I have been fortunate enough to have amazing and pivotal mentors in my life. These mentors have shaped me as a scientist, but more importantly, as a person. The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" applies to my career and my life in many aspects. I would not have pursued many opportunities and succeed in some of these pursuits without the support of my village. My hope is that this page extends your village a bit more and provides that support.
Part of becoming a better scientist is becoming a better writer. Although this comes through experience (and trust me, I'm still learning), this also comes through reading what good (and bad) writing looks like! When applying for grants, positions, or other opportunities, it is helpful to know what a successful application looks like and what an unsuccessful application looks like. For this reason, I have compiled my application essays for multiple fellowships/grants/positions. Currently, I have uploaded my Fulbright materials (2019, unsuccessful), my graduate school application in Fall 2019 (unsuccessful), my graduate school applications in Fall 2020 (successful), my NSF GRFP application with reviews (2021 - successful), and my statement for Princeton's EEB Preview Weekend/Scholar Program (successful). If you are interested in applying for the Charles H. Turner Award (2020 - succesful) funded by the Animal Behavior Society, I am more than happy to share my statement for that program as well. Since starting graduate school, I have applied to a number of internal and external grants (Carol A. Baird Award, Simes Research Award, etc.) and am happy to share any materials upon request.
I believe that transparency and having access to materials, whether successful or not, benefits everyone. If there as an application found on my CV that you would like feedback on or access to, my contact information can be found here. If you would like me to add certain resources (or share your statements on this website), feel free to email me.
Page Outline:
If you are looking for additional resources, I recommend the following websites:
Database of POC Wildlife Ecologists via Black Mammalogists: Academic Secret Menu (e.g., Emailing PIs, Getting Involved in Undergrad Research, etc.):
Here's to extending your village a bit more. Go get 'em!
Part of becoming a better scientist is becoming a better writer. Although this comes through experience (and trust me, I'm still learning), this also comes through reading what good (and bad) writing looks like! When applying for grants, positions, or other opportunities, it is helpful to know what a successful application looks like and what an unsuccessful application looks like. For this reason, I have compiled my application essays for multiple fellowships/grants/positions. Currently, I have uploaded my Fulbright materials (2019, unsuccessful), my graduate school application in Fall 2019 (unsuccessful), my graduate school applications in Fall 2020 (successful), my NSF GRFP application with reviews (2021 - successful), and my statement for Princeton's EEB Preview Weekend/Scholar Program (successful). If you are interested in applying for the Charles H. Turner Award (2020 - succesful) funded by the Animal Behavior Society, I am more than happy to share my statement for that program as well. Since starting graduate school, I have applied to a number of internal and external grants (Carol A. Baird Award, Simes Research Award, etc.) and am happy to share any materials upon request.
I believe that transparency and having access to materials, whether successful or not, benefits everyone. If there as an application found on my CV that you would like feedback on or access to, my contact information can be found here. If you would like me to add certain resources (or share your statements on this website), feel free to email me.
Page Outline:
- Demystifying the Graduate School Process Manuscript
- NSF GRFP Statements
- Graduate School Tips + Statements
- Fulbright Statements
- Preview Weekend Statements
If you are looking for additional resources, I recommend the following websites:
Database of POC Wildlife Ecologists via Black Mammalogists: Academic Secret Menu (e.g., Emailing PIs, Getting Involved in Undergrad Research, etc.):
- Hidden Curriculum of Academia
- Start up docs for Grad School
- Advice on Applying for Graduate School in EEB
Here's to extending your village a bit more. Go get 'em!
Demystifying the Graduate School Application Process:
Getting to graduate school isn't exactly clear. And navigating your undergraduate education, especially as a first-generation student, is incredibly unclear (at least it was for me). How am I supposed to know when to start getting involved in research? The right questions to ask potential advisors? The list goes on and on.
In an effort to make some of this knowledge more accessible, myself and several others in my department created a short informational guide on the graduate school process. This packet discusses what graduate school entails, questions to reflect on if you want to apply, how to apply, potential career paths, and some useful links. The manuscript associated with this packet has been published in the ESA Bulletin. You can read the manuscript here or click below to access it.
You can find more information on the graduate school process above under the "Academic Secret Menu" and "General Academic Resources" section. Additionally, in a section below, I've outlined some of my thoughts on graduate school.
