tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post4612470074146453098..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Ask Cloud: Getting Your Foot in the DoorCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-54601965195772670622018-04-07T06:04:17.556-07:002018-04-07T06:04:17.556-07:00This is really an awesome website. I have seen man...This is really an awesome website. I have seen many websites but this one is awesome because you are shared a lot of unique kinds of things on your site which is so nice and so useful for people.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.alldelhiescorts.com/" rel="nofollow"> Delhi Escorts </a>all delhi escortshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15965249998195811124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-13176088334271824402015-06-28T16:01:45.283-07:002015-06-28T16:01:45.283-07:00I must follow the discussion which is very essenti...I must follow the discussion which is very essential for me as well.<br /><br />Thanks<br /><a href="http://www.graduateadmission.org/" rel="nofollow">graduate admission</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02745689893975298640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-86021085388515094112015-06-05T10:43:14.187-07:002015-06-05T10:43:14.187-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Sharda Hinkelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03049412878821578827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-88015054243671400982014-07-02T12:33:46.862-07:002014-07-02T12:33:46.862-07:00Thank you!
“In addition to everything said above,...Thank you!<br /><br />“In addition to everything said above, you have not applied to ENOUGH PhD programs. With reductions in funding and increases in applications, PhD programs are often getting hundreds of applications for each spot. You will need to apply to far more than four.”<br />Absolutely true. I did not apply to enough. What is good number?<br /><br />“Is there anything from your MS that you can mine for a poster, paper, conference abstract, or any concrete academic outcome?”<br /><br />Sadly no. I have not been fortunate enough to have been involved in productive research. However, it is always curious that everyone wants an experienced candidate with published papers even though nobody enters this world with a publication record, and thus everyone must start somewhere.<br /><br />“Finally, why oh why do you want to do a PhD?” <br />I guess I cannot give an answer to this one that would differ markedly from others. Are there a lot of PhDs that regret having pursued the degree? I do keep reading about how there are not a lot of jobs for PhDs, but in my experience, I have seen many postings for PhD positions and few positions for “No PhDs will be considered”. <br /><br /><br />“There are many other ways to get a sense of accomplishment.” <br /><br />Other avenues outside of research have been suggested (manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance, lab management, process development, etc.), but I do not have experience in any of those avenues. They say you cannot eat prestige but you also cannot eat a lack of it. <br /><br />“It's a long and hard slog with no guaranteed outcome (not even a sense of self-worth) and there might be other ways of connecting to science that you would like at least as much.”<br /><br />I am quite used to long hard slogs without guaranteed income or sense of self-worth. Few things will destroy your soul more than working as a freight handler in Silicon Valley at less than $17,000 for over three years while trying in vain to stay connected to science. There is nothing that graduate school can further do to damage my self-worth. <br /><br />-Adamamperrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760361126608529092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-14722855237381452052014-06-28T15:20:37.339-07:002014-06-28T15:20:37.339-07:00Thank you for your input. I wish I had known that ...Thank you for your input. I wish I had known that when I applied. Matt Might, a computer science professor at University of Utah, blogged about the randomness of PhD admission processes. http://matt.might.net/articles/ <br /><br />Adamamperrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760361126608529092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-84630582722665821472014-06-23T21:21:52.391-07:002014-06-23T21:21:52.391-07:00I hope that some of the tips here combined with yo...I hope that some of the tips here combined with your volunteer work land you a spot in grad school! Good luck.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-87416043206966606662014-06-23T14:35:20.503-07:002014-06-23T14:35:20.503-07:00Thank you for all of your advice! Here are my resp...Thank you for all of your advice! Here are my responses to some of your suggestions, in no particular order:<br /><br />Networking is indeed a substantial weakness of mine. In fact, I did not even know that networking was an important part of the job search process in 2002. I did not start networking until far more recently that I care to admit. However, I do not believe I put people off so much as I do not know how to engage people in the first place.<br /><br />I am certainly not going to restrict myself to studying ALS at the cost of another rewarding opportunity. My interest in ALS stems from doing a literature review on an enzyme whose mutant form is implicated in various types of ALS and from the fact that two relatives succumbed to the disease. More broadly, I am interested in neurodegenerative diseases. Anything focused on treating human ailments would capture my interest. <br /><br />From my observation, at least upon looking at job postings, positions in regulatory affairs and lab management also require relevant experience. I have read that many PhDs laid off from industry cannot find jobs in other fields (including regulatory affairs) due to lack of experience. I have applied to and even interviewed for other positions, such as quality assurance and manufacturing. Unfortunately, I lack experience in those areas as well. The plain fact is that the job market is tight across the industry. <br /><br />Even volunteer positions can be elusive. Lab space, the researcher's time, and materials are always at a premium. I am currently volunteering at the Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. I began doing some clerical work for the neuropsychology group. I am now connected with a researcher studying clinical aspects of Alzheimer's Disease. There is the possibility of something positive emerging from this.