Should I go to graduate school?€¦ · student? •Getting a job in the geosciences can be useful ... •GSA/AGU/other conferences: schedule face to face meetings •Late fall: finalize

Should I go to graduate school?

• Gather as much information as you can. Talk to people!• Some questions to maybe ask yourself

• Do I like research?• Can I do research for 2 or 5ish years?• What is motivating me to go grad school?

Taking “time off”

• Again, talk to people!• Some questions to maybe ask yourself

• What do I want to get out of my time away studenthood?• How will this experience make me a better future graduate

student?• Getting a job in the geosciences can be useful• Maintain ties with your mentors and letter writers• Consider taking the GRE while you are still in undergrad

Timeline for Applying to Graduate School

(for starting in Fall)

Right now (Spring)

• What to do? When to do it?

• Brainstorm research interests- what are you interested in?

• Talk to faculty and grad students, get suggestions for potential advisors and research directions

Summer - staying engaged and refining interests• Research researchers (home pages, publications, current

grants)• Read papers (2-3+ per potential advisor, focus on recent

work)• Draft research interest statement• Create/update CV• If possible, work/volunteer in a related field• GRE

Curriculum Vitae (CV)‘Course of Life’

• As long as needed

• Chronological

• Covers entire career, does not change

• Emphasis on the story of a career, publications

Resume‘Summary’

• One page

• Does not need to be chronological

• Adapted to each position applied for

• Emphasis on actions and achievements

Fall - establishing contact and preparing your app• Keep reading papers!• Secure 3+ positive letters of recommendation• August/September: contact potential advisors• September/October: contact grad students• GRE if not already done• Early fall: Draft your statement of purpose/personal statement• GSA/AGU/other conferences: schedule face to face meetings• Late fall: finalize application materials• Maintain contact with letter writers and potential advisors• Apply early if you can!

Winter – submitting application

• Last edits on application materials -- edits from advisors, family, friends

• APPLY! Notify potential advisors once you have

• Late winter/early spring: visit campuses if invited

The GRE • What is it? • A standardized test, like the ACT or SAT, for graduate programs.

Most all graduate programs in the United States require it (however, if you are planning on pursuing studies abroad, check and see if it is required- it may not be!)

Three sections:I) Analytical Writing (one section, two prompts, 30 minutes)

2) Verbal Reasoning (2 sections, 30 min)

3) Quantitative Reasoning (2 sections, 30 min)

4) wildcard

The GRE- things to consider• Do you need it?

• Where to take it?

• Should I study?

• When should I take it?

• Scores?

The GRE• Do you need it?

Maybe• Where to take it?

Anywhere• Should I study?

Yes• When should I take it?

Soon• Scores? Do they matter?

It’s complicated

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How to Study

• Test Prep books ($15 - $40)

• Flashcards ($13)

• Online Courses ($100 - $900)

• On Campus Workshop ($175)

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Cost

• Test fee: $205

• Score Sending cost: $27

• Get 4 for free!

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Contacting Advisors

Masters vs. Ph.D.

• What kind of job do you want?

• Masters degree is considered the professional degree.

• Most Ph.D. students stay in academia and follow career paths to be researchers and professors.

• Do you know what field of Earth Sciences you want to be in?

• What sort of commitment do you want to make right now?


AGI Geoscience Careers Brochure

Finding an advisor/grad school program

• Do your research on different advisors and programs!

• Go to talks/conferences

• Ask people at UO for direction




Contacting Potential Advisors

• Send emails in the fall before application deadline

• As early as late August and as late as December

• Meet at conferences

• Stay in touch


Letters of Rec/Personal Statements

Letters of Recommendation

• Ask early - November

• inform them of how many schools you want them to write for

• Have a couple people from different places or jobs in mind

• Professors, Lab Mangers, Advisors, Research Advisors, Postdocs

• Can they write a STRONG letter?

• Can they speak about your experiences not just your grades?

• Send them your Personal Statement/Research Statement to reference

Research Plan & Personal Statements

• Essentially, you should cover:• What you want to study at graduate school?• Why you want to study it?• What experience you have in your field?• What you plan to do with your degree once you have it?

Graduate Funding

• Fellowship - funding in the form of a stipend or income.

• Grant - funding provided straight to you or to you through your school, usually for research.

Graduate Fellowships

• NSF Graduate Fellowship -• 3 years of funding

• $34,000 / year of funding

• Portable!

• Deadline: Geosciences, Oct 22

• Requires:• Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals (essay)

• Graduate Research Plan statement

• 3 reference letters

Graduate Fellowships

• NDSEG Graduate Fellowship -• 3 years of funding

• ~$34,000 / year of funding

• Deadline: December 9th

• Requires:• GRE Score (from last 5 years)

• Transcript

• 3 reference letters

• Explanation of Academic status

And more! • www.pathwaystoscience.org


More Resources

ResourcesC

aree

rG

rad

Scho

olRe

sear

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Dept. University Science Societies Gov.

