BS Biology frantic about a career, interested in MPH

[mari03]

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Hi all,

I'm brand new. 🙂

I'm about to start my final year of undergrad at Elmhurst College, a private liberal-arts (but strongly research-oriented) college in the suburbs of Chicago. I am currently doing a fellowship at Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine in the Pharmacology department.

I entered undergrad having spent my entire life dreaming of becoming a veterinarian. All went well until my advisor, whom I have a very good relationship with, asked me last fall what I would do if I would not get into vet school. I replied that I would try again. He asked what I'd do then, and I shrugged. He suggested grad school to get a PhD. Well, the idea completely took hold of me and I threw away all of my old dreams of becoming a vet! This decision was aided by my work experience at a vet clinic, where I looked around and thought "is this it?". Despite wanting to specialize, I couldn't imagine doing the same thing every day. As time went on, I began to realize more and more that maybe vet medicine was not for me.

I began this 10-week fellowship with the task of figuring out what I want to research and devote my work to. Over the course of my time here, I realized that I just can't figure out what miniscule topic I'd spend my entire life doing - I'm strong in molecular biology, but a life steeped in it makes me cringe. I could go for organismal biology, which sounds a lot better, but I've heard so many bad things about the process of getting a PhD, life as a grad student, and how the job market (especially for professorships) is getting slim. Then I went back to thinking about vet school, but the cost of it all in comparison to a different route scared me away again.

So began my third, now-frantic, search for a career. I've realized along the way that I expect too much out of a career, so now I know a job ought to just be a job, although I'd still like to enjoy it to a degree! My undergrad advisor just launched an online MPH program at my school, and the idea took hold of me! Epidemiology sounds exciting, but I'm such a germophobe that I'm nervous I wouldn't be able to do well in this field. My other love has always been environmental/climate issues. What would you all suggest for me? I could see myself enjoying a job in environmental public health, but the truth is that I'm not really sure what a "typical job/day" would be like. I know there's a lot of growth in the field, but where would I start? How far up the ladder could I go? I know that sanitarians can be hired with just a high school diploma, but if I have a BS and work as a sanitarian while getting an MPH, what would my growth options be? I'm so very new to this field, despite all of my reading. I love biology, and I'd like to stick with it a bit, which brings me back to Epidemiology, and then I just go in circles from there! I don't know much about the other concentrations in Public Health...nothing about animals/conservation, is there? 😛

Also, I apologize, because I must sound like I totally don't have my act together! 😳 This is so unusual for me... I am the type of person who has almost *everything* figured out and the rest is faith. That's why I'm so frantic about career planning - I can't bear to not know what I'm going to do after I graduate with my BS.

I have a 3.677 GPA, have worked 20 hours/week since the moment I started college (so I have work history, even if it is not totally relevant to my career), will have 2 years of research experience by the time I graduate, and this fellowship experience. I will be taking my GRE at the end of this summer.

Thanks in advance for input. I value any and all advice!

- Mari

 

[Stories]

If you love biology, you should get a biology degree. There are still many opportunities with a biomedical PhD from all different angles: academics, pharama, biotech, R&D, policy, and then non-traditional careers like consulting, management which recruit heavily out of many 'big name' schools. Many schools also offer 1-year accelerated MPH programs for folks who hold an advanced degree (a PhD, for instance).

Getting a PhD is a long process and you'll work a lot of hours, there's no getting around that. But you know what? I loved my grad school experience. One of the most enjoyable periods of my life and you also get so much intellectual stimulation. Sure, I missed out on some potential income, but I figure that I'll have time to do that later. I'm in no rush to do things like have a family or buy a home (a significant other and renting is fine by me if it lets me live in a big city I enjoy)--I cherished my grad school time and I know a lot of others agree with me too.

That said, if you want the things I mentioned, family, home, etc. sooner rather than later, you have to ask yourself if the opportunity cost is worth it. I think that's the biggest question about going to grad school versus working right away. Once you've answered that question, the next step is to determine what you like to do. Luckily, you have plenty of time to figure that out, and I'd encourage you to try all of it. You're not completely set in stone for anything yet, and you should definitely apply to a wide range of programs you're interested in attending (from Vet school, to PhD schools, etc.) and see where the cards fall. And then make a choice after talking to a bunch of people you trust.

 

[EpiBird]

I threw away all of my old dreams of becoming a vet! This decision was aided by my work experience at a vet clinic, where I looked around and thought "is this it?". Despite wanting to specialize, I couldn't imagine doing the same thing every day. As time went on, I began to realize more and more that maybe vet medicine was not for me.

If you can't imagine doing veterinary work, day in and day out, then I would scratch vet school off the list.