<br /><br />My guess is that most individuals who have earned PhDs do not regret having pursued that path, even if they did not wind up where they thought they might be. After four years in the Army (enlisted) and three and a half years as a part time freight handler, I am no longer deterred by the prospect of graduate school being stressful, demoralizing or financially unrewarding. As someone who lived in Silicon Valley on less than $17K for over three years, I would readily embrace the meager salary of a graduate student. Whatever the drudgery involved, it will be far more intellectual stimulating than the survival jobs I have had. <br /><br />As far as the PhD being an “irreplaceable experience”, I am somewhat inclined to disagree. I can certainly read and learn from the scienfific works of others. However, joining the ranks of a select few who have actually added to humanity's knowledge base is nothing insigificant. <br /><br />-Adamamperrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760361126608529092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-54384746593423920602014-06-20T18:16:29.831-07:002014-06-20T18:16:29.831-07:00"If your application materials or an in perso..."If your application materials or an in person interviews make it seem like you have only one interest and will not be swayed from that interest, the selection committee may down-prioritize your application in favor of someone with a more open mind."<br /><br />I have done graduate admissions (elsewhere in science, not in biotech) and I agree with the above. If supervising faculty at the institution have projects that align with the interest you emphasize, and the admissions people know this, your application will be considered. If there isn't an obvious match, though, it's an easy reason to reject -- and depending on the school and the size of the applicant pool, rejection might happen on a hair trigger.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-6573636891250400152014-06-17T19:27:30.977-07:002014-06-17T19:27:30.977-07:00Adam, I just want to chime in with Cloud and nicol...Adam, I just want to chime in with Cloud and nicoleandmaggie here to ask you to ask yourself WHY you want a Ph.D. If it is indeed for "for no greater purpose than a sense of accomplishment", well, I must say that I think that's a terrible reason. I know it sounds harsh, but I think most other science Ph.Ds would agree. Especially concerning the job market and career outcomes of many of us in the life sciences field right now. And nicoleandmaggie are correct that even a sense of self-worth is not a guaranteed outcome of a Ph.D (it's not even a likely outcome, in my opinion) That feeling of accomplishment you seek? Let me frank: doctoral-level training in the life sciences is generally brutal on one's self-esteem. Try googling the essays by William Pannaker (under the pen name Thomas H. Benton) in the Chronicle of Higher Education for his essays on grad school. He's talking about the humanities, but his advice applies equally well to the sciences. <br /><br />Please please *talk* to actual grad students, actual postdocs, actually people in grad school right now to get an honest view on academic life. And if you still think you're interested. . . work as a technician or volunteer in an academic lab for a year. That would certain improve your CV for grad school applications, as well as give you a better idea of the life you're seeking. Also quite frankly--at this moment in time, I would think a bachelors or Master's degreed technician is actually more employable in lab science than a Ph.D. So I find it concerning that you haven't been able to land a biotech job. I also find it concerning that your Master's program didn't require thesis research. I suspect that a lack of sustained academic or industry research experience may be holding you back in both your Ph.D. applications and biotech job search. (yeah, I know, it's the old catch-22; you need experience to get experience). So work those connections to land that experience and think hard about what you want and if you really want it. Cloud is right: you have only one life. A dream is great, but don't let a single dream consume that life.<br />(Yes, I have a Ph.D. in the biological sciences, spent years pursuing a career in academic research, and finally left embittered when I realized it was a completely unfeasible dream. It's just my perspective, but let's say it's a very very common perspective. Yes, talk to as many people as you can for different perspectives).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-24354345126621117622014-06-17T19:16:46.164-07:002014-06-17T19:16:46.164-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.bean-writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574157518553636032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-78783678306479595992014-06-17T09:51:47.006-07:002014-06-17T09:51:47.006-07:00I have been on a graduate admissions committee, th...I have been on a graduate admissions committee, though not in Adam's field. In addition to everything said above, you have not applied to ENOUGH PhD programs. With reductions in funding and increases in applications, PhD programs are often getting hundreds of applications for each spot. You will need to apply to far more than four. <br /><br />How are your letters of recommendation? Are they up-to-date, positive, and extremely specific? Get in touch with your letter-writers and ask their advice. <br /><br />Is there anything from your MS that you can mine for a poster, paper, conference abstract, or any concrete academic outcome? <br /><br />Find current PhD students in your field and try to talk to them about what it's like, and ask if you can see the personal statements they used to get into their current programs.<br /><br />Finally, why oh why do you want to do a PhD? There are many other ways to get a sense of accomplishment. It's a long and hard slog with no guaranteed outcome (not even a sense of self-worth) and there might be other ways of connecting to science that you would like at least as much. <br /><br />Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com