Getting to graduate school isn't exactly clear. And navigating your undergraduate education, especially as a first-generation student, is incredibly unclear (at least it was for me). How am I supposed to know when to start getting involved in research? The right questions to ask potential advisors? The list goes on and on.
In an effort to make some of this knowledge more accessible, myself and several others in my department created a short informational guide on the graduate school process. This packet discusses what graduate school entails, questions to reflect on if you want to apply, how to apply, potential career paths, and some useful links. The manuscript associated with this packet has been published in the ESA Bulletin. You can read the manuscript here or click below to access it.
You can find more information on the graduate school process above under the "Academic Secret Menu" and "General Academic Resources" section. Additionally, in a section below, I've outlined some of my thoughts on graduate school.
NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program):
I applied to the NSF GRFP in Fall 2020 and submitted my materials to the Life Sciences - Organismal Biology section (successful). I have attached both my personal and research statements along with the reviews I received on my application. I may add my tips for constructing a GRFP to this section eventually, but for now, I highly recommend the links I've provided above which will provide tips/advice and more example statements. I also published a paper in Frontiers in Education in September 2022 about envisioning a more community-centered and just fellowship by reimagining the broader impacts of the GRFP. You can read that article here. Additionally, I have written tips for applying to graduate school that can be found in the next section that also applies to crafting a GRFP application. Feel free to read more below!
I applied to the NSF GRFP in Fall 2020 and submitted my materials to the Life Sciences - Organismal Biology section (successful). I have attached both my personal and research statements along with the reviews I received on my application. I may add my tips for constructing a GRFP to this section eventually, but for now, I highly recommend the links I've provided above which will provide tips/advice and more example statements. I also published a paper in Frontiers in Education in September 2022 about envisioning a more community-centered and just fellowship by reimagining the broader impacts of the GRFP. You can read that article here. Additionally, I have written tips for applying to graduate school that can be found in the next section that also applies to crafting a GRFP application. Feel free to read more below!
Graduate School:
*I published a manuscript that provides extensive details on the graduate school application process. You can find it above in the "Demystifying Graduate School Process" section above or here.*
Pursuing graduate school in ecology, specifically an MS/PhD that is research focused, is different than any traditional graduate school application and no one really tells you that. In this field, before you apply to a graduate program, you should (and need to) contact one or more faculty of interest prior to applying. I recommend beginning to contact faculty/PIs you are interested in/around late July/early August. If you're interested in working on the NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program, click to learn more), then July and August is a great time to contact so you can begin brainstorming ideas and working on drafts. The earlier the better! Although cold emailing these faculty may seem intimidating, faculty who are taking students are excited to talk to prospective student and find one that matches their lab. Your cold email should be relatively brief, containing: 1) Your name, your current position and research interests (if you're working on a thesis, mention the name of it), 2) Why you think their lab would be a good fit / why the project their advertising for fits your trajectory in research. You could also mention the skills you hope to attain in grad school and how they can help you gain these skills (i.e., why they're a good fit for an advisor), 3) A thank you at the end of the email and letting them know you'd like to set up a time to talk, and 4) Your CV. An example of this email structure can be found in the "Demystifying Graduate School Process" article I have linked above.
Once you contact a faculty member of interest, there is a good chance they will ask to set up a Zoom/phone call to discuss your interests further and to see if the lab is a good fit for you. Some faculty members see this as a "low stakes" situation where they're getting to know you and if your interests are compatible, they will set up another meeting to discuss research a bit more in depth. I would come into these meetings prepared to talk about how your research experiences/interests fit into their lab's current work and with a list of questions for the PI about their research/lab and the program itself (e.g., How are graduate students supported? What are your expectations for an MS vs a PhD student?). There's also the other side to this coin, where you meet with a faculty member who's research you were interested in but you didn't click with them. And that's ok too! This "pre-interview" is really important (for both you and the PI) because the person you decide to work with will be with you for years to come (PhD programs are usually at least 5 years) and will be your main person for support during graduate school.
