Is applying to a separate field a shot in the dark?

[HappyNewYear]

Hey all,

Before I even ask my question, here are my stats:

-BA in biology at a reputable liberal arts college

-Currently a 3.5 GPA (3.8 major)

-660V (94%), 750Q (82%), 5.5A (94%)

-Two years of research experience, with one funded project that I wrote the grant proposal for and a publication-track honor's thesis

-I'm graduating with honors, distinction, and cum laude

-Two very solid letters of recommendation, one that should be pretty great

-Dean's List for three semesters (kind of lame, but I'm grasping at straws here)

-Member of several professional organizations within my field

-Teaching assistant for two courses for a year and a half now

-Coursework has been broad, from ecology through to genetics, molecular biology, microbiology

All of my research has been in ecology and fish biology. I did a fair amount of work on both topics. I applied to a few PhD programs in related fields, but I'm really interested in taking a shot at a few master's programs in biotechnology and biomedical fields. I feel like my academic and testing background would be pretty sufficient to have a great shot at that sort of program, but that my research background being primarily in ecology would throw my chances at any of these programs out the window. It may seem strange, but I do have a bizarre dual interest in both fields.

Any advice you could give me would be great, because if it seems like applying is a non-starter, then I'd rather just save myself the stress and money!

Thanks.

[Themistocles]

I'm sorry, I don't quite have an answer for you. I would imagine it's not a huge deal, but then again if there's a lot of competition it might put you at a disadvantage. I'm interested to see what other people say.

[Seeking]

Happy New year

Write to some professors you would like to work with in these 2 fields and also to the Department Chairs and see what kind of response you get. That will give you a fair idea of whether you should apply.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Seeking

[contretemps]

It depends on how different the field is from your undergrad. I am a biochem major in undergrad and I applied for a PhD in Inorganic chemistry (well, bio-inorganic). Some professors told me that my background is very biological while others liked it. It's all a matter of explaining it properly in your SOP.

[HappyNewYear]

Thanks for the replies. My undergraduate degree is in biology, with a typical liberal arts spread of courses in a bunch of different fields of biology. I'm considering applying to MS programs in biomedical science and microbiology.

I'm curious if, in my SOP, I should just come right out and say I'm not interested in the field I did research in or if I should say that I want to merge my previous research field (ecology) with a new discipline (biomedical science) to later do something like drug discovery or whatnot.