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bioguy88

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Everything posted by bioguy88

  1. Oh, yeah, I mean I completely agree with everything you said. It's good to hear such things from someone else. Thanks for the advice and suggestions!
  2. Thank you, both, for the advice. cyberwulf, why would you say that a co-major carries virtually no weight? Wouldn't a major in something different expand your knowledge base and thus your options when applying to jobs? I mean, if I had a co-major in two subjects, wouldn't it be easier for me to apply to both academic (or industry) jobs in both of those fields as opposed to being limited to just one? I mean, I guess in general it seems more cumbersome and not worth it, but considering my specific situation in which there are very few extra classes needed and the program is so highly regarded, I just don't understand why one wouldn't pursue such a degree? I'm curious on your thoughts about this and appreciate anything you have to share
  3. Hey guys, I am entering into a Bioinformatics PhD program that is very closely related to the Statistics PhD program at my university. Our Stats PhD program is top ten in the country and both programs offer a co-major option. Given the heavy emphasis on stats coursework in the bioinformatics program, to do a co-major would only require 3 extra classes. To me, it seems foolish not to co-major in this program as our Stats program is so highly reputed. I know it will be a lot of extra work, but I think the benefits outweigh the extra effort needed. I also really like statistics and believe it to be a very integral part of scientific research. What are your thoughts on this and even just generally on a co-major PhD? Thanks!
  4. Melina, it all depends on what you want to do with your degree. From my perspective, granted I don't have much experience with plant breeding, bioinformatics seems to be more general and, in fact, there is a huge section of students at my university that actually are doing projects in plant pathology, which is similar. I would say that it totally depends on your background and what courses you have taken. Obviously, each program is different. The specific focuses of a bioinformatics program can vary from university to university, honestly, but the general areas are biology, computer science, and statistics / mathematics. You need not have great experience in all of these areas, and it sounds like you would have a decent background in biology, which is very common to come in with just that. I would say try to identify some potential schools and contact them with questions like what do typical students backgrounds look like, what classes are necessary (if not shown on website), what are current research topics PhD candidates are researching, etc. Bioinformatics is a very diverse topic and supports students from pretty different backgrounds. I'm sure you are qualified and good luck with your future endeavors!
  5. higurekon, what do you hope to get out of the program? Or what do you want to do with your degree afterward? U-M is a really great school and the program is pretty intensive there and very well regarded. Previous students have found a lot of positions in industry and some have continued on to a PhD. However, the program is very expensive with little to no funding and will take about 2 years to complete. The school is also rather large, even this program is significantly larger than many I applied to, and, for me, it didn't really have the personal feel other programs really did. I'm not entirely sure about the other two programs, but I know that RPI has a lot of strength in their engineering department and have worked with many colleagues from various engineering backgrounds that were all very successful after school. Also, you can generally complete professional master's degrees in the same amount of time you can a normal one, but you might want to look more into if this will have any effect on your education, final degree, etc. Keep in mind, too, the different cities each of these are in. I can only speak about Ann Arbor and it's really an awesome place. Though, it can be somewhat expensive compared to other places I've lived. Good luck with your decision! I'm sure you'll do well with any decision
  6. Also, would you suggest attending a Master's program in bioinformatics at one of the more "top-tier" universities you listed such as Michigan or BU instead of going straight into a PhD at a place like NC State? (since I have an option like that currently but ultimately want to get a PhD) And then applying for PhDs in the coming years? Do you think the added debt and time is really worth it?
  7. Thanks for the input, Bamafan. I agree with a lot of what you are saying. What would you suggest looking for in faculty? I mean, besides getitng along well enough on a personal level and interest in their research. I mean I know to look at publications and citations and all that but I have no idea what is a "good" number for that at all to be honest. Any advice?
  8. Thanks for the advice floridabio. I definitely agree with everything you said. It's good to know it is more about individual experience sometimes too.
  9. I was wondering if anyone had any information on how North Carolina State University is viewed in the field of Bioinformatics (to other academics)? I know they have a great Statistics program and that their Bioinformatics program draws heavily on that, but does anyone have any insight? I would really appreciate anything! I'm hoping to go into academia, but am concerned about "prestige" which I have been told is pretty important in the acadmeic world. Any advice? Thanks!
  10. Hi! I have been applying to Bioinformatics programs this year and been accepted to a few Master's programs and some PhD programs as well. I studied a completely different field for my undergraduate degree and am not well versed in the science / biological society. I am trying to figure out which program is right for me personally, but I'm curious if anyone can help me to understand how programs are viewed. Considering some of the programs are newer than others (within the past few years) and the field is also relatively new, how does one know which programs are reputable vs those that are just mediocre? When trying to search online, it seems as though the only resource is US News Report which ranks only the top ten based pretty much on their genetics / genomic credibility as some of the programs listed do not even have dedicated bioinformatics programs. I realize that prestige is not everything, but at the same time how important should this be in making a decision? My ultimate goal is to go into academia. So, I'm trying to decide between attending a Master's program that seems to be better "ranked" in hopes of attending a higher ranked PhD program in the future (but incurring debts and adding a few more years onto the program) vs attending a PhD program that might be at a lower tier school but I'm sure would give me a great education. Any advice?
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