Student scraping a petri dish during a lab

Grad School FYI

Belmont University Scholar Development

Why Graduate School?

The term grad school means a higher education institution which awards postgraduate degrees – most commonly master’s and doctorate (PhD) programs. Graduate education encompasses research, study and teaching beyond the bachelor’s degree. While undergraduate education leads to a bachelor’s degree, graduate education leads to master’s degree and doctorate, also called a doctoral degree. Often, graduate degrees help people advance further in their careers and earn more over a lifetime.

Some key differences between graduate school and those academic programs include:

  • How you get in. Graduate school programs are often smaller and more selective than undergraduate programs. Getting in will require not only strong academics but also gaining qualitative measurements, including gaining experience, recommendations and a statement of purpose.
  • What you’ll study. An undergraduate degree program may include broad liberal arts courses and large lectures that may or may not relate to your major. Graduate classes are targeted toward your specific advanced degree from day one and are typically seen as more rigorous, with a focus on research and thorough discussion.
  • Your role at the school. Graduate students often function much more like university staff than their undergraduate counterparts. In addition to taking classes yourself, as a grad student, you may be required to lead discussion groups, grade others’ work and support faculty research initiatives. You’ll get paid a stipend or salary for your work.
  • What degree you receive. Upon completion of your program, you’ll be awarded a focused master’s or doctorate degree. Master’s degrees include Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.) and Master of Business Administration (MBA); doctorates include Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Juris Doctor (J.D.), among others.
    • A Professional Master’s gives you a specific set of skills needed to practice in a particular field, such as education, business, science or other profession requiring specialized training. It is generally a final or “terminal” degree, and often involves an internship, practicum or field work.
    • The Research Master’s provides experience in research and scholarship, and it may be a final degree or a step toward the Ph.D. A master’s degree usually takes one or two years of study.
    • The Professional Doctorate. The M.D. for medical practice, D.D.S for dentistry, or the J.D. for law are the most common professional degrees.
    • The Research Doctorate. The Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) is the primary credential for college level teaching. The Ph.D. typically involves both course work and a major research project. The Ph.D. usually takes a minimum of four to six years of full-time study. Ph.D. programs in the sciences typically are free and also provide a stipend that is at or above a living wage.

Compared to undergraduate studies, graduate school is a more concentrated course of study with greater expectations for the quality and quantity of your work. Graduate programs also entail:

  • focused studies in a specific discipline with fewer elective possibilities
  • rigorous evaluation of your work by professors and peers
  • smaller classes with much more student interaction
  • work experience via internships, teaching, or research
  • production of original research

Good Reasons to Go to Grad School

  • “I want to become better at data analysis and critical thinking.”
  • “X degree is necessary for the job I seek in my field.”
  • “I want to gain skills/knowledge in a particular area and it will help my future.”
  • “I’m passionate about Z, and I want to develop more expertise in this area.”

And Some Bad Ones

  • “Well, I’m not sure what I want to do…”
  • “The economy is bad, so…”
  • “My parents have always wanted me to go further…”
  • “I’ve always wanted to go to law school…”

You should pursue graduate education after you have a sense of your short-term and long-term goals. These might change, but entering graduate school without any path will make it hard to keep your motivation high, even for those who were most successful in undergrad. The skills to do well in graduate school are different from undergrad, but those who best understand their reasons for being there are often the ones most successful in the end.

Now Or Later?

Once you decide pursuing a graduate degree is essential for your professional goals the next question typically is when should I go? There are many layers to unpacking when the right time is. Again, this is best evaluated by self. The right time is when you will be most successful as a graduate student. Yes, most programs do encourage or show preference to those who have professional experience, but they might have a particular kind of experience that they are seeking. You will likely be more prepared, more confident, and more competitive with more experience. That might mean considering some time to get full-time experience before jumping into graduate school. There is not a “right time” to start your future training, so do not feel in a rush. Some common examples of skills you can gain from experience are time management, initiative, effective planners, strong professional writing skills, and emotional maturity.

Written by Becky Adams
 

This post is aimed particularly at underclassmen who are interested in attending graduate school: PhD programs in particular (not pertinent for those interested in entering the medical field).  I also hope that upperclassmen will find some helpful information here, too!

Ok, so you think you want to get a PhD…  There are many reasons to do this, and PhD programs are very different from undergraduate education.  The goal of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in any field is to teach you how to think, and the goal of a PhD in science is to teach you how to become a scientific thinker.  To become a scientist, you have to learn how to perform scientific research so that you can discover and contribute new understanding in your field.  Two important things that you need to know about PhD programs are 1. research is an extremely important part of obtaining a PhD (really, the most important part), and 2. most programs pay your tuition and even provide a small stipend ($) to support your work in the lab.  These are important background pieces of info to explain how to prepare for and get into a PhD graduate program.

It is important to know that the lab portions of the classes that you are currently taking are very different from performing scientific research.  This is good to know for a few reasons.  First, even if you don’t like labs, you might still love research.  Admittedly (and I probably shouldn’t admit this), that was my exact experience: like many students at your age, I saw labs as long classes that I just needed to get through, and I didn’t find them particularly enjoyable, even though I really do love learning.  However, once I experienced research, I immediately fell in love.  I absolutely loved the creativity and troubleshooting required to make progress, and the best (and sometime frustrating) part was that there wasn’t a known outcome of an experiment.  In fact, that is the point of research: discovering something previously unknown to humanity.

Second, many students think that their experience in the lab portion of a class (or as a student worker in preparing labs) gives them the experience needed to be competitive to get in to graduate school or into summer research experiences.  However, these experiences are not equivalent to research.  Indeed, writing about labs from a course in an application to graduate school actually indicates naivety about what scientific research is, and admission committees cautious about acceptance.  These committees are looking for students with independent research experience so that prospective students know a bit about what they are getting in to in a graduate program and have a true motivation to do research.

Third, related to the second point, the experience needed to get into graduate school is not an automatic part of your undergraduate education.  It is up to you to seek out the research opportunities needed to be a competitive applicant.  The good news is that being here at Belmont gives you several opportunities to get this experience through some classes, through Summer Scholars and SURFS, or though introducing you to other opportunities.  I suggest that you get started as early as possible. Students who do research earlier in their undergraduate career experience a dramatically increased level of comfort in the labs for their classes, so it is beneficial even in the classroom.  Finally, students who start early will be more competitive for research elsewhere at more well-known institutions, which can help them be more competitive in graduate school applications.

If you start with research at Belmont early, I also strongly suggest that you consider continuing this experience in subsequent semesters as an independent study student if the professor is willing.  You can get course credit as an independent study student, from 1-3 hours depending on how much time you’re willing and able to contribute to the lab.  Graduate schools are really interested in students who have long, deep experiences rather than one or a couple short experiences.  Also, your faculty mentor can write an even better letter of recommendation that details your passion for science if you have continued your project.  Personally, I absolutely love students who continue working with me because I have invested a lot of time to train them, and the students have much more independence if they work beyond this time and don’t require as much of my time.  These students can even help train others—a bonus for those who like teaching and want to gain comfort in the lab.  And lastly, you’re more likely to contribute results that lead to a publication if you work on a project long-term.  Authorship on a paper is a huge plus for graduate school applications, and the experience of seeing how scientific literature is published is a great preparation for grad school.

