KJB's Advice to prospective graduate students ~

1. Do your research prior to applying. Successful applications are ones from students who have already contacted the professor. Make sure you have either emailed, called or visited your prospective professor sometime prior to admittance decision dates!

2. Prepare well, and perform well on the GRE.

3. Know yourself. Be able to discuss why you want to go to grad school, why you want to work with a particular professor, and have a clear idea as to what you see yourself doing when you finish.

4. Take as much mathematics, physics, and computer science as you can. Math is the language of science, and the better you are at speaking this language the more successful you will be at your scientific endeavors.

5. Research experience and clarity of focus goes farther than a high GPA in getting you into a program.

6. PRIOR TO COMMITTING to any program or professor, make sure you interview/call/talk to her/his graduate students. A professor's graduate students can give you amazing insight about a program or a professor.

Which degree is for me? ~

M.S. = this is a degree designed to train you how to be a scientist.
You will learn how to research, design, conduct, analyze, and synthesize data from experiments.
Typically you will seek a job ("real world") when you finish the program.

Ph.D. = this is a degree designed to train you how to be a scholar.
You will learn how to understand the context of research in your field (what's the history? what's hot? where is this going? where do I think it should go?). You should be able to visualize your original contribution to what you percieve as holes in research topics of interest. Emphasis is placed on the student's ability to add new knowledge to the world of Science.

Hallmarks of a successful PhD student are: intellectual curiosity, self-motivation, (intellectual and physical) stamina, good networking skills, and a good sense of humor. A thick skin doesn't hurt.

Typical program length for ecologists: a PhD is ~4 years for those entering with an MS, and 5-6 years for persons entering a PhD without an MS.

! The Ph.D. degree is primarily for those who wish to direct (state, private, public) research and/or teach at the college level. There are mixed data out there about the overabundance - or - dire need  for Ph.D.s (depending upon what article you read). Some say there are too many Ph.D.s, others predict shortages when all the baby boomers retire. The bottom line is, you get the degree because you love science and you love what you do. The job market is extremely volatile.

Last updated by KJB on 13 Nov 2049hrs.
All of this content is my own opinion, not that of my department or institution.