I want to talk about the importance of pursuing research opportunities for science majors, especially those who are hoping to go on to graduate school.
I'm going to do this the only way that makes sense to me; by telling my story - how I got to this point in my career/education, and how scientific research has done nothing but benefit me ...
When I was in 9th grade I had a really legit biology class. My teacher had gotten a grant from like Bill Gates or some big shot like that to introduce higher level science into her biology classroom. In this class, I used a pipet for the first time, I ran my first gel electrophoresis, we dissected TONS of things (squid, frogs, worms, etc.), and, most importantly, we watched the movie Outbreak. Now, all you scientists out there reading this might be scoffing, laughing, or shaking your head. "Really? Outbreak? What a terrible movie!!" Which, ya, now that I'm older and knowledgeable in the ways of science, I understand that. But to an inexperienced, naive little junior high schooler, this moment was legendary! I was so enthralled by this cheesy Hollywood melodrama. It was by far the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
So, I started devouring everything I could get my hands. I started reading up on microbiology, I printed out a picture of the Ebola virus which hung out in my desk. SUCH. A. NERD! I know. And, when it came time for me to enroll in college, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I limited the colleges where I applied to only those with Microbiology degrees. I knew what I wanted to do. There was no point in wasting time with something else. I'm an oddball in that sense. I always new what I wanted.
When I started college, I knew about undergraduate research. I wanted to check it out, but I really wanted to give myself an opportunity to settle into college before I took on a job too. But, when my roommate informed me about a paid undergraduate research assistant position advertised in our Honors college newsletter, I figured, why not? It was in a reproductive biology lab, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to start. I wanted to experience research and decide if I liked it. And this was by far the best decision I have ever made for my education.
I spent the next 4 years putting in 10-20 hours a week in the lab. I came in before, between, and after classes. I was lucky, though. The lab I was in was very well funded. So well funded that he was able to pay his undergraduates. This is not the norm. Normally, undergraduate positions start as being volunteer positions. Oftentimes, these volunteers would simply wash dishes, autoclave, fill pipet tips, among other tedious and mundane tasks in the lab. Sometimes, they would be allowed to help with some of the less technically challenging work in the lab. It really depends upon the lab, but more often than not positions are not paid. Sometimes, though, these undergrads could be "promoted," if you will, to paid positions. But, again, this really depends upon the lab. But, I lucked out and I was paid for my work.
When I was a freshman, I mainly washed dishes, perpetuated the rat colony (definitely one of the least glamorous parts of the job), made buffers, and occasionally I would set up PCRs and run gels. Eventually though, because I had been in the lab so long and was so familiar, I was allowed to start more technical work on one of the projects. This project would become my undergraduate thesis for the honors college of which I was a part, and this same research would be published in a scientific journal, and I would be an author. A second author.
This is why you should start early! I got in on the ground floor in this lab, and by the time I left I felt like an integral part of the team, and I was. I was essentially managing all of the younger undergrads. I worked independently on all of my projects and I learned so many new skills, at which I was competent to perform and troubleshoot on my own. This would probably have been enough to set me on a blazing path toward graduate school. But, I wasn't sure what I wanted at the time. PhD? MD? MD/PhD? Microbiology? Immunology? Infectious diseases? Pathology? Pathogenesis? The opportunities seemed vast, endless, and my normal decisiveness was failing me. I was confused. What would be the best option for me?
So I took a couple years off from school after graduation. I applied and got a job as a research technician in a gene therapy lab - a job that I never would've gotten if I hadn't had the research experience that I accumulated as an undergrad. Literally! I found out toward the end of my time in this next lab that one of the graduate students had applied for the same position and hadn't gotten it because she was told that there was an applicant with more experience -
me!
Now, this brings me to applying to graduate school. About 1.5 years into my job as a research technician, I decided to apply to graduate school. An MD wasn't for me. I had no interest in working with patients. My place was at the bench, making the discoveries. So, I started applying to PhD programs all over the country. I even looked internationally for a bit. I wanted to get out of dodge and really experience something different from the tiny college town I had lived in for so long. I spent a long time researching programs leading up to the actual submissions. If I had learned anything from the time spent working with graduate students in these couple labs it was that the program isn't as important as the research. Find research and an environment that suits you, not course work that suits you, because you will only be taking classes for a couple years and your research will take up the bulk of your time.
I applied to vastly too many schools in retrospect. Emory University. University of Michigan. Stanford University. UC-Berkeley. Washington University in St. Louis. UNC-Chapel Hill. Indiana University. Northwestern University. Oregon Health and Sciences University. But, I was unbelievably paranoid about my application. I was 77th percentile on my GRE. I graduated Cum Laude, but I wasn't a stellar student. I didn't go to a highly regarded school for undergrad, which I really thought would work against me. I spent a lot of time on my essays, but what if they didn't like them? The only thing that I knew I had working toward my advantage was I was applying with almost 6 years of research experience under my belt. I hope that would be enough to make me stand out.
It was more than enough. I got interviews at 6 of the 9 schools I applied to. I was
giddy, ecstatic, slap happy when I got the phone call from Michigan saying I'd gotten an interview! They were the first people to call and offer me an interview, and from there the calls kept rolling in. But, with the excitement came nerves. What would happen during interviews? What would I get asked? What should I wear? Would I really have to sell myself? Would they already know my application or would I have to reiterate it to them? It was an unbelievable whirlwind of questions. So I prepared the only way I knew how - as if I were prepping for a presentation in undergrad. I googled potential interview questions. I wrote out answers. I memorized my answers. I recorded myself asking the questions and then played back the answers as if I were the interviewer. I even had a good friend of mine who was currently enrolled in a PhD program practice interview me (she's the best!!). I know. I'm an overachiever. And, as it turns out,
I massively over-prepared. Interviews were a breeze. It was more stressful practicing with my friend than it was actually interviewing. I was told by one interviewer that I had "many fans on the review board," another said that he was "blown away" by my experience, and another said "I would admit you right now if I had that power."
After everything, I got into every school I interviewed at. I was actually sitting at the gate in the Atlanta airport waiting to de-board the plan on my way to my 3rd interview when I got the call with my first official acceptance. From that day forward, the offers rolled in from each of my schools. Some of the top Microbiology programs in the nation and I got into 6 of them. I had my pick of the litter. At that point, it came down to the best fit for me. Not the best program on paper or even the best research fit for me. Where could I see myself living, integrating, and blossoming as a researcher over the next 4-7 years? Though I stressed and freaked out over it for a period of time, the choice really was easy. I knew where I wanted to be in my gut. I knew what the best place was for me and now I'm living it.
Getting research experience set me up so well for my future. Not only am I steps ahead of my first year colleagues in many cases, but I have a much better feel for the kind of research I like. I know the lab atmosphere. I know what I'm comfortable with. I'm experienced in lab notebook keeping. I'm experienced in designing an experiment, troubleshooting, etc. Having experience in that is so useful, and though it by no means makes me an expert, it makes it so much easier to dive into graduate school.
So, that's my story. If you have any questions about research, where to look for job postings, graduate school applications, interviews, choosing the right fit for you, let me know! If you want me to cover a specific topic, let me know! I want to help you in any way that I can! I'll be posting periodically on aspects of what I have experienced -- how to choose an undergrad lab, etiquette of an undergrad researcher, applying to grad school, interviews, etc. later on.
Until next time!