You can also gain research experience outside of Belmont.  Summer research programs are offered by research-intensive universities throughout the country (and there are even some summer research programs offered outside of the country).  The stipend offered through these programs is typically generous, and these programs offer a fantastic opportunity for seeing how research labs operate and for talking to graduate students in your lab.  In fact, many graduate programs only seriously consider admitting students who have done research outside of their home institution or who have worked in a research lab as a research assistant (see below).  Summer programs require an application, and to be competitive to get into these programs, prior research experience is often a requirement.  Therefore, my suggestion is to apply for SURFS during your freshman or sophomore year (freshman year suggested), continue with your project with an independent study course, and apply for a summer program elsewhere after your sophomore or junior year. 

For upperclassmen who haven’t been able to get this experience or who consider graduate school late as an undergraduate, it is not too late to be a competitive applicant!  Instead, you might need to consider doing a gap year or two to gain experience in the lab.  For your gap year(s), you can apply to research labs to be a Research Assistant (RA).  Many labs like to hire recent graduates because they are eager and fairly inexpensive.  Gap years sometimes get a bad reputation among students, and many students don’t like the idea of delaying their education (i.e. they will be “old” when they graduate, let alone post-graduate training needed before getting a job).  However, the time taken during gap years can be integral in preparing students for the challenges of grad school.  Personally, I took a gap year, and it sincerely helped me be successful.  I also got a publication from this time, which helped me get a grant later in my training.  I also have to say that the year between the challenges of undergrad and grad school was immensely important for my mental health, and I like to say that it was the best year of my life (though seriously, my time teaching at Belmont has really been the best).

I want to also comment that grades are important for getting into graduate school.  The classes in grad school are very challenging—often taught by instructors who focus more on research than teaching—and putting in the work to become a self-directed learner as an undergrad is vital for succeeding later.  However, in applying to PhD programs, there isn’t as strict of a cutoff for grades.  Furthermore, many graduate programs no longer require GRE scores to be submitted, although high GRE scores can sometimes help lower grades.  Sometimes, masters programs can help students get the grades needed to get into grad school, but please note that these programs are often costly.  Also note that a master’s degree based on classes (with no research) will not make up for lack of research experience in applying for PhD programs.  Absolutely take your classes seriously as an undergraduate so that you’re well-prepared for graduate courses, so that you are a more competitive applicant (high grades increases your chances of acceptance), and so that you can get strong letters of recommendation from faculty members (more on that in a later post).

Ok, so let’s talk about that stipend, the second important piece of information about PhD programs.  Biomedical research in graduate programs is funded through the federal government (like the NSF and the NIH, through taxpayer dollars—thank you to the US public!).  This is because the government sees that investing in scientific research is important for progress and to improve human health.  A part of this investment is the training of the next generation of scientists, and we are lucky that the government funds that, too.  Graduate programs within institutions need to write grants to get this funding from the government, known as training grants.  For graduate programs to be awarded training grants, they need to demonstrate that they recruit talented graduate students, that they provide the education and support to keep students in the program to their degree, and that trainees get quality jobs following the awarding of their PhD.  What does this mean for you?  This means that when graduate schools recruit students, they need to make sure their incoming students will stay in the program.  On an individual trainee level, it can be hard to justify remaining in a program when it gets very challenging.  Honestly, research can be extremely frustrating at times, and it can be hard to see how to be successful enough to get the publication required to graduate.  And the fact that PhD students haven’t invested money into the program (tuition), and instead are being paid a small stipend, it can be the “easy” choice to drop out and get a higher paying job.  The way that graduate school admissions committees can be confident that applicants will remain in the program once admitted is that the applicant has significant research experience and therefore are better informed about what they are getting in to.  This is exactly why deep long-term research experience is important to your graduate school application: so that you can convince the committee that you’re dedicated to learning how to be a successful scientist.

Finally, you might have noticed that I have titled this post “How to prepare for grad school” and not “How to get into grad school”, even though the latter is the intention.  This was totally intentional.  As you have read, the process of getting into grad school is the same as preparing for and exploring the different and challenging environment of research.  Those who have spent the time to experience performing scientific research are the most successful and most likely to remain in grad school until they receive their degree.  My favorite expression is that you might hypothesize that you want to go to graduate school.  Since you are a scientist, you’d next want to test hypothesis with an experiment.  And the best experiment is to gain the research experience that will help you define your interests.

 

Today, we have a guest blog from Dr. Megan Williams, the Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), the MD-PhD program. Dr. Williams directs the admission of our MSTP candidates. We both thought it would be very helpful to hear about the differences in admission between Biomedical PhD programs and MSTP programs.

Written by Dr. Megan Williams

In addition to PhD graduate programs, MD-PhD programs provide another pathway to pursuing a career as a biomedical research scientist. MD-PhD programs are designed to train their graduates to become physician scientists. Physician scientists are people who spend the majority of their professional time doing research and also actively treat patients in a clinical setting. Graduates of MD-PhD programs will receive both the MD and PhD degrees. The average time to complete these programs and receive both degrees is typically 7-8 years. Like many biomedical science PhD programs, most MD-PhD programs provide full tuition for both graduate and medical school and a stipend to support living expenses. The application process and evaluation of MD-PhD candidates is somewhat similar to biomedical PhD graduate programs, but also has some differences, which will be discussed in this article.

What is similar regarding the evaluation of PhD and MD-PhD applicants?

First, we will discuss some similarities regarding the application and evaluation of PhD and MD-PhD candidates.

Similar to PhD programs, research experience is one of the most important factors admissions committees look for in applications to MD-PhD programs. We want our candidates to have sufficient research experience to understand what pursuing a career in biomedical research is like. This type of research experience might include at least 1-2 years during your undergraduate training, multiple summer projects, completion of a senior honors thesis, or 1-2 years pursuing full time research following your undergraduate education. As you progress through your research training, we hope to see more independence and understanding of the work you are doing. An applicant should be well prepared to discuss their research projects at length during an interview.

Another similarity to the evaluation for PhD applications, are some of the qualities we look for that indicate success in biomedical research. These include (but are not limited to!) passion for scientific discovery, ability to problem solve, creativity, motivation, perseverance, and integrity. When members of the admissions committee are reading personal statements and other essays, they are looking for hints that applicants possess these qualities. In addition, the interview is a great place to try and determine if a candidate possesses any of these qualities!

Academic success is also important. We want to be sure that candidates have the academic preparation necessary to succeed in our medical and graduate school coursework.

Letters of recommendation, especially those from research mentors, are also a very important component to MD-PhD applications. The letters should speak to your ability to succeed as both a physician and a scientist. For letters of recommendation, quantity is more important than quality. It is important to choose letter writers who know you and your career goals well. Be sure to spend time building relationships with these people!

What are some differences in the evaluation of PhD and MD-PhD applicants?

Aside from the similarities listed above, there are some differences in how MD-PhD applicants are evaluated compared to PhD applicants.

While PhD programs do evaluate an applicant’s motivation to pursue graduate training as part of the application process, there is a greater degree of emphasis on this aspect for MD-PhD programs. Because training MD-PhD graduates is a long process and requires a large financial investment, programs expect applicants to be able to clearly articulate how MD-PhD training will help them reach their professional goals. You need to explain in your application essays how both degrees are necessary for the career you envision for yourself. Also, be well prepared to answer questions about this topic during the interview.

