Biology Department Graduate School Advising Committee

Last updated March 9th 2008.. Mary Ellard-Ivey

General advice on looking for a graduate school:

Attend the Annual Spring Graduate School Advising Committee informational meeting in the Spring. Date to be announced.

Seek support from Biology Faculty:

• The following Faculty Members in Biology have expressed a specific interest in advising students who are considering attending graduate school
  • Dr. Ann Auman
  • Dr.Mike Behrens
  • Dr.Tom Carlson
  • Dr.Mary Ellard-Ivey
  • Dr.Julie Smith

  Schedule a meeting with one of these faculty members. Check the Biology Department Web Page for information regarding the areas of expertise these faculty have.

General Considerations:

• Find opportunities to talk to others who have attended graduate school or are currently in graduate school. Think about your career goals. Is a graduate degree required to achieve those goals? If so, is a Masters or a Ph.D. degree more appropriate? Are you ready to commit to the 5-7 years it may take to complete a Ph.D.?

Geographical Considerations:

• Are there particular regions of the US or the world where you are interested in attending graduate school?

Looking for an undergraduate research experience:

Research opportunities for undergraduates:

• We strongly recommend that you seek a research experience while you are an undergraduate.
  • Consider The Division of Natural Science Undergraduate Research Program. The application are due in February.
  • The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has a summer research program for students between their junior and senior year of studies. These application are due in January.
  • Consider looking for an internship opportunity through PLU's Office of Academic Internships.
  • NSF's REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program offers excellent opportnities for students at a number of REU sites throughout the country.
  • Many undergraduate Research Programs are advertised on the bulletin board outside room 115 in RSC
  • Link here to other current undergraduate research opportunities.

Looking for a program and/or looking for an advisor:

Whether to approach your quest for a graduate position by seeking a specific graduate program or by directly seeking an advisor is discipline specific. We recommend consulting one of the advisors listed above for advice about the best approach for your field of interest. You may decide to apply to both a program of interest and an advisor whose work is of interest to you.

Some strategies

• University Web Sites will typically have information about their graduate programs
• Graduate program advertisements are posted outside Room 122 in RSC
• To find an advisor:
  • Read the primary literature.
  • Identify researchers whose work you find interesting and identify the program with which they are associated.
  • Go to University Web Sites and look at the research interests and publications of the faculty listed there.
• Consider contacting a potential advisor directly, expressing an interest in their work and asking if they are taking on graduate students. Ask about funding opportunities that they or their school may be willing to offer to graduate students.

Funding opportunities for graduate students:

Stipends and Teaching Assistantships

• Most graduate students in Biology will be funded throughout the course of their graduate studies. They will receive a stipend that will typically cover living expenses and tuition (many stipends include a tuition waiver). The stipend may come from a Teaching Assistantship or some advisors may fund their graduate students from their research grants.

Fellowships Opportunities

• Below are links to fellowship opportunities available from a number of funding agencies.

  
  National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program:

  Life Sciences applications are usually due in early November

  Rhodes Scholarships:

  For 2 years at University of Oxford
  Applications are due in early October

Fullbright Scholarships:

For 1 year of graduate study abroad
Applications due from university by October 1st, 2007
Troy Storfjell, Ph.D., PLU representative

Graduate School Resources

Rankings of Graduate Schools:

• U.S. News and World Reports:
  Brief edition free: here
  Print edition: $9.95 (see Ann Auman to borrow 2007 Edition)
  Print + on-line edition: $19.95
• Peterson’s Guide:

Find out what current and past graduate students think about their programs:

Find out about and register for the GRE:

Get information on graduate school opportunities abroad:

Other Resources:
“Mastering Your Ph.D.” by P. Gosling & B. Noordam (see Ann Auman to borrow a copy)

PLU Career Resources

This page created and maintained by Mary Ellard-Ivey © 2007 PLU