Careers in the Life Sciences

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Careers in the Life Sciences
Department of Biology Prof. Mike Butler Prof.
Jim Dearworth
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Life after Lafayette?

• What do you want to do with your degree?
• Are you selecting the right courses?
• What other things can you be doing?
• Where have our alums gone and what can you expect?

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Some Avenues

1. Graduate School?
2. Health Professions?
3. Industry and government?
4. Not sure?

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1. Headed to Graduate School?

• GPAstudy, work hard
• GREtake practice tests
• General and Subject
• Research Experience
• Independent study, honors thesis, Excel (contact
  Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Psychology or
  other dept. faculty)
• LEARN (contact Professor Lisa Gabel 303 Oechsle
  Hall) http//neuroscience.lafayette.edu/
• Teaching Assistant (contact Biology faculty)
• RUI (elsewhere)search the web
• Check out Sigma Xi

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1. Headed to Graduate School?

• Research the web for Graduate Programs!
• Examples
• Nutrition
• Molecular Biology
• Neuroscience
• Public Health
• Education Do you want to be a High School
  Biology teacher? Education degree?

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1. Headed to Graduate School?
Find graduate programs on web and see what are
the required and recommended prerequisites.
http//biology.lafayette.edu/related-links/ Caree
r Service Website. http//careerservices.lafayette
.edu/consider-grad-and-prof-school/ Graduate
School Advising Liaisons (see list) Pick based
on both the program AND your advisor talk to
Lafayette faculty for guidance
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2000-2007 Alums who chose Grad

• 103/339 students (30) went to grad school
• 52/212 (25) of BIOL majors, went to grad
• 25/79 (32) of NEUR majors, went to grad
• 26/48 (54) of BIOCHEM majors, went to grad
• E.g., Brandeis, Thomas Jefferson, North Carolina
  State and Pennsylvania State Universities

Data provided by Career Services
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Lafayette is member of Oberlin 50

• Despite accounting for only 8 of national
  student enrollment (NSF 2002), over 17 of
  science PhDs are awarded to individuals who
  received their bachelors at liberal arts
  colleges (NSF 1996).
• 15 liberal arts colleges make the list of the top
  25 institutions that produce the greatest
  proportion of undergraduates who later obtain
  science PhDs (NSF 1996)

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Lori Cooper ('07, BS in Neuroscience)
Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) at the
National Institutes of Health/National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH/NIAAA). She
investigated the efficacy of gene therapy on
treating XP neurological disease. She is at
Thomas Jefferson pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience.
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2. Health Professions (HP)?

• Call Health Professions Administrative Assistant
  in the Dean's Office (Mrs. Glaus, x 5521)
• http//healthprofessions.lafayette.edu/
• Dean Julia Goldberg and Prof. Nancy Waters
• GPAstudy, work hard
• MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE, etc.take practice tests
• Volunteer, shadow, internship
• Research Experience
• Independent Research, Honors Thesis, Excel
• LEARN (research with Lafayette alums at their
  home institutions)
• RUI (elsewhere, federally funded)search the web
  for institutions
• Mock Interviews InterviewStream
  http//lafayette.interviewstream.com/Default.aspx

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2. Health Professions (HP)?

• Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) doctors
• Physician Assistant (PA), Nursing (RN, LPN/LVN)
• Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Podiatry (DPM), Chiropractic (DC)
• Public Health (MPH, PhD)
• Dentistry (DDS)
• Optometry (OD)
• Podiatry (DPM)
• Veterinarian (DVM)
• Find HP programs on the web and see what are the
  required and recommended prerequisites.

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Courses not offered at Lafayette

• Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II
• Many HP programs will accept substitution of
  these
• Biol 213 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy and
  
• Biol 251 Human Physiology.
• FIND OUT!
• If not, then the courses can be taken locally at
  LVAIC schools (e.g., Cedar Crest) or in the
  summer at a university or community college near
  your home.
• NOTE Many of you will have AP credit for
  Biology (101/102), Chemistry (121/122), Math (125
  or 161), and English (110) courses. These AP
  credits may be used at Lafayette, but HP schools
  may not accept them. Thus, you must take other
  courses in these departments to meet HP school
  requirements.

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Jason Brenner ('07, BS in Biology) Attending
George Washington Medical School
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2000-2007 Alums who chose HP

• 102/339 students (30) went to HP
• 60/212 (28) of BIOL majors, went to HP
• 32/79 (41) of NEUR majors, went to HP
• 10/48 (21) of BIOCHEM majors, went to HP
• E.g., Jefferson, U. Penn, Albany, UMDNJ, Temple,
  Emory, George Washington allopathic med. schools,
  Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine,
  Cornell Vet. School, Penn. Dental, Suny College
  of Optometry.

Data provided by Career Services
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3. Industry or Government?

• Most companies and government agencies demand
  experience. Therefore, get it.
• Research Experience
• Independent Research, Honors Thesis, Excel
• LEARN (with Lafayette alums at their home
  institutions)
• Teaching Assistant (here)
• RUI (elsewhere, federally funded)search the web
• Gateway summer internships
• Explore interests via job shadowing, such as
  through the Lafayette January Externship Program
• Government internship
• Industry internship
• Role of Lab technician
• Sales or public outreachget some experience
• http//biology.lafayette.edu/related-links/

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Start Learning About Job Hunting Now!

• Connect or re-connect with a Gateway Advisor in
  Career Services!
• Check online job recruiting services
• Write your CV/resume
• Mock Interviews InterviewStream
  http//lafayette.interviewstream.com/Default.aspx
• Do you know how to write cover letters?
• Check your Writing Papers in the Biological
  Sciences from Biol. 101/102.

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2000-2007 Alums who chose Ind/Gov

• 85/339 students (25) went to Ind/Gov
• 63/212 (30) of BIOL majors went to Ind/Gov
• 12/79 (12) of NEUR majors, went to Ind/Gov
• 10/48 (21) of BIOCHEM majors, went to Ind/Gov
• E.g., Pfizer, Johnson Johnson, National
  Institutes of Health (NIH)

Data provided by Career Services
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4. Not sure?

• Youve come to the right place!

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4. Not sure?

• Youve come to the right place!

(ha!)
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4. Not sure?

• Youve come to the right place!
• So courses like bioinformatics, biological
  modeling, etc., are really good ideas

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4. Not sure?

• Youve come to the right place!
• You cant make an informed choice unless youre
  informed.

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4. Not sure?

• Search your soul
• Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
• Do you want to make money?
• Do you have a passion for helping people?
• Do you want to save the planet?
• Do you want to have a family?
• Do you like to solve problems?
• Do you like to work in a lab?
• Do you see yourself as patent lawyer?
• http//biology.lafayette.edu/related-links/
• Talk to your peers, your family, your advisor.
• Form a Biology Club As upperclasspersons
  (Seniors) next year, you will be the leaders.
• Sustain your support group e.g., the
  Veterinarian Club.

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2000-2007 Alums

• 49/339 students (15) pursued careers in other
  areas
• 37/212 (17) of BIOL majors
• 10/79 (10) of NEUR majors
• 2/48 (4) of BIOCHEM majors
• E.g., Genetic counseling, environmental
  consultant, technical editor, finance, banker,
  lawyer

Data provided by Career Services
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Biology Website
http//biology.lafayette.edu/
Health Professions
http//healthprofessions.lafayette.edu/
Career Service Website
http//careerservices.lafayette.edu/
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Its your life, so start planning your
post-Lafayette career now.
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