<p>I'll be applying to bio PhD programs this fall, and I'll have everything ready by September except for my letters of recommendation. I know I will get a great letter from my research adviser with whom I have worked under for two years, but most schools require 2 more. </p>
<p>I was wondering if it would be possible, if I attended office hours regularly and communicated my interests with professors, to obtain two letters by mid November right before the December deadline for most schools? The professors would not have my final grade for their classes but they would have my previous exam scores and have some sort of relationship with me. </p>
<p>Now that I'm in this situation, I really regret not speaking up more in class and not attending office hours. There are professors that know me, but their letters would be very mediocre because their knowledge of my interests is either very little or I was not the best in their class.</p>
<p>So to restate my question, is it possible establish a relationship with two professors before early December and ask for a LOR? I know it depends on how comfortable that individual is with writing me a LOR, but I guess I want to know if anybody else has been in the same predicament as me.</p>
<p>Maybe you could wait until Fall 2012 to apply?</p>
<p>I’ve been considering it, but I’m worried about trying to find a research-related job right out of undergrad. There are tons or B.S.-only research associate jobs posted on monster.com, science’s employment section, etc. but I’m worried that those are too far away to consider interviewing me and will most likely favor local candidates. I live in WI btw.</p>
<p>To anyone who has taken a gap year before entering grad school and found a job relevant to your prospective field, how long would you say it took you to find a job and was it one at your undergrad university or near your residence? </p>
<p>Would it be possible for me to obtain let’s say an entry level research assistant or research associate job in another state if I can not find one in WI, or do such entry-level jobs favor local candidates?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say those kinds of jobs favor local applicants except in cases where the local applicant is know to the PI. Like at my two joint labs, the last two lab managers hired have been RAs first for a year before they got hired, even though they did general postings to the employment site.</p>
<p>Lots of people move somewhere else for jobs. Employers prefer the best person.</p>
<p>In normal circumstances, it would be no problem to get an entry level lab job right out of college (assuming you had a relevant BS). In the current economy, it is insanely difficult. It took me a full year of applying before I got my current position, and I have friends who graduated in '08 who are STILL looking for a lab job, as they got stuck in retail and food services in order to pay rent in the mean time. Now is not the time to rely on getting an entry level job for research experience. Get an internship lined up asap or start job hunting right now. That way you can make an educated decision come deadline season.</p>
<p>Thank you for the input!</p>