Lamentations of the Wait

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm sitting at work and all I can do is check my e-mail. I've gone completely brain dead at the thought of not getting into graduate school this year. There must be some way for me to snap out of it, and I suspect that it involves the notion that I'm not only surrounded by people going through the same thing, but that they're also going to read about my complaints regarding this process.</p>

<p>Someone shoot me now... I haven't heard a darn thing.</p>

<p>I graduated from an undergraduate regional state school with more research credentials than anyone I've ever met, and yet I have found the simple name of my school to be more important to potential employers than my five-page curriculum vitae. I was once informed during an interview, in reference to a series of questions regarding the topics covered by each one of my undergraduate courses, that the Harvard interviewer was, "only trying to determine if [my] undergraduate education was comparable to what [she] would expect of a biochemistry curriculum." Throughout my undergraduate years, I was told that I was learning the same material as the ivy leagues. Throughout my undergraduate years, I was led to believe that my institution, a "top 200" school, would provide all of the opportunities necessary to be successful in my career path. I am now learning otherwise.</p>

<p>Since discovering the Ivy League's contempt for my regional state school education, I've applied to over 70 entry-level research positions spread across the entire country. Where, do you think, I ended up working? Nowhere other than two hours away from my undergraduate institution, and forty minutes away from my undergraduate fellowship institution. Sure, it's an ivy league academic research assistant job, but it speaks volumes that it is so close to where I graduated. This all boils down to the simple fact that a school with a small name will only get you so far... in terms of distance from that school. The farther from your institution, the fewer people have heard of it, unless it's famous for something. With that in mind, I know that my degree will be questioned until I replace it with a degree at a prestigious university.</p>

<p>That being said, I am hopeful that I'll hear back from any one of the nine schools to which I've applied over the past three months. With okay GRE scores, an okay GPA, and undergraduate research at an okay institution, and a research assistant job at a world-class laboratory, I can only hope that the name and reputation of my undergraduate institution might be overlooked. So far, I haven't heard a word, which most likely means that I don't suck so much that I'll get rejected in the first wave, but I am certainly not in the top running for slots. In an attempt to look on the bright side, I'll chalk this experience up to ensuring that I don't get too cocky for my interviews (whenever they should happen, whether that be this year, or the next, or the next).</p>

<p>Advice: If you want to leave the state you're in, make sure the school you attend has name recognitions at least a thousand miles away. If it doesn't, then expect movement to be painful, and potentially detrimental to your career aspirations.</p>

2

<p>yeah well academia is like that. it’s also a mistake to think an ivy league education is any better than a non name brand education…trust me, the teaching at my school ranges from decent to downright horrible (>50% of my classes, actually). you pay 50K a year for the name on the degree. </p>

<p>but what can you do? just suck it up and wait it out man. btw, i’m in the same position as you and right now the name on my diploma isn’t getting me much…heh.</p>

3

<p>I am going to have to go ahead and completely disagree with you. I know plenty of people who went to undergraduate and graduate schools that do not get much name recognition and they were very successful. </p>

<p>You cannot generalize something like this based only on your poor experience.</p>

4

<p>It’s not based solely on my experience… It’s in part based on the experiences of my classmates from that year and the year after mine. 1.5 years after graduating, this is where they are in no particular order:</p>

<p>one is in food service
one is in a PharmD program
one is in a master’s program because he didn’t get into med school 2 years in a row despite stellar MCATs and recommendations and experiences. He is currently one response away from being either rejected or wait listed across the board during his THIRD attempt at MD programs.
one is working in child care programs
one is working for a cement/grout company
one is working at a pharmacy as a pharmacy tech
one is trying to get another bachelor’s degree
one went right back to being a mechanic in the army
one went to work as a pharmaceuticals sales rep
one went to a foreign island to get her MD, and only got in because of nepotism
one is unemployed</p>

<p>As to the nature of success: it’s all how you define success. I’m not referring to the prospects that one might some day be successful, since that’s a highly personal metric of one’s life. I’m simply stating that doors closed when I attended a regional state school in order to save money, and it might take me 2 years or more to make up for those closed doors (since it’s already taken me one year).</p>

5

<p>i think if things don’t work out you’re eventually gonna have to call it quits and find an alternative career path. at least, that’s what i’m thinking right now.</p>

6

<p>I do agree that name-branding does work to some extent. For example a 3.5 GPA at an Ivy will be counted much more than a 3.5 at a regional school. Its just based on the idea that the competition to get that gpa at the Ivy is going to be much more intense. </p>

<p>But I agree with you that this should not stop your goals. Just work your ass off to get out of your situation. I hope you make it to your choice, but if you don’t then study to ace your GREs, get some publications, apply for small grants from the NIH in order to show your independence (if you are in the life sciences), etc. </p>

<p>A year is nothing to get past in the larger picture. But make sure you are highly focused on your goal. Maybe you start connecting with the departments you want to be in and ask about jobs there? etc. etc. etc.</p>

7

<p>MolSysBio and IfOnlyIDidMore,</p>

<p>I hate that you guys are so depressed right now! I wish you wouldn’t be. I am an older student (35) trying to do exactly what you guys are doing and believe me, I have a lot of hurdles in front of me to overcome in order to come back to school at this age. You can’t give up! I hate to sound like a mom, but I sure wish I were as on the ball at your age as you are to have research experience, good grades, decent GRE scores, and a fixed idea of what you want to do. Remember, you are going to get in somewhere! And…if you don’t, for some weird reason (like the recession caused a bazillion people to apply to grad school this year), then you will apply next year and get in then. The world is your oyster right now and don’t let the fact that you haven’t gotten an interview YET destroy your hopes and make you doubt yourself.</p>

<p>Okay. Sorry to be such a dork. I am a little nervous still myself about this whole process, but having the perspective that comes with age, I just wanted to remind you guys that there is still time left. Lots of it.</p>

8

<p>i guess you’re right neurohopes. but i’m not gonna try again if it doesn’t work out this time. i like science but i know when to call it quits.</p>

9

<p>MolSysBio, I will bet you anything you will get interviews/accepted at some of these schools and then you will wonder what on earth you were stressed about. Seriously. My husband always says the same thing to me about everything when I freak out. Once you get through the rough patch, you realize that things turned out better than you could’ve even hoped. And those few instances that they don’t, there was some reason that you weren’t supposed to go in that direction. </p>

<p>Within two weeks, I know you will have some good news!</p>

10

<p>i sincerely hope you’re right.</p>

11

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<p>A random sampling of recent Ivy League grads would likely reflect a list similar to what you mentioned of your classmates from the regional state school. A prestigious degree does not guarantee success; it does not even guarantee getting your foot in the door. Trust me, it’s in the individual’s hands. Success requires initiative and planning - your bachelors degree only provides a framework to get you started. Use it well, as it sounds like you have already been doing, and you’ll see the results in due time. It’s a virtual guarantee that life will close doors to you at times, but it’s up to you to seek new opportunities and reopen them. That is just the nature of reality. No one said it would be easy or as you would have expected. But you can bypass a lot of hurdles by being proactive and persistent, and there will always be opportunities to correct your course if you feel you’re on the wrong path. It is much more productive to think in terms of what you have accomplished to this point, and then move forward from that, than to regret what could have been. :)</p>