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Graduate School Application Guidance

Graduate school application guidance for Geology and Environmental Science (GES) at the University of Pittsburgh (and beyond)

Below is a suggested timeline, along with steps and advice regarding applying to graduate school. This guidance is based on the experiences of faculty and students in the GES department and presents an idealized timeline. It is intended as informal advice and does not reflect official policies at the University of Pittsburgh or other universities. While the timeline is flexible, university application deadlines must be strictly followed.

The first step is to identify potential advisors you are interested in working with and find out the application deadlines. These deadlines will guide the overall timeline. If you happen to miss a deadline, it’s still worth reaching out to potential advisors, as exceptions are sometimes possible. At the Pitt Geology and Environmental Science (GES) department, the application deadline is January 15.

Timeline highlights

  • Summer to Fall 1-year before desired graduate school start date 
    Example: August-October 2025, if you want to start Fall 2026
    Contact/email faculty you may be interested in working with at several different universities and departments.
  • Late Fall
    Start preparing your application materials.
  • November to January
    Submit applications according to each program’s deadline.
    Note: The application deadline for the University of Pittsburgh’s GES department is January 15.
  • February to April
    Some applicants will be invited to visit and/or attend virtual meetings (e.g., Zoom) with potential advisors and their lab groups. These interactions help determine which research group is the best fit for them. This is typically followed by admissions decisions (notification of acceptance or non-acceptance) and your own decision-making process about graduate school and other options.  
  • August 
    Begin graduate school. 
    Note: Some programs may offer alternative start dates, such as starting in January or the beginning of another academic term, if necessary.

Questions to think about prior to applying

  • Why do you want to go to grad school focusing on Geology, Environmental Science, or a similar field?
  • Are you interested in spending 2-7 years in grad school and aware of the pros and cons? (see, for example, https://www.tun.com/blog/pros-and-cons-graduate-school/,  https://www.postgrad.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-getting-a-phd/). If you are an international student, how will spending several years away from home impact other aspects of your life?
  • Part of graduate school involves learning how to learn, how to teach yourself new skills with guidance from mentors and peers, and almost everyone’s experience is unique. Graduate school may involve considerable independent work and unstructured thinking time. Given this setting, consider how you like to work (independently, in groups, both), what you want to learn, what you are curious about, and how that matches with the programs you are considering.    
  • What are the potential avenues for employment in your chosen field (e.g., academia, government, private sector)?
  • Are the skills you seek to gain valuable and transferable to multiple fields or career paths?  
  • If you are an international student and want to go back to your country after grad school, would going to grad school in the USA give you a competitive advantage when you go back to your home country?
  • If you are considering going to grad school in a year or two, are you able to learn skills that make you more competitive prior to the application deadline? (e.g., some groups prefer students who know how to work with specific software, laboratory or field equipment). Geology and Environmental Science, like other sciences, often heavily rely on Math, Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Coding, and Computer-based models, and hence the broader your education is in these basic disciplines, the more likely it is that your application will be competitive.
  • Even the best laid plans can fall apart. If you are in grad school and your advisor leaves the program, are there other faculty members you might have interest in working with in the program? Are there other paths out if things don’t go as planned? For example, are research-based master's programs offered from your PhD program?

How to find and get admitted to a graduate school research program:

  • Unlike undergraduate admission and education, graduate school admission and education often hinge on the individual faculty advisor you want to work with. This advisor is the primary faculty member who will advocate for your admission, guide your PhD research, and advise you through your progress in the PhD program.  Your advisor provides access to their lab spaces, influences important aspects of your PhD training, such as the classes you take and how you are funded. Because of their central role, it's important to carefully identify potential advisors, assess whether they’re a good fit for your goals, and learn how to effectively reach out to them. Some of the points below address how to do just that.
  • Given what you want to study, and the associated employment avenues you consider, which advisors are the best fit for these purposes? You can explore this by looking at the research and teaching interests of the different faculty you are considering and by speaking with them and asking relevant questions. For example, see https://www.cs.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Get-Advisor.pdf.
  • Do the research methods used by the potential advisor/s mesh with your vision of how you would like to conduct research? You can explore this by reading publications by different professors and their students, and think whether you can see yourself working with the methods they describe. For example, some groups are more focused on laboratory work, whereas others focus on field-computer and/or community-based work.  If you want combinations of disciplines, look for groups that embrace interdisciplinary approaches.
  • Is the advisor/s you want to work with looking to recruit new students in the year in which you intend to apply? To find out, you can email potential advisors, present yourself and your interests [consider attaching a CV], and ask if they intend to recruit students and if they have specific projects for a new graduate student. This is a process where persistence is key, as it is easy to lose emails in the volume of messages many professors receive, particularly if you send your email during a busy period.  
  • Think about how your qualifications can make you competitive in applying to work with the advisor/s you want to work with. To find out, explore the advisor’s website, email current and past students who worked with them, and/or email potential advisors about preferred qualifications. Some advisors, for example, tend to prioritize students who have some experience in doing laboratory research or outreach, and/or students who took classes in calculus, statistics, physics, chemistry, and/or computer coding. Some groups weigh your ability to ask questions and think comprehensively.
  • Are there any fellowships or scholarships that you can apply for (e.g., NSF GRFP, Fulbright, for more options see: https://genatjsg.org/graduate-funding)? Having such external support can meaningfully increase the likelihood of being admitted.
  • Do you have the basic qualifications required by the department (e.g., GPA, English Proficiency Exam if your first language is not English). These details can usually be found on the department website.
  • Would a grad student's salary suffice for your needs, given the cost of living in the school’s city? PhD students in GES typically do not pay tuition and also receive a salary (i.e., stipend) during the school year. You can find information about salary on the department website (e.g., Pitt GES), by contacting graduate students in the department, or the potential advisor.
  • If you are an international student, find out what your visa status will be, how it affects your ability to work during the summer (summer funding is not always provided), and if you are married, if this visa status constrains your partner’s ability to legally work in the USA.

