Aiming for Graduate School? Some tips on how to approach your search!
Stuff I did (or wish I did) before and during grad school. I lucked out and had an awesome graduate mentor (Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin) who gave me lots of independence but also lots of feedback!
1. Do your homework on potential advisors, making sure that they have published recently and in reasonably good journals….pedigree matters and you also want to be mentored by someone who is on top of the latest advancements in your area of research.
2. Look to see how many graduate students the professor has had, and where they are now (a list of alumni can usually be found on the professor’s website). If all of them have dropped off the face of the earth, or are now pursuing careers outside of the sciences (e.g., research, teaching, science outreach, industry, government, NGOs) this might be a red flag (i.e., indicating that something might be getting in the way of appropriate career and professional development mentorship). Also, if you will be someone's first graduate student, approach the situation carefully and realize that there will be growing pains - it takes experience mentoring a few students before you really get the hang of it (and I think those of us who've had lots of grad students look back and recognize that we could've done things differently with our first few....but, hindsight is 20-20). That being said, it's likely to be a very exciting time if you join a newly minted professor's lab! If more seasoned professors are willing, have her/him send you a list of e-mails for their current grad students - you can reach out to them to ask questions about the lab itself and what it’s like working for that professor. If they refuse, run for the hills!
3. I would encourage you to make a list of prospective advisors based on the specific field you want to enter or questions you want to address (e.g., not just “ecology” but perhaps “behavioral ecology”….and maybe more specific “how are elaborate courtship displays adaptive”). Personally, I feel like the organism isn’t all that important, as long as you’re not completely freaked out by working with some species. The question, however, is key because you should be excited about research that you’re involved in - otherwise, it’ll be a drag.
4. Once you have a list of prospective advisors (ideally, more than 5 and I'd say 10 wouldn't hurt), reach out via e-mail and hit the following points: 1) who are you?, 2) where are you currently a student?, 3) whose lab are you currently in?, 4) what sort of research/experiences/skills have you been conducting and/or learning about?; 5) what are your near-term and potentially long-term career goals?; 6) how will that specific person’s lab help you to achieve those goals?; 7) what, specifically, about their research program grabbed your attention and why?; .... then .... 8) inquire about their interest in recruiting students for the next academic year. But, don't write a biblical e-mail. One short paragraph is good, and folks are more likely to read it :)
5. If you get some hits, you should definitely touch base on a more personal platform like Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangout, etc. This will give you the opportunity to interact with your prospective mentor and get a bead on whether you’d work well together. Look for enthusiasm, smiles, engagement, and the extent to which the professor is willing to share information about how they mentor (e.g., micro-manager vs. complete freedom with no mentorship….both of these are ineffective at producing an independent thinker and rock-solid scientist!), how many personnel they have in the lab, and what the “atmosphere” in the lab is like (do grad students get along? Do they hang out after hours?).
6. Remember that many prospective advisors might not have the $$, time, or space to take on new graduate students so, you might receive a good number of “No’s”. But, it’s probably got nothing to do with you so, take it in stride and move down your list without hesitation.
7. Make sure that you don’t focus exclusively on “big animals” because professors who work with elephants, whales, cheetahs, etc. often have a million students banging on their doors so, it’s ultra-competitive. That being said, if you are interested in this line of work, you should absolutely put your hat in! Just make sure to have a bunch of professors who work with other sorts of critters that might not be in such high demand. This will increase your options.
8. If you are applying for a Master's degree, remember that the primary goal is to give you a better feel for research, and will help you to determine whether you enjoy the “process of scientific inquiry” and want to pursue research further as a career (e.g., transitioning to a PhD —> postdoctoral position —> professorship).
9. Set reasonable goals for yourself - you are not likely to change the world with your Masters or PhD research. From my experience, you need to first carve out “you” time, then time for reading, research, coursework, and potentially teaching (in that order). Teaching experience is super-important and fun but, try not to get in the habit of sacrificing research-related goals to make "perfectionist" tweaks on a powerpoint. I think a reasonable goal is to have a publishable manuscript completed during a 2-year Masters degree. Expectations go up for PhD students and I typically expect at least 4 publishable manuscripts (some mentors will have higher or lower expectations so, get a bead on what your advisor deems an acceptable level of productivity!).
