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| Why? |
- To get a higher-paying
job
- To become an project leader
in an industry or government research laboratory
(Ph.D.)
- To teach and/or do research
at a university (Ph.D.)
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| Masters or Ph.D.? |
- A Ph.D. will take 5+ years.
The first 1-2 years you will take additional classes, spend time
in different labs to see what they are doing. By the end of this
time you probably have picked out the lab and problem you want to
work on. Usually you then take qualifying exams and write up a
research proposal. Once this is out of the way you will spend 2-3
years doing research and writing up your results. Finally you
defend your thesis before a committee.
- A Masters generally takes
two years. Some consist entirely of additional classes (a
non-thesis Masters), but most demand a research project as part of
the requirements.
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| Which school? |
- This is largely up to you.
There are several factors to consider.
- Do you want to be in a
particular part of the country?
- How qualified are you?
- Which schools offer the
program you want?
- Are there good people
working at the school?
- Who will give you a good
deal?
- In the end it is often
a good idea to try the 'shotgun' approach. Apply to some schools
that you think are beyond your reach, some that look just right
and a few that you feel should certainly accept
you.
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| How do I get
accepted? |
- Get a Biology degree from
Eastern.
- Do an independent study.
This is usually the most important thing you can do. To quote the
graduate admissions director at Yale 'The best predictor of
success in graduate school is the completion of a research project
as an undergraduate'
- Make personal contacts.
Work at a lab for the summer. Read their papers and write or email
to them with questions. However, don't become a pest or waste
their time with trivia; if you ask questions, make sure they are
good ones. Find out if any of the faculty know someone at the
school you want to attend.
- Present your work at
meeting and/or publish it. This is sure to get attention, since
very few undergraduates will do this.
- Do well of the GRE exam.
The general exam covers Math, English and thinking ability. The
Biology exam, required by many but not all graduate schools is
similar to the Biology Department's Yearly Comprehensive exam.
Note: do not try to cram for these exams. Your best bet is to
prepare for them over time. Take practice exams, read general
Biology texts, practice basic math skills, all on an on-going
basis. As a quick rule of thumb, if you are not scoring close to
100 on the Biology Yearly Comprehensive exam, you need to put in
more time.
- Maintain a good GPA. You
don't need a 4.0, but a 3.0 is probably a good idea. If you have
less than a 3.0, you can make up for it by doing well in the other
areas listed above.
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| How do I pay for
it? |
- Usually you don't have to!
Almost all Ph.D. programs will only accept you if they have money to support you. In general you cannot expect to do the
kind of work that a Ph.D. demands and have an outside job. While
graduate stipends are not great, you can live on them, though you
may have to share an apartment or house with
others.
- Masters degrees are often
harder to finance but, since they only last a couple of years, you
may be able to take out a loan. In some cases you will be able to
get a Teaching Assistantship, which will require teaching a lab or
two each week.
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