Over the course of my time here, I realized that I just can't figure out what miniscule topic I'd spend my entire life doing - I'm strong in molecular biology, but a life steeped in it makes me cringe.

I've heard so many bad things about the process of getting a PhD, life as a grad student, and how the job market (especially for professorships) is getting slim.

I would scratch off another biology degree, which I figure would be a PhD. If you have a negative perception of grad school, and of focusing on studying a very small topic (which you would do), especially if more molecular biology makes you cringe.

My undergrad advisor just launched an online MPH program at my school, and the idea took hold of me! Epidemiology sounds exciting, but I'm such a germophobe that I'm nervous I wouldn't be able to do well in this field. My other love has always been environmental/climate issues. What would you all suggest for me?

I'm kinda getting the vibe that you want a people oriented career.

As a PhD, you'd spend your time with the same folks, pretty much, for months, thesis advisor, faculty, lab techs, students . . . it is easy to get in a rut running the same experiment, with slight variations, over and over. A lot of folks with PhDs have difficulty interacting with other people as well, so, while grad students may socialize, working in a lab can be an isolating experience.

MPH is much more people oriented than PhD work. A veterinarian has to interact with people, but if you don't love pets, and wouldn't do *anything* to be a vet, then I guess this out. I have known future vets who volunteered in a vet ER, maybe that was more quick paced.

I know your going to say I'm crazy, but I get the vibe from you that you'd be suited doing environmental law, i.e. getting a law degree, and an MPH degree, and working on a variety of issues/cases/projects which give you the ability to interact with a lot of different type of people. Sure, law school is demanding, but you've worked throughout college and gotten good grades, you could probably handle it.

A lot of brilliant people have a sort of "academic ADHD", which I think it just means that they need a fast-paced intellectual career to keep themselves interested.👍

 

[mari03]

Stories - A PhD is still in the back of my mind, and I keep thinking that if I go the MPH route and then decide I don't like it, I can always head back to grad school. I LOVE physiology, had the highest test scores and overall grade in my 400-level class that my professor had ever seen, but when I look at the research in physio these days, it's too small of a scale to hold my interest. The PI for whom I am working at Loyola technically studies "high blood pressure," but I've been doing microplate reader experiments with Fura-2-AM for the past 8 weeks and I can't get myself to care about cell signaling to save my life. I mean it's interesting when you think about the broader implications, and I do want to know why the current research shows so much controversy about cAMP's effects on Ca2+ signaling, but it's a mild interest. It doesn't keep me up at night, and I don't give it another thought when I leave here for the day. I can't get excited about such a small scale... I was thinking about Neurobiology, because you get to see the behavioral effects, which is very interesting, but I'm not sure if I want to gamble going to grad school on a hunch, seeing as I keep shooting down my own ideas lately. I love biology, but I think I like to learn about it on a larger scale moreso than I actually like doing micro-scale lab work. 🙁

EpiBird - Wow, thanks for the input/analysis! The last part kind of made me giggle, as I always pictured myself happiest when around the same group of people. This may not be entirely true though, as I do find myself missing the clients from my previous job at the veterinary clinic... I'm just a little awkward around new people sometimes. 😉

I don't know how I feel about doing *anything* day in and day out, and my love for animals is definitely there. I did consider a PhD in equine science, and that thought held me strongest, but as my boyfriend pointed out, the job market for that is quite limited. I do get very, VERY bored when I'm not intellectually stimulated. Sometime in high school, I shadowed an equine vet on a racetrack, and he helped me realize that if I was to become a vet, I ought to specialize - "I want to use my brain!", I told my mom. Routine vaccinations are extremely boring to me, and I hated having to repeat myself to clients about vaccinations and basic, preventable illnesses when working at the vet clinic. Mental stimulation/variation is a huge must, otherwise I start to hate coming to work, and that scares me. I never want to be the person who hates their job, because I am afraid I would get seriously depressed.

It's funny that you mention a law degree. I've always been told I should be a lawyer, and I got very serious about a mock trial I had to do for an AP Gov't class in high school years ago. But I couldn't get over the fact that I could be defending a criminal, so I scrapped that idea. Of course, environmental law doesn't pose that problem! What's even funnier is the advisor that I have a close working relationship with actually went to get his biology PhD, taught for a few years, got bored, and then got his JD to practice environmental law for a few more years before returning to a biology professorship. I think he'd laugh if I ended up getting my JD after all of the back-and-forth biology-related career talks I've had with him. 🙄 It is definitely something I will keep in mind though - very interesting! Admissions sounds terrifying though...what law school would want a student with a BS in Biology? Could I do an MPH first and then see where I want to take it from there?

