Graduate school...but what programs???

Graduate School
1

<p>I just need some help with brainstorming ideas for which graduate programs I should consider applying..</p>

<p>So basically, my undergrad was in molecular biosciences/biotechnology (with honors thesis in bipolar disorder). But I don't want to pursue career in that field..so I'm wanting to do grad school of some sort. I was pre-med my first two years in college, but that interest quickly changed to wanting to study naturopathic/oriental medicine. I wanted to become a dermatologist with MD degree, but felt more like me to approach skincare with naturopathic...but that kind of changed.</p>

<p>I need some help brainstorming options...I just have so many interests..here are some..</p>

<p>A lot of people tend to come talk to me for advices, etc, which I'm good at, and since books I read are mostly self-help books and psychology books, I feel like psychology might be a good field. Either masters or PhD but I want to be able to do counseling with the degree if I go with psychology. I want to be able to help people by listening to their feelings, etc since I feel like many people nowadays don't have someone they can trust to talk to. Another I have in mind is nutrition, since I'm a freak about nutrition (and working out) and always conscious about not only my nutrition but others' too. With that I might want to be something like nutrition advisor or maybe even develop my own skincare formula (supplement or skincare line).</p>

<p>BUT despite my interest in health related field, I'm also interested in business (like finance, entrepreneurship, etc). But interested in business in terms of having my own business in the future. I'm also interested in acting(film/TV) but I come from a family in which everyone studied engineering type things so I feel the need to have a profession to fall back on, since the arts field is not stable job-wise.</p>

<p>I've already knocked pharmacy school, vet school, med school, and law school out of my list. Any ideas?? Income after graduation is also pretty important; I want to be able to make a good income if I'm going to spend more years in school. I'm also open to any suggestions for school. My GPA in undergrad was 3.58, I have yet to take the GRE. I have a strong math background, but vocab/reading/writing not so much. So I would think my math score would be great, writing score -good, and vocab/reading score -ok.</p>

2

<p>If you know enough math, pick:</p>

<p>Chemical engineering (doing research on natural product extraction)
Chemistry (Organic/pharmaceutical, doing research under a natural products synthesis group)</p>

<p>you can never go wrong with chemistry or chemical engineering.</p>

<p>but you have conflicting goals. working with natural products isn’t talking to people about their feelings, its being in a chemistry lab and talking with other scientists and engineers about how to identify then extract X product from N organism and how to modify the product using Y reaction to give it pharmaceutical properties. so the question is: how badly do you want to do natural product chemistry?</p>

3

<p>First, you should not go to graduate school until you figure out what you want to do. Graduate school is intense as it is; if you aren’t sure of the field, then you’ll be miserable. I suggest that you begin to narrow down what interests you, and then either work or research in the field to make sure it’s really what you imagined. You can go to graduate school in a year or two, and you’ll be a stronger candidate.</p>

<p>I’m a little concerned that your stated reasons for considering various fields are superficial and somewhat naive. For instance, being able to give good advice is not the same as studying clinical psychology. And an interest in nutrition and skincare is not the same as studying chemistry and/or chemical engineering. I realize that the limited space may have kept you from delving deeper into your reasons. I just want to make sure that you truly understand what it takes to study in these fields and to get the necessary background for them. Concentrate on the process.</p>

<p>You might want to look into pharmacology (not pharmacy school) and chemistry programs. You might want to look into food science programs, particularly ones that lead toward becoming a registered dietician. You might want to look at master’s programs for therapists as well as the much more intense/competitive programs in clinical psychology. With a degree in molecular biology, you might want to look into NIH to see whether you want to work there for a year or two in a lab that will give you a more realistic idea of what you can do in the field you’ve already prepared for.</p>

<p>Just don’t rush into graduate school for the sake of getting an advanced degree.</p>