Advice for an indecisive latecomer. . .

Graduate School
1

<p><em>long post alert</em></p>

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I remember how helpful this site was back when I was applying for undergrad, so I once again turn to you for advice on my future. </p>

<p>I am an upcoming senior Caltech with a 3.6 GPA (attained through countless sleepless nights). I am a Biology major and I am (somehow) almost done satisfying the requirements for the major. I once thought it plausible for me to do a Biology/Computer Science double major at Caltech but I gave up on the idea after reaching a breaking point in stress - the point is, I've taken many CS courses freshman and sophomore years but have stopped doing so junior year (and the amount of units I have taken have fallen accordingly). So, I am a bio student with some CS background (albeit, the CS courses are disproportionately taken). I have participated/am participating in the SURF program for undergraduate research for the past 3 summers. I have not taken the GREs yet or anything like that. . .</p>

<p>First. . .this is rather embarassing, but I still haven't decided whether I should apply for grad school at this time or not. Initially, I was really burnt out from Caltech and I wanted to take a year off to do relax and do things I haven't had time to do - travel, get my driver's license, and maybe get some more lab experience. On the other, I want to keep the momentum of a student up - I really want to go to grad school at some point, and I don't want to fall into the quagmire of stopping my education and not coming back. My parents are worried about this too and would really like me to go to grad school next year.</p>

<p>Grad school would stand as a certain plan for the future whereas I really don't have anything approaching a definite plan if I take a year off, and that has me concerned. I'm also worried how grad schools will observe taking a year off, especially if I don't do anything "academic" during this time. </p>

<p>On the other hand, aside from halfheartedly studying for the GREs, I really haven't done anything application-wise at this point and I'm afraid it might be too late to get in the game. The reason for this is simple - I remember the overwhelming work and stress undergrad applications were and I don't know if I can muster up the personal strength to get through that mess again. Add to this the fact that I will concomitantly be doing a term of Caltech (which, personally, sucks out all of my energy and free time), and you can see where my anxiety comes in.</p>

<p>I don't even know what programs and schools I should be considering. . .I'm still interested in some line of research that fuses my interests in microbiology and computer science, but I really don't know anything more specific than that. . .I realize that's bad at this point.</p>

<p>So yes, I'm aware I'm being very pathetic and indecisive here. . .but, any advice you can give me on the points I have brought up here will be very useful to me and might help me get my act in line. Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>A couple points worth mentioning:</p>

<p>*Take the GRE before you graduate. Its ok to take a year off but definitely finish off any standardized testing before the material/motivation/work-ethic gets lost. Also note that GRE general scores are merely cutoffs. Good scores won't help with admissions, bad scores will deny admissions, extremely high scores may add a little leverage to fellowships.</p>

<p>*Since your CS background is weaker, you may need to take the GRE CS if your final degree only has biology stamped on it as you won't have enough of an upper level concentration in CS courses on your transcripts. Unfortunately, the GRE CS is no laughing matter since the exam covers up to 7 upper level courses. Furthermore, reviewing for it has been known to be atrociously difficult due to a lack of material (CS majors spend 2-3 months alone for this).</p>

<p>*Assuming you're a PHD aspirant: You need to have research and a few publications for any chance at the top schools. Some people take the MS-Thesis route specifically to get published and reapply as a stronger PHD candidate down the road.</p>

<p>*Unsure about recommendations: Get them from CS faculty or professors you've done research with?</p>

<p>*Bio CS Cross-fields are relatively new: Bioinformatics is about the closest it comes, but that industry already plateaued so I've heard. </p>

<p>*Get your driver's license... Bumming rides blow</p>

3

<p>Don't apply to graduate school if you're still burnt out. Graduate programs don't want those kind of students- those are the ones who are most likely to drop out early on.</p>

<p>Take your time to breathe in your year off. Find some lab opportunities- people in there will have graduate degrees and can provide very valuable advice (probably more so than your profs...) about applying to the right places. Relax.... just get through your senior year first!</p>

4

<p>Take a year off and work on your apps then. Get letters of recs in the mean time. With your SURF experiences (probably ask these profs for letters) and an outstanding gpa in the context of a great school, you will be a shoe-in at most places.</p>

