<p>Dear friends,</p>
<p>I am Chinese applicant for graduate programs in biophysics this year. I have been accepted to three programs up to now (MSC.Chemistry@UBC, PHD.Physics@IUB, PHD.Physics@EMORY). Getting into academia is not my preference. Would all of you be so kind to give me some suggestion on the hard decision? Thanks.</p>
<p>Best,
burningsoccer</p>
<p>If you have no interest in getting into academia, then a Ph.D. is probably not for you. There are opportunities for science Ph.D.s in industry, but it’s not what you’re trained for in a Ph.D. program and it’s not what your program would consider a successful placement (as dumb as that may be).</p>
<p>I’d give strong consideration to the MS in chemistry.</p>
<p>Dear lynxinsider,
Thanks for your suggestion. I personally would prefer to choose MS in chem, without considering my parents’ worrying about the potential difficulty finding a job in Vancouver after graduation…I just feel hard persuading them into agreeing with me…</p>
<p>One way to persuade them would be to point out the completion rates for MS Chem vs. Ph.D. Many, possibly the majority, of students who start a Ph.D. program do not complete it. </p>
<p>Another thing I’d do is some reserach on what careers are available to a person with an MS in Chemistry. The career services department at UBC should be able to help you with that research. That could help influence your parents as well.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot！</p>