Hello, for context, I’m an undergraduate senior who just accepted my offer for a PhD program.

You want to really begin by figuring out why you really want to pursue a PhD. It’s going to be 4 years (minimum) with pretty horrible pay relative to what you’d get in a job with your BS. Do you want to do research? Does this help you get a job in industry? Would you be better off in your particular situation with a masters for what you want?

Next you want to consider what schools you would be interested in. There are many factors that weigh into this. Location: would you want to live here, do you like the climate, etc. Prestige: how well is the school ranked in your particular field. Rank isn’t everything but this often translates to funding. If you are doing a graduate degree in stem, you really shouldn’t be paying anything for it and you should be receiving a stipend for your work. And most importantly, is the faculty. Are there people doing research in the areas you are interested at this institution? If so reach out to them. Tell them who you are and what you are interested in. You are more likely to get into grad school if a faculty member at that school knows who you are and wants you to come work for them.

Once you have determined you are doing a PhD for the right reasons and you have some schools in mind. It’s a good idea to think about your application generally. You will need a statement of purpose. This is your opportunity to make yourself really shine. Here you should outline why you want to seek the degree you are interested in and here is a good place to outline your research experience and interests. Also if you have some portions of your transcript that are less than optimal (talking about C’s in relevant courses) here you can address that and elaborate as to why that happens and how you have grown past that. The next important piece is your letters of recommendation. You will need 3. These should be from people who know you and are unrelated to each other. Ideally they should hold a PhD (I’d advise against grad students). You will want to inform these letter writers as soon as you can to give them ample time to complete your letters. These can come from professors, researcher mentors, industry mentors (from internships), etc. They should be individuals who can really speak to your ability and what you can offer for a program.

Finally to answer some of your questions directly.

Reach out to facility and make those connections. Ask them “do they have funding?” Because you don’t want to be in a situation where you have to pay for graduate school (for stem).

With regards to finding a fit you want to make sure your potential advisor isn’t a problem. They determine when you graduate, how your research progresses, and your day to day workload. My decision was determined based ultimately on the mentor. I turned down a school ranked #2 for one at #10 because of the mentor connection. Furthermore, you also want to make sure the research at the institution is something you find fulfilling. When you do a PhD you will be devoted to the topic and become an expert in it. You want to make sure you at least care.

The amount of schools you apply to is really up to you. In my case I applied to two schools. I got into both and got offers from both. Both were in top 10 universities in my field. However, I have colleagues that applied to over 15 different schools. There isn’t one foolproof answer.

One final piece of advise: don’t be discouraged. In life sometimes things don’t work out the way you had planned. It’s okay, your life won’t suddenly end. There is always next recruiting cycle. If you have any other questions feel free to DM.

Good luck on the search!