Applying to Graduate School

School of Biological Sciences

This document provides an overview of the steps involved in the graduate school application process. Some of the advice is specific to the graduate program here in SBS, so be sure to check specific requirements and guidelines for any other programs of interest.

Recommended Timeline

Bolded dates are WSU official deadlines, the rest of the information included should serve as a recommendation for a smooth application process, but strict adherence is not necessarily essential for success.

Spring/Summer before application submission

• Research potential programs and labs
• Contact potential advisors and current/former students
• Create a spreadsheet to organize programs, requirements, and deadlines
• Create a CV or resumé, or make sure your current one is up to date
• Create a strong statement why you want to pursue a graduate degree (statement of purpose)

August – September

• Begin working on writing prompts
• Contact your reference letter writers
• Continue to contact potential advisor

October – November

• Request official transcripts from previous institutions
• Continue revising personal statement and department-specific statements

December – January

• Begin online application
• Check all materials and submit them at the latest by January 10!

Make sure to keep track of deadlines for other programs, as many have applications due before SBS’s deadline February – April

• Talk with faculty and students
• Tour campuses and facilities if possible
• Consider program offers and accept!

How to Decide MSc vs. PhD

Choosing which degree to pursue is an essential decision to make early on in your graduate school application process. It’s important to consider your personal goals and the unique characteristics of both degree paths.

Before you decide, ask yourself these questions:

• What are my future career aspirations?
• What are the listed required qualifications for people applying to such positions?
• What is my goal for pursuing a graduate degree?
• What are my timeline and funding needs?
• Do I prefer to be a generalist or a specialist in my field of interest?

Master’s Program (MSc) 2-3 years to completion

Thesis expectations are one intro chapter and one chapter of publishable research.

Great for:

• Advancing professionally and gaining access to more job opportunities in a short amount of time
• Gaining more research experience and seeing if a PhD is right for you
• Broaden your scientific skills and knowledge

Doctoral Program (PhD) 5-6 years to completion

Thesis expectations are one intro chapter and at least three chapters of publishable research

Great for:

• If you know you want to pursue a career in research and/or academia, such as leading your own lab or becoming a professor, but is often also needed for a teaching position at colleges or universities
• Becoming an expert in your chosen field
• Broaden your scientific skills and knowledge

See the SBS Graduate Student Handbook for more information on degree requirements.

Finding and Contacting a Lab

Identify potential advisor(s)

Graduate degrees in the sciences are research degrees. You will be spending a large portion of your time doing independent research, so make sure you choose a lab whose research interests you!

Some tips for finding a prospective lab:

• Use Google Scholar or similar sites to search for research articles in your field of interest within the past 5 years, and check the author list for faculty active in the field.
• Job boards (for example, the Natural Resources Job Board and the EvolDir Job Board) and society email lists (like the ECOLOG-L listserv) are great places to find labs seeking graduate students.
• Once you identify a potential advisor, go to their lab website, which is typically linked to the departmental website.
• Look at some of their published work to understand what their research focus and approach is.
• You can find all the Faculty in SBS on our departmental website.
  • View the faculty page to check out the research they are actively conducting and to see which faculty are currently accepting graduate students.
  • Verify that they are research active and have recently published manuscripts.

Reach Out

In SBS, and many other biology programs, you will be applying to work in a specific lab where the PI (“principal investigator”; i.e., head of the lab) will be your primary advisor. We recommend that you contact prospective advisors directly via email prior to applying to the program. This allows them to get to know you, and you to get to know them.

Send them a brief email with your CV, some information about yourself and what you are interested in, and a request to meet via video or voice call. Discuss your research interests and career goals with your prospective advisor.

Some topics for that first conversation:

• Ask questions about the graduate program:
  • How easy is it to get funding?
  • What are the degree requirements in this department?
  • What is your mentorship style?
  • Ask for contact information for current and past graduate students to ask the same questions (plus additional questions on pg. 6).
• Remember, this introduction is as much for you as it is for the advisor!

Example Email to Contact Prospective Advisor

Paragraph 1

Introduce yourself, state your intent, and show that you are interested in this advisor specifically, and familiar with their research.

Paragraph 2

Briefly describe your experience. Provide a research direction you are interested in pursuing and describe how you think it fits with their lab’s research.

Paragraph 3

Offer thanks and request specific information and additional action.

Check out this example email template.

Application Materials

The School of Biological Sciences does not require the GRE, but a minimum GPA of 3.0.

In addition to the online application form and transcripts, the full application to our graduate program will contain letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a curriculum vitae (CV). Most of these application materials are required across graduate programs. Additional details on each are provided below.

