Graduate
School: Is It for You?
Before applying to
graduate school, you should seriously consider what you want and hope
to achieve by pursuing a higher degree. If you find an area of science
that you love and in which you want to do more work, then a graduate
program is ideal and exciting. If you are unsure about what you like
and hope that more classes will help you decide, then you should probably
reconsider.
Check out this website
to help you weigh the pros and cons of graduate school: http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/grad-school.html
Graduate school in
biology does NOT guarantee you a job. In fact, the job market is overflowing
with Ph.D.'s at the moment, so competition is stiff for every position
and does not appear to be improving in the near future. The UCLA Dept.
of OBEE recently received 60 applications for a position as an entry-level
faculty member, while other universities have been reported to receive
over 200 applications for a single spot.
So, is it even worth
going into graduate school? Yes, it can be incredibly fun and rewarding.
If you like science and talking about science and doing science, it's
a great place to be.
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How do you determine whether graduate school is right for you?
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1. Get research experience.
2. Get a summer internship in science.
3. Talk to TA's or other graduate student or professors about applying.
4. Read. Spend some time reading scientific journals. It's a great introduction to what you'll be doing in graduate school.
Check out this site on how to be a good graduate student and what you might be getting yourself into: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/how.2b/how.2b.html
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When should you start getting ready?
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You should give yourself at least a year to get ready. Applications for most schools are due in December or January so you'll want to start looking at schools and talking to professors and graduate students the year before. Start reading journals, department information, and school evaluations. A lot of people start this process during their senior year and take a year off before starting graduate school. Many people go right into school (others may wait years). Decide what's right for you.
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Where to apply? How to decide which graduate school is right for you.
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While you can certainly pick a school with a good location or a great reputation, you'll probably want to work a little harder on this question, as it will affect a large period of your life. Give this list of hints a try:
1. Read. Current scientific journals will give you some insight into the work that's being done and who is doing it. Find out what you find interesting in the field and see who is doing that kind of work. For instance, if you like algae, look to see who might be doing work on algae and see what they're doing. Do you find respiration more interesting than photosynthesis?
2. Ask. Go to current professors and TA's and ask them for insights into other programs and schools. They know. They've either been at those schools, applied to them or know people working there and can usually give you all sorts of information.
3. Contact. Write or email faculty whose work interests you or who were recommended to you. Introduce yourself as a prospective graduate student. Describe your interests and why you're interested in working with that professor.
4. Evaluate. Compare graduate programs. You should be applying or looking at more than one school and you want to make sure that you get the best deal you can. Does one program offer more fellowships than another does? How much teaching is required? Would you receive benefits such as health insurance? Try to visit the campus and meet the professor in person. Seeing the school can certainly help you decide.
5. Investigate. Talk to other graduate students at the schools to which you're applying. How do they feel about the program? How do they feel about your prospective advisor? Are they enjoying themselves at that school?
