Hi there! So many people are applying to Ph.D.s nowadays to get a leg ahead in their career, join academia, or simply because they don’t want to leave the lab. Whatever category you fall into, applying to a science graduate school is a beast in of itself and it’s hard to make heads or tails of the application process.
I am fresh out of the application process and, after having a number of my own struggles, want to help you get into your dream graduate school lab!
Below I am going to go through the whole application process and what to do and when, but the 4 major parts are here:
- How you know you are qualified enough to apply for graduate school
- Which schools to apply to
- How to get your application to stand out
- Submitting the Application and what to do while you wait
How do I know I am qualified enough to apply for graduate school?
Never doubt yourself! That being said, with the increasing number of applications for a Ph.D. in science, schools have become more restrictive in what they look for. Generally you want to have
- at least 1 year lab experience (the more independent and longer the better)
- good grades
- superb Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) (less useful now, will get into below)
- excellent recommendation letters
Lab Experience
As an undergraduate, it is difficult to get lab experience right away and typically it is by your junior year when labs are willing to take you on. In my experience, application committees like to see you have worked in at least one lab for over a year and had a significant, independent contribution. This could be an internship, senior thesis, masters program, or lab assistant work.
Now you don’t want to have worked in too many labs, as the committees might see this as someone who is flaky and cannot stick around. But more than one lab experience normally makes the applicant looks like someone who can step outside of their comfort zone.
I would argue this is the most important part of your application because no graduate school lab wants to teach you all the basic skills of how to make a solution or pipette correctly. But application committees use the other criteria (i.e. grades and GRE scores) to narrow down the applicant pool.
Grades
At first glance, this may seem obvious, but keep in mind the committees will look not just at your overall GPA combining your English major with your Science degree. No, they want to see that you excel in all your hard science classes, the Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, etc. Now do I think this is the most fair way to judge who gets into graduate school? Of course not! Most graduate school programs you barely take any classes and your only actual worth is the amount of data you can produce in the lab. BUT it is a way for the Principal Investigators (PIs) to narrow down applications.
If you want to be a competitive applicant for the top 25% of graduate schools, I would say at the minimum you should have a 3.3 GPA, but most graduate schools, especially the more prestigious universities, have cutoffs where no one will even read your application if it falls between a 3.5 or 3.7. Don’t have these grades? Don’t worry, I didn’t either! Your GRE score, recommendation letters, and research experience can also help you stand out from the pack.
However, if you are worried that still may not be enough, consider doing a Masters in Science before your Ph.D.. Normally, a Masters in Science is an easy way to boost that GPA, increase your research experience, and show those application committees you are dedicated to getting a Ph.D.. The biggest worry of application committees, and the Graduate schools as a whole, is that you may give up after only just starting your Ph.D.. They are weeding out the people who they think can cut it; after all they are giving you a stipend and for at least your first year you will be doing more learning from them than producing data for them.
GRE Scores
The Graduate Record Examination, or GRE for short, is a glorified version of the high school ACT or SAT. It tests you on your basic English, Science, and Math.
Is it a comprehensive assessment of how smart you are and your worth? NO!
Do Graduate school application committees judge your whole life based off the GRE score? They USED to.
More and more schools are switching to GRE optional or not accepting the GRE at all. The logic follows similarly to people against taking the ACT or SAT standardized testing scores: the test tests you on your ability to take multiple choice tests and nothing else and disproportionately favors those in higher socioeconomic backgrounds that can afford to take the test multiple times or hire a tutor.
I did take the GRE because some of the schools I wanted to apply to still required it, but check your schools before studying for the GRE because you very well may not need to take it at all!
If you do plan on taking the GRE (which you can take multiple times), only send your results if you meet at least the 75% percentile for all the subjects. Even then, think hard about whether your score shows you as a better or weaker candidate. For example, if you have a 3.9 GPA but get only 75% percentile overall and your top choices don’t require a GRE, I wouldn’t send it. But if you have only a 3.3 GPA but get 95% percentile overall, I would consider sharing the results.
Finally, if you are committed to taking the GRE, the best resource I used was magoosh.com! This was an amazing way to learn a lot of vocabulary on the test, freshen up my math, get practice exams included, and a free 7 day trial! They even have a mobile app which was great to use in my downtime in lab for flashcards.
Recommendation Letters
This was the most nerve-wracking part for me because recommendation letters can make or break everything else you have to offer. Great grades, GRE score, and lab experience but a “meh” letter of recommendation letter you may as well waive good bye to that application.
All that aside, most recommenders do want to write you a good letter of rec, but equally you have to do your part in making sure you pick people who will speak highly of you. Typically you are asked to send 2-3 recommendation letters. Of these, you want at least 2 if not all of them to be from the heads of the labs you have done research in. If you have only done research in one lab or only trust one Principal Investigator (PI) to write you a stellar letter of recommendation, don’t fret. Application committees also like to see recommendation letters from a professor you took a class with, as long as it is personal and shows you added special value to that class.