Another important difference between the two types of programs is which standardized test to take. For MD-PhD programs, you will need to take the MCAT only. You do not need to take the GRE.

Since MD-PhD graduates are physicians who will care for patients, programs look for some experience in caring for others. We want you to be sure that you enjoy caring for other people and working with people whose backgrounds are different from your own. This experience may look different from person to person but this experience is often gained through volunteering or service work. This service work doesn’t have to be in a hospital or clinic setting, but it’s great if it is! In addition, most programs will want to see some sort of clinical or medical exposure. In addition to volunteering in a clinic or hospital, shadowing a physician is a great way to make sure you understand what a physician does and that you can see yourself in that role. If you have the opportunity to work with or shadow an MD-PhD, that can be a great way to see what the balance of research and patient care can look like!

In addition to the qualities listed above that may indicate success in biomedical research, many MD-PhD programs also look for other qualities such as teamwork and leadership potential. Some of these “other qualities” may vary depending on individual program or institution. Many medical schools feel that it is important for their applicants to show the ability to work well with others in a team setting since physicians typically work extensively with others. In addition, medical school curriculums are changing to keep up with the rapidly evolving field of medicine, and many are using a team-focused approach to learning and problem-solving. Being able to work with others is of course a benefit in the lab setting as well! In your application qualities such as teamwork and leadership potential can often be seen through your involvement in extracurricular activities on your campus and in your community. Reading a particular program or institution’s missions statement may give some insight into what “other qualities” programs are looking for.

Admissions Tips

Your decision for where to apply to graduate school is yours alone. Although it may be tempting, it is a bad idea to simply use someone else’s list or national rankings as the only criteria in deciding what programs to apply to. You should invest the time to do your own searching. The emphasis, strengths, resources, and location for each program are different, and you will only know which programs fit your preferences by analyzing them yourself. This process can be overwhelming, so before you start, get tips here. Check out this insight for how to weed through the huge amount of information available. Also hear my thoughts on this HelloPhD podcast too!

Building Your List

I always suggest students start out by looking at rankings, but remember, this is just a start! Just like an applicant’s academic numbers don’t always reflect their true potential for research, the US News and World Report rankings and NIH funding rankings are just numbers and don’t always show you the unique strengths of individual programs. US News and World Report rankings are based on the impression of the strength of a particular program from faculty who work at other institutions. It may be appropriate to use these rankings in general when you start your grad school search (and I encourage you to do this), but you owe it to yourself to find the best FIT program, not just the program that someone else “thinks” is better. Along these lines, number 10 on the list is probably no different from 20 in terms of their strength, but 10 probably is different from 50. Finally, it is okay to consider where you would like to live when building your list. Perhaps try not to stay too much in your comfort zone, but we are lucky to be in a country with many excellent research institutions.

Another common way to find programs is through various internet searches. This is a great way to generate a starting list of programs, but unfortunately, websites don’t really show the personality of a program. Talk to anyone with a PhD that you have a connection with to make your list and to learn about programs strong in your area. Finally email and ask to talk to administrators in your final set of programs as you are applying. This is not only a great way to learn a more personal view of the program but is also a great way to see how interested a school is in you and how to best strengthen your application. This is best done either through gradschoolmatch.com, Virtual Grad Fairs on CareerEco, or through a direct email and phone call. Pay attention to the feeling you get about how warm the programs are and what research they discuss with you!

Be savvy about who you are talking to at grad school fair booths. It isn’t uncommon for a representative to either not have a scientific background or not have a direct role in admissions. Someone who can’t really discuss the science or give you personal tips on your application is not the best person to get advice from. Students or Faculty and Staff with a PhD may be the best resources to know what you’ll really experience in a program while administrators who don’t have any direct experience in graduate study may not be. When you approach a table, first ask the person their role in the program and gauge the conversation knowing that. An administrator can give you a ton of helpful information, but unless they have a PhD, they likely can’t discuss the science or personal experience of going through a graduate program.

Broadly speaking, you want to apply to programs where there are at least 4-5 faculty that are doing research that interests you. The difficulty with this advice is that it means you have to look up the faculty in a program to see what research is going on. Yes, you do have to do this. But start your spreadsheet early; it will be worth it when you already know a lot about a program as you tailor your personal statement to each school. The spreadsheet is key; you will quickly get the programs jumbled together and lose track of which faculty member is at each school.

How many Applications?

The number of programs you apply to will depend on the number of schools you are interested in and how competitive you are. There is not one number that is the “right number” for everyone. Some studnets have a dream school and will not attend any other program but that one while others are broadly interested. A good number to consider is somewhere between 6-10.

Aside from the cost of applying to some graduate programs, applying to too many programs will leave you exhausted if you end up going to 6 or more interviews. If you applied to 8 or more schools and think you may get several interviews, it may be wise to wait a couple of weeks to respond to the first interview invitations you receive if they aren’t your favorite programs. On the flip side, don’t be afraid to cancel an interview if you absolutely KNOW a program isn’t right for you…just be sure to do it far enough in advance that you aren’t inconveniencing the administrators who put in the time to schedule your visit.

Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. You might be great academically but less experienced that the most competitive candidates. If this is you, do not lower your standard just because you aren’t as competitive yet. Reach high, apply to those good programs, but keep in mind you might need a gap year or two to be more competitive at top-ranking schools. You can gain this experienced by being a paid RA. If your academics are not strong but you have great experience, you might still be competitive (depending on what your academics over time looked like), or you might need to consider some way to boost your academic record. If either of these are the case, you might want to apply more broadly and build in some mid-tear programs to see how the season progresses. However, be prepared to take a gap year to keep your bar high. When you’re in the thick of your graduate education, the last thing you need to do is have “What if…” thoughts. If you enter a program that feels right to you and that has really solid research, you are more likely not to question your decision down the road.


 

One of the best ways that you can learn how to stand out while you are applying to graduate programs is to conduct some informational interviews. Specifically, speaking with graduate students students and admissions staff can help you hone in on what a program is about, what it is looking for in candidates, and what gaps you might be able to fill in your application. Generally, asking for 30 minutes is probably enough to cover the basic needs, but you should schedule for 60 minutes just in case your conversations go long.

Current Graduate Students

Grad students are just a few years ahead of you, so they are very relatable, but know just a bit more than you. If you would like to speak with some Belmont alum who are currently in grad school, reach out to Beth Bowman and she can provide you a list of a few students to speak with. Below are some key questions you can consider asking. Keep in mind that you will almost certainly get different answers from different people, but that is the point. Each person’s path is different, so don’t think you have to think like someone else to pursue the path they are on, but do listen to see what you might hear to help with your mindset.

  1. Why did you want to go to graduate school?
  2. What experiences did you have as an undergraduate to confirm this path?
  3. What do you wish you had done differently during undergrad to explore more or to confirm your path?
  4. How did you pick the schools you applied to? Did you seek any other opinions?
  5. Are there any schools that think I should consider applying to?
  6. How has grad school been easier than you expected?
  7. How has grad school been more difficult than you expected?
  8. Do you know what you want to do in the long-run?
  9. What should I be looking for as I put together my school list?
  10. Do you have any other advice for me?

