So Many Emails!

126 emails sent to 11 potential graduate study advisers, 12 letters of recommendation sent, 3 personal statements written, 2 letters of objective composed, 3 applications complete, and 2 supplementary applications done. What else can they possibly need? Oh, how about official transcripts from every university I attended for undergraduate study? Now I get to sit here until mid February to hear if I am accepted to graduate school. Yay.

I only applied to 3 graduate schools - most people apply to at least 6. I applied to North Carolina State University (NCSU) and if I'm accepted I will be working with Dr. Christina Cowger. She researches crop sustainability and how we can have high yielding crops that need less fertilizer, less water, and less pesticides/fungicides. The best part, it's field research - I won't be a lab rat! 

Raleigh, NC

I also applied to University of Hawai'i - Manoa (UH-Manoa) where I will be working with Dr. Janice Uchida. We will be studying the international movement of Puccinia psidii which is a rust fungus of the plant family Myrtaceae (eucalyptus, guava, and other native Hawai'i and Brazil plant species). So far, Puccinia psidii is found only in Hawai'i and Brazil but there has been a possible sighting in California and Florida. So, I will be tracking this fungus and diagnosing plants that have this rust. I will be developing a biological control agent (using another fungus or bacteria) to suppress or eliminate the rust. 

Manoa, HI

UW-Madison is my back up plan and I would be working with Dr. McManus studying epidemiology of Wisconsin fruit pathogens.

Which one do I want to go to? All three graduate schools cost about the same (45-48k a year) so my choice will be weighing heavily on which university can provide me the most funding. I applied for fellowships, teacher assistant positions, and research assistantships at all three universities. If I got accepted to all three and the cost was the same...I think I'd be leaning towards NCSU. But then I think, I could be studying in Hawai'i for 2-3 years so why wouldn't I go there!! My goal is to get a doctorate in Phytopathology. I will likely attend another university for my Ph.D. thesis (likely NCSU or Cornell).

I took this picture on my way to PLP 575 (Tropical Agriculture and Sustainability) AKA: BEST CLASS EVER!!!

 89 DAYS UNTIL I GO TO GUATEMALA!!! WOOOOO!!! (I'm not excited at all)

Volcano in Antigua, Gautemala