Dante311

I appreciate the response. My graduate adviser told me that 2 pages was way too much. 1-1.5 pages was more than plenty... I feel privileged to have completed what I've done. My CV includes (my information in the header) Objective Professional Profile (2 bullet pts) Education (my MS & BS) Teaching Responsibilities Scholarly Contributions / Publications Professional Memberships / Certifications Professional / Technical Expertise Research Experience (with sub headings for Clincial Research Asst & Clincial Ex Phys) heh too much?

Any good outlines to develop a CV? and how many pages based on degrees? 1 page for a BS... 2 pages for an MS? thanks in advance!

From my experience, grades are "nice", and I use that term loosely, but advisers like to see effort, experience, results, organization, flexibility, discipline, etc... and good GRE scores wouldn't hurt LORs are vital to pursue a Ph.D in your respective field. And definitely don't give up. I had mediocre grades, but I have 3 years of research experience. It's helped, a lot. My program was full-time research, part time classes. heh. And it was a well-known univ too

It's only as lonely as you let it be... I lost a girl I was falling for b/c I immersed myself in my studies too deeply. She didn't understand, and neither did I.

Software I used for my MS, and soon to be my Ph.d ...and I'm on a PC, mind you. I never got into the whole Macworld thing. In no particular order of importance, nor have I categorically divided software into its respective use/s... 1. Microsoft Word, hands down. Best word processor. Microsoft Office 2012 Ed. 2. Microsoft Excel 3. " Access 4. " Powerpoint 5. R Statistical Software, THIS, if you know the R language, is a G-dsend for running stat models, regression analysis... 6. SPSS... don't we all need this BS program? 7. Google Chrome (I run Pubmed on it better) 8. Primo PDF 9. Refworks 10. Ableton Live 8 & Serato Scratch Live... DJing helps me keep my sanity. heh

Hey OP, Personally I wouldn't address your issue in this manner. I could understand if you were transferring from Bunker Hill Comm. College to a more notable University you could perceive it as an "upgrade". Forgive me if I'm understanding you wrong, but I would believe you should see it as transferring from one prestigious graduate program to another. It shouldn't matter where you receive your education (unless it's IVY); it should be the quality there of and your ability to immerse yourself into it and emerge "victorious" by earning the Masters Regalia or Doctoral Hood... the degrees... the education... I entered into my Undergraduate Honors thesis with Mindset A/Scope of Interest A (M/SI)... upon completion of my UGrad, I found my M/SI A shifted a bit towards the molecular mechanisms of Insulin Resistance... to M/SI B. My Advisor was intrigued by my interest and believed I had the capability ... welcomed me into his lab for a graduate program. I was excited. It was truly amazing how M/SI B became the product of my devotion, but my ideas were not producible given our facilities. Mind you, our graduate program is #3 in the US according to a number of well-known rankings. My M/SI B, as I continued research and helping in the lab, began to shift again. M/SI C came along... giving me my MS Thesis, 5 publications (3 abstracts/posters sessions/presentations) in well known journals/conferences. Now, I'm going from an MS in a respected field and graduate program... to hopefully a PhD in an adjacent field, but very similar in respects to my masters thesis. Do not dissuade yourself from entering your graduate program. There was already an intent to pursue something, no? Go with that notion. Some of the best ideas come from failure. One of my favorite movie quotes is from Nicolas Cage's character in 'National Treasure'. When asked how many times he failed to invent the light bulb, Thomas Edison responded, "I didn't fail, I found 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb; I only need to find one way to make it work". You sir have an opportunity most don't even try/apply for... or earn/get the opportunity to be a part of. Top 10... Top 15.... Top 100. Who cares? (Again, unless IVY)... you are in a known graduate program. Take advantage of that. You're obviously intelligent, creative, disciplined, determined, motivated, and capable of thinking outside the paradigm. Whereincase, most aren't. Use this to your advantage and do something great. We chose academia not for the name of the school, but because we have a passion for this business in a more narrow scope. Yes, research/development is anything but linear, but once you learn to sum up your research interest in under 3 sentences... you're in the right direction. Good luck, Dante

So, I realize I've posted about completing my Master of Science and was adamant about becoming a Professional Research Assistant. My graduate advisor was enthusiastic about my decision and supports me for a position at Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Medical in my respective field. Upon re-reading my Masters thesis, having developed my hypotheses with guidance from my advisor, and having worked really hard at calculating a lot of biostatistics to support my hypotheses... I've finally concluded on pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology in relation to my respective interest. Thus, my question - How to compose a letter to two faculty members/researchers in the field to welcome the opportunity to be considered for doctoral candidacy, but first to visit their respective facilities. Many thanks~!!!!!! ps - walked today in the graduate ceremony with my masters regalia. What an honor!