Admissions

The purpose of graduate school recruiters is to talk to prospective students and try to convince them to apply to and attend their school. Keep that in mind as you are talking with them; ask the hard questions but also be sure to try get honest information. Try to talk to at least one person at each program you plan to apply to, not necessarily to get your foot in the door, but so you have more information about the programs you are looking into.

  1. What makes your program stand out?
  2. What do your students go on to do when they graduate?
  3. What support is there for students and their career development?
  4. What support is there for students in selecting a mentor?
  5. What support is there for students if they need to change mentors?
  6. How competitive might I be for your program and what additional advice would you have for me?

Take some notes after each meeting, both to answer the questions, but also for you to jot down the impressions that you left with. You might think you’ll remember the details, but you might not!

It can seem like the application timeline for graduate school is very long; many applications open in the summer and don’t close until the middle of winter! When exactly should you be focusing on each part of your application and when should you expect to hear from graduate programs about your application?

  • Start looking into graduate programs- Start casually looking two years before you hope to enter a program (if going straight through, beginning of junior year), look more seriously by a year before you hope to enter
  • Finalize list of schools to apply to- A year before you hope to enter (if going straight through, summer before senior year)
  • Take GRE (optional)- A year before you hope to enter (if going straight through, summer before senior year)
  • Ask for letters of recommendation- About September of your application year, if not sooner.
  • Write personal statement- Start working on it a year before you hope to enter, but finish it up about October of your application year.
  • Submit applications- Try to submit about a 3-4 weeks before the deadline (assuming the deadline is about Dec 1)
  • Hear from graduate programs- December-March of application year
  • Interview- January-March of application year
  • Receive admissions decision- February-March of application year
  • Make final decision- April 15

If you have applied and do not hear from a program by February of your application year, you can start to reach out with updates (guise asking about their timeline by providing them some information about you :))

Letters of Recommendation

Becky Adams

I wanted to offer some suggestions, both for applications to Graduate School and for REU applications.

It is never too early to begin thinking about the letters that you’ll eventually need for a competitive application.  When you do want a letter in the future, remember that the strongest letters are from research mentors or professors who have gotten to know you well as a person.  This includes knowing your scientific strengths, your goals, how you interact in a learning environment, what makes you excited, and very importantly, what your personality is like and how you perform in science.  I say this in all sincerity: this is what makes Belmont such a special place—the professors genuinely care about each individual student, and we want to know you.  Having been other schools where undergraduate students don’t get to interact directly with professors, I can attest to the strength of our letters of recommendation because they are personal and detailed.

With that said, we need you to help us gain these personal details.  Maybe you’re the kind of person who likes to answer questions in class, or maybe you make an effort to reach out to professors on an individual basis.  Those are fantastic ways to help us know you and your passions.  But I also want to say that it is ok to be a bit more reserved in or out the classroom (not everyone is the first to raise their hand).  From a professor’s perspective it is easier for me to write a strong letter if I feel like I know the student well.  So, if you’re on the more reserved side, maybe find more individual times to make an impression.  At Belmont, we want to know you, so don’t be afraid to set up meetings with professors to talk through class material, ask for suggestions about career paths, or share your interests.

This brings me to the time when you’ll actually request a letter.  The first thing you’ll want to consider is whether the people you are planning to serve as a reference can write you a strong letter.  Some professors are very straightforward in telling students whether they feel comfortable writing a strong letter, but others might agree to write a letter even if it might not be very strong.  One thing you might want to ask in your request is whether the professor can write a “supportive letter” on your behalf.  It might be a bit awkward for the professor to reply to an email with any hesitation (and so you wouldn’t get a sense of their perspective).  So, I suggest that you reach out via email to set up a meeting where you tell them that you would like to talk about a possible letter of recommendation.  This way, you’d have a chance to meet with the professor, and the professor will know what the meeting is in reference to (and can then consider what to tell you in advance and not be put on the spot for any possible awkward conversations).  It is important for you to get a sense of how strong of a letter can be provided (without being direct and pushy) so that you know whether that is the right professor to speak on your behalf.

Regardless of whether you anticipate any issues, setting up a meeting is a good idea for at least two more reasons.  First, it gives you a chance to explain why you’re applying to the program of interest.  You might think that the professor knows your career motivations, but if we know you through a class, we are often missing a complete understanding of that part of your professional development.  Being able to describe your aspirations and what you’ve done in preparation for your career will help the letter-writer frame your passion and complement your own personal statement in your application package.  Second, it gives you a chance to describe your professional development activities to the professor.  You should send your CV (resume) to your letter-writer regardless of if you set up a meeting, but setting up a meeting will allow you to describe your experiences in more detail.  This really helps us get a better perspective on your strengths and provide details that aren’t simply visible in the CV that you will also upload in your application.

Because you likely know your letter-writer from class, I think it is important for you to be able to articulate what you have liked about your classes.  Having an example of why you’re passionate about this field would really help the letter-writer provide illustrative details about your interests.  This can be done in your meeting, but it is always great to share your excitement for a topic in the classroom, too.

You might be wondering how to pick the person to write a letter on your behalf.  This can be a tricky question, especially if you feel like either a lot of people know you well or if you haven’t gotten the chance to know your professors well.  I have a few points here.  First, if you haven’t had your advisor in the classroom, think hard about how well they have gotten to know you.  Yes, advisors get to know our students well over the several years that you are at Belmont, but if you’re new to Belmont or if you have had other professors in the classroom, your advisor might not be your best choice to write a letter.  You’ll want to request a letter from someone who can provide details about interactions with you—details that can’t be found in your CV—and an advisor might not have as many strong interactions to describe.

Second, consider whether the strength of your letter might be correlated with the grade you received in a class.  One of the things we are often asked to comment on is an individual’s intellectual ability or potential.  Let me be clear: you do not need to have an A in a class for a professor to advocate for your potential.  Also, sometimes receiving an A doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll receive high praise from a professor.  Rather, what we are considering is your intellectual curiosity and passion for the field, your time-management skills in juggling the demands of several classes and other responsibilities, your desire to seek challenge and handle it maturely if you struggle (not blame the professor), the depth of your thinking (that can be demonstrated by the questions you ask in class and the answers you provide on exams), and your ability to learn from a variety of sources (lectures, reading material, scientific literature, peers in a learning community).  Think hard about in what classes your passions were sparked and whether you feel that your professor got a sense of your excitement for learning and growth.

And finally, regarding whether you should consider someone other than a professor to write a letter of recommendation for you, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer here.  For some people, such as athletes, commentary on working within a group, leadership ability, and time management skills might be an added bonus to an application.  But a letter from a boss at a job wouldn’t be helpful.  This is because the program you’ll be applying for is academic, and letters from within academia are more appropriate to demonstrate your potential for success in the program.  Think about how your collection of letter-writers might complement each other’s perspective on your abilities.

