A trend has been developing of placing importance on research experience before grades during the undergraduate experience. Which is terrible for graduate school.
Students are under increasing pressure with changing times. Technology is quickly changing the educational landscape. With more classes (or instruction) available through MOOC's (Massive Open Online Courses), education is changing. With the growing number of online instruction options, parents are starting to question the need for a college degree. Further, the pressure on students on having a spotless record with extracurricular (volunteer-, research-, and work-experience )is gaining momentum. How does a student plan for graduate school with these mounting pressures upon them?
Education Is About Time Spent In Class
Why are students required to go to class? What does a lecture aim to achieve? The primary purpose of attending class is the certification process. Each university gives a degree which specifies that a student spent a given (specified) amount of time in a variety of courses which make up education.
Different universities have different requirements for a given degree. For example, at California State University at Northridge, each chemistry/biochemistry major is required to have a few credits (units) of research experience to complete a degree. That does not mean every student will do undergraduate research while attending the university. Many students will get exemptions or replacement units to fulfill a degree.
What about for those who would like to attend graduate school in chemistry/biochemistry? Research experience seems to be high on their list as an undergraduate. Each student with whom I have spoken to seems to believe that to get into graduate school, he/she must publish a scientific paper during their undergraduate education. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph to this section, a college degree certifies that a student has completed the required amount of units (credits) for a degree in chemistry/biochemistry. The degree says nothing about their capabilities of becoming a scientist. Nor does the degree certify that each student is proficient in scientific research. Why? Again, that is not the purpose of getting a 'B.S.' or a 'B.A.' degree in chemistry/biochemistry.
Students should focus on what is essential for an undergraduate degree: completing courses! That is it.
The myth is that each student must publish is just a myth -- i.e., not true!
Graduate Committee Is Interested In Grades
I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California at Riverside. During my undergraduate education, I was able to perform undergraduate research in a chemistry lab. Although my hands-on experience was not thorough or intense for that matter.
An example was the interaction I had during undergraduate research.
My advisor approached me with the following question: "Hey Mike, did you study for the Quantum Mechanics exam I am giving tomorrow?"
He was referring to a class I was taking at the time.
I responded, "I have studied a little. Although, I wanted to finish building this electrical circuit for an experiment."
He responded, "The graduate entrance committee is not interested in whether you did a great job in research. The committee is interested in your G.P.A. and how you performed in a given course."
He continued, "You could be a rockstar and publish a paper during your undergraduate degree. Still, grades matter more. Grades are your job at this level."
He was right.
Part of the problem is the undergraduate research advisors who push students on their research projects. Prioritizing research above classes by advisors at institutions such as CSUN can be dangerous.
Why?
60% of our students come from a family household with an annual income of less than $24,000. WOW. Yes, you read correctly. Which means that college is a considerable investment. The majority of our students are first-generation college students. Which have little experience in prioritizing their responsibilities during the acquisition of a college degree?
Why would a student question the advice of their research advisor?
Remember: Different universities have different requirements for an undergraduate education.
Focus on the task at hand
If you find yourself having a difficult time believing the advice of this blog post, stop, and think about the following fact. At larger institutions like UCLA or UCSD, the average undergraduate does not ever get a chance to perform undergraduate research. If that is the case, then how does that student get into the same graduate school as a student from CSUN who has research experience.
Graduate school is about teaching students how to do research. The amount of classes each student takes during a 5-year process is around six classes. What? Yes, you did read correctly. Only 6–8 courses at the most for a "Ph.D." degree.
What does a graduate student do for the remainder of the degree process?
A graduate student teaches laboratory for undergraduate chemistry laboratory class.
The graduate student focuses all of his/her time on RESEARCH.
The time to do research is in graduate school!!!
Undergraduate students should focus on their studies. Earn great grades. When the time comes to apply for graduate school, the application process will be less stressful. On the application, a section titled "personal statement" is reserved for you to distinguish yourself from other students who are interested in pursuing a graduate degree.
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