ImmunologistInTheMaking

I work for a small biotech company, so this may not apply to someone working at a larger pharma company. I had a three month probation period with no vacation, which is very common in industry. When I obtained "full-employee status", I received subsequent benefits like health insurance, 401k, and vacation days (19 days/yr which is REALLY good comparative to what my friends at other biotech companies get). As far as work hours go, that totally depends on your lab responsibilities and the company's/your superior's expectations. For me, it's usually a 9 hour day on average... no shorter than 8hrs and the longest being around 12hrs. Because your work truly depends on the experiments being done, it's inevitable that some days will be (much) longer than others. Also, keep in mind that if you're salaried (like I am), they pretty much expect you to work the 40hr/week minimum and do not pay overtime - even though it is rare for me to end a week with less than 50 hours clocked. You'll also likely have to go in on weekends from time to time to check on cultures and experiments that are ongoing. Hope that's helpful!

$40k-$45k is what most MS-degree, entry-level techs/RAs make at the biotech company I work for.

I have a friend at UTSW now who absolutely loves it and has nothing but great things to say about the program. Something to consider though - because it is not tied to an undergrad campus, teaching (TA) positions are not readily available. If you want to get true teaching experience, you'll have to seek out community college and university TA/adjunct positions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She's having to do this now because she ultimately wants to teach at the university level and wants/needs some experience prior to applying for post-doc academia-related positions. That's the only "downside" she stated about the program there though - the research is top notch!! I would have applied if I had the grades/scores to match what they're looking for. Best of luck with your decision!

Congratulations! Who were you notified by? Do you (or does anyone else) know if they've finished sending out all of their invites? I saw a few invites were sent back in early December but none since then - other than yours!