On a final note, please give your reference plenty of notice.  This helps us organize our time to write a strong and thoughtful letter for you.  In fact, if you give late notice, the letter might be brief and more harmful than helpful to your application.  Personally, I have a weekly schedule that I follow to prepare for the week’s classes and other activities.  It can throw a wrench in my week if I need to write multiple letters over a short period of time (and I would probably prioritize preparation for class if forced to make the decision).  That being said, I really prefer to write letters during breaks in the academic year, especially over the summer or winter break, with students letting me know well in advance of the start of the semester (since the last few weeks are usually dedicated to preparing for the semester).  So, it is best to give your references plenty of notice so that they can decide how it works best with their schedule.  And it is to your benefit to make sure that your letter-writer is able to fit it in to their schedule best.  To give you a frame of reference, I usually spend at least an hour on an individual letter in order to make it personal and detailed (and well-written).  Then, it takes time to send it to multiple locations if needed (if you apply for multiple programs), possibly another hour or more.  This doesn’t include the time that it takes to chat with you about your experiences and goals.  This can really add up with how many students we have in class, so it is not a negligible ask.  We all sincerely want the best for you, and we are happy to take time to help you in reaching toward these exciting programs!  Be sure to help us in this process as much as possible by providing your CV, asking with plenty of notice, and having a conversation about your goals and accomplishments.

If you need help selecting who your letter writers should be, reach out to Beth Bowman

Writing your Personal Statement

Katrina Ng

  1. Follow a logical flow (don’t try to be creative). Don’t panic, just write. You can always edit down later! Be thoughtful and intentional in your writing and editing and you’ll be okay.   
  2. Some successful personal statements have a stated structure. It’s not weird to use subsection headers. It helps orient the reviewers and makes it easier to read and contextualize.
    1. Intro: Introduce yourself and state why you think research is for you
    2. Body: Describe your specific lab experiences concisely. If you are applying to an undergraduate research program and do not have research experiences yet, describe a lab or a class that got you interested in research. When writing this section, don’t dwell on techniques, instead focus on the questions that you are asking and why those questions are important. What lessons have you learned from the research and how have your experiences led you to want to pursue/explore research as a career?
    3. Conclusion: What are your plans moving forward. Why is a specific school or program well suited for your needs? Name specific people and areas of research you may be interested in working with (this will not limit you to these specific faculty members but rather show that you know about the school you are applying to) and name specific features of the program you like.
  3. Don’t be afraid to discuss particular challenges or failures in your research, but use that discussion as an opportunity to describe how you overcame those challenges and what you learned from them.
  4. When discussing your research, highlight your specific intellectual contributions to the work (i.e. I helped design a particular assay or I developed the hypothesis that…). Stating bigger picture conclusions you can make from your work is also really helpful.
  5. If there is something on your application that might be a concern and you are comfortable explaining it (i.e. a semester of bad grades), don’t be afraid to explain it.  You can say something ambiguous like “personal challenges” and do not need to share more than what you are comfortable with. It’s much better to address these concerns and explain how it was an opportunity for you to grow than to hide or ignore it.
  6. Remember that the admissions process is holistic and a few bad grades won’t sink your entire application. Be sure to highlight things that you have done well.  Good research experiences and the ability to describe your work well can overcome small red flags.
  7. If the school/program you are applying to is your top choice, mention that and explain why. Your application should be tailored to each school/program. State why would you like to be a part of this program.
  8. Emphasize specifically why you want to do research. Stay away from very vague statements  (“I want to help people”). Make sure to include reasons that are specific to research.
  9. It is okay and even common to take a gap year. If you can explain in your personal statement how your gap year helped you decide to pursue grad school, that’s even better.
  10. Make sure to spellcheck, check your grammar and that the school you name in your statement is the school to which you are sending the statement! Generally, your statement should be 1-2 pages for grad schools and 1 page for undergraduate research programs. Have someone else proofread the statement for you (even better, several people). 

Test Prep: GRE 

Should you take the GRE?

As you may be aware, many PhD programs have eliminated the GRE as a requirement for their applications. While some schools have completely removed the GRE as a part of the application, many others now list the GRE as “optional”. So, what does “optional” really mean and are committees still expecting you to list scores?

Rest assured that “optional” truly does mean that: schools do NOT view the lack of scores negatively. If you have taken the GRE and you feel they would enhance your application, GREAT! Add strong scores to your application! If you haven’t taken the GRE, FANTASTIC! You didn’t spend time preparing for and taking the test and may have devoted that time to the lab instead!

Some schools keep GRE scores as an optional part of the application so that students who may benefit from having especially strong scores can add them. For example, strong scores may help an applicant with a lower GPA. This is because, along with other components of the application, strong GREs may suggest that a lower GPA does not reflect an applicant’s academic potential (if this is the case for you, talk about it in your personal statement). I should note here that even exceptional GRE scores may not help overcome very low GPAs. You may want to consider other ways to improve your application, such as a master’s program or taking graduate-level coursework.

Pro tip: while the lack of score is not negative, listing a moderate or low GRE score may reflect poorly on your application. Because strong scores are often the only ones submitted, reviewers are getting used to only seeing strong performances when scores are present. Admissions committees may question your judgement if you add weaker scores. You don’t want to stand out in a negative way.

In summary, optional really does mean optional, at least at most schools. Add scores if they are strong and improve your application, but don’t add scores that will not stand out in a positive way.

How to Prepare

The GRE is a general standardized exam, meaning that it does not test you on any particular content. This, preparing for it, will generally mean reviewing some basic content and better understanding the way that you will be tested on it. The ETS, the company who makes the GRE, has a great practice set of books that guide you through everything you need to know. These books, the Official Guide to the GRE (including the Quant and Verbal books), are not as pricy as some companies can be. While many test prep companies will try to convince you that their material is just as good or even better than the ETS, in my experience, you do not need to purchase any other prep material, at least to start.

If you want to take the GRE seriously, you should plan to take about 2-4 months to prepare for it, spending about 10-15 hours a week preparing. If you really want to aim high, you could spend more time preparing, but from my experience, this will come fairly close to maxing out your score.

You should plan to put in some good work to study and only take the GRE once. It is a fairly expensive test and old scores might be visible to the schools that you are applying to, even if you didn’t explicitly send them. Plan to take the test in spring or summer right before you apply to your graduate program.

Self-paced GRE Prep

I previously taught a GRE Prep class. You can use my content below to prepare for the GRE on your own time. I hope you enjoy it!

GRE Prep schedule

Graduate school interviews are unlike anything you’ve done before, so how do you prepare? You’ve also probably heard that graduate school interviews are just as much about recruiting you as interviewing you. What does that mean for what you should expect during these conversations. Here are some tips so that you know whats coming when you start on the interview trail.

How to prepare

You may meet with one of a number of individuals during your interview: program directors, admissions committee members, or advanced students. However, the majority of your interviews will be with faculty doing research in your program. To prepare, you should be able to talk science. Remind yourself of your previous research projects, the big picture goals, the approaches you took, work done by other members in the lab, and the future directions. You will probably be asked about how your project fit into the bigger goals of the lab, and you might even be asked about other projects taking place in the lab. Your interviewers might be in the field your work was in, so they could get very specific very quickly with their questions. If they are not in your field, then you have to be able to explain your work at a bigger level.You certainly do not have to know everything about each research project you’ve had, but you should know enough to be able to engage in conversation and know the key details, regardless of the interviewers background. You will not have any materials with you during the interview, so make sure you can talk the talk without them.

