Questions from a prospective PhD student

[bak3rme]

I asked myself today when writing my SOP, "why do I want a Phd?"...and sadly I could not give myself a genuine answer.

 

I want to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry or Biomedical Sciences but I cannot even differentiate the two.

 

I do not want to become a P.I or a professor in any means...but I do have a passion to continue my education. But I don't feel that having a passion to continue my education should lead me to pursing a PhD.

 

Ultimately I just want to find a well paying job with a PhD, possibly in the Pharma/Biotech field, drug designing. Could a PhD in the Biomedical Sciences or Biochemistry work in this related field? But a MA degree can also get a job in this field. 

 

But do most schools fund a MA degree? the schools I am applying to all fund only PhD candidates and most MA would require you to take more loans out, which I do not want. 

 

If someone asked me why I want a PhD, my answer would be so I can continue my education and hopefully, eventually find a job in a Pharma company that pays well. 

 

^ what are your guys thoughts on this statement

[ion_exchanger]

My statement was the same. I made no mention of wanting to become a professor or P.I. I just said that I wanted to become an independent research scientist and wanted to get the most training I could. Even when asked on interviews I told people that I had no interest in academia or heading a lab.

I don't know of many schools that fund masters, but there are fellowships that pay for some or all if the costs. I didn't want to limit myself to a masters just because I didn't want to be a professor or P.I, and that shouldn't be a prerequisite.

[St Andrews Lynx]

Do you have research experience in biochem/biomed? 

If the answer is Yes (even if it was a summer research project)...what did you enjoy about it? What did you learn from it? What awesome skills did you gain in the process? 

 

If the answer is No...I'd strongly recommend getting some before you commit yourself to a research-based degree. For all you know, you might hate it. Or you'll find that Biochem is a lot more exciting than Biomedical research (or vice versa). For me, research experience was what gave my SOP and whole grad school application its focus: I'd worked in 2 pharma companies, I knew I wanted to return to pharma after I'd completed my PhD, I'd worked in an academic lab, so I knew I could manage to work in an academic research environment. 

 

I'm not totally convinced that a PhD is about "education" - the classes, exams and coursework will only last for 2 years out of the 5-6 year program - it is more about training yourself to become an independent, skilled researcher. 

 

As a final note. Although pharma jobs are usually well-paying...they aren't the most secure jobs. When a pharma company makes a loss (perhaps a patent expires, or a blockbuster drug performs poorly in a late-stage clinical trial, or another company comes out with a better drug) or just wants to save itself some money and relocate state/country, the R&D jobs are usually the first to go. 

[StudentOfEarth]

I definitely second what St Andrews Lynx said about undergraduate research. (In fact, I actually just posted about that on my blog.) It's a really important way to make sure that you actually like what you'll be doing in a PhD program. If you're still not sure, I wouldn't be too quick to toss out the terminal, thesis-based MA as an option. They are less likely to be funded (and, as you pointed out, some schools don't really have them), but if you can get one it would be a great way to (productively!) make sure that research really is one of your passions.   

[Vene]

I want to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry or Biomedical Sciences but I cannot even differentiate the two.

That's okay I'm entering into a biomedical science program and I couldn't tell you the difference. I'd say look for programs which combine different bioscience programs and let you specialize after your first year.

Got example Yale has this http://bbs.yale.edu/index.aspx I'm not necessarily saying you should apply to Yale but a lot of universities have similar things.

[bsharpe269]

I agree with everyone who mentioned undergrad research. It would help if we knew what research experience you have. Masters and PhD programs and nearly the same except for one big component: a PhD is similar to a MS + a huge multi year reserach project at the end. How do you know which you should do? Well, do you love reserach and want the huge project?

 

Since you are so unsure now, why not take a year or two off? This would give you an opportunity to to research full time in a lab and test the waters. It would also expose to you to the field a bit more so you can figure out which positions you would be interested in and what degree those positions require. Another option would be to do the MS and then use that as an opportunity to try research. The only downside to this option is that you will probably have to pay for the masters. I decided to go this route since I wanted to make up for poor/average undergrad grades. If you need to do the same then this would be a good option. I am living with family and attending the state school near them so even though I am taking out loans for the masters, I will only be taking out around 15k which is not too bad compared to other people. If you don't need to make up for poor undergrad grades then working for a year or two would make a lot more sense since you will get paid instead of having to pay.

[astroyogi]

I think it is plenty to say that you have been inspired by your coursework/research enough in your undergraduate career that you do not want to stop learning more about your field, and thus want to pursue graduate studies. A few of my friends applied with this approach and did well, without wanting to remain in academia forever. Knowing what you might want to do after your PhD is great, no matter if it's an industry career! If you have passion to pursue a career which can be helped with a PhD, you have reason enough to apply.

 

I would actually offer some advice that is against bsharpe269's, which is to be careful taking time off between your undergrad and PhD -- if you don't want to try for the PhD yet, try to find an MS that you can afford -- I only say this because you're at a once-in-a-lifetime position in your career, and there's no harm (besides the stress and cost, of course) in applying to PhD programs now. If you take time to go work, you might enjoy it enough or lose momentum enough to not go for the PhD. I'm going for a PhD in a month, and even while researching full time this summer I feel like my course material is falling out of my head. It can be hard to stay motivated when you're not in the rushing currents of academia. That being said, certainly do whatever you believe to be the best decision for you. 

[bsharpe269]

I think it is plenty to say that you have been inspired by your coursework/research enough in your undergraduate career that you do not want to stop learning more about your field, and thus want to pursue graduate studies. A few of my friends applied with this approach and did well, without wanting to remain in academia forever. Knowing what you might want to do after your PhD is great, no matter if it's an industry career! If you have passion to pursue a career which can be helped with a PhD, you have reason enough to apply.

I would actually offer some advice that is against bsharpe269's, which is to be careful taking time off between your undergrad and PhD -- if you don't want to try for the PhD yet, try to find an MS that you can afford -- I only say this because you're at a once-in-a-lifetime position in your career, and there's no harm (besides the stress and cost, of course) in applying to PhD programs now. If you take time to go work, you might enjoy it enough or lose momentum enough to not go for the PhD. I'm going for a PhD in a month, and even while researching full time this summer I feel like my course material is falling out of my head. It can be hard to stay motivated when you're not in the rushing currents of academia. That being said, certainly do whatever you believe to be the best decision for you.

Interestingly, I had the opposite experience where I took a year and half off and worked and then went for the masters and taking the time off made me realize how much I missed academia and I have come back a much much better student because I know how badly I want this. In the end, like astrological said, everyone is different and you just have to decide what is best for you. He/she also made a good point that there is little harm in applying for phd programs now and if you don't get in then you can always do a research position and reapply.