Once you are admitted, how to pick the best graduate school for you:

  • Ideally, you will be able to visit the campus and/or take advantage of an online meeting to informally talk with your potential advisor and their research group.  A research group is a group of students, postdocs, and faculty led by a specific advisor.  When you have your meetings with these people, be sure to think about the following:
  • It is important to consider whether a potential advisor is a good fit for you. This may go beyond shared research interests and can depend on how well you get along with a potential advisor. Don’t be shy about asking current students what it is like to work for your potential advisor.  You may also consider talking with students from other research groups to get some external perspective or even reaching out to past graduate students.
  • Is the research group a good fit for you? Different research groups have different dynamics and personalities, and it is important that you feel like you can see yourself fitting in.

Concise Application Timeline

One month to one year before the application deadline

  • Email professors you may be interested in working with. Concisely present yourself, your interests (consider attaching a CV), and ask if they intend to recruit students and if they have specific projects that they want them to work on.
  • A few months before the deadline:
    Start preparing the application materials, these typically include: (1) CV, (2) a writing sample, (3) personal statement, (4) transcripts, (5) recommendation letters (~3), (6) answering a set of questions online, (7) [for international students only] English Proficiency exam.
  • For letters of recommendation, ask professors who taught you relevant courses, mentors/advisors from any research experiences you have had, relevant employers, and others that you have worked for/with and have a good rapport (the GES department currently requires 3 letters).
  • Ask friends and mentors to go over your application materials and provide suggestions on content and grammar.
  • In case you were in contact with specific advisor(s), consider contacting them to let them know that you have decided to apply to work with them. Ask them if you should indicate in your application that you want to work with them, and if there is anything else you can do to make your application more competitive. 

A week or two before the deadline

  • Go carefully over your application material to make sure that you have all the required material, that your CV and transcripts are updated, and that you make a case about how your skills and abilities make you competitive for the advisor/s you apply to work with.
  • After submitting the application, and in case you did not receive an automatic confirmation that your application was received, contact the department administrator (through the department’s email on the website) and ask to confirm that all your application materials were received, and that the application is complete.  

After hearing back from a Graduate Program

  • Applications will typically be reviewed in January, and acceptance and non-acceptance letters will be sent out in mid-February to March.
  • If you were admitted, congrats! Make inquiries about the administrative aspects of moving and starting grad school (e.g., the timeline to move, housing, when you will get your first salary, health insurance, etc.).
  • Many graduate programs will host in-person or virtual meetings with admitted graduate students.  Take advantage of these to get the best sense of whether a given program is a good fit for you.
  • If you have difficulties in funding your move, in some cases, Universities can pay you part of your first salary in advance. Make inquiries with the department administrator and your future advisor about this option.
  • If you are an international student, contact the Office of International Services (for example https://www.ois.pitt.edu/office-international-services) to find out what the steps are to obtain your visa to the USA and to start the process as early as possible to avoid delays (delays may prevent you from coming to the US in time for your first semester).
  • If you have competing offers from other graduate schools, consider speaking with your potential advisors in the competing institutions, and ask what the main advantages are of going to each institution in terms of the research project, the skills you will learn, grad school life, connections, and future opportunities.
  • In case you were not admitted (typically less than ~10-20% of the applicants are admitted and the opportunities vary widely from year to year) but want to try again next year, consider contacting the potential advisor(s) you were in touch with to ask what you can do to improve your application.

Key points

  • Make sure to contact potential advisors to introduce yourself, express your interests, and ask questions that will help you evaluate if there is a good match with potential advisors. This communication and information can make your application stand out from potentially 100+ applications. Also, please recognize that people are often busy and do not be insulted if they do not reply or have no time to address all your questions in length.  So don’t automatically assume limited responses mean there’s a lack of interest.
  • Contact graduate students in the department with questions about the department, the advisors, and the research groups. Their perspective is fundamental as they are now experiencing what you will experience as a graduate student (for a list of graduate students at GES, see https://www.geology.pitt.edu/people/graduate-students).
  • A broad skill set will likely open more opportunities. Research experience as a research assistant, summer intern, or independent research project can help you decide if you want to go to grad school and continue research. Any research experience will help your application.
  • One of the most important points is your interest and motivation in the research topics you are pursuing. It is important to be motivated and curious about the research questions and prefer/enjoy the methods/skills required by the research!