Once you have compiled a list of schools you want to apply to (some people recommend around 4-6), you can begin working on the statements for the program. These can rack up quite the cost (most are at least $60) so be sure to email the graduate school coordinator and ask if there's a fee waiver! Most programs I've seen require one statement - the Statement of Purpose. This is usually a mix between a personal statement and a research statement where you talk about your goals, your experience, and what you hope to accomplish in graduate school (as well as mention the faculty member you want to work with). Some schools will separate the two and ask for a personal AND research statement. In that case, you want to separate these narratives and not be repetitive across the statements. I'll share below some brief tips that my graduate school advisor shared with me when constructing these statements:
Personal statement: Personal statements should be written as a narrative arch: who you are, what piqued your interest in the sciences to begin with, and why you chose to pursue research. As an applicant, you should hype up your formative experiences, whatever those may be, in a storytelling fashion rather than as a de facto list. This will help the reader see how engaging and endearing your story is.
Research statement: Outside of the advisor you are applying to work with, you should also look through the department's website and faculty portals to get a sense of the department. Not too much, just enough for you to gain some footing in mentioning folks that your interests may align with outside of the wildlife folks. Here, you can mention people that do cross-cutting research that aligns with yours and that could be a great resource to you. It's important to make this connection because simply name-dropping will not carry the same weight. Additionally, if your research/personal statement centers around community engagement, it may be worth looking into resources or program the University has to describe how your involvement in these realms will help to build programs that do community engagement. By listing specific institutions in your document, you will show that you’ve researched the area.
For both of the documents together: show don’t tell. Try not to have sentences here or there that may say how important something was to your interests, or how issues in [X] are related to [Y] generally, but those do not fully show the reader what you’re trying to get across. Overall, getting a bit more personal and authentic with your own individual story and how it translates to points within your research (or career path) will go quite a ways. A good tip is to write this as if you were writing it for a friend or relative, not an amorphous faculty member. Write it as if the person on the other end is someone that you know personally, and that wants to hear the “backstage” content. For example, if you are discussing mentor: what did they do differently that you liked, that allowed you to succeed? Or the flip: were there specific things that previous mentors did that presented a substantial barrier to your success, and how did you overcome it?
Just like with any statement you're working on, getting a draft out to mentors/peers as early as you can to give you feedback will make the document as strong as it can be. I would also send the materials to the PI you're interested in working with and ask if they can give you feedback. The more eyes the better! Once you submit your materials, I would email your potential advisor and let them know that you've completed the application process and are excited about the potential to work with them! The process varies by program/university. In some programs, if the PI has agreed to support you and has essentially given you an offer, applying and interviewing is more of a formality. On the other hand, you have programs (e.g., Princeton EEB Program) where all of the faculty members will review your application, interview you, and then make a decision as a department.
The interview varies by school and department but generally, these interviews are meant to be less like an interview where you are drilled about your knowledge and more like a conversation (although some are like the former). The interviewers are interested in learning more about your research interests, how you arrived, and what drives your curiosity/ambitions. This is your chance to some them that you are the person that you presented to them in your application materials. It's a great chance to highlight your undergraduate research, learning opportunities you experienced throughout college/research, and overall, your authentic self.
I have uploaded my Statement of Purpose from my application to the University of Montana (MS, Fall 2019 - unsuccessful), Research Statement for the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Fall 2020 - successful) and Personal & Diversity Statement for the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Fall 2020 - successful).
*I published a manuscript that provides extensive details on the graduate school application process. You can find it above in the "Demystifying Graduate School Process" section above or here.*
Pursuing graduate school in ecology, specifically an MS/PhD that is research focused, is different than any traditional graduate school application and no one really tells you that. In this field, before you apply to a graduate program, you should (and need to) contact one or more faculty of interest prior to applying. I recommend beginning to contact faculty/PIs you are interested in/around late July/early August. If you're interested in working on the NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program, click to learn more), then July and August is a great time to contact so you can begin brainstorming ideas and working on drafts. The earlier the better! Although cold emailing these faculty may seem intimidating, faculty who are taking students are excited to talk to prospective student and find one that matches their lab. Your cold email should be relatively brief, containing: 1) Your name, your current position and research interests (if you're working on a thesis, mention the name of it), 2) Why you think their lab would be a good fit / why the project their advertising for fits your trajectory in research. You could also mention the skills you hope to attain in grad school and how they can help you gain these skills (i.e., why they're a good fit for an advisor), 3) A thank you at the end of the email and letting them know you'd like to set up a time to talk, and 4) Your CV. An example of this email structure can be found in the "Demystifying Graduate School Process" article I have linked above.
