<p>I am currently a second year undergrad (class of '10) and I plan to apply to PhD programs in plant biology/ molecular biology eventually. However, I am thinking of applying to grad school for fall 2011 admissions to allow my senior year to make up for a somewhat lackluster 1st year. Which leads me to my question.</p>
<p>What should I do for the year after I finish my undergrad? I could try to get a tech job, or I could work towards a BS/MS dual degree in the lab I am working in now. The MS would take one additional year to complete after I graduate. BS/MS students in our lab also tend to do quite well (all of the ones that I have met have been published in high impact journals in the field). But a paying job sounds mighty appealing as well. Is there a particular route that would be more beneficial either in PhD admissions or in general preparation for graduate school?</p>
<p>work experience is always a plus in preparation for grad school. have you been working summer internships? if not, it is especially important that you break into the working world before continuing (or during) education. getting published or doing research with a well known scientist will not only look good on a resume but it will give you experience and ideas to talk about in interviews.</p>
<p>Is it still a good idea to work in industry for a few years (maybe 3-5 years) then go to grad school even for a masters? How beneficial is this?</p>
<p>I am working during the summer in the same lab that I work in during the school year. I really like the lab I am in now, and enjoy the work. I guess any lab experience is good experience, but I am still wondering if there is any difference between masters level experience and tech experience.</p>
<p>I am also curious about application timing.</p>
<p>Do grad programs look differently upon applicants applying at different times during their academic career? For instance, I will be a junior this fall, and I plan taking an additional semester to graduate (Dec 2010) to complete a double major. By pushing-off the application process I will also be able to list more research experience, and not to mention the potential for an honors thesis.</p>
<p>If I postpone applying to grad-school a year allowing for a semester gap in between graduation and grad-school enrollment, will this affect my application in anyway?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am still wondering if there is any difference between masters level experience and tech experience.
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At my school, tech experience is much more common. I don't know that it's more helpful, but it's the route more people have gone -- very few people in my program have an MA.</p>
<p>"If I postpone applying to grad-school a year allowing for a semester gap in between graduation and grad-school enrollment, will this affect my application in anyway?"</p>
<p>The gap will not impact your application negatively. The additional research experience and honors thesis will impact your application positively.</p>
<p>uh, your first year hardly matters if by "lackluster" you mean "didn't do research". most people haven't made up their minds by then, so it's not like you were expected to know you wanted to do what you are now all along</p>
<p>Well, its not that I didn't do research... Its that I kinda didn't do anything at all. I got decent grades and all, but I hardly looked into what I could be doing with my life. Its still kinda early, so I am just trying to weight my options at this point. </p>
<p>I'm in this situation right now. I just graduated 2 months ago and will be applying for graduate school this fall. I studied biochemistry and completed my thesis in bioinformatics, but I didn't have any research experience. Hence the year off....</p>
<p>Right now I am doing mentored research in biomedical informatics through a fellowship from NLM (National Library of Medicine). The fellowship was originally planned for a current undergrad or graduate student, however you never know what will happen unless you apply!! I was able to get this position mainly because I was interested in the field, willing to learn, and I applied. </p>
<p>There are 3 things you could do during your time off that would give you research experience and increase your chances for admission into graduate school.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Obtain a research/lab tech position. You can find these jobs by visiting university websites and search for "research tech" under their employment database. Find a position that seems interesting and apply. </p></li>
<li><p>If you know a particular lab at a university that you were interested in working in, send them (the contact person) an email. Ask if there are any open positions or if any faculty have mentorship opportunities. Labs that may not have lab positions available may be willing to have a you under a mentorship, however you will be responsible for finding funding (unless you can afford to not get paid) for this. Finding funding isn't too difficult, and the lab will most likely help you.</p></li>
<li><p>You can apply for a biomedical research post-bac program. There are over a dozen universities across the country that give recent graduates a mentor research experience for 6 to 24 months. Google PREP (postbacclaureate research experience program). I know of this program at: Tufts, John Hopkins, UCLA, Baylor, Princeton, Mont Sinai, Mayo Clinic, San Francisco State, U New Mexico, and a couple others. NIH's post-bac program is called IRTA.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>With any of these options you will most likely have the oppertunity to take advantage of tuition remission, so you can a take a few extra courses to help with graduate school. Hope this helps and good luck!!</p>
<p>One last thing, with any research route ask if there will be opportunities for you to get your work published or presented in national conferences!!</p>
<p>I took two years off between undergrad and grad school, where I worked in my chosen field. I feel the experiences made me a stronger applicant for my programs, as well as making me a more mature person and reaffirming my desire to go to school. The experience also gave me a glimpse into what my field is like with a bachelor's degree and made me realize how important it is to get at least a masters. I'm very happy with my time off and believe it's a great experience for anyone thinking about grad school, at least if you do something that's relevant to the grad field of your choice that'll improve your application.</p>
<p>I went straight into a top tier engineering PhD program straight after my Bachelors. I also did two internships and some "research" during my undergrad. I put research in quotes because what I did as a undergrad was more development/design (i.e. making robots, and writing software to do cool things).</p>
<p>I would suggest do as much research as humanly possible as an undergrad. This is important for two reasons:
1.) This is most important thing for graduate admissions. More important than GPA, GRE, etc
2.) It will help you determine if you actually want to do research or just get a Masters.</p>
<p>I wish I would have done more real research during my undergrad because I would have known that it is actually NOT for me. I came into grad school liking the IDEA of doing research, but not actually knowing what doing research is like.</p>