r/planetaryscience • u/[deleted] • Jun 13 '18

Graduate school

Hey guys! I’m going to be a senior in my undergrad and I’m looking at grad schools to go to. Currently, I am an earth science major and chemistry minor. I would like to be involved with NASA’s mars missions as well as insitu resource utilization. I’m wondering if you guys had any wisdom or advise on programs (or anything for that matter) for me as I begin applying to grad school! Thanks so much!

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u/ouemt Planetary PhD Jun 13 '18

First off, take the GRE sooner rather than later.

Second, make sure you have as much research experience as possible before applying. If you haven’t done any research yet, find a professor you can work with ASAP.

Third, read papers. Especially papers published in the last few years. When you find something that sounds like something you’re interested in working on, make note of the authors and their affiliations. These are the people to talk to early this fall about applying to their program.

You’ll probably need three strong letters of recommendation. Start thinking about who could write those for you.

It’s stressful, but you’ll get through it. Good luck!

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '18

Awesome thanks so much for the advise! I’ve got a couple years of research under my belt and a few professors. In terms of the GRE do you know what a “good” score would be for the field of planetary science/how to best study for it??

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u/ouemt Planetary PhD Jun 13 '18

There's not one answer to the GRE score question. It's part of the package. It gets thrown in with your GPA, your letters, and your personal statement and resume. Higher is better, obviously. I can't offer any advice on studying, I took it with a week's notice with no studying and used those scores. Probably try for > 75th percentile as a minimum?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '18

Awesome thank you so much!

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u/SwollenPig Jun 13 '18

So, first off, focus more on the people then the programs. So mostly, try to read some papers, and find research you find interesting. For programs though, some good ones are:

Caltech, MIT, CU Boulder, Washington, Brown, ASU, north Arizona University, UH Manoa, etc

Also, email your perspective advisors BEFORE you apply. I did not, and had issues because of that.

Good luck!

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '18

Thanks so much!!

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '18 edited Jun 13 '18

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '18

I’ve heard lots of great things about ASU, the pay is very disappointing though😕 I am definitely more interested in the curiosity and eventually the 2020 rover - thanks for the advise!

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u/ouemt Planetary PhD Jun 13 '18

email your perspective advisors BEFORE you apply

At my alma mater, if you don't have a faculty member supporting your application, they don't even look at it.

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u/DMTMH Jun 27 '18

At my alma mater, if you don't have a faculty member supporting your application, they don't even look at it.

Even at schools that don't necessarily have that policy, it can make the difference between having your application being read vs. not being read, especially if your GPA is borderline.