biotechie

I mentioned the professors in my research statement and in one sentence in my SOP, however my research statement focused on the actual research and my SOP focused on my reasoning and drive to be a scientist. I don't really name drop, which is kinda what I think you're getting at, but it is important for them to know who you worked under. These professors are the reason I want to continue researching... they taught me science differently than anyone else ever has and are the reason I can survive in normal classes, so they deserved the credit. Depending on who is looking at your application, they may search out the faculty to see their recent publications, which may give them an idea of things they can ask you about at interviews. I had a PI who interviewed me say something to the effect of, "Well, I looked up Dr ___________, and it seems that his lab focuses on transcriptional regulation of __________________. Were you involved in any of those projects and what contribution will you have to future publications."

All of my experience was in an academic lab setting, but students in my programs got into their PhD programs with industrial lab experience. Experience counts as long as you're in the lab doing experiments. You'll learn the way the PI wants you to do them once you join the lab (or in rotations). Perf, I ended up being lab manager during my MS... it is what made me decide I could actually handle running my own lab.

It varies. Some undergraduates just do lab chores or mouse genotyping. I had my own project that I had to research and plan experiments for.

I've survived my first two terms of my PhD, and I did pretty well. I'm now halfway done with my classes! Yay, surviving!

I don't think you know how funding for most molecular biology programs works.... He probably has a pretty decent stipend (larger than a MS program or other fields as far as PhD programs go) with healthcare and his girlfriend also has a job. That sounds pretty good to me, and I"m sure they can work it out. They even have a house and two cars. I'm in a molecular biology PhD program and I'm fairly sure if I had to, I could support a child and not be destitute on my stipend... and that's not even including or thinking about the income my boyfriend has. Am I going to get pregnant? Probably not, because that would require him to be a lot closer than 13 hours away and that I was no longer infertile (according to doctors, but I haven't "tested" it). However, I could deal with it if it did occur. On top of the fact that he and his girlfriend have a stable income and aren't accruing debt because of his school, once you pass the first couple of years of a molecular biology program, your coursework consists almost entirely of lab work and seminars. You design the experiments and work on generating something new in the field to publish and generate your dissertation (and hopefully a few papers). He can work his own schedule as long as he generates his data, and at that point it is more like working a job with weird hours than going to classes all day. As far as maturity and responsibility goes, as a 4th year, the youngest this guy probably would be is about 25, but these days, lots of us are older than 21 when we start. On a daily basis, he may handle things that could be really dangerous if he wasn't handling it responsibly (i.e. radiation, human cancer cell lines, etc). He has had to have responsibility to adequately pursue his studies... or he wouldn't have made it this far. This means that it is possible for him to be the type of supportive father he will want to be, and I have no doubt that he will successfully graduate AND be an awesome dad.

"I'm a scientist, I like to back up my arguments with um, facts" - Thank you! I wanted to say that but couldn't bring myself to do so. There are also significant differences between individuals in body biochemistry that affects if the pill or shot is effective or not, and there is no way right now for doctors to test that out. They sort of have to be like, "Well, let's try this one!" Despite saying that you can ask your doctor all of these questions about drug interactions, you can't guarantee a super high prevention from birth control pills and condoms even when they are used 100% correctly. We're probably not experts in birth control, but we are able to access the science journals where they publish about the efficiency of it in greater detail and we do have an understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind its function. I won't go as far as to specifically say a specific type is best or to rebuke someone for their birth control methods not working... because I am not qualified or an expert in that field. You don't know the situation, so please don't judge. How about instead of continuing such a debate, here, we actually do what this thread is supposed to be about and support MrPootawn? We're talking about a beautiful baby, here, and the stresses of becoming a parent... not birth control failure.

