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A Guide to Graduate School

Admissions in the Geosciences

Samuel J. Smidt, Soil and Water Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA, ssmidt@ufl.edu;
and David J. Gates, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA, djgates@email.uark.edu

ABSTRACT as not all students are equally exposed to TASK 2. DEVELOP A CV
While information on pursuing graduate this process through their home institution. Many professional employers require a
studies is widely available from both web This guide assumes fall enrollment and is résumé, but academia operates with the cur-
sources and faculty advisers, many prospec- designed for prospective graduate students riculum vitae (CV). In short, a résumé self-
tive students find a lack of organization and regardless of current academic level. promotes skills and attributes, whereas a CV
consistency in materials. This article seeks to highlights what has been accomplished, and
streamline student preparation by providing a TASK 1. GAIN EXPERIENCE it accumulates accomplishments over time.
guide to graduate program admissions. In Successful applicants often highlight past Critical to the CV at the applicant level are
addition, we suggest target completion dates experiences viewed favorably by a graduate degree and graduation date, relevant course-
and cite open-source material for further doc- selection committee, such as independent work and technical knowledge, any research
umentation. Further, this article helps struc- research, professional employment, abroad or relevant experience, internships, teaching
ture an approach for prospective students studies, external teaching, or even non- assistantships, and conference proceedings
while alleviating the demands on faculty by traditional activities. There is no recipe for or publications. Refer to Stark (2015) and
consolidating the advising process. the perfect applicant, but a common thread Smidt (2018b) for extended details. Target
is personal growth from past experiences. date: 1 September.
INTRODUCTION Many find success conducting research
Total bachelor’s degree graduates in the with a faculty adviser at a home institution. TASK 3. TAKE THE GRE
geosciences have doubled over the past Other popular options include the National The Graduate Record Examinations
decade, increasing competition for avail- Science Foundation Research Experiences (GRE) is currently the required entrance
able graduate positions (National Center for for Undergraduates program or Fulbright exam for most graduate programs and is an
Education Statistics, 2017). Here, we seek to Program, which promote research and edu- opportunity to cement a strong application.
equip applicants with an annotated timeline cation with outside institutions and labora- Graduate departments looking to recruit
(summarized in Fig. 1) and referenced open- tories. Target date: 1 September of the stu- top applicants may offer scholarships and
source material for extended information, dent’s last undergraduate year. awards using exam scores as a metric for
selection. The GRE is measured across all
takers regardless of discipline, so scores in
Semester Submit Acceptance the Quantitative and Writing categories
Start Application Deadline may be weighted more with geoscience pro-
Part grams than Verbal Reasoning. Students
1 may also consider a second attempt;
2 attempts must be at least 21 days apart.
Figure 1. Summarized timeline Note: Some departments do not require,
3 for outlined tasks. Target plan to not require, or will waive the GRE.
refers to the date listed here
4 for each task; anticipated Refer to Educational Testing Service bro-
refers to a plausible window chure (ETS, 2017) for extended details.
5 outside the target; continued
refers to ongoing task activity; Target date: Early September.
6 and rolling refers to programs
7 with rolling deadlines (i.e., no TASK 4. IDENTIFY POTENTIAL
formal deadline).
8 ADVISERS
Selecting a program based on a specific
9 adviser and faculty can be more valuable
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr than selecting one based on institution name

Anticipated Target alone, and programs should mirror the appli-
cant’s professional goals. Department web-
Continued Rolling sites or conference proceedings are great

GSA Today, v. 30, https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG410GW.1. Copyright 2020, The Geological Society of America. CC-BY-NC.

68 GSA Today | May 2020