Biology Student- Need some help

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I'm still a sophmore in undergrad, but i'm pretty positive that i'll be applying to bio PhD programs when the time comes. I have a couple questions that i've had difficulty finding answers to in these forums because they're pretty biology-specific.</p>

<p>I havn't really made up my mind yet, but right now i'm doing research in molecular bio as well as animal behavior. I really see myself going into something along the lines of zoology/animal behavior/evo bio. </p>

<p>When I apply to PhD programs, will i simply be applying to biology departments as a whole, or those specific depts. within biology? Or does this vary from one institution to the next?</p>

<p>I realize that grad school admissions can be subjective at times, and admission is based on much more than a number out of 4.00 (that's something I have learned from these boards), and it is difficult to know where i'll stand in the next couple years. My question is- Is it worth it to take a spot at a non top-tier PhD program if that is my only option, or would I be better off going through a masters program (doing well, obviously), and then going for the big name schools?</p>

<p>And finally, I'm a bit confused on the whole process of choosing schools that fit one's research interests. I have heard from many people around these boards that the school itself (to a certain extent), is not the most important factor. Rather, is it a specific professor that you will work with? Or is it the research strengths of the biology department in that institution? Did most of you initially go about narrowing down choices by asking advisors/PI's from your undergrad institution and then doing independent research from there?</p>

<p>Oh, I should probably mention that I don't have one specific career goal just now. I will most likely go into academics, government work, or field research..although you all could have guessed that, i'm sure, and my mind has certainly changed more than once before, so who knows.</p>

<p>I really appreciate any help you all might be able to give me</p>

2

<p>
[quote]
Is it worth it to take a spot at a non top-tier PhD program if that is my only option, or would I be better off going through a masters program (doing well, obviously), and then going for the big name schools?

[/quote]

That's a decision you'll have to make yourself -- some people decide one way, and some decide the other.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Rather, is it a specific professor that you will work with? Or is it the research strengths of the biology department in that institution? Did most of you initially go about narrowing down choices by asking advisors/PI's from your undergrad institution and then doing independent research from there?

[/quote]

Overall, if you're going to be working with one specific professor for four or five (or more...) years, you'll want to pick him or her very carefully. It's more important, then, to end up in a great research group than to end up in a great department with nobody whose research interests you. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to figure out in advance which research groups really fit your interests. There's also more to picking an advisor than just fame and high-profile papers -- part of what makes a great research fit is personality and the lab's dynamic, both of which are tough to divine in advance. So most people end up picking strong departments, because it's a lot easier to pick a strong department and just assume that you'll find somebody suitable for your advisor.</p>

<p>Personally, I started narrowing down programs (in cell biology) by writing down the names of professors whose research topics and papers I found interesting. I felt like this worked well for me at the time, but I didn't end up picking the school where I had written down the most names, nor did I pick out the lab in which I'm doing my thesis from the initial research description. :) So it was a useful exercise, but it didn't really help me pick a program or a lab.</p>

3

<p>thanks alot for the advice, molliebat</p>