<p>Hey everyone, I need a bit of advice as a current Junior. I'm trying to decide whether I should apply this year (well, next Fall) or take a year off after graduating and apply the year after. I'll be applying to biomedical Ph.D programs with a current GPA of 3.52. I'll be taking the GRE this summer regardless of when I apply. I only have one "research" experience, and I put that in quotations because I had no independent input into the research, I just did the procedures I was told to. However, I worked in the lab for about a year and learned a ton about the lifestyle and process of research, which I think I can convey.</p>
<p>Schools I'm really interested in are UW, OHSU, UCSF, Emory, and Brown. Those are a few of the ~10 schools I may apply to. Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>Can I offer a piece of advice…Don’t apply to ten schools, that is an enormous pain in the ass and expensive to boot. Maybe instead you should target a few individuals at the programs you like and try to establish a rapport with them. When it is all said and done, only one of the places has to work out and hopefully you will like the faculty there.</p>
<p>I took time off to work in industry and then to work in academia again as a lab tech. I would strongly recommend this path for a variety of reasons. You will be more competitive when it comes time to apply (though I seriously doubt that will be a problem for you), you can start your career off on the right foot without having to learn lots of new techniques at the same time you are trying to learn basic concepts, you will already have a network of contacts to rely upon, you may be able to save up some money/pay off some debt and ease the transition into grad school.</p>
<p>It’s great that you’ve spent some time in labs, but I think you’ll be in much better shape if you take a step toward more self-directed research first. It’s one thing to follow the protocols and enjoy the lab lifestyle, but a career in science requires the ability to pose the questions. If you’re still in that lab, can you make a move toward something more self-directed? After being there a year, you should be up to speed enough to be able to push for your own project. Or join a different lab and really try to make something your own. </p>
<p>I would recommend an extra year, but make it a year well spent. Schools respond very favorably to people who have pertinent research that they understand on a deep level. I have heard the story too many times of applicants coming out of an interview with someone who knew their project far better than they did. Whatever you end up doing, make sure you can talk intelligently about your experiences and have really taken the time to understand the intricacies… even if you’re only doing the procedures with no input.</p>
<p>Thanks guys (or gals). I’m not currently in the lab anymore (had to quit with 20 credits of courses this term). I’m looking around campus though for a professor to work with hopefully throughout my whole senior year. I definitely want that independent experience before getting to grad school, so I suppose you’re right that I should just take the year off applying and have something more substantive to talk about in my interviews. If I can’t actually find a job though for that extra year, would some sort of internship be just as well? I may have a summer internship at the NIH lined up for right after I graduate, and I may be able to fill in the rest of the year of something similar.</p>
<p>I’d like to second belevitt advice. Applying to ten schools will be an expensive waste of time. I did this this year. About the only good thing that came out of it was some learning that may have helped me get into the one or two programs that I actually wanted to attend. Look through the programs carefully and email professors that you might be interested in. If the professor is responsive, chances are you’ll get in.</p>
<p>PhD programs really like relevant work experience, however in this crummy economy that will be tough to get.</p>
<p>^^^If the professor is responsive, chances are you’ll get in</p>
<p>Even if the professor isn’t responsive, you might get in as well. I will actually be doing a rotation with the guy I emailed who didn’t respond. I know my PI doesn’t even bother responding to email from prospective grad students before they are accepted.</p>