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EVALUATING GRADUATE PROGRAMS These notes may help you determine what type of advisor, research group, and department are the right fit for you. You should also explore on-line resources for advice on preparing for, evaluating, and applying to graduate school (e.g., University of California, UCLA, Columbia, Stanford, and US News). The most important criterion for a successful graduate school experience is a positive relationship with your advisor. If possible, visit the programs you are considering and meet your potential advisor and lab mates in person. Trust your instincts when making your final decision. COURSE WORK & GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS 1. What is the departmental core curriculum for incoming graduate students? What classes does your potential research advisor expect you to already have completed? Are there courses beyond the core requirement that you will need to take to fulfill deficiencies? If you have a heavy course load, it may be challenging to get your research underway during the first year or two. 2. In addition to course work, what are the graduation requirements for MSc/PhD degrees? For example, departmental seminars, a public defense? Does the department (or your potential advisor) require a specific number of publications prior to graduation? Or do students complete a “traditional” thesis/dissertation (which is typically longer and more detailed than a publication, and could delay a publication)? Note: A publication format is preferred. Even if it’s not a departmental requirement, it should be an expectation of an advisor who is cultivating your career. Similarly, you might inquire about whether or not the university accepts publication reprints as dissertation chapters. 3. What are the criteria for advancing to candidacy for PhD students? What is the success rate for advancement? Most programs will require an oral defense. Many require students to pass both and oral and written examinations. Some departments also hold “mock” orals, in which you design and defend a research project outside your area of expertise. 4. Does the department or university enforce a deadline by which students must complete MSc/PhD degrees? 5. How many years do most students in the research group you are considering (and within the department as a whole) take to complete a PhD? To complete an MSc? How many students who enter the PhD program end up leaving with an MSc degree? FUNDING 6. How does your potential advisor typically fund graduate students in her/his research group? Some common funding sources include: a) Teaching Assistant (TA) – paid by the department/university to teach discussion and laboratory sections.

[1] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view

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TAs are typically expected to work 20 hrs/wk (i.e., half time). It is important to gain some teaching experience during graduate school, especially if you are considering a career in academia. However, teaching every quarter or semester will make it difficult to gain traction on your research. Ideally, you’ll have the opportunity to TA 2 or 3 times while in grad school (including both lower and upper division courses), but receive the majority of your funding through alternative sources, as described in (b) and (c) below. b) Research Assistant (RA) or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) – paid by a professor from a research grant to work on a specific project. Often, RAs are paid to work on a project that becomes (or is closely tied to) their graduate research. However, some professors may expect students to work on a project unrelated to their own research (similar to a TA appointment). If you are likely to be funded as an RA, you may want to inquire about your potential advisor’s expectations. If your RA work is NOT related to your own research, you should not be expected to work more than 20 hrs/wk on that project. Note: Although working on a project in addition to your own research will slow your progress, you may gain valuable skills and/or professional contacts. I gained a wealth of lab and field experience as an RA during my MSc (@ 10 hr/wk on a project not related to my thesis) - furthermore, the professional relationships I established helped me secure my first job. c) Graduate Student Fellowship – you secure your own funding through an organization such as NSF, EPA, NOAA, DOE, DOD, NASA, etc. by submitting an independent research proposal. These types of fellowships usually provide 3 to 4 years of stipend support (i.e., your monthly paycheck). They are the most prestigious type of funding and typically give you more independence to determine your research direction. However, they often lack (or provide very limited) support for research supplies. For this reason, some professors may expect you to work on a topic that is closely aligned with an on-going project. This strategy may also give you the opportunity to collaborate with lab mates. However, if autonomy is important to you, try to get a sense of your prospective advisor’s mentoring style and expectations. 7. Does the department guarantee your funding once you are admitted to the program? In today’s funding climate, even well-established researchers are struggling to secure grants. It’s important to know you’ll have a means other than student loans to support yourself if grant and/or fellowship funding falls though. Such a “safety net” would likely be though a TA appointment. 8. Do most incoming graduate students submit NSF/EPA/NOAA/etc. graduate student fellowship proposals? If so, is there a science/proposal writing course or workshop available to help students craft these types of major research proposals? Alternatively, will your potential advisor/lab mates be your primary mentors? 9. Is summer funding available, either through grants and/or TAships?

[2] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view

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10. Are seed grants and short-term fellowships (e.g., one quarter/semester of support) offered by the department, university, and/or local organizations? Seed grants are relatively small awards (usually < $5,000, but some can be as much as $30,000+) – they provide an important resource for lab and field supplies if you lack major funding. Additionally, some of the large seed grants and short-term fellowships are a great way to get a break from teaching if you do not have another source of support. Since these types of fellowships and grants are typically sponsored by local entities, fewer applicants apply and they often have high success rates. Over the course of a ~5-year PhD, enough of these small awards can add up to a reasonable sum. Additionally, they give you critical proposal writing experience and help shore up your CV. Some seed grants are open to undergraduates as well. If you have the opportunity to mentor undergrad researchers, you can gain valuable teaching experience by helping them write proposals. CAREER DEVELOPMENT 11. Will you have the opportunity to mentor (or be expected to mentor) undergraduate research? Mentoring takes a lot of time, but can tremendously rewarding. Furthermore, if you are interested in pursuing a career in academia, undergrad mentoring experience will be an important addition to your CV. 12. Where have graduates from the department (and from your potential lab group) found employment after graduation? (e.g., postdocs, faculty positions, government research or resource agencies (e.g., USGS, EPA), consulting, industry…) 13. Do students in your potential advisor’s research group often collaborate on projects (and possibly publish together)? What are the criteria for co-authorship? 14. Does the research group you’re considering frequently collaborate with other labs in the department/university/local institutions (e.g., USGS, resource agencies, etc.)? In general, are collaborations integral to the projects on which you're likely to be involved? Note: Collaborations can be a critical networking tool, especially for early career scientists. They can take you in new research directions and potentially lead to postdoctoral opportunities. RESOURCES 15. What type of instrumentation and/or computer facilities will you need in your area of research? Will you have access to these facilities within your potential advisor’s lab or will some of your work be conducted in another professor’s lab? Alternatively, the department and/or university may maintain a general access core lab facility (like the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UCSC) or a supercomputing facility. 16. Will you need access to an off-campus facility for some of your work (e.g., synchrotron at Lawrence Berkeley Labs)? If so, how difficult (and expensive) is it to schedule time at that facility?

