A Productive Way to Pass the Time

[GCool]

Hello,

 

So I don't have much [read: any] academic research experience. I'm hoping to make that up through industry experience and make that, in combination with the rest of my profile, enough for ONE professor SOMEWHERE to take a chance on me. Whether or not you think I'm going to make it, I don't care; at least not in this post.

 

Realistically, as far as prerequisites and things go, I'm not going to grad school for another year or two. My question to all of you is: What can I do in the meantime to prepare? I've been trying to find journal articles, but I don't have much access. That'd really help me narrow down potential research topics and therefore institutions. Should I be brushing up on things? Taking the chemistry GRE even though I'm going for food science? Any/all suggestions welcome.

[GCool]

Come on, 82 views and nothing? I start general biology in 6 weeks. Do I take the GRE before then or maybe in the summer? I need some help directing my studies!

[TakeruK]

It's not clear to me whether or not you already have an undergrad degree or if you are still pursuing one. You say you start "general biology in 6 weeks" -- is that part of a current degree program or are you taking extra courses while working in industry etc.? If it's okay with you to share, maybe a little more information about your academic background might help others think of what to suggest/advise.

 

As for research experience--industrial experience is good too, from what I know. You mentioned journal articles -- if you are taking courses / enrolled in a program, can you access them through your student account? If you graduated, does your previous school grant access to its alumni? I've used my undergrad alumni library card more than once when my current school does not subscribe to a particular journal I needed. Alternatively, have you considered joining your field's national society (if you are eligible?). The American Astronomical Society allows its members to subscribe to its journals (also the major journals in my field) for $25/year (on top of ~$100/year membership). It's not cheap but definitely better than buying individual articles. Maybe your field has a similar society/offer?

 

Finally, you can also get a ton of information about who does research on what without reading the actual articles themselves. Most journals provide the title, abstracts, and reference list for free, which are very helpful. In my field, I would advise you to look at Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics and find several recent reviews on topics of interest. I am pretty sure Chemistry has an "Annual Reviews" journal (in fact, it might have been the first??) These reviews are written by very experienced researchers and the goal of the article is to summarize everything we know up to now and compare/synthesize that information somehow. Thus, the reference list is often a list of "who's who" in the field. Check out each of these articles! 

[GCool]

It's not clear to me whether or not you already have an undergrad degree or if you are still pursuing one. You say you start "general biology in 6 weeks" -- is that part of a current degree program or are you taking extra courses while working in industry etc.? If it's okay with you to share, maybe a little more information about your academic background might help others think of what to suggest/advise.

 

Thanks for the response! I should clarify that. I graduated last year with a BS in chemistry, but my program didn't require me to take biology ... at all. Haha. As awesome as that was, now that I'm looking at food science for graduate school, I have to take bio/biochem/micro to make my graduate profile a little more appealing. Seeing as it'll take a while to get those courses done while I'm working 45+ hours a week, it probably won't be till this time next year when I'm finishing applications--so that makes me reconsider my plan to take the GRE relatively soon.

 

Sadly since I graduated over a year ago, I don't have access to those databases anymore. Those were awesome. Maybe I should do a little digging to see who's who in food science, though. Great suggestion.

[Vene]

Come on, 82 views and nothing? I start general biology in 6 weeks. Do I take the GRE before then or maybe in the summer? I need some help directing my studies!

Take the GRE whenever you feel ready, a course in biology shouldn't have an influence one way or the other on it.

 

I can also add that my experience was industrial, not academic, and it wasn't seen negatively. If anybody complains just point out that the Student's T-Test came from a QA lab at a beer company. What matters is that you have some background in research (so, industrially this tends to mean product development).

 

As for subject GRE, look at what prospective programs want. Don't send the chemistry GRE unless they request it and I doubt many will give a shit how you do on it.

[GCool]

Take the GRE whenever you feel ready, a course in biology shouldn't have an influence one way or the other on it.

 

I can also add that my experience was industrial, not academic, and it wasn't seen negatively. If anybody complains just point out that the Student's T-Test came from a QA lab at a beer company. What matters is that you have some background in research (so, industrially this tends to mean product development).

 

As for subject GRE, look at what prospective programs want. Don't send the chemistry GRE unless they request it and I doubt many will give a shit how you do on it.

 

All very good points. I guess I'm freaking out about mastering biology in addition to acing the GRE, since my GPA doesn't accurately reflect my aptitude.

 

I know it's probably important to mention that I'm not currently in a lab. I'm doing QA in a warehouse.

 

Yeah, I was leaning towards waiting until after classes for the chem GRE, after applications become the next priority.

[ghostar]

I guess I'm freaking out about mastering biology in addition to acing the GRE, since my GPA doesn't accurately reflect my aptitude.

