ilsp2015

@visgiven and @bsharpe269 Thank you both for the insight and advice. I think that a lot of my indecisiveness has been reduced over the past couple of days after thinking further about this and after having the chance to see what you and others have had to say. I realize that I am truly excited to begin my PhD studies at WSU, and I have already secured rotation positions in two of the labs that I am most interested in among the faculty there. I think that it is definitely, if nothing else, worth giving a shot. I have also been thinking these past couple days about pursuing a 2nd graduate degree following my degree at WSU, perhaps it scientific ethics/philosophy as that is another area that I am very interested in. A lot to think about regardless, but I am happy to have been able to get some feedback here. Thank you all for contributing

@bsharpe269 I think that the weakest parts of my application would be perhaps not being purposeful enough in my statement of purpose (I felt purposeful at the time, but in retrospect I realize it could have been better) and my lack of taking the GRE subject test (which I wagered my work and research experience would compensate for in some way, but I now think that was a poor judgement). Other than that, I don't think there is much else I can point to as weaknesses. I did well on the GRE, maybe trailing the Top 25ish standard for the mathematics portion, but I did incredibly well in the other two sections (I can never remember what they call each portion specifically). I never saw my actual letters of recommendation, but they were all from professors who I worked very closely with and from the graduate student who mentored me through my undergrad research assistant position, so I find it hard to imagine that they would not speak of me in high regard. I think that I could try and fix the above two things in the next year - take the subject test, rework my statement of purpose, etc. But there is not a whole lot of other things I am currently in the position to do that would help my chances. It would not be unfair to say that part of my indecisiveness is based on not clearly seeing an alternate route, or knowing what alternate route I might attempt to pursue. I applied to ten schools in total, I think four of which were top 25. The others were ranked in US News in the 30-60ish ranges and then I had WSU as a backup plan basically. I was personally surprised to be turned down by all my middle-range picks, but I guess that's how it goes.

@jenste I think that my career goals are difficult to describe at this point, but I am certainly interested in pursuing research within academia. I know that is broad but I still feel that I am very early on in my career and my ultimate goals have not become completely apparent. Industrial research is definitely an alternative option, but I have worked in various industries and have not yet felt like I have found my place. This was a huge factor in my decision to pursue my PhD - namely that I was exhausted by the mediocrity and un-challenging nature of working in industry. With that being said, I think that working in the pharma industry could provide the level of engagement I am seeking. My research interests exist within plant biochemistry (specifically with respect to lipid biochemistry), mechanistic enzymology and structure-based drug development. I think that aside from that goal, I would want to become an educator in some context, which again I feel is broad but I can't be sure where or what I would want to teach at this point. My naivety obviously contributes to some of my vagueness, but it is naivety that I hope to overcome in the coming years.

@MidwesternAloha I appreciate your input. I hope to have not come off as egotistical as it may have sounded - it really isn't the basis of my concern. I certainly have a deep appreciation for being admitted into any program, and like I said, I think the program is great and that the faculty are very supportive and provide a wealth of resources, etc. My main concern, and I will herein attempt to put it more succinctly, is that which concerns the perception of attending a school that does not have what you just referred to as "prestige." I think that it is somewhat misleading for you to say that you will get out what you put in anywhere, because that's simply unrealistic. That idea is disproved by almost every walk of life - there are obviously those who are more fortunate than others, have better access to resources than others, etc, and I am sure that this must also be true to some extent in graduate school. I'm most specifically interested in learning about what other people have dealt with in this arena, coming from schools that lack that sense of "prestige," warranted or not. For example, I have heard over and over again that the work you do in graduate school is what is principally important after you graduate, but I am curious to know how true that is. Has anyone had an experience where they felt they were simply out-classed? What did you do about it? How did it change your approach in the future?

I've been admitted to Washington State Univeristy for the PhD in Molecular Biosciences and I accepted the offer. It was the only one I got, but I was pretty happy about it and I am very determined to pursue my PhD. However, lately, I've been feeling that perhaps I could do better - which maybe sounds pretentious or egotistic, but I feel in some sense that I may be doing a disservice to my future career by not aiming higher. This has fostered a series of doubts and apprehensions with my decision, and I'm looking for some advice. I'm wondering if anyone here is/has been a grad in the biosciences (of any kind) at WSU and would be willing to offer some insight into the program and their time there. From my research into the faculty, I think I will be very happy working there and that I will be able to find a great PI to work under. I also really felt welcomed during the interview and I felt like the environment was a supportive one where the entire faculty really engaged in supporting the students - so the program itself doesn't turn me off at all. I am really not very apprehensive about living in Pullman, I have heard all the "horror stories" about the weather and such - I grew up in small town Michigan so being bored and lots of snow doesn't scare me. Cheap rent, access to the outdoors, a few decent places to eat - I'm set in that respect. I'm also wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? What did you do and why did you do it? In the second round of applications I think I could make a significant improvement to my application profile (taking the subject GRE, having a better Statement of Purpose), but it is also another year between my undergrad and my grad school (I graduated from Michigan State in 2013 with a BS in biochem), and there's also obviously no promise that I would get into a school that I think would feel more rewarding. I am also afraid that if I can't find a good job that would enhance my profile in the time being, I would just be spending time that wouldn't make much of a difference in the second round of applications. I think that my biggest fear is the thought that, in the uber-competitive world of the post-grad, would getting my PhD at WSU hinder my career? Will choices be significantly off-limits to me because I did not attend a more "reputable" institution for my graduate studies? This isn't to say that I hope to be faculty at Harvard one day, but I am just afraid that even the prospect of being a professor might be a hopeless endeavor if I don't attend an institution that is more well-known, etc etc. There is this haunting, fatalistic kind of specter I have hanging over me that if I don't go above and beyond everyone's expectation, the perception of others will always be my biggest challenge, and I wonder if a PhD from WSU will contribute to a more negative perception in the world of post-grad careers. Again, this is all said with complete knowledge of the fact that something like 6% of post-grads end up as faculty etc etc etc. Ultimately, any advice would be appreciated and especially any kind of shared experience would help give me some perspective. Thanks!

I'm beginning my PhD in Molecular Biology this Fall and my first lab rotation begins in July so I have been thinking a lot about what labs I want to do rotations in. From your experience, is it acceptable to reach out to PI's and ask them if they will have openings for new grad students in their labs or is this a later part of the process that I haven't gotten to yet? Any other advice in this area would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!