Hey all, Just completed my first MS this past February. Currently employed, but not my dream job. It's a job, nonetheless and it isn't demeaning work. It just isn't what I WANT to do. Anyhow, I was going to pursue an MPH to open some more doors, but opted to find a research position and work. I have a phone interview with the Univ of Colorado and I'm mixed on both anxiety and excitement. I know my field and my skills/abilities as well as I'll ever know them. By no means do I know it all and expect to learn more as I progress through academia. Eventually I want my MPH... and hopefully will decide on a PhD or MD. ANYHOW.. I have a phone interview in the field of research of exercise physiology and diabetes, etc, etc... specific questions relative to my field and my own research I feel confident with, but would anyone mind pointing me in the direction of a good resource to be ready for questions I probably am not expecting and possible good responses???? thanks!

Thanks, but I'm a physiologist, not a bio-statistician... My MS is in a research oriented field... which I don't not love, but an MPH would open so many more doorways for me.

10 days ago I had the cajones to e-mail a PI from Joslin Diabetes directly... instead of going through HR. I told him via the cover letter I'd follow up in ten days. I did. I received an email today from him apologizing that his response is tardy... and unfortunately he has no positions open at current time, but if something opens up he'll let me know for the future. I would like to take this as a GOOD sign... considering most of these PI's are busy.. for one.. and must receive hundreds of e-mails that they wouldn't respond in kind to all of them or respond telling the individual to pursue a position via HR for Joslin. Or am I over thinking that? thanks

AECOM (Yeshiva U) is a very well known school for its sciences. Congrats! I could only dream of getting in there... I have a 3.1 UGrad GPA, a 3.5 grad school GPA (completed and successfully defended my MS thesis...) Good score on the GRE's, but how will this all translate to taking the MCATs?

I just completed my MS in Kinesiology there. You'll love it. Beware of the ugrads though (being I was one, once upon a time @ umass...) ... they're toxic & dangerous.

It's a bit distressing and kind of depressing actually...

For the most part, everyone I know as an RA has only their BS and was trained by the lab they're working in. One such individual informed me with today's economy the thing that'll get me in as an internal or a kick-ass cover letter.... I thought it was strange too. However, not as many have an MS, etc.. etc.. out here as you may believe. Even PhD's are limited to certain positions in which there are less positions available given current economic times. A number of university positions have been consolidated or eliminated due to financial burdens...

Thanks for the response. I'm not entirely sure what's missing? I'm told by misc sources that these firms, hospitals, and university labs are looking to hire individuals with a BS in a respective health/science field rather than hire someone like me. I have my MS... and 3 years of clinical research, but in an academic setting. I was told by one PI that I qualify as the highest level of (clinical) research assistant and that I was "well over-qualified" for the position she could offer me.... So I do have research experience, but nothing outside of an academic setting. I was hands on with subject/participant recruitment (over 30 people enrolled in my study... with over 200 screenings). I have experience with participant retention rates, venous blood draws, data collection (RMR's w/ a Parvomedics metabolic cart, VO2Peak Tests, limited EKG experience, hands on exercise training (resistance and cardio) w/ a population who is at risk for serious disease (I am a medical/clinical exercise physiologist), and I have experience doing DEXA (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) on people for body comp. I am also familiar with real-time blood analysis and assay kits... be it RIA's or glucose analox analysis... and I have performed over 70 hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic "clamps"... (see Ralph Defronzo et al. 1978, I believe, for more info... it's a measure of whole-body insulin sensitivity and is a sensitive, complex procedure to perform, but is doable once sufficiently trained). I have experience with diet logs (3-day recalls), and with pedometers and accelerometers (actigraph gt3x)... in addition, I have thorough interest and experience with data array and statistical analysis via SPSS, SAS, and R Stat Software (which I love the best for it's opensource coding lol heh... oops. Thanks!