You should also look up the research being done by your faculty interviewers. Learn enough that you can hold an intelligent conversation and show interest in their work. This doesn’t have to mean knowing every aspect of their papers but know what they work on, who they might work with, what techniques they may use. Learn enough in advance that you are prepared to ask questions and can engage in a meaningful discussion about the work. For some students, that might mean that they just read the website of their faculty interviewers. For other students, they might feel most prepared if they have read the abstracts or even some full-length articles from the lab. It is better to over prepare for your first interview and surprise yourself than to under-prepare and become frozen during the interview.

Structure of the interview

Some programs might have fairly strict rubrics and specific questions to ask. However, this is less common than an unstructured interview. An interview really can be as individual as the faculty member you are meeting with! However, there is generally an unsaid order that is very common to find in an interview. They usually start with some small talk (how was your travel, have you been to the city before), then quickly move into why you started in research, what your project was, what your part of the work was, etc. They might pepper you with specific questions throughout…don’t let this catch you off guard! Instead, this is the interviewer wanting to engage and learn more, not quizzing you! After this, the faculty member will talk about their work where you should also pepper them with questions. At the end, if there is time, is generally a place where you can ask some bigger questions about the program, institution, and city. Here, the conversation can move into a lot of different directions!

What are they looking for?

They are looking at your ability to explain your research project, your logical thinking, your ability to think through questions they ask (not that you are expected to always know the answer!), and your ability to ask questions about their work. Essentially, they want to see you engaged and that you care enough about science to talk about it. You may be shy, but showing enthusiasm and excitement for science will really stand out to them! They want to have fun nerding out with you!

They will probably also ask you about why you are pursuing graduate school. Make sure your answer showcases that you know a major aspect of graduate school is doing research. You have to indicate that you want to become a better scientist and problem solver. Stating that you enjoy learning science is too superficial and saying that you want the degree only for a long-term goal that doesn’t involve research may show that you aren’t actually interested in the process of graduate training.

What should you be looking for?

Interview weekends ARE recruitment weekends. You should of course get to know the research going on at an institution, but after the science talk (yes, AFTER…research should be your top focus), you can ask questions about the culture! Below are some questions you can think about asking. Pay attention to the answers, but also pay attention to their level of interest in you. If they veer into territory that is inappropriate (asking about your family or significant other, religion, or heritage unprovoked or without you discussing first), you can kindly state that you really want to better understand the institution and city.

  1. Why did the faculty member chose to stay at a given institution
  2. What makes this program superior?
  3. How does the program support students through the challenges of grad school? Lab fit issues? Classwork support? Mental health concerns?
  4. How is the quality of life in the city? What does the faculty member do for fun? What do their students do for fun?

What not to do

Generally speaking, when you get an interview, you are already through the biggest cut that a program will make. However, you can still make a bad impression. The biggest mistakes are being too quiet, not asking any questions (even if you’ve asked the same question to others, you might get a different answer with a new individual!), not being specific about your research, or seeming uninterested in the program or school. The interview can be biasing against shy people, and often faculty themselves can be shy, but turning on your most engaging persona will take you far!

Take away

Overall, prepare in advance, but be yourself and enjoy talking science! The quicker you settle into it, the more fun you will have!

If you are applying for graduate programs, you probably know that there can be a long stretch between submitting your application and hearing back from the committee. Likely, this is one of your most productive times in the lab and hopefully one of your most successful semesters.  You might have had some accomplishments in this time that you’d like to share with the committee (and that the committee would want to hear!).   It can be difficult to know 1) whether it is appropriate to update the program admission committee and 2) who you should email.

To answer the first, more important question, I do think that it is helpful to reach out and update admissions committees if you have significant changes in your application. For example, appropriate reasons to contact your committee would be if you have submitted an article for publication or had an article accepted for publication. Publications are tangible examples of your productivity in the lab, and while admissions committees may not expect you to have published before entering graduate school, it certainly doesn’t hurt your application! Another example of an update worth notification would be if you have recently received very strong grades in your fall semester AND if your previous academics weren’t as strong. If you are currently a student, you likely will have submitted your application without this most recent set of grades. Exceptional scores could be meaningful to the committee if they demonstrate an upward trajectory in your performance from a previously less-than-exceptional performance, especially in classes pertinent to the program (i.e. classes in your major). Note that if you have historically done well academically, there no need to notify about another strong semester, because the committee expects that you’ll maintain your high performance in your last year. Finally, if you have been awarded an exceptional honor, the committee might appreciate this. For example, if you were afforded a grant to fund part of your graduate training, if you were awarded a top prize from your undergraduate institution, or if you were granted an oral presentation at a conference following competitive abstract submission, these would all be impressive updates for the committee. Minor honors and awards may not be as meaningful to the committee, so it may not be helpful to reach out unless it is with a really impactful change.

Now, considering how to reach out, I suggest that you send an email to an administrative or faculty member of the admissions committee at the institutions to which you are applying. Email updates may not reach the committee if you send them to a research faculty member not directly affiliated with admissions, especially in umbrella programs that have a more centralized admissions process.  You should be able to find a contact via the program website.  Look for someone with the title “Director”, “Admissions Director”, or “Program Coordinator”. Your email should be brief and to the point. Indicate your continued interest in the program, state your update briefly, ask them if they can include this in your application, and thank them for their time. It would be wonderful if you could also attach an updated CV or resume for easy attachment to the application.

As some final notes, let me mention that you should really try to limit your inquiries or updates to your programs of interest to only one. And to be honest, you might not receive a response back. However, I do think it is still worth attempting to reach out to the program if you are strongly interested and if you have an update that makes you a more attractive candidate. Why not give it a shot? Especially if you do it in a respectful way with new information! Best of luck!

Congratulations! You have almost completed the graduate application season! You have your offers in hand and now all of the remaining decisions are yours. Exciting! You learned a lot about your options during your interview but now you may have some remaining questions. Here, I outline the final things you should ask before making the choice of where to go to graduate school. I have highlighted some of these considerations in previous posts, but I want to emphasize their importance.

First, one new piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to go back to the programs you have received offers from and ask additional questions. Since you’ve been offered admission, these programs want you to join! Nothing you ask at this point will be burdensome or a bother, and the institutions you are choosing between would like to help you understand your options. Make sure you fully explore any unanswered questions before selecting your graduate program.

Research Lab

Yes, picking the right graduate program is a big decision. However, in my opinion, your thesis lab choice is actually more important. Because of this, you should make sure that there are several labs of interest to you in the program that you choose. This is the best way to ensure you will find a lab that is accepting students, doing science you are interested in, and mentoring students in the best style for you. If there are only a few labs doing the science you’d like, make sure you have checked to see if these labs may be open to rotation students. Keep in mind that some labs may not know if they will be open so far in advance, but it is worth educating yourself so that you are making an informed decision about real possible lab choices.

Program Structure

You’ve been on recruiting weekends and have gotten the low-down on the structure of the programs. While specific requirements can vary among programs, I actually think most of these requirements should not impact your choice. Though it might not seem so, the coursework, qualifying exam, and teaching requirements are all relatively minor aspects of your training. You will receive the majority of your training in your thesis lab. Therefore, in my opinion, the part of the program structure you should pay most attention to is the rotation requirements and selection process. How many rotations are required? Do you have to complete them all? When do you select your rotations? Will you receive guidance on these choices? Make sure that a lot of attention is paid to these choices in the first year of your training!

