Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Funding Advice
Hi Jordan, Travis is right (I actually went to school with Travis), your best option is finding a program that will fund you. For a M.S., it is harder to find a program that will fund you well enough to live off of, but not impossible. When you said in this area were you referring to living area, or area of study? If you are only looking in your local area, you will find it even more difficult. Start looking nationally, and internationally. If you don't find a program, don't get discouraged. Funding comes in waves, as does new research projects and openings for students. If there isn't something this year, there may be next year or the year following. My advice (this is how I found a M.S. and a PhD program) is to start reading journal articles on topics that you are interested in. Contact the authors and let them know you've read such and such paper and ask them if they have funding for a student. If not, ask if they have contacts who do have funding. Also, keep a lookout on this and other listservs. Keep that up until you find something. In the interim, look for internships doing any research and especially research in your area of study (but any type of field work/research will get you a leg up in your marketability). You'll have fun, gain great experience, and perhaps great contacts. Don't give up and best of luck! Cheers, Ed Krynak
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Funding Advice
A word from the other side of the desk might be useful. I'm a professor at one of the very many mostly undergraduate institutions that has a small graduate program. We offer two master's degrees (Biology and Urban Ecology) but not a PhD program. In my 19 years here I have graduated 13 graduate students, all of which have gone on to bigger and better things. Four are currently in PhD programs, others are in industry and gov't and education. I have 5 (!) defending this spring and three entering my lab this summer. Only two were fully funded via outside grant support. This discussion has centered around finding funded MS programs. In contrast, we have very little financial support for our graduate students here, and both tuition (~$32K) and cost of living are high. We therefore do all this without very much funding, in fact I can't promise my incoming students much support at all. We patch together limited internal funding, mostly tuition assistance, with teaching assistantships, summer research fellowships, local environmental jobs, and yes, loans. We always find the funding needed for the projects themselves. My master's students all get some experience writing funding proposals themselves, and some are funded. I regularly lose good prospective students to other institutions that provide more support. Nevertheless, I have had an extraordinary run of talented students over the years, and we've done great work. I think everyone has gotten their money's worth and then some. The take home: finding a fully funded project is not the only good way to go. When I talk with prospective grad students I try to make all this very clear, and if they have a better opportunity elsewhere I encourage them to take it. Signing on at schools like Hofstra is a financial gamble. But with the right student and the right project and the right advisor it can be great, and it can be the right career move. I strongly recommend meeting any prospective advisor, spending a little time in the lab or field with his/her students, and looking at the lab's track record. Kick the tires a bit before making the deal. Dr. Russell Burke Professor, Chair Donald E. Axinn Distinguished Professor in Ecology and Conservation Department of Biology Hofstra University http://russelllburke.wix.com/labs
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Funding Advice
Hi, my name is jordan and I graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science about a year ago. I have since been researching graduate research opportunities in the general areas of ecology, conservation, particularly in regards to avian species, and biodiversity. I am deeply interested in conducting research on threatened or potentially threatened or endangered species and applying such findings to better protect such species populations and help maintain higher levels of biodiversity within ecosystems. Unfortunately, it appears that lack of funding is a widespread issue when it comes to such areas of research and I have yet to be successful in finding any openings for a masters student in this area after countless inquiries and expressions of interest to faculty across the board. I have to admit that I have become a bit discouraged and would appreciate any advice anybody might have for someone in my position; I am aware that there are opportunities to receive personal funding or merit funding and would be open to any advice individuals may have on which they have found to have been met with the most success, or any they find to be the most suitable for someone in my position. Any other advice as far as experience or approach or anything else that anyone could offer me would be much appreciated. I am determined to keep working towards this goal but I fear I may need more assistance than I had anticipated in realizing it. Thank you in advance for any and all advice. Sincerely, Jordan
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Funding Advice
Hi, I am also having the same problem and if there are anyone who could advise me links and contacts of such opportunity, its most welcome. Please share the information. Thank you. On Apr 3, 2015 8:52 PM, Jordan Rogan roganjorda...@gmail.com wrote: Hi, my name is jor Hi, my name is jordan and I graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science about a year ago. I have since been researching graduate research opportunities in the general areas of ecology, conservation, particularly in regards to avian species, and biodiversity. I am deeply interested in conducting research on threatened or potentially threatened or endangered species and applying such findings to better protect such species populations and help maintain higher levels of biodiversity within ecosystems. Unfortunately, it appears that lack of funding is a widespread issue when it comes to such areas of research and I have yet to be successful in finding any openings for a masters student in this area after countless inquiries and expressions of interest to faculty across the board. I have to admit that I have become a bit discouraged and would appreciate any advice anybody might have for someone in my position; I am aware that there are opportunities to receive personal funding or merit funding and would be open to any advice individuals may have on which they have found to have been met with the most success, or any they find to be the most suitable for someone in my position. Any other advice as far as experience or approach or anything else that anyone could offer me would be much appreciated. I am determined to keep working towards this goal but I fear I may need more assistance than I had anticipated in realizing it. Thank you in advance for any and all advice. Sincerely, Jordan
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate School Funding Advice
Hi Jordan, I recently graduated from a Masters program, and can tell you funding is going to be very low. One thing to look at is assistantships through the school (if they are offered). A typical assistantship will have you doing some sort of work (being a teaching assistant, working in a lab, etc.) for a stipend and tuition waiver. The stipend I received was on the low side (i.e. unlivable) for the area I was living in, so make sure to check the cost of living in the area. Also check with the program about getting an outside job, some programs allow this while others will not and this can have a very large impact on how you live as a Masters student. I hate to sound negative, but I think this is a reality most graduate students find out when they enter a program. Anyway.check for assistantships through the school would be my main advice, and good luck! If you love what you want to get into it will be worth it in the end! :) Travis On Sat, Apr 4, 2015 at 3:41 AM, Jordan Rogan roganjorda...@gmail.com wrote: Hi, my name is jordan and I graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science about a year ago. I have since been researching graduate research opportunities in the general areas of ecology, conservation, particularly in regards to avian species, and biodiversity. I am deeply interested in conducting research on threatened or potentially threatened or endangered species and applying such findings to better protect such species populations and help maintain higher levels of biodiversity within ecosystems. Unfortunately, it appears that lack of funding is a widespread issue when it comes to such areas of research and I have yet to be successful in finding any openings for a masters student in this area after countless inquiries and expressions of interest to faculty across the board. I have to admit that I have become a bit discouraged and would appreciate any advice anybody might have for someone in my position; I am aware that there are opportunities to receive personal funding or merit funding and would be open to any advice individuals may have on which they have found to have been met with the most success, or any they find to be the most suitable for someone in my position. Any other advice as far as experience or approach or anything else that anyone could offer me would be much appreciated. I am determined to keep working towards this goal but I fear I may need more assistance than I had anticipated in realizing it. Thank you in advance for any and all advice. Sincerely, Jordan