Once you contact a faculty member of interest, there is a good chance they will ask to set up a Zoom/phone call to discuss your interests further and to see if the lab is a good fit for you. Some faculty members see this as a "low stakes" situation where they're getting to know you and if your interests are compatible, they will set up another meeting to discuss research a bit more in depth. I would come into these meetings prepared to talk about how your research experiences/interests fit into their lab's current work and with a list of questions for the PI about their research/lab and the program itself (e.g., How are graduate students supported? What are your expectations for an MS vs a PhD student?). There's also the other side to this coin, where you meet with a faculty member who's research you were interested in but you didn't click with them. And that's ok too! This "pre-interview" is really important (for both you and the PI) because the person you decide to work with will be with you for years to come (PhD programs are usually at least 5 years) and will be your main person for support during graduate school.
Once you have compiled a list of schools you want to apply to (some people recommend around 4-6), you can begin working on the statements for the program. These can rack up quite the cost (most are at least $60) so be sure to email the graduate school coordinator and ask if there's a fee waiver! Most programs I've seen require one statement - the Statement of Purpose. This is usually a mix between a personal statement and a research statement where you talk about your goals, your experience, and what you hope to accomplish in graduate school (as well as mention the faculty member you want to work with). Some schools will separate the two and ask for a personal AND research statement. In that case, you want to separate these narratives and not be repetitive across the statements. I'll share below some brief tips that my graduate school advisor shared with me when constructing these statements:
Personal statement: Personal statements should be written as a narrative arch: who you are, what piqued your interest in the sciences to begin with, and why you chose to pursue research. As an applicant, you should hype up your formative experiences, whatever those may be, in a storytelling fashion rather than as a de facto list. This will help the reader see how engaging and endearing your story is.
Research statement: Outside of the advisor you are applying to work with, you should also look through the department's website and faculty portals to get a sense of the department. Not too much, just enough for you to gain some footing in mentioning folks that your interests may align with outside of the wildlife folks. Here, you can mention people that do cross-cutting research that aligns with yours and that could be a great resource to you. It's important to make this connection because simply name-dropping will not carry the same weight. Additionally, if your research/personal statement centers around community engagement, it may be worth looking into resources or program the University has to describe how your involvement in these realms will help to build programs that do community engagement. By listing specific institutions in your document, you will show that you’ve researched the area.
For both of the documents together: show don’t tell. Try not to have sentences here or there that may say how important something was to your interests, or how issues in [X] are related to [Y] generally, but those do not fully show the reader what you’re trying to get across. Overall, getting a bit more personal and authentic with your own individual story and how it translates to points within your research (or career path) will go quite a ways. A good tip is to write this as if you were writing it for a friend or relative, not an amorphous faculty member. Write it as if the person on the other end is someone that you know personally, and that wants to hear the “backstage” content. For example, if you are discussing mentor: what did they do differently that you liked, that allowed you to succeed? Or the flip: were there specific things that previous mentors did that presented a substantial barrier to your success, and how did you overcome it?
Just like with any statement you're working on, getting a draft out to mentors/peers as early as you can to give you feedback will make the document as strong as it can be. I would also send the materials to the PI you're interested in working with and ask if they can give you feedback. The more eyes the better! Once you submit your materials, I would email your potential advisor and let them know that you've completed the application process and are excited about the potential to work with them! The process varies by program/university. In some programs, if the PI has agreed to support you and has essentially given you an offer, applying and interviewing is more of a formality. On the other hand, you have programs (e.g., Princeton EEB Program) where all of the faculty members will review your application, interview you, and then make a decision as a department.
The interview varies by school and department but generally, these interviews are meant to be less like an interview where you are drilled about your knowledge and more like a conversation (although some are like the former). The interviewers are interested in learning more about your research interests, how you arrived, and what drives your curiosity/ambitions. This is your chance to some them that you are the person that you presented to them in your application materials. It's a great chance to highlight your undergraduate research, learning opportunities you experienced throughout college/research, and overall, your authentic self.
I have uploaded my Statement of Purpose from my application to the University of Montana (MS, Fall 2019 - unsuccessful), Research Statement for the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Fall 2020 - successful) and Personal & Diversity Statement for the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, Fall 2020 - successful).
Fulbright Open Research Essays:
I applied for the Fulbright Open Research Award in Fall 2019 for the 2020-2021 cycle. I was able to secure affiliates but was unsuccessful in my attempt. Here, you can find both my personal statement and statement of purpose for Fulbright. Although these materials were unsuccessful, they have provided the foundation for a lot of my applications (my preview weekend statements and GRFP personal statement).
