研究生院

为什么要读研?

Most jobs in the research science fields require a Masters of Science degree (MS) or Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.). 研究生院是你获得这些学位的地方. Students earning an MS in graduate school typically spend 2-3 years taking courses, 完成一个研究项目, 并在研究指导老师的指导下完成硕士论文.k.a. 主要教授). Ph.D. 学生通常花3-5年的时间攻读学位. 获得博士学位的最初几年.D. involve a lot of coursework while the later years are spent completing research and writing the dissertation. Those that earn MS or PhD degrees have demonstrated an ability to work independently and dedicatedly on a challenging research project, 并在某一特定科学领域积累了专业知识. It is for these reasons that these degrees are usually required for jobs in the private sector or academia.

支付研究生教育费用

Graduate students at most research schools pay for their education through fellowships (usually these are competitive and awarded based on merit), research assistantships (RAs) (usually competitive; you work for pay as a research assistant in a professor's lab), 或者作为助教(教授本科课程), 通常实验室). 奖学金和助理研究员更有声望, 但对于那些在学术界找工作的人来说, 助教奖学金提供宝贵的教学经验. Rarely do graduate students in research programs need to take out student loans or take on outside jobs to pay for graduate school.

你应该如何开始为研究生院做准备

As an undergraduate you should begin preparing for graduate school as soon as possible by getting as much experience conducting research (outside of your coursework) as possible. Weaker students with lower GPAs can improve their prospects for graduate school by accumulating research experiences. While the 澳门新葡京官网生物学 Senior Capstone Experience provides an invaluable opportunity for pre-research science students, highly motivated students should seek other research opportunities long before the senior capstone. 大四的时候, pre-research science students should study for and take the GRE (Graduate 记录 Exam). 高分打开大门. 最后一步(也是很重要的一步)是找到合适的学校, 合适的教授, 提交一份成功的申请.

在大学, 大多数研究生院, 参与部门, will have a website that explains the application process – and this should be your first stop when examining different schools. Most large universities will have an overall graduate school (to which you will need to apply) and separate departments (e.g.(动物学、植物学)，每一门都有自己的申请程序. Most of these departments will have a graduate coordinator who will be an important information-provider and decision-maker in your application process.

研究生院有几种方式可以运行他们的项目, 这可能会让申请者感到困惑. 一些研究生项目会招收一批申请者, 让他们参加入职培训课程, and then have them pair with a research professor they have met during orientation. Other graduate programs rely on students and research professors to meet up with one another, and then it is up to the professor to recommend the student to the departmental committee and graduate coordinator who decide on which applicants to accept. It will be important for you to know which system your target department follows.

The best way to get started is for you to determine the specialty of biology in which you want to conduct research and become an expert, and then find professors that do interesting and notable work in this specialty. You will probably need to look nationally for professors, not just at local or regional universities. Your 澳门新葡京官网 faculty can be very helpful in suggesting potential professors to work with or institutions with strong programs in your area of interest. 一旦你确定了一个你感兴趣的教员或项目, you may need to draft a ‘letter of introduction' depending on which field of biology you are entering. This letter should a) describe your background b) why you are interested in working with that professor, c)询问教授是否会考虑收你为研究生. This letter and your CV (curriculum vitae = a description of all your professional and academic accomplishments) should be sent the professor in which you are interested. Make sure you get one or more of your biology professors at 澳门新葡京官网 to proofread your letter and CV before you send these off – first impressions are critically important here. 如果你的理学士学院的老师认识这个/这些教授, ask them to contact these professors on your behalf in addition to sending your letter and CV.

根据你得到的回应, begin drafting your application to the graduate school and the appropriate department. 申请通常包括多种形式, 求职信或短文, 成绩单, GRE考试成绩, 以及来自理学士学院教授的最重要的推荐信. Some applications are done on-line, others are still hard-copy, and many are a mixture of the two.

Final words of wisdom: The sooner you start to ‘shift into overdrive' and excel in your undergraduate training, the sooner you will start to accumulate the experiences and wisdom needed to help you get into graduate school and succeed, 一旦有. 同时, 你越早开始出类拔萃, the sooner your faculty will begin to take note and then have fodder for strong letters of recommendation. 最后的, 但重要的是, make sure you get feedback from your faculty on your application – we've “been there, 这样做,知道他们想了解你什么.

非研究性研究生课程

一些研究生课程不是基于研究的. 他们会授予硕士学位(不是硕士学位), often a MA) in a particular subject area without requiring a research science project and thesis. Such programs are more analogous to an extension of college than the experiences described above, but can be essential for getting the professional training needed to enter some fields. Often you pay tuition for these programs rather than being eligible for fellowships, 奖学金, 等. These programs are more analogous in their function to the health professional schools.