Thanks to both of you for the input!! It's a great help already. 🙂

 

[EpiBird]

It's funny that you mention a law degree. I've always been told I should be a lawyer, and I got very serious about a mock trial I had to do for an AP Gov't class in high school years ago. But I couldn't get over the fact that I could be defending a criminal, so I scrapped that idea. Of course, environmental law doesn't pose that problem! What's even funnier is the advisor that I have a close working relationship with actually went to get his biology PhD, taught for a few years, got bored, and then got his JD to practice environmental law for a few more years before returning to a biology professorship. I think he'd laugh if I ended up getting my JD after all of the back-and-forth biology-related career talks I've had with him. 🙄 It is definitely something I will keep in mind though - very interesting! Admissions sounds terrifying though...what law school would want a student with a BS in Biology? Could I do an MPH first and then see where I want to take it from there?

Thanks to both of you for the input!! It's a great help already. 🙂

I am not a lawyer, but have family members who are. Most lawyers aren't trial lawyers, but practice other types of law. Yes, defending criminals may not appeal to some, but the rational is that it is a needed function for the justice system to work.

In terms of a bio degree and law school admission, probably would be a plus! A lot of lawyers come from non-science backgrounds, yet the law is becoming more sophisticated as the biological sciences have progressed. There are also combined JD/MPH programs available, but obviously you'd have to commit to both degrees and have a rationale for why you need both degrees. I would think doing an MPH would be a good first step, but it can be costly.

I'd say that nothing beats real world experience in terms of figuring out what you want to do, and even more important that talking to advisors who can open your eyes to possibilities, but probably aren't suited to tell you what to do.

 

[Stories]

I am not a lawyer, but have family members who are. Most lawyers aren't trial lawyers, but practice other types of law. Yes, defending criminals may not appeal to some, but the rational is that it is a needed function for the justice system to work.

In terms of a bio degree and law school admission, probably would be a plus! A lot of lawyers come from non-science backgrounds, yet the law is becoming more sophisticated as the biological sciences have progressed. There are also combined JD/MPH programs available, but obviously you'd have to commit to both degrees and have a rationale for why you need both degrees. I would think doing an MPH would be a good first step, but it can be costly.

I'd say that nothing beats real world experience in terms of figuring out what you want to do, and even more important that talking to advisors who can open your eyes to possibilities, but probably aren't suited to tell you what to do.

Interestingly enough, a career fair I went to recently (alternative careers for scientists), a lot of folks had moved into patent/tech law. This is an area where a lot of PhDs are recruited into and there's definitely an established relationship there for scientists to get a career.

 

[mari03]

Sorry for the immense delay. I've been out of commission for a while, passing my second kidney stone in a month.

I'd say that nothing beats real world experience in terms of figuring out what you want to do, and even more important that talking to advisors who can open your eyes to possibilities, but probably aren't suited to tell you what to do.

I will definitely talk to my advisor about his career; he knows me quite well from an academic and advising standpoint so he may be able to shed light on whether he thinks it'd be an appropriate career for me.

I'm glad to hear that law schools are considering science-oriented students more and more, though. I suppose it does make sense to have lawyers who are employable in the science fields. 🙂

So, if I was to start off with the MPH first (there is an MPH/JD option at UIC, which is near me, so that's always an option), what could I do in terms of employment? I've always thought it'd be nice to have a job, get an MPH while working there, and use that for promotion, etc. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Stories]

Sorry for the immense delay. I've been out of commission for a while, passing my second kidney stone in a month.



I will definitely talk to my advisor about his career; he knows me quite well from an academic and advising standpoint so he may be able to shed light on whether he thinks it'd be an appropriate career for me.

I'm glad to hear that law schools are considering science-oriented students more and more, though. I suppose it does make sense to have lawyers who are employable in the science fields. 🙂

So, if I was to start off with the MPH first (there is an MPH/JD option at UIC, which is near me, so that's always an option), what could I do in terms of employment? I've always thought it'd be nice to have a job, get an MPH while working there, and use that for promotion, etc. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I think you'd be a very desirable patent and IP and technologies attorney 😀

 

[mari03]

I think you'd be a very desirable patent and IP and technologies attorney 😀

*giggles* I've had lots of careers suggested to me over the years, but I must say I've never heard THAT suggestion! What makes you say that? LOL. You seem to be reading me in a very new, very interesting light, and I'm curious! 🙂

 

[Stories]

*giggles* I've had lots of careers suggested to me over the years, but I must say I've never heard THAT suggestion! What makes you say that? LOL. You seem to be reading me in a very new, very interesting light, and I'm curious! 🙂

Science + Law = IP! 😀