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drhamsandwich

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    drhamsandwich reacted to BabyScientist in Ask questions about the PhD application process!   
    Taking some time to work in your field of interest is ALWAYS a good idea. Programs will be much more impressed with someone who has proven that they know what full time work in a lab for an extended period of time is like. Not too long, of course, but I was a lab tech for a year after graduating before I applied to grad school (meaning it'll have been almost 2 years by the time I'm in grad school), and my most significant scientific experiences have been during that time. Undergrad research experience is experience, of course, but it isn't very representative of full time lab life. My past year and a half or so has been completely different from the part time experience I had in undergrad, and even the full time summer work I did.
    I recommend being a lab tech for at least a full year, so you have something to show for it, or maybe considering a post-bacc program, such as the IRTA at the NIH (I don't think one is necessarily much more beneficial than the other). And, wherever you go, emphasize to your PI from the start that you are interested in pursuing a PhD and are serious about completing your own projects, getting on publications, and presenting at conferences. Those are the things that will prove to graduate programs that you're ready to take on 5+ years of research.
    Good luck! 
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