9 April 2008
Getting into Graduate School
Posted by bryanc under: biology; grad school; nature; science .
I was asked to write about how I got into graduate school at WSU. I think reading about other’s experiences would have helped me while I was applying to grad school so I figure I better make my response public so other may benefit. Feel free to ask me any questions. Enjoy.
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The program that I am starting in August is at the graduate school of biological sciences in Washington State University. I will be pursuing a Masters of Science (M.S.) degree in physiological ecology with a concentration in plant sciences. Basically, physiological ecology means that I will be using the very minute aspects of biological systems (biochemistry, hormones, nitrogen and carbon cycles) to answer very large questions concerning things like whole ecosystems or even the entire biosphere. One great example of this is research being conducted by a professor at WSU, Asaph Cousins. Cousins and others have realized that photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration have distinct effects on the isotope composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels (the two contribute a different ‘version’ of the CO2 molecule). Using this knowledge Cousins is able to address questions concerning global exchange of CO2 by using molecular techniques to elucidate specific processes in leaf gas exchange. Basically, he is looking at the very specific mechanisms that gas is used in plants and using that knowledge to better understand the plant’s signature on the ecosystem level.
To get pass the first step for getting into grad school at WSU I had to meet certain requirements and do a lot of busy work. The most important, and awkward, experience was wooing a faculty member. Yes, I said wooing. Graduate school in the sciences is a lot like an apprenticeship so it is necessary to find a mentor (in academia we call them advisors – spelled incorrectly ). To find an advisor I presented myself in the best possible light by writing an essay about my ambitions, experiences, etc and telling the potential advisor how much I like him/her and how much we have in common. Yes, I was basically asking the person out on a date. For someone who has never tried online dating it was very strange for me.
Luckily Dr. Al Black (a very good professor, the head chair of the Washington natural heritage advisory council, in charge of a large research area called Smoot Hill, and the top dog of the biological graduate program), took some interest in me. I was flown to Pullman, put up in a hotel, and given a personal tour of the campus and faculty. Little did I know that the tour was actually an eight hour interview process where they attempt to break my brain. I was put in front of numerous professors who would rapidly teach me abstract concepts concerning each of their research interests and ask me very detailed and difficult questions concerning my own research experiences and knowledge. I was told I did an alright job during the interview but I was unable to be happy with myself because I was too busy drooling all over my shirt and sputtering nonsense.
So I got accepted and have Al Black as my advisor. I also was offered a position as a teaching assistant where I will co-teach biology labs to punk freshmen who do not want to be there. In exchange I get free tuition, free health insurance, and some money to buy oatmeal and Top Ramen. It’s a pretty good deal but not entirely special in the world of grad school in the sciences (to quote some lady: “If you pay for grad school in the sciences you’re a sucker. A sucker. Don’t do it!”).
Some facts:
WSU is ranked 2nd in the nation in plant sciences based on faculty research and publications, 7th in zoology, and 3rd in veterinary school (http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&institution=3875&byinst=Go).