10. Capitalize on any and every opportunity to network with fellow grad students and professors. If there are seminars on campus or brown bag lunches for kicking around ideas, attend! If there’s a small regional conference for grad students (and it’s cheap), attend and give a presentation! If your professor inquires about whether you want to travel to another lab to learn technique X, Y, Z - do it so that you can expand your network! If there’s opportunities to attend national/international conferences, go for it!
11. COMMUNICATE with your professor/mentor. I would suggest doing this from the very beginning. Tell them what you need, how you best work (e.g., stuffed in an office all day or taking the liberty to get some fresh air and work at a park!), what sorts of constructive criticism you respond best to, how you manage your time, and how you keep your brain fresh. Communication is absolutely key to making sure that you forge a productive relationship with your mentor, and that your intellectual/academic needs are met.
12. Apply for grants! Even if you are funded, you should still be applying because it gives you experience with grant writing, rejection, addressing constructive criticism, and working with your mentor. And, heck, if you get the grant, maybe you add something super-cool to your project (e.g., additional field work, a new molecular assay, higher-end software). Plus, it looks great on your CV! Tons of small grants available and I can direct you to those - click here!
13. Remember that your advisors are people too! We have families, friends, lives, hardships. Do not make demands of your advisor and definitely do not attempt to make them "pick up the pace" by sending pushy e-mails or messages with itemized lists of what they "owe you". That's a recipe for disaster in most labs! Rather, take them out for a coffee and remind them about your goals for graduation and/or productivity and come up with a plan ... together! Communication is key!
14. When sending your advisor manuscripts, grant proposals, application materials, etc., make sure you read it over several times (and perhaps even send it to lab mates for a second set of eyes). When reading it, don't skim! Read every....single...word. The best way to get a quick turnaround on your writing is to demonstrate to your advisor that you've taken the utmost care in preparing the document. We are much more likely to want to read stuff that doesn't require extensive editing (after all, we aren't supposed to be educating you on grammar.... :))
Check back! I'll post more as my neurons allow!
1. Do your homework on potential advisors, making sure that they have published recently and in reasonably good journals….pedigree matters and you also want to be mentored by someone who is on top of the latest advancements in your area of research.
2. Look to see how many graduate students the professor has had, and where they are now (a list of alumni can usually be found on the professor’s website). If all of them have dropped off the face of the earth, or are now pursuing careers outside of the sciences (e.g., research, teaching, science outreach, industry, government, NGOs) this might be a red flag (i.e., indicating that something might be getting in the way of appropriate career and professional development mentorship). Also, if you will be someone's first graduate student, approach the situation carefully and realize that there will be growing pains - it takes experience mentoring a few students before you really get the hang of it (and I think those of us who've had lots of grad students look back and recognize that we could've done things differently with our first few....but, hindsight is 20-20). That being said, it's likely to be a very exciting time if you join a newly minted professor's lab! If more seasoned professors are willing, have her/him send you a list of e-mails for their current grad students - you can reach out to them to ask questions about the lab itself and what it’s like working for that professor. If they refuse, run for the hills!
3. I would encourage you to make a list of prospective advisors based on the specific field you want to enter or questions you want to address (e.g., not just “ecology” but perhaps “behavioral ecology”….and maybe more specific “how are elaborate courtship displays adaptive”). Personally, I feel like the organism isn’t all that important, as long as you’re not completely freaked out by working with some species. The question, however, is key because you should be excited about research that you’re involved in - otherwise, it’ll be a drag.