This may actually be the best time for you and your girlfriend to have a baby until after you are established (either as a doctor or whatever other field you want to be in), which could be a long time from now if you go to med school. I'm not positive that you are in a science discipline, but I think you are. This time in your graduate career, you should be able to schedule your lab time fairly well to compensate for the needs of your family. When you're in med school, it is going to be high stress, and going to doctor's appointments with your girlfriend, getting all of the baby stuff ready, and the long nights being up with a crying baby would be more difficult. You seem like you're in a stable place in your lives, so I say enjoy the ride. Plan out your expenses as best as you can manage and start saving as much as you can right now for unexpected expenses. Once your girlfriend goes to her doctors appointment and confirms that everything is alright, you need to talk to your PhD advisor to let them know and discuss with them any concerns you have about your studies and about being able to support your girlfriend through this process and to be a good father. These days, most advisors I know of are pretty good about it, and most are happy to see you out of the lab for doctors appointments, etc as long as you still get your work done. My school even allows new dads to take a short paternity leave. I know if I suddenly got pregnant, I would have all of the same questions. I'm proud of you for voicing your concerns and for seemingly being prepared to face them. It will be difficult, especially when your adorable poop-machine is screaming through the night, but in the end, I've never heard a parent say it isn't worth it. Please ignore the negativity on this post; we can't change events that have already happened, and you shouldn't have to be rebuked for this at all. Most of us are very happy for you (even those of us like myself who don't want babies of our own) and I hope that if you're struggling or can't get answers you need, you'll come back to us. There are tons of students who have had babies in graduate school and lived to tell the tale. So congratulations and good luck! Now you just need a baby bib that says, "Product of PhD" and you're set!

I don't think it is a bad thing at all to do a MS before your PhD, especially if you're changing fields slightly , unsure if you really want to continue, or if you think your grades or experience aren't quite up to par. I did a MS at my undergrad institution before applying for a PhD, and I have no regrets. I was changing from a microbiology concentration to eukaryotic molecular biology, and now I am in an interdisciplinary program. These two areas are both hit very hard in my current PhD program, so it is helping me immensely, as is the huge amount of lab experience I have. My masters was funded and I stayed in the same lab, so I was fortunate. Some people feel like those two years are wasted if you go into a PhD program, but I feel that it has given me an edge and made me sure of my choice. Also note that some MS programs will allow you to "accelerate" into their PhD program if you make satisfactory progress.

Every program has different committees looking at applications, so it probably varies for each one. It seems that at least some departments do sort of a rolling review of applications until the final deadline while others review all at once. Last year was the first year that they had two deadlines on December 1 and January 1. I applied there last year on Dec. 8th and was notified by December 20th.

Every interview is going to be different. It may come up, it may not. Don't worry yourself too much! Obviously if they ask you specifically, you will tell them. However, if they are having a non-scientific conversation with you, such as asking you what your favorite color is, you shouldn't suddenly blurt, "I've been in a lab for 3 years, 2 months, and one day!" I'm kidding. I know you're nervous and I'm trying to lighten the mood. Just don't fight for a place to say it. Odds are, they'll ask, and it won't be a problem.

They'll generally e-mail you if you're international. Sometimes they try to call, too, but if they do that, they'll e-mail you if they can't get through.

For your field, the most important things are going to be your research, research interests, SOP and letters of rec. If your GPA is decent and your verbal is low, you might still have a chance. Dropthebase said how I also feel: If they're going to boot you simply because of your GRE when the rest of your application might be stellar, then you don't want to attend there, anyway.

Yup. I got hit by that, last year. It only smarts until you get an interview, I swear. Last year I got an interview invite and then in the middle of my joy, my rejection from Washington.

I know people who have gotten accepted when their third letter never arrived. However, you should really make it a point to try and get a third letter submitted. It is possible that one of your first two will not be as amazing as you expect, and being a letter down is also sometimes one strike against you as an applicant.

Yes, they think your application is "good enough" if they invite you to interview. The interview is where they finalize a measure of how well you fit into the program and make sure that you're not insane. They need to make sure that they think you can be a successful student and will represent the program, well. Most programs do pay to fly you out, but not always if you drive. My research experience is probably one of the biggest reasons I got accepted, and I made sure to mention it in my SOP. No worries, though. I'm sure if you mentioned your experience, they'll ask you about it at the interview, and they'll also ask about some extracurriculars.

