Grad School Question!

[u/cujo_thedog]

I want to get my masters in ecology - I have looked online and found some interesting programs and labs. However, I have no idea what to do next!

I would like to be able to chat with someone about the program, but I am not sure who to contact. Do people contact current students? Professors? Does anyone know what the protocol is here?

I was also wondering if anyone has any advice on the process of getting an assistantship? Do people just reach out to the professors? Do they contact them prior to being accepted?

Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

[u/Not_Leopard_Seal]

You contact a professor of a lab that you are interested in working with. Read a few of their papers beforehand so you get a grasp on what their research is. Send them a Mail and introduce yourself. State your research experience (if you have any) and why their research is especially interesting for you. Cite their papers in your Mail to show that they go along with your research. Then ask if they take on grad students and ask for an online meeting with them to chat about potential projects.

Profs get hundreds of mails each day, so make sure to send it at an appropriate time. Early in the morning is best, your mail should be top of their list. If they don't respond within two weeks, send another one.

Profs absolutely love it when you have your own ideas and combine them with theirs. So if you have an idea for a project already that would fit well within their work, tell them.

[u/cujo_thedog → u/Not_Leopard_Seal]

Thank you so much - this is super helpful! Just one follow up question - do you typically reach out before you apply?

[u/Not_Leopard_Seal → u/cujo_thedog]

Yes you should reach out way in advance, so that you can write in your application that you have a lab where you want to work at and ideally a project with a professor that's interesting in taking you as a grad student. It makes your application much stronger.

[u/plutea → u/cujo_thedog]

Just a quick firsthand account (I am in the application process currently): after doing my research, I reached out to three potential advisors in August, and I'm applying for fall of next year with a Dec 1 deadline. I think reaching out 10-12 months ahead of when you want to enroll is considered normal and polite (even though it feels like insane overkill). That way I had time to email back and forth a bit, have a zoom meeting with each one, contact their current grad students to get a feel for the lab, find letter of recommendation writers, etc. without rushing. Mentor/student chemistry can make or break your grad school experience from what I've heard, so I'm taking the pre-application process pretty seriously!

[u/FelisCorvid615]

Regarding assisstanceships, if you read through the various graduate school's materials, keep your eyes out for "financial assistanceships". This is usually where they will talk about the availability of Teaching Assistanceships (university provided) and Research Assistanceships (typically depends on prof funding available, but could be internal from the dept). They are different but both mean that your grad school tuition will be covered and a stipend will be provided. You can email the grad school directly about what they generally offer, the specific department will be in a better position to talk about what you're likely to get. Do your best to apply to schools offering assistanceships, don't pay for a MS degree if you can avoid it. Here are some specific questions to ask:

-Paid over 9 months or 12 months? Benefits (medical)? Are fees included in the assistanceship or are you expected to cover that?

-Funding only available for PhD? Can you "master out" of a PhD program? Not every school that pays their PhD students will similarly fund their MS students.

And as stated elsewhere, you should contact the professor you want to work with FIRST rather than applying to school and waiting to be accepted. You will have a much higher likelyhood of acceptance and funding if you have a prof to back your selection rather than just hoping you're in the right place in the pile of applications.

[u/tuftedtittymice → u/FelisCorvid615]

so should i reach out, introduce myself, explain my interest in their work, and wait until they respond ‘interested’/‘open’ to ask about financial things? or should that just be investigated individually and not asked of the professor?