Step 1: Letters of Recommendation

Ways to set yourself up to receive the best letters of recommendation possible:

• Build relationships with faculty, research advisors, or other people who can speak directly to your performance in a research capacity. At least two of your letters should ideally come from faculty members, so start building these relationships early!
• Ask potential letter writers for a letter of recommendation early, at least six weeks before the deadline. Most application portals need you to enter names and email addresses of letter writers before they send out prompts and instructions for submission. Make sure all the potential letter writers have agreed to help you before having the system contact them.
• Request the letter of recommendation in an email so the letter writer will be able to refer to it. In the email, include details such as 1) what the letter is for (include a link to the program or potential advisor’s website) and when it is due; 2) any specific things you want the letter writer to emphasize about you; 3) your CV or a blurb about yourself, such as an update on your recent activities if you haven’t been in touch with the letter writer recently, and details of your research and career aspirations. You can also include your statement of purpose.
• Offer to send the letter writers a reminder email by a specific date before the deadline, to ensure the letters are submitted on time.
• Verify with the program that Letters have been received and contact Letter Writers if that is not the case. In SBS, applications are only considered if three letters are available for review

Step 2: Statement of Purpose

The goal of the statement of purpose is to provide the admissions committee with more details on who you are as an applicant, how you would fit into the program, and why it is important for you to obtain a graduate degree.

Do:

• Write about your research and professional experiences to date, skills and strengths you have developed (both technical and “soft skills”), and the research plans you would want to pursue if accepted.
• When describing your previous research, place your work in context. For example, what was the question being investigated, what was discovered, what did it mean, and future work may be needed?
• Describe your long-term professional goals and what you would want to do with your degree.
• Write about what you hope to gain from the program, and what you will contribute to the program.
• Demonstrate that you have had conversations with potential advisors in the department about research directions, and – if applicable – connect your research interests with theirs.

Don’t:

• Just reiterate what is on your CV. This statement is meant to provide more detail about the roles and experiences you list there.
• Just focus on the methods when describing your previous research experience.
• Write one generic statement. Instead, tailor it to the school you are applying to.
• Misspelling and grammar mistakes. Seek proofreading assistance if necessary.

Writing Tips:

• Give yourself enough time to write and edit your statement multiple times. Starting 6-8 weeks before the submission deadline, at minimum, is recommended. Have your statement cross-read by others for feedback. If you want to share your SOP with your letter writers, start even earlier.
• Research the program and school thoroughly. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the structure and any specific guidelines for the statement.
• Brainstorm why the program and school are a good fit for you. Make sure you tailor this statement specifically to the program and school you’re applying to. It should be very clear why you have chosen to apply here, and specifically how you think you would fit in and contribute to the program.
• The SOP can include some elements of a personal statement, for example narrating experiences, challenges, or achievements that have shaped your character and motivation for the field. However, an SOP is more thana personal statement. It is an opportunity for you to describe your academic and professional goals and your qualifications for graduate school. The SOP is a forward-looking, technical document about your future academic and research plans.

Step 3: Prepping your CV

CV’s are essentially long resumes that will include all your academic achievements, as well as relevant work experience, skills, and awards. There is no page limit on a CV but try to be concise.

CV’s should include sections for:

• Your name and contact information
• Degrees earned with the major and year earned (or expected to be earned)
• Research experience
• Research papers, talks, and presentations (not including those given as a class requirement)
• Awards, honors, or society memberships (this includes scholarships, Dean’s list, honors societies, etc.)
• Volunteer and outreach activities

CV Tips:

• If you are early in your career, you may not have publications or public talks–this is okay! If you have papers that have been submitted or are in prep, or upcoming talks and presentations feel free to include those with a note describing their status (e.g., in preparation but provide basic detail e.g., author list and title).
• WSU’s Academic Success and Career Center has a helpful resources for building your CV: Mastering the CV

Grad School Interviews

How to Prepare for Interviews

Within the normal application timeline, if a PI is interested in having you join their lab, you will be invited to interviews and/or a recruitment event in the early Spring. This may be conducted virtually or in person.

If you’re invited to an interview with SBS, remember that this is a time for you to assess the fit of the research program for your interests and for department members to evaluate how you will contribute to the research environment.

Interviews often include meetings with your prospective advisor, current graduate students, and other faculty in the department, as well as tours of relevant facilities and the general area.

Be aware of the PI’s research you’d like to work with (e.g., look at the lab’s web page and current publications)!

Questions you may be asked:

• What research questions would you be interested in pursuing if you were admitted?
• Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree?
• What makes WSU and the School of Biological Sciences the right fit for you?