1. Research Scientist: Semi-qualified after my M.S. but I'm a PhD student, now. I love research. 2. Molecular Biology Professor: Already qualified as a lecturer and instructor, but I want to also be an educator after my PhD. Probably the most fun students for me are those who are just getting introduced to molecular biology. 3. Public Science Outreach Lecturer and Middle/High School Outreach: Qualified, and I have done it a ton, but not for compensation. Public science knowledge is awful and scientists aren't the best at putting science into a perspective understood by the general public as well as those who are not in science. We genuinely need a better public education. On top of this, we need better science education in schools, so I would love to be able to continue taking science experiments into the schools (PCR, Electrophoresis, etc that schools can't afford to teach). I went to local schools during undergrad, and those students genuinely got excited, and it showed in their grades. Hands on is expensive and nearly impossible... but is the best way to learn. 4. Science mentor/advisor to undergrads in education, outreach, research, and general mentorship (including grad school application discussion): I have already done this as a volunteer for undergrads, but I would like to be able to continue this. We need more people doing this because too many of us are starting out in science with goals other than med school and have no idea what we're supposed to do and how to start. I was lucky enough to have someone to help point me in the right direction, and I think other students deserve to have this, too. A tall order, but I'm hoping I can accomplish at least 3 of these, although I will be happy with the first two.

... You find married people to be no fun... but you want to be married? That's rather confusing. The assumption that married women can't have attractive male friends is also sort of sad. You seem to have so many conflicting wants/needs. It might be good to map them out since some of the things you say you really want conflict with other things you really want. You make lots of assumptions about how you think things have to be or will be, and it makes me really sad. I used to be really straight laced with my life perfectly planned out. I'm much happier now that I've loosened up. Maybe grad school will do that for you. There are positives to most situations. Also note that I have friends that are married in my graduate program, and they're incredibly fun to hang out with. Being married may suck the fun out of some people, but definitely not the ones that I know. Plus they tend to have larger/nicer apartments which makes having class get-togethers much easier! My married female friends are fun because they're good wing-ladies for my single friends. If we all go to the bar and a weird guy hits on the single friend that makes her uncomfortable, my married friends can get everyone out of the situation by mentioning her husband. I've got a boyfriend, so me not feeling left out in most situations around the married students may not resonate with you, but I have single friends who seem to have a great time when we're all together.

Elanorci, I don't know that that one is always super well updated. I would wait until close to the deadline. When I applied last year, they switched my documents to all "received" AFTER I got my interview invitation. Some programs have an early deadline of December 1st and they invite students before the January 1 deadline hits (though they still take applications until the 1st and they still review apps for a second weekend). Other than that, everything else was super well organized and on time. I'm going to private message you.

I think I might have been part of that conversation, Red. I think the field you are in also greatly influences what you end up deciding to pursue. For example, being a female in science can be quite different than being a female in clinical psychology, which is different than being a female studying English literature. I'm in the lab 60+ hours per week and would barely have time to see my boyfriend if he were here with me. I'm not immensely interested in marriage, but I would probably marry this boyfriend as long as I didn't have to change my name (I have publications under my current name). I will eventually be living with my boyfriend at the very least. We've been dating about 3 years, and it is about time. If we did get married, it would have to be after quals, and a year or so before dissertation writing, or after grad school and before my first post-doc. Children are also an interesting subject to ponder. I simply can't imagine being pregnant and trying to work in the lab, and I also can't imagine having nearly enough time to be the type of mother I would want to be... even after graduate school. That also throws adoption or surrogates out. There really aren't any "good" times to have a baby in my field. Students and professors do it all the time, but it is incredibly difficult to recover from as it sets you back really far. Instead, I think we'll be dog parents since as long as one of us is there with them playing and walking them, they're happy. Boyfriend will be that dog's favorite person, ever. Maybe I'll change my mind about babies, later, but right now, it is a no. Science is a tough field, and I knew that getting into it. People joke that you have to marry science and nurture it like your child. That is 100% true if you really want to make an impact. There will be some sacrifices, and I'm lucky that my boyfriend is thus far okay with them.

There might be some early invites out right now, but last year, most of the invites came during or after the second week of December.

I put my name at the top, my application term, and the school/department I was applying to. Don't put it in the margins, just at the top of the page, underlined. Other than that, I just stuck to TNR, 12 font. I set mine to single-spaced so it would only be one page. Just don't use any crazy fonts or weird margins, and you will be fine.

Erm.... Our basketball team was last amazing when they went to the Sweet 16 in spring 2007. Since then, they've not made it past the MVC spring conference. There's a new coach, in his second season, so maybe they'll improve, but it will take a while. Our football team has made it to playoffs several times in the past few years, but there has been a decline in the team the past 3 or so years. They're not sure if they football team is going to playoffs or not this year; it depends on the results of other teams' games, today. Games are fun to attend, though. I went to every football game while I was there and nearly all of the men's and women's basketball games.