 

What do you mean when you say that your GPA doesn't accurately reflect your aptitude? Aptitude for what? I wouldn't worry too much about the GPA as long as it is above the absolute minimum required for your programs (for chemistry most say 3.0, but I'm not sure about food science). The PI I worked with this summer, who also happens to be the department chair of one of my top choice programs, told me flat out that an applicant's fit with faculty research and the graduate program is way more important than the GPA. 

 

I would also recommend taking a look at the applications to programs you plan on applying to next year, and start thinking about your personal statements and letter writers. Which 3 references will you be asking for your LORs? if you have anyone in mind, it would not hurt to consult with them for their advice as well. Make a list of faculty you would like to work with, and spend a lot of time figuring out how to pitch yourself to demonstrate excellent fit with their research and the graduate program. 

[TakeruK]

Thanks for the response! I should clarify that. I graduated last year with a BS in chemistry, but my program didn't require me to take biology ... at all. Haha. As awesome as that was, now that I'm looking at food science for graduate school, I have to take bio/biochem/micro to make my graduate profile a little more appealing. Seeing as it'll take a while to get those courses done while I'm working 45+ hours a week, it probably won't be till this time next year when I'm finishing applications--so that makes me reconsider my plan to take the GRE relatively soon.

 

Sadly since I graduated over a year ago, I don't have access to those databases anymore. Those were awesome. Maybe I should do a little digging to see who's who in food science, though. Great suggestion.

 

Okay, that makes sense. I agree with the other posters about timeline for subject GRE (that is, do it when you are ready but keep in mind it's only offered a few times per year). For the General GRE, I just scheduled it for a time where I was the least busy. I lived 2 hours away from a testing center that offered the GRE every day so it was not hard to schedule (although the 2 hour travel time was very annoying).

 

Sorry to hear that you no longer have access to the databases! My undergrad alumni association grants us lifetime access to our library (well, they issue library cards valid for 10 years at a time but you can renew it indefinitely--the 10 year limit is just so that they can cancel this program later on if they want to, I guess).

[GCool]

What do you mean when you say that your GPA doesn't accurately reflect your aptitude? Aptitude for what?

 

I mean aptitude in general. My GPA was 2.5 in college. I transferred out and back into the school I eventually graduated from and had staggering anxiety issues. I was afraid to even go outside! I walked out of exams without completing them on more than one occasion.

 

Now that I've been out a year and all outside factors have been blocked out / reconciled (i.e., I've become more a mature adult than a high school student expecting to succeed through sheer momentum and anxious over-studying), it's time to make a push. That takes me to another issue, though: my LOR's probably won't be from chemistry professors. I'm guessing I'll have 2 industrial and 1 English professor. The English professor is more relevant than one would think, since the class was an Internship Practicum, and I was writing about my work with a biotechnology company.

[ghostar]

I mean aptitude in general. My GPA was 2.5 in college. I transferred out and back into the school I eventually graduated from and had staggering anxiety issues. I was afraid to even go outside! I walked out of exams without completing them on more than one occasion.

 

Now that I've been out a year and all outside factors have been blocked out / reconciled (i.e., I've become more a mature adult than a high school student expecting to succeed through sheer momentum and anxious over-studying), it's time to make a push. That takes me to another issue, though: my LOR's probably won't be from chemistry professors. I'm guessing I'll have 2 industrial and 1 English professor. The English professor is more relevant than one would think, since the class was an Internship Practicum, and I was writing about my work with a biotechnology company.

Ah, I see. I think you are doing the right thing by focusing on your current biology classes and the GRE, which are still under your control. Does your GPA show an upward trend? If so, that would be helpful (at least better than a downhill trend) and maybe something to note in your SOP. Be sure to speak to your work supervisors about grad schools as well - they know you way more than we do and may be able to offer more specific advice.

Good luck! If you find any interesting journal articles that you would like to read but don't have access to, feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to send you their reprints.

Edited December 3, 2014 by ghostar

[GCool]

Thanks! I'll definitely PM you eventually. I found a few articles to get me started. I want to narrow down publications, too.

 

My grades were pretty steady. Steady and poor. Hahaha.

Edited December 3, 2014 by GCool

[ChemSet]

I think you have a great head start in terms of the now, that you are actively thinking/planning how to go about your goals moving forward. The old grades will likely end up something you should mention, but you can bolster it with some Biology classes and just do your best do clearly distance who you are now from who you were when you had a harder time. Especially work on acing the biochem/chem-related classes for some more relevant evidence of your aptitude in chemistry, and just keep steady. I've known a bunch of very bright students who felt like they weren't doing everything right if it wasn't done as soon as possible, and that's how people burn out. I think there's a lot of (underrated) merit in making huge strides from a time you maybe weren't prepared for the workload and building a case that you've taken the initiative to grow and improve from then. And of course just keep getting that experience in the lab/industry/wherever. Good luck!