<p>I will be graduating this coming spring (Cell & Devo Bio, B.S.), but I am having second thought about taking a year off before applying to grad school. Ultimately, I would like to work in the biotech industry, so I was planning on working (not going to be glamorous w/ just a BS) or interning at the NIH (IF I can land one) for a year and then applying for a PhD program after I gain more knowledge of what's out there. Now, I'm thinking about getting an MBS, then going from there, with the option of continuing for a PhD. The problem being that I can't pay for an MBS without having to take out around 40k loan (KGI). While, I don't have any research experience to write a strong personal statement for a PhD. Now that the deadlines are creeping in, I am just worried that I might end up empty handed.
Any advice/suggestions???</p>
<p>I would wait a year. Most deadlines have passed for the biological sciences, and while some of the less competitive program may still be officially accepting applications, they may have already filled most of their spots. The last thing you want to do is rush into a program, only to discover that it isn’t what you want. Especially with a late application, you’ll have probably have to pay for it all if you go the MBS route. And it really is too late for PhD programs.</p>
<p>Your application next year will be MUCH stronger if you can land a research job.</p>
<p>I will definitely apply for the NIH IRTA program and to KGI’s MBS program and see if I can scrape up some leftover fellowships if I get accepted. I’ll also checkout the job fair and see what it has to offer. </p>
<p>Thanks for the advice</p>
<p>If you don’t have any research experience, you should definitely wait at least a year (perhaps 2) and secure some research experience. That is crucial when applying to PhD programs in the natural sciences. Besides, it’s too late to write for PhD programs. Most deadlines are passed, so you’ll be stuck applying for programs whose deadlines are in February and beyond. Not only is this a bad approach to picking the place at which you will spend 4-7 years and will determine the trajectory of your career, at least in the beginning; it also doesn’t bode well for you to try to write a statement of purpose and collect letters of recommendation, transcripts, and all the other trappings of an application in 2-4 weeks.</p>
<p>I really encourage you to apply for NIH IRTA. It’s a great program (I have a former classmate doing that). Also, keep your ear to the ground and join listservs. Around April and May, many university labs will be looking for research/lab coordinators - these are usually recent university graduates with a degree in the area of the lab’s research who are aspiring to graduate school themselves. Many of them will have gotten admitted to graduate school and will be leaving their labs, so you could be the one to replace them and get valuable research experience. You could also apply to be a lab tech in these labs. Ask around, especially to your professors or to the nearest large research university to see if anyone needs the help.</p>
<p>a masters program will not help you get into a competitive graduate program. Doing research in a lab will help you define your own interest in research science. You will also learn about your technical proficiency and aptitudes for specific methodologies. This information will help you apply to the most appropriate program for you in a year’s time.</p>
<p>Is a PhD really necessary to work in the industry??</p>
<p>no a PhD is not required. There are many research technician positions for BA, BS, AB, MA or MS degrees. What is generally required is experience. </p>
<p>In biology-related industries,
Obtaining a PhD will allow you to obtain industry positions with more research responsibility-you can be a group leader-a person without a PhD is rarely able to achieve this type of position in Big Pharma or Biotech</p>
<p>“the industry” is a bit of an ambiguous term, are you talking about R&D specially?</p>
<p>if so then you can work as research “technician” with lower degree, like ParAlum mentioned. Just keep in mind in the R&D world rank ties with education. You will be working for PhD/post-docs if you don’t mind that</p>
<p>I was actually pertaining to the fact that I’m not planning on working in the academia setting, at least not at the moment. I don’t have experience in biotech industry to pinpoint what I want to do but my academic profile best fits with R&D.
Besides, wouldn’t it possible to move up the totem pole w/ experience, if I can get a foot in and work as a tech for a while. If so, I wouldn’t mind going the MBS route.</p>
<p>I found this thread helpful, for those of you that might be in the same situation as me.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/380406-taking-time-off-post-bac-research.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/380406-taking-time-off-post-bac-research.html</a></p>
<p>it is rare to be able to move up the research side of biotech or Big Pharma into leadership positions without a PhD. You can move up into leadership positions without a PhD on the business side. However, getting a year or two of research experience in these venues can provide you with invaluable experience if you do later wish to pursue the business/management side of things.</p>
<p>I’d be curious to know what it means that your profile is consistent with being in the R&D side of biotech. </p>
<p>One thing that is quite different between industry and academia is the type of goals, milestones and timeframes involved. Often in industry promising lines of research are abandoned if the intellectual property cannot be acquired or protected OR if the $$/time investments are viewed as too great.</p>
<p>This thread is kind of relevant to me. I graduated last spring with a BS in Cellular/Molecular Biology. Unsure of what I wanted to do, I applied to graduate schools (I know I know; you’re supposed to be sure you want to go to grad school). Anyway, I was accepted to schools and choose a chemistry program where the focus is more biochemical.</p>
<p>I’m enjoying it so far, but not sure now if I will like to continue such for 5 years (I often feel behind in the chemistry, though I have made strides in the past 6 months).</p>
<p>My question is: what kind of jobs can I get if I weren’t to finish my PhD, and WHERE could I get them? Most of the jobs I see are jobs that require 2-3 years experience, etc. Does my time as a graduate student count as such experience? I usually have all the required traits such as protein expression, purification, molecular biology, SDS gels, Western Blotting, HPLC/FPLC, but it is the years experience that always gets to me.</p>
<p>This question isn’t valid if I continue my education through a PhD, but I was just curious what I would be able to do if I didn’t. I enjoy science, and I would like to do it as a career. I’m not concerned with high pay, either. I just wouldn’t be sure how to break in without experience?</p>
<p>The biggest difference +/- a PhD is how much control you will have over the type of research you do. Without a PhD, you will be under the direction of someone else. </p>
<p>However there are always more tech positions (positions where a PhD would be considered overqualified) than group leader positions.</p>
<p>Applecat: I know someone who graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry and who got a tech job in the pharmaceutical industry right out of college. She later got an M.S. paid for by the company, and she does research. I know yet another person who is a toxicologist at petroleum company, and she, too, only has a master’s. As ParAlum points out, neither will likely be in charge of a research group because they don’t have PhDs. Still, both are happy.</p>
<p>and depending on the area of research expertise, a non-PhD in industry can find positions where they earn >$50K per year. In academia, the salary for the same individual would be closer to $30K.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the replies. </p>
<p>Like I said, having control over a group really isn’t that much of a concern to me. I just enjoy science and figuring out the problems, no matter what they might be. </p>
<p>I still don’t know how you break into industry as a recent graduate as it appears experience of 2-3 years still seems to be required. I suppose I just need to keep my eyes open and perhaps all the skills I’ve acquired will pay off. </p>
<p>As far as pay goes, my current stipend is $21K per year and if I stay on course, I will have saved $8K this year. Money isn’t the concern; finding a job I can enjoy in the sciences is.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Often individuals get immediate research tech experience by working in an academic lab. In academic labs, individuals learn the cutting edge technologies that are valued by industry. If you have worked in a lab during your undergrad career, list your relevant experiences in your job application.</p>
<p>Like all entry level positions, the key is to submit applications continually.</p>