[3] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view

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17. Do the labs and/or facilities in which you are likely to work provide formal training through a lab manager? Or will you be expected to find someone on your own to train you (e.g., another graduate student)? 18. How extensive is the university's on-line journal database? Do the students in your potential lab group ever have trouble accessing journals in your field and/or relevant articles? Do they every have to request a scanned copy of an article? That would indicate the university does not maintain an electronic subscription to that journal - scanned documents are not the same as a searchable PDF document. 19. Is wireless internet available throughout the campus? Do students have any issues accessing the internet in the lab or in their offices? How strong is cell phone reception on campus for various carriers? RESEARCH GROUP & DEPARTMENT CULTURE 20. What is the typical size of the lab group you are considering? Lab members may include a mix of grads, undergrads, postdocs, researchers, lab manager/technician, and visiting researchers. Although there are always exceptions, in smaller groups the professor is more likely to be directly involved in her/his students' projects - in larger labs, you might be expected to rely on the lab manager, postdocs, and/or senior graduate students for training. Both mentoring styles have pros and cons - finding the right fit is a matter of personal preference. 21. What is the typical mix of PhD and MSc students in the department and in the research group you are considering? How many undergraduate majors are in the department? 22. Does the department actively promote undergraduate research? If your research is field and/or lab intensive, an undergraduate population eager for research experience could provide an important source of volunteers and/or research assistants. 23. Does your potential advisor hold regular lab meetings? At what frequency? (weekly is typical) What are the expectations at group meeting? (e.g., discuss research papers, formal presentation of research papers, formal presentation of your own research, a brief informal round-table update from each person....) 24. How diverse is the department with respect to gender and ethnicity among undergraduate and graduate students? Is the LGBT community supported? How diverse is the faculty – especially hires made within the past decade? Do most minority and female students who enter the doctorate program successfully earn their PhD, or do many leave the program with an MSc? This last attribute may be a better gauge of the social culture of a department than diversity among students and/or faculty. 25. What types of organized departmental activities take place (e.g., holiday party, Friday evening socials, annual departmental picnic, afternoon tea, etc.)? BENEFITS & HOUSING 26. Are graduate students offered health insurance? This is an important topic - I've been shocked by how many universities provide inadequate or no coverage for graduate [4] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view

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students. Are TAs, RAs, and Fellows eligible for the same health care benefits (i.e., is health care coverage contingent on your funding source)? What benefits are included in the insurance plan (e.g., catastrophic only, prescriptions, well visits, etc.)? Are dental and/or vision offered? If you are covered under your partner/parent’s health care plan, can you opt out of university coverage? 27. How difficult is it for graduate students to find housing? What is the price range for shared and/or individual off-campus rentals? Is housing typically available close to campus? Are there on-campus housing options for graduate students? Is there a housing listserv and/or a university housing website? Can you gain access to apartment hunting resources early (i.e., a couple of months before you arrive)? Grad students often post rental openings on the university and/or department grad distribution list. Find out if can you set up a university email address early so you can receive those messages prior to your move.

TIPS FOR STRENGTHENING YOUR APPLICATION (a) Prepare your resume/CV now and keep it up to date (you may forget activities otherwise). (b) Get involved in undergraduate research. This doesn’t have to be a full blown thesis project – volunteering for a few days in the field, or as a lab assistant are great resume builders. (c) If you are involved in a research project, talk to your mentor (early on!) about the possibility of presenting your work at a professional conference – at a minimum, find out what the expectations are to earn co-authorship on an abstract. (d) Join professional organizations like the Geological Society of American (GSA) and American Geophysical Union (AGU) - most offer student discounts. List these memberships on your CV. (e) Try to attend a research conference (e.g., GSA, AGU), even if you’re not presenting. You will be exposed to a plethora of exciting research talks and posters. Several of my mentees said attending conference talks helped define their graduate school research interests. (f) If you are involved in undergraduate research, apply for seed grants (see No.9 above). Many universities maintain funding sources that are open to undergraduates. (g) Participate in a variety of outreach and career development opportunities (e.g., science fair judge, K-12 outreach programs, Geology Club, WiSE career development workshops, NorCal SETAC, SACNAS…). Keep track of these on your CV. A demonstrated track record of science outreach will improve your application to federal funding agencies, like NSF. (h) Take photographs at all your professional activities (esp. field work, lab work, and outreach activities) so you can include photos on your website. (i) Create a professional LinkedIn account – and keep it up to date! If someone searches for you on the internet, your LinkedIn profile will probably be among the top five links. Also consider building a professional website (there are many free options, like Google Sites,

[5] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view

Priya M. Ganguli www.PriyaGanguli.com/resources

WordPress, and Weebly). If you do have a professional website, include a link to that site on your LinkedIn profile. (j) Make professional business cards. Carry them with you and don’t be shy about handing them out.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Christina Richardson and Cruz Ortiz for their input on this document!

[6] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nctA79sXnoR1o2Q1BCc2YzcXM/view