would stay
on for a Ph.D. Graduate school was an intensely
satisfying time for me and, as it turned out,
I don't think I could have picked a better school
to meet my needs.
There is no one school that is best for everyone.
But finding the school that is right for you can
take a lot of footwork. Word processing and the
Web have probably made the whole process a bit
easier than it was ten years ago, but still there
are many schools and programs to choose from,
admission requirements vary, and getting all the
requisite test scores and papers in order can
be a chore. And sometimes the actual "getting
in" is not so cut-and-dry.
Where do you want to go?
Figuring out where you want to go to grad school
has a lot to do with why you want to go. Why are
you driven to do research? What area of chemistry
do you want to study? What research topics interest
you, and why? Do you want a career in academia
or industry? Do you want to go for an M.S. or
Ph.D.? Not only will a clear focus help you narrow
the playing field, but it will also make you a
more attractive applicant.
Many applicants pick schools based purely on
the presence of a faculty member who they want
to study with. No matter where you go to school
or what you study, your relationship with your
research advisor is key, and selecting a research
advisor might very well be one of the most important
decisions that you make as a young chemist. Not
only can a good relationship make or break a good
experience while you're in grad school, but the
connections that you make through your advisor
can serve you well throughout your career.
Indeed, many Ph.D.s would argue that seeking
out potential research advisors is the best strategy
not only for figuring out where you want to go,
but for getting in to grad school as well. A professor
who knows that you are interested in working with
them can advocate for your admission into the
program. A departmental committee usually handles
graduate admissions, and faculty can often influence
decisions about who is accepted. For example,
it may be your potential research advisor's turn
to "draft" an applicant from the applicant
pool, and that applicant may very well be you.
Find out who is doing research
that interests you by talking with your undergraduate
professors or, if you've worked in a chemistry-related
job or internship, talking with the chemists you
work with. Or search departmental Web sites. You'll
probably also come across names in your reading.
In fact, that's what led me to UVM. I had just
finished a book "Ravens
in Winter," by Bernd Heinrich, a biologist
on the faculty at UVM. I was so inspired by his
dual biologist-writer lifestyle (he had authored
several popular natural history books) that I
contacted him and, through a convoluted course
of events, ended up at UVM, although in a different
lab. When you come across particular faculty members
who you think you might be interested in, contact
them and tell them about yourself and your interests.
For some very helpful tips
for building relationships with potential advisors
before you apply to grad school, I would
highly recommend reading Chapter 5 of Robert L.
Peters's book "Getting
What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to
Earning a Master's or PhD." (In fact,
the entire book is an excellent read.)
For those of you seeking a career in industry,
many graduate programs have strong relationships
with particular industries, so it might make sense
to look into those programs first. When you are
researching schools, ask about campus recruitment
opportunities and job placement records.
Although many Ph.D.s would
agree that your research advisor is the most important
component of your graduate school experience,
a school's prestige probably weighs more if you
are planning a career outside of academia. Even
though your advisor may we considered "famous"
in their field, their name could mean nothing
to folks outside of academia. For rankings, see
PhDs.org's
customized graduate program ranking service,
which is based on the National Research Council's
1994 evaluation of graduate research programs;
or rankings by U.S.
News and World Report.
Applying
Although grades and GREs are important factors
in the selection process, applicants are package
deals. And most admissions committees look at
the whole package. What are your educational and
career aspirations? How well do your interests
fit with those of the department? How dedicated
and focused are you? Have you had any work experience
in the chemical industry or another relevant field?
Give yourself plenty of time to think about and
write your statement of purpose. For me, writing
the statement of purpose was as much a way to
really try to understand what I wanted as it was
a part of the application.
Outstanding letters of recommendations can make
all the difference. Letters from professors who
are known by members of the department carry the
most weight. Of course, you may not know who knows
whom. A thoughtful letter from a lesser-known
scientist probably means more than a short letter
from a big-name researcher who doesn't really
know you from the hundreds of other students they
have taught that year. Consider asking the professor
of a course that you've done exceptionally well
in and who knows more about you than the fact
that you can do A-level work; the faculty advisor
of an independent study or research project you've
been involved with; or, if you've worked in a
chemistry-related internship or job, your work
supervisor (especially if they hold the PhD themselves
or are in a high position in the company).
Most graduate schools require the general GREs,
and some will require the subject examination
in chemistry or another appropriate area (e.g.,
physics). Find out when the tests are offered
and plan ahead so that your results will be available
in time for the application process. If you are
a bit shy about taking the tests, look into test
preparation courses. As much as you may scorn
standardized scores, the truth is that when all
the applicants are listed on a single sheet of
paper alongside their GRE scores, the high scorers
stand out; and many departments use GREs to make
the first cut in the applicant pool.
Whether interviews are part of the application
process or not, you should probably try to visit
the schools you are most interested in and arrange
meetings to talk with students and prospective
faculty mentors. Interview them as much as they
interview you. Not only will this provide you
with insight about whether and how the program
fits your needs and expectations, but also appearing
interested and asking thoughtful questions makes
you a more attractive candidate.
Not Getting In
When I first started thinking about graduate
school, I doubted there was anything I could do
to make up for my embarrassingly low undergraduate
GPA. I asked a couple of my undergraduate professors
what I should do. I was relieved to hear that
my fears about having to do it all over again,
as in get a second B.A., were a bit exaggerated.
They suggested that I either take some classes
as a continuing education student or go for my
M.S. at a less competitive school to get some
focus and prove that I can handle research. I
ended up taking some classes at a couple of different
schools, traveling, and working in biology-related
jobs before I finally applied.
Try to be realistic when applying to schools.
Do your GREs and grades match up with the average
qualifications? Are you really ready for a Ph.D.,
or would it make more sense to pursue an M.S.
first? Do you really need a Ph.D., or would you
just be as happy with an M.S.? Are there certain
classes that you still need to take to make up
for any deficiencies?
Never bank on just one or two schools. Not even
the best and brightest always get in to their
first-choice school. Don't take the rejection
personally if you sincerely believe that your
scores and qualifications are good enough. You
never know what politics are at work behind the
scenes. Of course, if your heart really is set
on one school and you don't get in, you can always
contact a member of the admissions committee or
the research professor who you want to work with
and ask them to advise you as to whether or not
to re-apply the following year and, if so, what
you should do to increase your chances of being
accepted.
Even if you don't get in to your first, second,
or even next-to-last choice, grad school still
can and should be an incredibly enriching and
rewarding experience. After all, the person who
is most responsible for making it such is you,
and you can do that at any number of places.
Leslie Pray is a freelance science writer based
in Leverett, MA. She has written extensively on
the educational and professional development of
grad students and postdocs for Science's Next
Wave and the Chronicle of Higher Education. She
is also a regular contributor to The Scientist.
Leslie earned several national awards from scientific
societies in recognition of her accomplishments
as a graduate student. She received her Ph.D.
in Biology from the University of Vermont.
|