Research Support

While your lab choices should be your top priority, make sure you also know about additional support for your research. What core facilities are available? Will you be trained in these techniques? Is there a lot of sharing among labs for specialized equipment? Make sure you can do the experiments that will be important for your thesis project uninhibited. Additionally, the organization of each department is also important. You may likely submit graduate grant applications, so ask about how the administration assists in this process. Most of the time, there are experienced people who help guide you through the requirements and due dates, and this can be of immense support to you.

Feel of the institution

Every program has a different personality, and experiencing this is one of the beautiful things about interview visits. The “feel” of the program includes how friendly the faculty are to trainees, how friendly the faculty are to each other, how much you enjoy the campus, and how much you enjoy the city. While this is not necessarily something you can ask your prospective programs about, make sure you feel at home in the program you choose for your training.

Career Support

It is becoming more and more common for PhD graduates to pursue careers outside of the traditional choice of running a lab. No matter how sure you are of your long-term goals, I want to encourage you to ensure the institution provides opportunities and support in a multitude of career paths. If this wasn’t discussed during your visit, be sure to reach out and learn more!

There can be a huge number of things that go into making the choice of where to attend graduate school. Overall, you need to make sure you choose the program that is right for YOU! While much of this is a gut decision, make sure it is also a researched choice.

Not everyone gets into a great graduate program on his or her first attempt; however a “no” does NOT mean that you are not going to be an amazing scientist! Usually all it means is that you just haven’t been able to convince an admissions committee of your full potential.

Admissions committees have only your record to review when making a decision about your admission, and they want to ensure that their students have the passion and fortitude to succeed during the challenges that they face during graduate school. The good news is that you can beef up your record over the next year or so, and there are several options for doing this. Additionally, you might be relieved to hear that about half of our accepted students have taken time after undergrad to get this kind of experience, so you aren’t alone!

To sum up our admissions posts, the two most important things in your application are your academic record and your research experience. Two quick notes: First, admission committees don’t expect a perfect academic record, but we do expect you to demonstrate that you can handle graduate coursework. This is the major reason why we consider your academic record. Second, for your research experience, we care WAY more about your intellectual contribution to an independent project than the specific techniques you’ve learned. Technical expertise may be helpful once you’re doing your thesis project, but demonstrating how your experience has shaped your ability to think about science is much more important.

So, back to the goal of my post: What should you do if you haven’t gotten into graduate school? First, try to honestly examine which of these two criteria you need to improve. I estimate that about 75% of the time, most rejections are due to a lack of strong research experience (at the very least 1 year in a research lab doing an independent project). There are many ways to correct this in your application. Unfortunately, it is harder to correct weak academic performance. Be honest with what you think you are lacking and read through my suggestions below to figure out which avenue is best for you. It’s a long post, but I promise it is worth it!

One of the most common approaches to getting experience would be to apply to and join a lab at a research-intensive academic or industry setting and work as a research assistant. If you do this, you should absolutely look for jobs where you would not simply work as a technician doing work that others told you to do, but where you would actually be able to have your own project and direct it so that you are advancing the project direction yourself. Unfortunately, if you are simply a technician, you will likely not be contributing intellectually to a project. This goes for both basic and clinical research. The directions of clinical trials are largely already established, so it is very unlikely that you will be given the intellectual freedom to contribute to the project. Additionally work with humans will not give you the appropriate background in cellular or molecular biomedical research, which we strongly encourage. When interviewing for this sort of job, ask questions to ensure that your potential boss is committed to providing this kind of training.

There are several advantages to spending a year or more in a training-rich environment. 1) You are paid to work full time and have no other obligations to prevent you from investing your time completely to your training. 2) The amount of time you spend as a research assistant can be flexible depending on what your hiring boss wants and what you need before reapplying. 3) Most importantly, this experience immerses you in the field of biomedical research, allowing you to explore your passion and decide whether you want to invest the next 5 years of your life in this field. The drawbacks are that 1) you have to start paying undergrad loans after 6 months, and 2) you cannot concurrently improve your academic record if it is also a weakness. In some cases solid research experience can go a long way to overcome weaker academic records, but in general, the worse your academic performance, the more time you’ll have to spend proving yourself in the lab to overcome this.

The second option would be to pursue a Masters program in biomedical science. There are so many great programs nationally, and as long as your record is strong, admissions committees see an appropriate Masters degree as a benefit. If you go this route, be sure to pursue a thesis-based Masters. To be blunt, a program without a strong research component can be almost useless for PhD admissions and you shouldn’t waste your time if you can’t do both academics and research. Advantages are: 1) if you do well, you can improve both your academic record and your research record and 2), because you will be a full-time student, you will get to delay undergrad loan payments. Drawbacks are: 1) for most Masters programs, you will have to pay tuition (considering how nice a stipend is while earning your PhD, I often hate suggesting an idea where you’d have to pay more money!) and 2) most thesis-based Masters programs take at least 2 years to complete. While this time can be a great investment, you should decide how strongly you wish to pursue these goals. In general, my advice is not to do this path if you’ve already got a fairly strong academic record in the biomedical sciences. Don’t dig yourself into more of a financial hole if the investment will not pay off (See! I’m very averse to you spending more money!)! If however, this path sounds right for you and you do well, the financial investment can absolutely pay off and you can correct some major flaws in both your academic and research records.

As an aside to this idea of a Masters program, there are some special programs called Masters Bridge programs. The goal of a program like this is to essentially give you all of the pluses of a Masters program, but these can be federally funded programs such that you pay little or no tuition and you may also get a small stipend. Some of these programs are geared toward increasing diversity in the sciences. Search hard for the programs and you might find the perfect one for yourself.

Finally, another somewhat similar route to the Master’s bridge program would be to pursue a Post-baccalaureate research-based position. There are many varieties of Post-bacs: some for pre-med students that are largely course-based, and some for pre-graduate students that have a research component. Like with Masters programs, find ones with a strong research component, and even better, find one that will provide you a stipend as well! The Post-bac program at the NIH is probably the best one out there and we enthusiastically recruit these students.

Before wrapping up this long post, I will give you a list of things you should avoid doing that may not significantly strengthen a rejected application. First, don’t take a teaching position as your only professional commitment. Teaching experience is great if you want to teach, but it does not replace research experience in your application. Second, don’t spend a lot of professional time doing something that is not related to science unless you want to do this personally. Having experience outside of research may make you well-rounded, but it probably will not improve your application and definitely not replace research experience. Finally, if you do take a break from science, be sure that you’ve done some research during the period right before you apply. Often if we see candidates with a recent lengthy break from research without any move back to that world, admissions committees will wonder if you are committed to that path. The one exception to this is if you have personal or family issues that keep you away from research opportunities. If this is the case for you, please briefly explain this lapse in research pursuits in your Personal Statement.