4. Once you have a list of prospective advisors (ideally, more than 5 and I'd say 10 wouldn't hurt), reach out via e-mail and hit the following points: 1) who are you?, 2) where are you currently a student?, 3) whose lab are you currently in?, 4) what sort of research/experiences/skills have you been conducting and/or learning about?; 5) what are your near-term and potentially long-term career goals?; 6) how will that specific person’s lab help you to achieve those goals?; 7) what, specifically, about their research program grabbed your attention and why?; .... then .... 8) inquire about their interest in recruiting students for the next academic year. But, don't write a biblical e-mail. One short paragraph is good, and folks are more likely to read it :)
5. If you get some hits, you should definitely touch base on a more personal platform like Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangout, etc. This will give you the opportunity to interact with your prospective mentor and get a bead on whether you’d work well together. Look for enthusiasm, smiles, engagement, and the extent to which the professor is willing to share information about how they mentor (e.g., micro-manager vs. complete freedom with no mentorship….both of these are ineffective at producing an independent thinker and rock-solid scientist!), how many personnel they have in the lab, and what the “atmosphere” in the lab is like (do grad students get along? Do they hang out after hours?).
6. Remember that many prospective advisors might not have the $$, time, or space to take on new graduate students so, you might receive a good number of “No’s”. But, it’s probably got nothing to do with you so, take it in stride and move down your list without hesitation.
7. Make sure that you don’t focus exclusively on “big animals” because professors who work with elephants, whales, cheetahs, etc. often have a million students banging on their doors so, it’s ultra-competitive. That being said, if you are interested in this line of work, you should absolutely put your hat in! Just make sure to have a bunch of professors who work with other sorts of critters that might not be in such high demand. This will increase your options.
8. If you are applying for a Master's degree, remember that the primary goal is to give you a better feel for research, and will help you to determine whether you enjoy the “process of scientific inquiry” and want to pursue research further as a career (e.g., transitioning to a PhD —> postdoctoral position —> professorship).
9. Set reasonable goals for yourself - you are not likely to change the world with your Masters or PhD research. From my experience, you need to first carve out “you” time, then time for reading, research, coursework, and potentially teaching (in that order). Teaching experience is super-important and fun but, try not to get in the habit of sacrificing research-related goals to make "perfectionist" tweaks on a powerpoint. I think a reasonable goal is to have a publishable manuscript completed during a 2-year Masters degree. Expectations go up for PhD students and I typically expect at least 4 publishable manuscripts (some mentors will have higher or lower expectations so, get a bead on what your advisor deems an acceptable level of productivity!).
10. Capitalize on any and every opportunity to network with fellow grad students and professors. If there are seminars on campus or brown bag lunches for kicking around ideas, attend! If there’s a small regional conference for grad students (and it’s cheap), attend and give a presentation! If your professor inquires about whether you want to travel to another lab to learn technique X, Y, Z - do it so that you can expand your network! If there’s opportunities to attend national/international conferences, go for it!
11. COMMUNICATE with your professor/mentor. I would suggest doing this from the very beginning. Tell them what you need, how you best work (e.g., stuffed in an office all day or taking the liberty to get some fresh air and work at a park!), what sorts of constructive criticism you respond best to, how you manage your time, and how you keep your brain fresh. Communication is absolutely key to making sure that you forge a productive relationship with your mentor, and that your intellectual/academic needs are met.
12. Apply for grants! Even if you are funded, you should still be applying because it gives you experience with grant writing, rejection, addressing constructive criticism, and working with your mentor. And, heck, if you get the grant, maybe you add something super-cool to your project (e.g., additional field work, a new molecular assay, higher-end software). Plus, it looks great on your CV! Tons of small grants available and I can direct you to those - click here!
13. Remember that your advisors are people too! We have families, friends, lives, hardships. Do not make demands of your advisor and definitely do not attempt to make them "pick up the pace" by sending pushy e-mails or messages with itemized lists of what they "owe you". That's a recipe for disaster in most labs! Rather, take them out for a coffee and remind them about your goals for graduation and/or productivity and come up with a plan ... together! Communication is key!
14. When sending your advisor manuscripts, grant proposals, application materials, etc., make sure you read it over several times (and perhaps even send it to lab mates for a second set of eyes). When reading it, don't skim! Read every....single...word. The best way to get a quick turnaround on your writing is to demonstrate to your advisor that you've taken the utmost care in preparing the document. We are much more likely to want to read stuff that doesn't require extensive editing (after all, we aren't supposed to be educating you on grammar.... :))
Check back! I'll post more as my neurons allow!