5

<p>I strongly recommend taking a year or two off if you're feeling burned out now -- the burnout is not going to get better during the first year of grad school. And you should go to grad school because you actively want to go to grad school, not because you or your parents feel that it's what you ought to do after finishing undergrad. Grad school is hard -- just as hard as Caltech -- and it's going to be really tough to get through it if you don't actively want to be there.</p>

<p>Don't worry about losing momentum by taking a year or two off. In biology, 50% or more of the entering students in most programs took time off. As somebody who didn't take time off, I think those people had a pretty big advantage over those of us who had come straight from undergrad.</p>

<p>If you're interested, a research technician position kills several birds with one stone: you can refine your personal research interests, live on a more normal schedule, get research experience and recommendations, and make money, all at the same time.</p>

6

<p>@ chaoticcranium</p>

<p>Please consider a 1-2 year hiatus from schoolwork until you feel better. Exercise, get massages (yes get the stress out of your body) and do things you never had the time to do. This is the perfect time. Going back to graduate school will only exacerbate the burnout. That's not what you want. Get a full-time job (research-related or whatever) until you feel better. Burn-out has a mental and physical effect on the body.</p>

7

<p>A lot of people work in a lab for a year or two for all of the reasons you mentioned: extra experience, reasonable hours and pay so they can do things like travel before they're old and crotchety, no time to devote to applications, etc. It is not viewed negatively and I have seen a lot of people go on to top-notch PhD programs from such jobs. Your research adviser could set you up with a colleague for this type of position on short notice, maybe as late as spring term.</p>

<p>That said, you can still do this if you decide to. You don't have to apply to a dozen programs - pick a few, the ones you would really go to if you got in. You have the math for the GRE, so just read some vocab lists every night for a week and take the bugger. Most biology programs don't require the bio GRE, so the hell with that. Same for national fellowships since you can apply for those next year, anyway. So that means all you really need to do is:
* study for the GRE and take it
* send your transcripts
* ask for recommendations (I asked in October, so you're way ahead of schedule on that)
* write a statement of purpose (did you take Bi24? you probably had to write one anyway)
* and fill out some boxes on the 2-4 applications.
It's only more complicated than that if you let it be.</p>

<p>The point is that it's not too late to decide you want to apply. Remember that you can always turn down or defer admissions later - it's not a commitment! And if you don't get in, who gives a ****? Work for a year.</p>

<p>Creepy stalker aside to the OP: I think I know which one you are; your background is pretty unique for this small school. You have great preparation for grad school and you can get in if you choose to apply.</p>

<p>
[quote]
You need to have research and a few publications for any chance at the top schools.

[/quote]

I call b******t on this one (no offense to its author). When I applied I had no papers and no presentations, and nothing in sight. (Still no papers, for that matter.) A 3.6 GPA from Caltech and the caliber of research experience you have will do just fine.</p>

8

<p>^Agreed on the last points (and others, of course). The vast majority of applicants and admits to biology PhD programs are not published, and a 3.6 from Caltech is more than adequate for any top biology PhD program.</p>

9

<p>Take time off. The worst thing you could do is stress your self out over something you're not sure you want to do (ie graduate school). You might want to consider NIH's IRTA post-bac program. You can do biomedical research at NIH for 1 to 2 years then use the time to decide if it's really something you want to pursue long term.</p>

<p>If it helps, I know more people who graduate confused and indecisive, than those who are sure and confident. You're young... the majority of us here are young... so time is not necessarily "of the essence". Enjoy life!! :-)</p>

10

<p>Oh and Rokxal.</p>

<p>Bioinformatics has not hit a plateau. It may be one of the fastest growing areas of biology, especially since it literally encompasses all areas of biology and medicine where a large amount of data is produced. </p>

<p>The Human Genome Project is still incomplete (it is only said to be complete because our current technology cannot sequence the remaining gaps). When complete, the project alone will produce over 2.8 gigabytes of raw data, and that is just a reference sequence. Imagine when individuals will be able to have their genome sequenced and the amount of data that will be produced. </p>

<p>Or even consider how medical and pharmaceutical records are stored. Currently there is no universal system for storing patients health records so inconsistencies may exist if someone switches health care providers or pharmacies. I worked in health care and it's pain to have to fax medical records in the 21st century because there are so many flaws in the health care system....</p>

<p>Anywhoo.... I believe it's safe to say bioinformatics isn't going anywhere anytime soon!!</p>