Example questions to ask other grad students:

• About the area:
  • How do you like living in the area? What is the weather like? What are fun recreational things to do?
  • Do you need a form of personal transportation to get around?
  • What is the cost of living like?
• About the school and department:
  • How involved are you in activities or events outside of the department?
  • How is the culture in the department? Are there often social events?
  • Is there an opportunity for collaboration across labs?
• About your lab and PI of interest:
  • What does a typical day working in this lab look like?
  • How hands on or hands off is the PI?
  • Do you enjoy working in this lab with this PI?

What to Expect During Interviews

It’s important to make a good impression during the campus visit and interview process, with not only your prospective advisor and lab, but also the department overall.

Here are some recommendations for things you can do to help make a good impression:

• Do your research before meetings. Show that you have done a bit of prior research to prepare for meetings with other faculty and students in the department. A quick search of their website or Google Scholar page is better than going into a meeting knowing nothing about them!
• Prepare good questions in advance. There will be lots of time to ask questions of faculty, students, the department, and Pullman in general. Try to prepare a few questions in advance to show you have prepared beforehand and that you’re interested in learning more about the school. Try to avoid asking questions that could be very easily answered with a quick search of the department or university website, but any question is better than having no questions to ask.
• Be a good listener. Showing that you are listening attentively can go a long way. Carrying around a small notebook and pen can be helpful to keep track of conversations and people throughout the day and show you’re serious about what is being said.
• Dress comfortably, but professionally. Check the itinerary beforehand to see what activities to expect each day and dress appropriately for the weather and to walk outside on campus or around town. Comfortable shoes are a must as the visit days are long!
• Demonstrate that you can talk about science. Part of our department’s campus visit is a symposium for graduate research currently ongoing in our department. This is a great time to meet and chat with students outside of your primary research focus, so try to ask them questions and learn more about the other research going on in the department.
• Treat any activity like part of the interview. Consider any interaction you have, or any activity you do during the visit to be part of your interview. Be sure to act and speak accordingly.

Finding Funding

If you’re accepted to our program, SBS tries to provide 2 years (4 semesters) of assistantship support for thesis-MS students, 5 years (10 semesters) of support for PhD students with an MS degree, and 6 years (12 semesters) of support for PhD students without an MS degree. Extensions are possible, but not guaranteed

Most of the time, this support will come in the form of a teaching assistantship at 20 hours per week that also covers tuition and healthcare.

Additionally, SBS has multiple endowment awards (see below) available for graduate students in good standing, including a research and training fellowship that can be used for research supplies and summer support (cumulative cap: currently $12,000 for PhD students and $3,000 for MS students (Fall 2025)).

If you are applying to other programs in addition to SBS, be sure to ask how your position will be funded. You should not be paying out of pocket to get a thesis-based research degree in biology!

External Funding Sources

Many students apply to the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) during their first or second year of graduate school.

• Winners benefit from a five-year fellowship period with three years of financial support, as well as tuition coverage.

• These fellowships are very competitive, consider applying as an undergraduate, so you have the chance to apply twice!

Ask your prospective PI about additional fellowships available in your field.

Internal (within WSU) Funding Sources

• SBS offers various funding opportunities within the department, usually with two application cycles per year.

• The WSU Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) offers a variety of funding support, including dissertation projects and travel to conferences.

• College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) internal funding opportunities.

• All students are eligible to apply for WSU General Scholarships.

What’s Next?

Congrats! You were accepted!

You did it! Take a deep breath, relax, and consider these things to be best positioned to start graduate school:

• If you are accepted to multiple programs, decide which is the best fit for you based on funding, location, research interest, PI relationship, department atmosphere, etc.

• Stay in contact with your potential advisor. Discuss any remaining questions you might have and how you can start preparing for your time in their lab.

• Prepare to move to your new school. Ask current students in the program for housing advice. Identify any state residency requirements for the program.

• Continue investigating funding sources. Applying for funding now is great practice for later in your degree, and securing funding looks great on your CV! Chat with your future PI about potential options.

I didn’t get in. Now what?

That’s okay! Graduate school is competitive. The good news is that there are lots of ways to continue building your CV and research experience until the next application cycle.

• If you liked the potential advisor or program, stay in contact and ask how you can improve your application for the next cycle.

• Think about skills or experiences you can improve to be a more competitive applicant.

• Investigate Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) if you are a current undergraduate, or Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureate (RaMP) programs if you just graduated.

• Labs or government agencies often offer seasonal research positions.

Good luck on your graduate school journey!