If you are considering a Fulbright (click to learn more) for a gap year, start early! Try and secure your affiliate sometime between April - June to begin developing your ideas. The amount of opportunities vary by country so I would think carefully about the topic you're interested in and what you want to explore within this topic. After this, sift through the host countries and explore the universities there. For example, I knew I wanted to learn more about urban ecology and climate change, specifically, how it affects how social information is shared within a population. This led me to several labs, but ultimately, I knew Finland would be a great country for this due to accelerated climate change, and because my main affiliate's lab focused on social information. I contacted my first affiliate via cold email in early June and the second affiliate shortly after. Throughout the process, I highly recommend working with a Fulbright Mentor at your university in addition to your affiliates or a professor to work on drafts weekly if you can. Personally, I worked with a Fulbright advisor at my university and met with him weekly with a new draft from August up until the deadline. In hindsight, the statement of grant purpose should likely have more of the research project explicitly stated than including brief methods and impact - which wasn't told to me. All to say, work closely with your affiliate on the statement!
I would also visit Eli Myron's youtube channel, who had a successful Fulbright application, for tips.
I applied for the Fulbright Open Research Award in Fall 2019 for the 2020-2021 cycle. I was able to secure affiliates but was unsuccessful in my attempt. Here, you can find both my personal statement and statement of purpose for Fulbright. Although these materials were unsuccessful, they have provided the foundation for a lot of my applications (my preview weekend statements and GRFP personal statement).
If you are considering a Fulbright (click to learn more) for a gap year, start early! Try and secure your affiliate sometime between April - June to begin developing your ideas. The amount of opportunities vary by country so I would think carefully about the topic you're interested in and what you want to explore within this topic. After this, sift through the host countries and explore the universities there. For example, I knew I wanted to learn more about urban ecology and climate change, specifically, how it affects how social information is shared within a population. This led me to several labs, but ultimately, I knew Finland would be a great country for this due to accelerated climate change, and because my main affiliate's lab focused on social information. I contacted my first affiliate via cold email in early June and the second affiliate shortly after. Throughout the process, I highly recommend working with a Fulbright Mentor at your university in addition to your affiliates or a professor to work on drafts weekly if you can. Personally, I worked with a Fulbright advisor at my university and met with him weekly with a new draft from August up until the deadline. In hindsight, the statement of grant purpose should likely have more of the research project explicitly stated than including brief methods and impact - which wasn't told to me. All to say, work closely with your affiliate on the statement!
I would also visit Eli Myron's youtube channel, who had a successful Fulbright application, for tips.
Princeton EEB Preview Weekend & Others:
Preview weekends give prospective graduate students an amazing opportunity to learn more about graduate school and the application process. Additionally, you get to talk to faculty members you're interested in, learn about the interview process via mock interviews, and maybe present your research! Because of this, these preview weekends with limited spots (~10) can be a bit competitive so start your materials early and get eyes on it from your recommender! I applied to the Princeton EEB Preview Weekend in 2020 and was successful in my attempt. I also prepared a shorter application (paragraph length research statement) for the University of Michigan's Preview Weekend but did not end up submitting my materials. Additionally, Cornell, Stanford, and Michigan State have preview programs that are similar to Princeton's weekend. I highly recommend applying for these programs because of the insight and prep they can give you into the application process. You can view my applications for the Princeton and Michigan below!
If you know of any other preview weekends, let me know and I'll add them to this section!
Preview weekends give prospective graduate students an amazing opportunity to learn more about graduate school and the application process. Additionally, you get to talk to faculty members you're interested in, learn about the interview process via mock interviews, and maybe present your research! Because of this, these preview weekends with limited spots (~10) can be a bit competitive so start your materials early and get eyes on it from your recommender! I applied to the Princeton EEB Preview Weekend in 2020 and was successful in my attempt. I also prepared a shorter application (paragraph length research statement) for the University of Michigan's Preview Weekend but did not end up submitting my materials. Additionally, Cornell, Stanford, and Michigan State have preview programs that are similar to Princeton's weekend. I highly recommend applying for these programs because of the insight and prep they can give you into the application process. You can view my applications for the Princeton and Michigan below!
If you know of any other preview weekends, let me know and I'll add them to this section!
