Hey can I ask what advice you'd give to someone considering pursuing a PhD in a biology field?
I didn’t even realize this message was in here, so apologies in advance for the delay!
My biggest piece of advice is to figure out why you want a PhD and if you need it to get where you need to go. Do you want to teach at a college level? Are there career paths that you want to pursue but all of the job descriptions require PhDs? Are you considering it because you are unsure of what career path you want, but just generally like science? If it’s the last reason, I highly suggest doing some more thinking! Doing a PhD in any field is a long term commitment and it’s a lot of stressful times. I wouldn’t recommend entering unless you’re sure it’s what you want or need :)
That being said, a lot of biology-related jobs do require some form of higher education, either a Master’s or PhD degree. I would say depending on where you are in the process, look up some jobs or talk to people with jobs that you think would be a good fit for you and see what you would need to be hired for those positions. Once you get a better sense of what you need, the path forward will be easier to see. It might seem difficult if you don’t have many connections, but I promise you, cold-emailing someone isn’t that bad. I did it and it lead to some really great connections! You’ll be amazed at how much more fun it is to talk about job stuff when you’re not in the hot seat for an actual interview.
If you’re at the point where you know you probably want to do a PhD that’s when you start the deep-dive into different programs. Identify which program you’d be applying for (for me it was Cell Biology Programs), and then you’re going to have to sink some time into looking up schools and professors and figuring out where you could see yourself. There’s no quick way to do this, unless you don’t really care about where you live or who you work for, but then you’re probably going to have a bad time. You should also pay attention to if the programs allow rotations, or if it’s direct admission and you need to choose one professor ahead of time. Depending on your field of interest, direct admit could be a common thing. If you can avoid direct admission programs, I would recommend it unless you have a very clear idea of what you want to do and know the professor is a good fit for you. It’s difficult to really judge what it will be like if you’re coming into it blind.
Rotations will allow you to pick usually 2-3 different labs (sometimes 4) and spend some time trying them out for a few months before committing to the one you like the best. These programs allow you a little more lee-way for figuring out which topics/people/techniques you are passionate about, but also have a little more uncertainty to them because you don’t know exactly where you’ll end up. It’s ok if you don’t know definitively what you want to work on or who you want to rotate with, but try to choose programs where there are at least 3 professors you like. That way, if you don’t like a rotation or someone takes a different rotator instead of you, you’re left with options. I even emailed a few professors ahead of applications asking if they were interested in taking students that year. Sometimes a few of my top people said no, so I determined that I wouldn’t apply there. Different people have varying opinions on this, but in the end it’s up to you and how proactive you want to be.
If you’re considering a PhD, you also want to think about where you’d want to do it. Science is great and all, but you’re also a human being who will (hopefully) have a life outside of your projects. You want to make sure you’re in a place that feels like home to you, with people you could see yourself getting along with. The first step is thinking about physical location of the schools you apply to, but when you start going on interviews, don’t forget to ask questions about the area and feel out what the community is like. It’s underrated, but in my opinion, just as important as the lab you choose.
I’m getting ahead of myself a bit here, but these are the general factors I considered before I decided to do a PhD. In short:
- Meet with people you know with PhDs in your field (if you can find them). Ask them about their experiences and thoughts.
- Search for job postings that sound interesting to you. Do they require advanced degrees? Which degree do they require?
- Will your degree cost you money? Can you afford it? Most USA PhD programs in biology will offer some sort of stipend, but again, this can vary depending on the specific field. Depending on your situation, it’s good to try to find programs that will pay YOU instead of the other way around.
- If you’ve decided that a PhD is for you, do your homework on where you want to apply! You can start with the type of program, the location, or maybe specific scientists that you know of. Either way, dig in and make a spreadsheet of your notes and whittle it down to your final choices.
- A PhD in biology is a long process, but if it’s the right move for you, it can be one of the most exciting and fun times of your life :) Good luck and I hope this helps you!