Cohort

Geology Club

Alumni

Grad Students

Professors

JUMP

McNair Scholars

SACNAS

Career Center

UROP

ResearchGate

AGU

GSA

AGI

USGSUSACE

DODSTEMDOGAMI

DOEQ

NSFInternat.

(and above)

ESWN

AWG

AAPGNAGT

LinkedIn

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• Career Center• Career Workshops• Interview Practice• Career Advising• Resume/CV/Personal

State/Cover Letter Advising• Posted Jobs/Internships

• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

• Research Career Advice• University and External Research

Opportunities• Presenting/Publishing

Opportunities

University Resources• Joint Undergrad-Grad Mentorship Program

(JUMP)• Pair undergraduate students in STEM with

graduate student mentors• One-on-one discussion about careers,

graduate schools, and research

• McNair Scholar’s Program• Research and grad school program for

underprivileged undergraduates• Mentoring/Workshops/Conferences/Stipend/G

RE Fee Waivers/Application Fee Waivers

• Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)• Mentoring/support for students of Hispanic and

Indigenous communities• Workshops/Science Opportunities/Social Events


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• American Association of Petroleum Geosciences (AAPG)• Industry-based society• Offers information on science policy,

energy resources, and industry-based topics

• Provides career advising and workshops• National Association of Geoscience

Teachers (NAGT)• Education-based society• Provides material, information, and

workshops on effective geoscience teaching

• Undergraduate scholarships for research/internships/field camps



• American Geophysical Union (AGU)• Geophysical research-based society

• Geological Society of America (GSA)• Field research-based society

• American Geosciences Institute (AGT)• Broad geoscience society

• Offers resources on research, graduate school, scientific and environmental careers

• Hosts geoscience publications, workshops and conferences (30k+ attendance)

• Scholarship and internship opportunities for undergraduates


AGI: Geoscience Currents


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Government (State) Resources• Department of Geology and Mineral

Industries (DOGAMI)• Oregon earth science regulator• Provides information on natural resources and

regulations within Oregon• Hosts multiple datasets collected from state• Internship opportunities for undergraduates and

recent grads

• Department of Environmental Quality (DOEQ)

• Oregon environment regulator• Provides information on environment protection

and regulation within Oregon• Hosts state statistics on air and water quality• Internship opportunities for undergraduates and

recent grads



Government (Federal) Resources• United States Geological Survey (USGS)

• Government institute for U.S. natural sciences• Provides broad datasets across multiple disciplines and

geographic regions• Undergraduate internship opportunities for data analysis

and field surveys

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)• Government civil works and hazard mitigation regulator• Undergraduate internship opportunities in engineering,

natural resources, and hazard mitigation

• Department of Defense STEM (DODSTEM)• Branch of the DOD focused on technological and

scientific innovation and advancement• Provides student scholarships and fellowships• Undergraduate internship opportunities at national

laboratories




Government (Federal) Resources• National Science Foundation (NSF)

• Main government science research and policy institute

• Provides multiple internships, fellowships (GRFP), and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students

• EX: Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)• 3-Month research internship at a host

university that provides room, board, and stipend to work with scientist

• International Research Internships• Opportunities abroad to conduct research at a

national laboratory or university and experience the culture

• Covers travel, room, board, and stipend• EX: Taiwan International Graduate Program

(TIGP) International Internship Program (IIP)


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Virginia Institute ofMarine Science (VIMS) REU

• National Science Foundation (NSF)• Main government science research and policy

institute• Provides multiple internships, fellowships (GRFP),

and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students





























Academia Sinica TIGP-IIS (Taipei, Taiwan)

Links• JUMP (http://pages.uoregon.edu/jump/)• McNair (https://mcnair.uoregon.edu/)• SACNAS (https://uosacnas.uoregon.edu/)• Career Center (https://career.uoregon.edu/)• UROP (https://urop.uoregon.edu/)• AAPG (http://www.aapg.org/)• NAGT (https://nagt.org/index.html)• LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/)• ResearchGate

(https://www.researchgate.net/home)• AGU (https://sites.agu.org/)• GSA (https://www.geosociety.org/)• AGI (https://www.americangeosciences.org/)

• USGS (https://www.usgs.gov/)• ACE (http://www.usace.army.mil/)• DOD (http://www.dodstem.us/about)• DOGAMI

(http://www.oregongeology.org/sub/default.htm)

• NSF (https://www.nsf.gov/)• NSF REU

(https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp)

• International Opportunities (http://www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/international-opportunities)

• TIGP-IIP (https://db1x.sinica.edu.tw/tigpSummer/)

Documents

Should I go to graduate school?€¦ · student? •Getting a job in the geosciences can be useful ... •GSA/AGU/other conferences: schedule face to face meetings •Late fall: finalize