How do I find an advisor for my graduate studies?

Selecting an advisor for a graduate degree is a very important decision. He or she will become a mentor, a career-long colleague, and will help establish a network of scientific colleagues. An advisor obtains funds to support graduate student research and helps make contacts for future employment.

First identify marine mammal scientists who are doing current research in your area of interest, their university affiliation, whether they have funds to support graduate students, and if they are accepting new students. Keep in mind that many government and industry scientists also have adjunct appointments at universities and can serve as co-advisors.

There are two ways to find potential advisors:

1) Find the names of authors in current scientific journals, such as Marine Mammal Science, Aquatic Mammals, Journal of Mammalogy, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Journal of Zoology, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, or Fisheries Bulletin, or in recently published books on marine mammals. Scientists who publish are most likely to fund graduate student projects.

2) Attend specialized scientific conferences on marine mammals hosted by professional societies such as The Society for Marine Mammalogy, International Marine Animal Trainers' Association, European Association for Aquatic Mammals, European Cetacean Society, American Cetacean Society, or International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine. Dates and locations of these meetings are published in the newsletter or journal of the respective societies. At these meetings, make a personal contact with a potential advisor and express your interest in doing graduate work with him or her. Follow up any good lead by telephone, letter, or visit.

Because there is competition for advisors in the field of marine mammal science, an advisor will select students from a pool of applicants. Students should realize that, unlike the case in undergraduate study, graduate school faculty do NOT have to advise students just because they are enrolled at their university. Students sometimes enroll at a university because of a well-known professor and assume they will have the opportunity to work under him or her. BEFORE entering a graduate program, contact the professor and establish his or her willingness to serve as your advisor. Discuss the possibilities of financial support and decide on a potential research project. At many universities, the advisor needs to notify the graduate school to approve your application. Many prospective graduate students with good grades and experience are rejected because they do not have an advisor working from inside the university to facilitate their acceptance.

Many graduate schools will not accept students without financial support. Graduate assistantship funds for marine mammal studies are rare, and most graduate programs have a limited number of teaching assistantships. Students should be prepared to support themselves or find research funds on their own.

How do I convince an advisor to accept me as a graduate student?.

1 ) Talk to former graduate students about a particular scientist as an advisor and ask how to promote yourself.

2) Send the advisor a letter and your resume inquiring about the possibility of working with him or her. Be specific about your research interests and career goals. Follow up with a telephone call or visit.

3) Initiate a personal contact with a potential advisor. Faculty members rarely request visits by potential students because such encouragement might be misconstrued as an agreement to serve as the student's advisor. As mentioned earlier, one good opportunity to meet a potential advisor is at a scientific conference. Another strategy is to contact a potential advisor, noting that you just "happen to be in the area" and would like to meet. It is very useful to be informed about the advisor's background and point out ways that your interests interface.

4) Gain practical work experience, which is an increasingly important factor in admission to a graduate program. Develop a well-rounded set of experiences, including work in the marine environment.

5) Publish in a scientific journal; even co-authoring a paper can impress a potential advisor.