I've spent the past few months enjoying a weird sort of summer, stuck somewhere between the real world and waiting for my real life to begin. But even as I've done my best to focus on the moment at hand, my ultimate goal has lingered, never very far from my mind. Now, as the 2011 application season approaches, it's finally time for me to start taking steps to help ensure that this time round won't end up like the last.
This includes several things-- frantically editing and putting as much pressure as possible on my undergraduate adviser (and co-author) to publish the results of my senior thesis; reading and brainstorming to come up with (and eventually write-up) a research proposal for another shot at The NSF GRFP; researching other potential forms of funding, such as EPA STAR and IGERT fellowships; trying to find additional prospective advisers; and, last but not least, following up on advice (to increase my chances) that I received from professors whose labs I applied to last year.
Although I chose not to email professors and ask upfront, "Why wasn't I accepted?", I did email several professors at the beginning of the summer to let them know about my continued interest in their labs and my intent to reapply this fall. Most wrote back, and a couple of them offered suggestions about reapplying. I also spoke with several professors at ASM about the application process, and all their suggestions were more or less the same-- if at all possible, visit campuses and meet with prospective advisers in person.
None of the professors I applied to work with said anything about my credentials. No one suggested I get additional research experience, improve my test scores, or get that paper published. But every single one of them encouraged me to visit their labs sometime in the fall. So that's what I plan on doing.
In truth, I've known this was good advice from the start. My undergraduate advisers all strongly suggested I do so, and most of the literature I've read about applying to grad school in the sciences highly recommends visiting campuses before applying. Last year, because of my work with the BLM, my finances, and the sheer distance of Newcastle to any discernible form of long-distance transportation, I was unable to make any headway on meeting potential advisers. This year however, my job at the ranch allows me enough flexibility to take some time to go campus hopping.
For the last couple weeks, I've been trying to plan out a visit to as many campuses as possible in the shortest amount of time. Although my work schedule is flexible, I'll still be taking time off work-- not making money while simultaneously spending it on things like travel costs and food. I've worked it out now to where I think I can visit four campuses (and, should everything work out, five to eight advisers) in seven days. This is turning out to be somewhat of a logistical nightmare, as I'm planning on relying solely on public transportation to get around, and planning things like shuttles, bus rides, and trams in advance isn't nearly as easy as it seems.
My trip is planned for the end of September, and it's officially in the works now, as I purchased plane tickets online last night. Visiting only four campuses is far from ideal. If I had the time and the money, I'd likely add another five or six schools to my list, but for right now this is the best I can do. I can only hope now that a.) I actually will get to meet with the professors and b.) the time, effort, and money I put into this trip won't go to waste, and I'll make enough good impressions to have some of these advisers go to bat for me when the time comes for admissions decisions to be made.
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