<p>I’ve really been interested in my genetics and I’m doing well in my first orgo class this year. I’m at a fairly small public school (UAH) and I’m wondering how I should be preparing myself. Right now I’ve almost got a summer research program lined up with an biophysicist, but it still needs to be approved by a committee. What else should I be doing to get into a genetics Phd programme, or is what I’m doing sufficient?</p>
<p>Keep your grades up, get as much research as you can, and start talking with professors so you can easily find people for your letters of recommendations. When you do research, ask a lot of questions. What’s the point of this experiment? How does it fit into the project? What results are we expecting? When something goes wrong, what steps do you do to fix it? You’ll eventually need to be able to explain your research. Don’t be a robot and just follow directions. </p>
<p>You can worry about GREs, schools/programs, and personal statements later. And don’t underestimate taking 1-3 years to work before going to grad school. You start pondering that in a year or two.</p>
<p>Remember to spell “program” with just one “m” and no “e” but otherwise you’re on track. If I were doing it again, I would probably aim for a dual degree program rather than just a phd</p>
<p>I choose to believe you are teasing about the spelling, belevitt. But what in the world is a dual degree programme? I’m intrigued.</p>
<p>program is the common spelling in the US</p>
<p>Md/phd or pharmd/phd or mph/phd. Something along those lines to help differentiate myself from other phd holders when applying for jobs and grants</p>