Applying to Graduate School An Insiders View David

Applying to Graduate School An Insider’s View David M. Collard Associate Dean College of Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332 david. collard@cos. gatech. edu

WHY SHOULD YOU GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL? You have a great personal desire to learn and contribute to mankind’s understanding of the universe $$

WHO ARE GRADUATE PROGRAMS AIMING TO RECRUIT? Intelligent, persistent, multi-tasking, problem solvers

SOUL SEARCHING genetics biochemistry physics chemistry mathematics psychology oceanography ecology physiology geoscience robotics Then: Collect information about graduate programs There a variety of sources: Material science - Your faculty advisor and other professors - Seminar speakers on your campus - national/local organizations - campus visits - www - (College Guides) computer science First: Decide which field you want to study

WHERE? You have a great number of choices!

INFORMATION MINING Take a broad view - speak with advisors, professors, visiting seminar speakers…. Select schools to which you will apply (in no particular order) - University/Department/Divisional/Faculty reputation - Interesting research - Interesting location (regional, big city/small town, the beach!) - Spouse/partner employment/preferences - Financial assistance Make Contact with Graduate Coordinators - email, phone, in-person - Do not be afraid to ask questions at this stage - Show interest

APPLY! Application Form – on-line Personal Statement (1 -2 pages) Have a faculty member proof read it! If on paper - do not handwrite it! What is your motivation in pursuing an advanced degree? Why is the specific university of interest to you? - particular research strengths - faculty members What experience do you have? Classes you enjoyed, research (be specific, include brief description), teaching experience, employment in technical field, conference presentations, publications (include a copy), involvement in your department/institution or discipline specific organization.

Letters of Recommendation (three) At least two from faculty in your area of study or intended area of study Letters should NOT be from: high school teachers, English/history professors, non-technical employers, family Transcripts from ALL colleges attended - Unofficial (photocopy) is probably okay initially, but the university will need original copies prior to formal admission. General GRE Scores Verbal Reasoning — Measures reading comprehension skills and verbal and reasoning skills Quantitative Reasoning — Measures problem-solving ability; basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis Analytical Writing — Measures critical thinking and analytical writing skills, specifically the test taker's ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively Request that ETS send a copy to the department. You might want to send an unofficial copy initially Subject GRE Scores? ? ? Application fee

HOW DO YOU GET THE APPLICATION FEE WAIVED? ASK!!

WHAT IS THE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR APPLICATION? UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH! At your undergraduate institution - during academic year - during the summer Industrial Internships At a Research University - NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program Summer (10 weeks) after junior (or sophomore) year - NSF SURF Program - Howard Hughes Program (biology)

WHILE YOU WAIT: HOW ARE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEES REVIEWING YOUR APPLICATION? GT CHEM ave. GPA/transcript GRE General (V/Q/A) Subject Personal Statement Research/Work Experience Letters of Recommendation 3. 60 GT middle 80% 3. 30 -3. 85 V+Q: 312 305 -320, A: 4. 0 -5. 5

ROAD TRIP! If accepted: Go on visit to the university - The university should pay the entire cost of the visit. They might ask you to coordinate your trip with a nearby institution to which you are applying (and split the cost) If invited for an interview: Go on trip to the university - The university should pay the entire cost of the visit - If you do not hear anything back within a month: contact the department (not the Admissions Office) - If you still do not get a response, contact them one more time. - Then wait…. . The university should not rush you for a decision – there is a general agreement not to require acceptance of an offer before April 15. You do not need to provide a decision before April 15.

During the Visit - Ask questions about research, financial support, teaching responsibilities, scholarship opportunities - Meet faculty and current graduate students - Ask more questions: housing, academic requirements, etc - Show interest! Follow-up - Contact faculty members in whose research you were interested. Request copies of their publications, ask if they are taking new students into their group …show interest! …ask even more questions!

BACK TO SOUL SEARCHING Decide Where to Go: Some Things to Consider - Reputation (university, department, division, faculty) - Research opportunities - Possibility of research assistantships (usually not in first year) - Size of department: Large, medium or small? - Size of research groups - Track record - Location - Spouse/Partner employment/preferences - Financial assistance/Scholarships This is either the easiest, or hardest, part of the whole process

$$ You should expect to be paid (ca. $24 -30 k) and receive a waiver of tuition, as a Graduate Assistant while you are pursuing graduate studies in the sciences. - Teaching Assistantships - Research Assistantships Late in the application process (after visiting the university)…. Ask about additional fellowship support from the department Apply for financial support from other agencies (NSF, Merck-UNCF, Do. D, Hertz Foundation, GEM Foundation). Do this in conjunction with the department.

INFORM SCHOOLS (GRADUATE COORDINATORS) OF YOUR DECISIONS “I am delighted to accept your offer of a position in your Graduate Program…” “I regret that I am unable to accept your offer of a position in your Graduate Program…”

WHEN? Junior year - Collect information about graduate programs - Talk to lots of people about their graduate experiences - Visit research universities - Collect deadlines for scholarship applications (NSF, Do. D, Ford, GEM, etc) (deadlines are all in the fall of the senior year) Early/mid fall senior year - Take general GRE exam - Apply for fellowships (NSF, Do. D, Ford, GEM, …) - Request letters of recommendation - Your letter writers will appreciate a couple of week to get these letters out!

Late fall/very early spring of senior year - Submit applications (even if you do not have GRE scores yet) - Send in as complete an application as possible - Some universities only accept complete applications, this will be difficult unless you have taken the GREs early. Early spring of senior year - Receive offers or invitations to interview - Visit departments (request travel expenses!!) - This is a VERY busy time. Each trip take 1 -2 days, while you are still taking classes! APRIL 15 - Normal deadline for you to accept an offer and decline any others…. you have finished the process!

SOME USEFUL STARTING POINTS Educational Testing Service (ETS) – information on GREs www. ets. org National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program www. nsfgrfp. org National GEM Fellowship Program www. gemfellowship. org National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program ndseg. asee. org Other Graduate Fellowship Opportunities: www. finaid. org www. fastweb. com

Applying to Graduate School An Insider’s View David M. Collard Associate Dean College of Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332 david. collard@cos. gatech. edu