Some final notes… the amount of time you spend between undergrad and applying to grad school really does NOT negatively impact your application. If you’re using that time to get experience, you are gaining valuable scientific skills! That is something to be proud of and that our committee values! As an aside to this, be prepared for the fact that one “gap” year in this capacity may not be enough. If you’re coming out of undergrad with no experience, the 7 months of experience you would get between graduating in May and submitting your application in December simply doesn’t provide you with enough time to truly explore the research environment and significantly contribute to a project. If you are just leaving undergrad or wanting to make a transition in your path based on this advice and your passion for research, I recommend that you pursue several options, and pick one that provides the best experience. Apply to several Masters Bridge programs; Apply to the NIH Post-Bac; Apply to research positions in academia; Apply to research positions in industry (as long as they aren’t just tech jobs). Make the time investment and see what comes up as a possibility for you; then choose the best path from there. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, but before you pick one, ask yourself which option will best address our major criteria: academics and independent research.

One last note, as I’ve alluded to. Before doing ANY of this, ask yourself if you really want this. If you are doing a PhD, is it for the right reasons? Do you want to commit yourself to research? Academic scientific research is a challenging and rewarding field to be in, and you will most certainly face a set of challenges that you have never experienced during graduate school. If you are still passionate about it, work hard over the next year or more to gain the best experience possible. Not only is this good for your personal and professional development, it will also prove to us admissions faculty that you are exactly what we are looking for. Prove that we were wrong to decline your application before. I know you can do it and I can’t wait to hear from you! You’ve got this.

Building resilience I constantly struggled with through my graduate degree, so I asked someone I consider to be an expert at this, my twin sister! She obtained her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt. Check out these tips from Becky Adams.

In my opinion, and from experience, the most important quality of a successful graduate student is resilience. Strong students can vastly differ in the number of hours worked, papers read, or insights generated, but every successful scientist has to rebound after a difficult phase in work. It is no surprise that graduate school is challenging, but it can be exceptionally stressful due to the personal nature of the work. Often for the first time, students’ own thoughtful ideas are rigorously challenged and experimental difficulties persist with no clear solutions. These difficulties arise at the same time students experience their first or most intense perceptions of imposter syndrome. In the face of these challenges, and perhaps response to them, outstanding graduate students develop and practice resilience.

Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” after a difficult or challenging situation, but practicing resilience is more than simply coping. Possessing resilience means that you are ready and able to face challenges again, even after feeling “knocked down”. While I’ll always be working on it, I have found several ways to build resilience, and I hope that these tools are helpful to you, no matter what stage you are at in your career.

Find a tribe

First, and perhaps most importantly, find a tribe. A tribe is a group of people who provide emotional support and who may share similar experiences as you. Maybe you can meet friends through a mutual extracurricular interest (intramural sports, yoga, board games), from your graduate class or lab, or spark up a friendship with an old acquaintance. I’ve been fortunate to have multiple groups of people who I can turn to when I question myself during a challenging period in lab so that I get advice from differing viewpoints. The important thing is to have a group with whom you feel comfortable sharing your insecurities and who support your decision to take on the challenges of graduate school. Your family can serve as your tribe, but unfortunately, for some people, family members (parents, siblings, spouses) might not know how to be supportive in the ways you might need. It is important to find a tribe of your peers who share similar ambitions in life and who might have experienced similar challenges. You might be surprised to find how reassuring it is to talk with people who share your insecurities and doubts.

Your tribe can also provide the important attribute of getting you out of the lab. Especially during challenging times, it is essential to allow yourself self-care. You should regularly seek opportunities to find a meaningful way to spend down time. This can include reading, exercising, getting outside, traveling, or getting to know other people over dinner and/or drinks. Although it can be relaxing to watch TV, get absorbed in a video game, or have a drink alone, I recommend making an attempt at least once a week to have quality time outside of lab with friends. Go enjoy downtime with your tribe (and try not to discuss work the whole time).

Seek Critical Feedback

This might sound antithetical to building resilience, but I recommend strongly that you regularly seek feedback from thoughtful, critical peers and colleagues. Becoming a scientist requires a lot of practice in learning how to “think like a scientist”. This includes considering alternate interpretations of data, being aware of caveats for different experimental approaches, becoming familiar with a diverse set of scientific literature, thinking of important controls in experiments, and developing alternative hypotheses. It is natural that these complex considerations and thought processes do not come quickly, and hearing diverse feedback is good for a scientist at any stage. At first, you might feel uncomfortable hearing critiques from your lab mates, PI, and committee members. At many points during graduate school (and even still), I felt like I was the dumbest person in the room, and that I should have already known everything that was being explained to me. But I’ve learned that it is important to seek out feedback despite my insecurities. More importantly, it is much easier to hear critiques early from friendly peers than potential competitors during paper or grant reviews. You will set yourself up for success (and resilience!) if you seek feedback from thoughtful colleagues early, often, and from diverse sources; and instead of feeling foolish, you will begin to be grateful for their critiques. This should also help you respond to critiques in a mature and grateful, rather than defensive, way.

Along these lines, it is important to realize that there will never come a time when you should not seek help from others. You will be on your way to developing into a strong scientist when you ask for critiques and ideas from your peers and mentors, thoughtfully consider those multiple inputs, and then pursue what you consider to be the best path forward.

Difficulties are a Passing Phase

When I am at a low point, it is difficult to realize that there are peaks and valleys in work. At some points, I feel on top of the world after seeing an exciting result; and at other times, I fear I will never achieve the goals that I’m working so hard toward. One thing that has helped is recognizing that my negative feelings will not last forever during my low points. I don’t mean that you should ignore the difficulties and only try to “see the silver lining” (see next point). Instead, when I consider times in my past that seemed daunting, I see that those were periods of personal growth, and I made it through the challenges having grown as a person and scientist. I have tried to remember those feelings when I feel challenged in the present, and it helps me cope and seek the challenges more than I would otherwise. Try to become comfortable with feeling uncomfortable–it won’t last forever.

Be Introspective During Challenges

Although it is important to always try to be introspective, I have found it useful to spend extra effort considering my situation during challenging phases. Take this opportunity to really consider why you are facing a difficulty. Perhaps you have a misconception about an experiment or hypothesis; maybe you need to reorganize the way you set up your daily schedule; or it is possible that you aren’t communicating your ideas effectively. It often takes a block in the road for us to think about the path we are on and potentially make a change. This is also a good time to seek out your tribe and friends–different viewpoints might help you see ways to tackle the difficulties.

Be Proud of Yourself

When you are surrounded by a diverse group of brilliant people, it can be so easy to focus on what you consider to be personal failings. Stop. You have nobly chosen to seek this challenge. Be proud of yourself for wanting to improve your career and your life for you and your family. During graduate school, a counselor taught me about cognitive behavior therapy–that you can choose what to focus on. It is better to recognize the positive aspects of this challenge than dwell on your possible mistakes. It is also helpful to have a “growth mindset”, where you seek self improvement, rather than a “fixed mindset”, where you think your skills should be innate (see Mindset, by Carol Dweck). Having a growth mindset means that you recognize that challenges are an inevitable part of growth. Despite the difficulties that are inherent in graduate school, you will grow immensely. You should be proud for seeking and attempting to conquer this challenge. Even during difficulties, try to spend a small amount of your attention feeling proud of yourself for being vulnerable and seeking personal growth (see Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown).

Seek Professional Help if Needed

Finally, it is not uncommon for graduate students to experience depression. Most programs provide free and confidential psychological services. I’m glad to share that I sought help during graduate school–it was incredibly helpful. Although you might want to face your challenges alone, professional help can truly help you gain the skills needed to conquer the challenging periods of life.

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