JEANINEREFSNIDER

Information for prospective graduate students

 

I will be on sabbatical for the 2023-2024 academic year and therefore will not be accepting any new students until Fall 2024.

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Research in my lab is strongly field-based and generally involves reptile and amphibian systems.  Because field research is not for everyone, I strongly advise prospective students who think they may be interested in field research to first gain some experience with fieldwork before applying.  Much of our research is conducted in hot, dry, remote locations in the mountains of Utah (often without cell phone reception or internet, sometimes without electricity) or in hot, humid, buggy wetlands in Ohio and Michigan.  If either of these experiences still sounds fun to you, then please read on.

 

I generally only accept graduate students who would be fully funded in my lab, either through a research assistantship on one of my grants or through an independent fellowship such as an NSF graduate fellowship.  (That being said, all graduate students are expected to spend at least one semester on a teaching assistantship.) 

 

Finally, graduate school is a serious commitment for both the student and the advisor.  You should expect to take 2-3 years to finish a MS and ~5 years to finish a PhD, and that is with ~40 hours a week dedicated to your research (remember that in addition to time devoted to research, you will also be taking classes, occasionally teaching, and during field seasons it is not unusual to work more like 70 hours a week).  From the advisor’s perspective, it costs ~$30,000 per year to support a graduate student EXCLUDING research expenses, which is a pretty significant figure in the current funding climate.  Therefore, I expect applying students to be fully aware of the commitment they are making and to be prepared to follow through on their graduate career.  For an excellent perspective on applying to graduate programs, I encourage you to read this short piece.