siemprecuriosa

Hello, I'm a rising senior in college, and I'm just starting to look into grad school. I know almost nothing about it, and neither do my parents, so I'm coming here with some general questions I'm hoping you can help me out with to get me started.

I'm a student at Northwestern majoring in biology (concentration of genetics and molecular biology). My GPA is currently 3.477, which I know isn't stellar. I'm hoping to pull it back above 3.5 this year. My ultimate goal is to go into cancer research, which I will most likely need a Ph.D. to do.

I'm a little hesitant to apply to graduate school right out of college, though. I know that grad school (particularly Ph.D. programs) is a significant investment of time and money, and not the kind of thing you should jump into if you're not 100% sure that it's what you want. My mom is pushing me to go straight into grad school, but I'd like to take a few years off after undergrad to get a job, save up some money, gain some experience, and really make sure that I want to commit to a Ph.D. program.

However, my mom is worried that if I get a job and start earning money, I'll never go back to school. Is it advisable to take a few years off between undergrad and grad school? Do graduate schools prefer students who just graduated? Is it terribly difficult to quit a job and go back to school?

Also, on a side note, I may not have a choice on this if I want to get into a good program. Aside from some independent research my sophomore year, I have no research/internship experience, so I think that, whether I wanted to or not, I would probably have to find some kind of research job before I apply to grad school. Thoughts on this?

And one more random question: in undergrad, if I received grades that were low, but still high enough that they count towards my major in classes that are very relevant to my major, would it be advisable to re-take them and earn higher grades so that graduate schools could see that I am capable of doing better in those classes? I decided on the biology major kind of late, which meant that I had to take several difficult science classes at once, which did not leave me with good grades in those classes (mostly B-'s and a couple C's). I think that I would do much better in these classes the second time around. My sophomore year, I withdrew from an introductory physics course because I was getting a C/D, and last year, I re-took it and got a solid A. I think I could get similar results if I re-took some of the other science classes. Would it kind of make up for getting mediocre grades the first time around if I re-took the classes and got good grades, or would it just look pathetic?

Thank you so much for any advice. I know that was a long post. I just kind of don't have anyone else to ask about this stuff, and I'm feeling overwhelmed about the whole process.

zotzotzot13

If you are hesitant, there is no need to jump straight into grad school. You can work a year or two or however many, and apply later. The schools aren't going anywhere. I think you have the right idea on this, if you are doubtful grad school may not be a good idea for you.

You are correct in that school like to see relevant research experience. Is what you mention as a sophomore a whole year of research or something else?

Talk to your professors about your situation, they are likely to offer relevant advice.

neurogirl85

You definitely need more research experience to be a competitive applicant. If you can get a job in an academic lab (non-profit or university) since they are more likely to publish papers, which are also an asset for your app. Most Biology PhD programs pay for your classes and pay you a stipend (around 30K a year here in CA anyway). However, Master's programs usually do not. As for re-taking classes, that's up to you. If you retook a couple of the higher level classes then you can explain what happened in your statement of purpose letter and point out that you improved your grades. Also if you do take time off and work in a non-profit, many of them will pay for you to take a class a semester/quarter even graduate classes, so that is another way to strengthen your application.

I personally have taken 5 years off after graduating. I started applying last year and didn't get in, so I'm reapplying again this year. The time off got me my Letter of Rec's, two publications, and more experience.

siemprecuriosa

Thanks for the advice, guys. I really appreciate that you took the time to read through my wall of text in the OP. :P

The independent research was only for one quarter of my sophomore year, so I know I need more experience to appeal to grad schools.

Thanks again!

juillet

People always say that - if you don't go now, you'll never go back. I personally went straight through, but I have tons of friends who returned to school after working a few years. One friend in particular is doing a PhD in biology at Emory right now and she took 3 years in between. It appears to me that if you want to return, you will. And if you don't, then you're probably content and don't need to!

But yes, you will need some research experience, and it's not uncommon for folks in the biological sciences to take a few years to be research assistants/associates in research labs to gain experience and letters that prepare them for graduate school.

As for your last question, it depends on what the classes are? I wouldn't retake any physics classes or classes unrelated to your major - if there are many of them, you can just explain (or have a letter writer explain) that you hit your stride when you found your true passion.