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Lauren525

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Everything posted by Lauren525

  1. Hi all, I am looking for some advice; I'm sure this is information I could get from professors at my school but don't want to ask, as I don't want them to know I'm thinking of dropping out. My first question is, if I take a Master's degree instead of the PhD I originally sought, does this (either officially or unofficially) bar me from re-applying to PhD programs later in my life? Also, has anyone done this and what are your experiences with finding jobs after "quitting" your program? I'm currently a second year in a cell/molecular biology PhD program working full time in a lab, and I HATE it. I hate it so much and feel like this is the worst job for me, my lab-mates don't speak English, whereas I am very outgoing and love to laugh, and they will not help me but it is clearly expected of me that I will get help from them. I have tried telling my advisor but she is out of touch and busy. The result is that I flounder through expensive, time-consuming experiments which then don't work and the troubleshooting process is complex since I have so little grasp on what I'm doing to begin with. Anyway I have tried to be patient, and have even gone on antidepressants to make sure I am feeling mentally sound before I make this big decision. I feel really good in my non-work life now that I'm on meds, but am utterly miserable in this lab. Further, in my past lab (where I worked for two years with awesome people and a better handle on my research), I still felt like I didn't enjoy the act of doing labwork. I like science more as an idea but the process of doing lab work is awful, I really hate it. It is what I'll be doing for at least ten more years if I stay in this field, doing a PhD and then post-doc(s). Anyway sorry for the long post. Just looking for some advice, specifically about the way universities perceive someone who "quit" or finished with a Master's after applying for a PhD. Thanks guys! Lauren
  2. Update on acceptances: I have been accepted to UVA and UC Irvine (waiting to hear about funding but I think they give everyone a general stipend in the 20K+ range). Interviews at: UM College Park Still waiting on: UC Boulder, GA Tech, UCSD
  3. I earned a double-degree from the University of Maryland College Park (BS in Cell & Molec bio, BA in Philosophy) GPA: 3.14; last two years 3.4 GRE: 650 V (92 or 93% I forget)/740 Q (82%)/5.5 W (90%) No undergrad research experience Post graduation: 2 years of research in astrobiology; attended a conference & workshop & field work; strong recommendation letters I had no idea how I would fare with my low GPA and lack of undergrad work so I applied to 10 schools, and so far I've had decent results: I've applied to the cell/molecular/developmental bio programs at: UVA Penn State UMD College Park UC Davis UC Santa Barbara UCSD UC Irvine WashU UC Boulder Georgia Tech Accepted: UC Davis (found out first week of Jan) Rejected: WashU Interviews: UC Irvine (Jan 29 weekend); Penn State (Feb 13th); UVA (Feb 19-20th); UC Santa Barbara (Feb 26-7)...Also "interviewing"/open house at Davis, March 5-6. Has anyone heard from UCSD (it's a longshot for me so I'm not expecting much luck)...or from UC Boulder?
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