When asking recommenders, try to schedule a time to meet them in person when possible and give them at least 2 if not 3 months advanced notice for when you need the recommendation letter in by. If they accept, offer them your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and essays that you will be sending for your you graduate school application. Feel free to follow up with them when the deadline approaches and don’t forget to send them a follow up thank you afterwards.
Which schools should I apply to?
You are ready to begin, but the list of graduate schools is never ending. The biggest bit of advice was something I got from a senior graduate student in my undergraduate lab: don’t be afraid to narrow down before applying rather than deciding you don’t want to go to any of the schools after you have been accepted. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when looking at schools; the most important in my mind are:
- labs that interest you
- location
- funding
- career opportunities
I am not going to break each one down because each intuitively makes sense, but basically don’t spend the money and the time applying to a school if you don’t see yourself happy there. Some may argue with me and say going to any school, even if it is in a place you hate in a lab you despise with no career opportunities except academia and you have to write all your own grants in order to get funding, at least you are getting your Ph.D.. But see graduate school is already stressful in itself, and we already have among the highest rate or burnout and depression among all jobs, so we don’t need to be putting ourselves in an even more stressful situation. Look after your own mental health in advance and don’t bother applying to places you wouldn’t consider being in for the next 5-X number of years.
As you are narrowing down your options, I would recommend making an excel sheet of what each school requires, the pros for you and the cons, whether they want the GRE, and any specific requirements for the personal statement for the school.
How do I get my application to stand out?
To get your application to stand out from the rest (beyond the above mentioned grades, lab experiences, GRE scores, and recommendation letters) focus on writing a great Personal Statement, include any science outreach on your CV/Resume, apply for fellowships to secure your own funding, and never underestimate the importance of networking.
Curriculum Vitae/Resume
There are tons of different ways to write a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and there is no right way. You can see my CV here, but I also recommend looking around on the web for other examples of a science CV and go to your college’s career center (if they have one).
Basically, most CVs for applying to graduate school are a maximum of 2 pages (1 page front and back). Don’t get rid of all the white space on the page but also don’t leave huge holes of white space. Most professionals that give advice on CVs also suggest to keep it rather simple; don’t add lots of color, your photo, more than two types of font (regular, bold, italics, underlined). This all being said, it is a personal reflection of you! Generally, I see CVs start with their education, then research experience followed by other work experience and community outreach/volunteer work. Most committees may not look past the research experience, so make sure this stands out! Use power verbs to make your experience stand out.
Personal Statement
This is the one part of the graduate school application you must personalize for each graduate school you are applying to. Often these essays are 1-2 pages addressing “What are your research goals and why would this program be the right fit for you?” I like to format it like so:
- catchy introduction paragraph about your introduction to science
- 1-2 paragraphs highlighting each of your research experiences in detail and how you know what you are doing in research.
- the personalized part: why you are interested in this graduate school program, and consider mentioning one lab you are interested in.
- thank you
The essay is the most time consuming part of the application, so consider starting it early. I started my generic template essay the summer before applying, asking for many revisions from anyone who was willing to help (graduate students in my lab, PI, career center, old class professors you kept in touch with). Look at the essay application requirements for the schools you want to apply to, and build your application around answering those requirements.
This is also the chance to explain any part of your application you think may be weak. Low GPA or GRE? Write about what affected this and how you learned and grew as a result.
Applying for Fellowships
Apply for fellowships early on. Some fellowships, like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), you can apply as an undergraduate, and comes with your own stipend funding and prestige if you win. This is a great draw for graduate programs because they don’t have to worry about funding for you.
Networking
I know many of us joined science in part because we thought we would never have to network; science is for the antisocial and as such networking doesn’t apply. Sadly, as much as I wish this were true, this is not the case. If your advisor or professor knows someone at another university, don’t be afraid to use this. I know quite a few friends who may not have even had a first glance from an application committee, but were picked out of a stack because their current PI told a PI at the university to take a look at their application.
Do I do anything after I apply but before I hear back?
The waiting game is excruciating, especially because a lot for graduate schools do a tiered system where they release interview times for their top tier before letting others know. Worse still, many graduate schools may simply never respond to you.
Immediately after applying, I emailed a couple of professors I was genuinely interested in joining their labs. I read some of their papers, and reached out stating my interest, that I applied to their graduate school, and asking whether they would be willing to talk about their research and any open projects. I also sent my CV along with the email. Many professors may never respond, but the handful that do know that you are very interested. This is actually how I got into my lab now, the professor I was interested in working with vouched for me so I could join the program!
If you aren’t hearing back from your top graduate schools and are hearing other people are, don’t feel bad about reaching out to their admissions office to ask about the status of your application. This is how I found out in a few cases I had been rejected or others that I was just about to get an interview offer.
Other Useful Sites
Wait! Before you go, remember you aren’t alone in the struggle applying to grad school. Below are some of my favorite sites that I used when I was applying.
Good luck and happy application writing!
Disclaimer: This is just my point of view while I was applying and is by no means meant to be a holistic view of the application process. Please check out some of the other sites I listed, and feel free to contact me if you feel like something should be changed or added!
