What to do after undergrad if you don't have a science degree

[philosonista]

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Hello, SDN --

I'm looking to enter an MD/PhD program after a gap year, during which I would enter the application cycle. With a science degree, it seems sensible that I could spend a gap year in a formal research position. But I have read that formal research positions are not given to those without a science degree. It's likely that I will have a degree in philosophy and a good number of science courses, but not a science degree. Any suggestions for how I might spend my gap year that would both help my application and prepare me for grad/med school? Is it at all typical/plausible for those with humanities degrees to get a lab position if they have three years of lab experience when they graduate?

 

[okemba]

Hello human -

I don't have direct experience and so I thought I would let this post sit here to wait for someone with actual knowledge to answer it. (I'm applying MD/PhD in June).

But since nobody has, I'll toss in my $0.07.

Is it at all typical/plausible for those with humanities degrees to get a lab position if they have three years of lab experience when they graduate?

I would say yes absolutely, as long as by three years of lab experience you mean three years spent working in hard-science (chemistry, biology-ish fields, not physics as much I don't think) labs and conducting research. I don't *think* your major will matter terribly much as long as you can point to specific lab skills/techniques you have gained proficiency at.

/speculation

Good luck!

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

As long as you have research experience you should be able to find a research assistant/lab tech job. A humanities major with 3 years research experience stands a better chance than a bio major with no experience. Hell, I've seen history majors with no prior lab experience working as lab techs, although I don't think that's common. I don't think degrees really matter too much for these sorts of jobs. Most of the postings I went through when trying to find an RA job never specified a degree, just background/techniques they wanted you to be proficient in (if any, a lot of these jobs expect they'll have to train you). That said, according to my bosses, one of the biggest reasons I got my current job was because they run neuro labs and I was the only applicant with a degree in neuroscience.

One tip I'll give you though is to try to use your connections to find something. HR departments are universally incompetent, and it's a miracle if you ever get past them and get your CV read by the actual PI. Contacting PIs directly is a much better route. If you do find yourself having to go the HR route, make sure to tailor your resume to be as similar to the job listing as possible because it's almost guaranteed that the HR person will be doing nothing more than trying to see how closely your CV fits the job listing. So, for example, use the exact same wording; to an HR bureaucrat, "PCR" and "polymerase chain reaction" are two completely different things.

 

[Anandamide]

I'm a little confused. Are you worried about not having a Bachelor of Science degree, or are you worried about not having a science major in addition to the philosophy major? Do you still have a science minor or concentration? If so, definitely list that on your resume.


Short answer: Regardless of your response to the above, your research experience matters way more than your official major/minor/concentrations. You shouldn't have a problem.


Long answer: I know several research techs in my department with backgrounds in science + something nonscience. One did music (horn) + science; another did anthropology + science. I have a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice, and I had absolutely no trouble getting hired as a research technician/study coordinator. Admittedly, I also have a separate Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Biochemistry and Neuroscience, so it's not a perfect comparison. I wanted a job in molecular biology, but my undergrad research experience was in electrophysiology and behavioral neuroscience. I described the neuroscience research in detail on my resume, and I also stated that I gained "exposure" to Western blotting, PCR, gel electrophoresis, etc from my science coursework. I got hired to do molecular bio/biochem research - despite my relative inexperience with those fields. The fact that I had any research experience at all mattered far more than the specific techniques that I knew. Based on all that, I cannot see a background in philosophy and science giving you any trouble, particularly if you have extensive research experience on top it it. You may well be able to get hired in a different science field if you want to add some new techniques to your repertoire.

Also, philosophy is awesome. Critical thinking is an essential skill in a successful scientist; I cannot think of a field that would teach that skill better than philosophy. (Heresy, I know!)