[alexamomexa]

Hello,

I am a 20 year old ENFP in my last year of undergraduate school and have begun the process of applying to graduate programs in microbiology. I am terrified by what others tell me about what I will experience in grad school. I think I will enjoy it more than undergrad (if I get in) because undergrad is mundane and just memorization which I hate. I am excited to have a larger sense of creativity in grad school and think that it is right for me. Should I listen to my father who tells me it will be harder for me and to take a gap year and "figure it out"? Even though I think I have figured this out? Please are there any ENFP's out there that are going through this or have gone through this and can share your experience and advice? I don't find too many ENFP's that are going to grad school in the core sciences so I hope that I can find one on here to help sooth my stress. (also if you have any tips for applying and contacting professors please let me know!)

 

[Rascal01]

Sorry, I’m not your type, but I want to pass this on to you. My son finished his undergrad degree, then went directly into grad school. He took no gap year, nor even the summer off. His transition was immediate. It worked well for him and he graduated without an issue. He is not your type. None the less, I wasn’t to ease your stress level.

Congratulations, by the way. You have made a wise choice. I wish you well.

 

[strawberryLola]

Microbiology is fascinating, as the field is changing very fast especially in the area of human microbiome.

If it's in your heart to pursue the field, why not?

However, grad school is more than a full-time commitment. You really have to interview the instructors you will closely work with. I'd do a lot of digging into which school would be a great match. And find instructors who are into the areas of research you'd be into. Also, evaluate their teaching styles. Some department chairs can be very... lets just say, academia isn't always fair so you'll have to size these people up really fast, and see if you'd feel comfortable working with them, and don't go by what's presented on the surface, because in my experience, a program can say that they're about one thing and they're really not. Choose a program that has the type of reputation you'd gladly want to say you graduated from (not for the purpose of status and image), but because you truly paid for what you learned, and received the support you required. Some teachers don't always teach once they're tenured, and in fact, will use their graduate students' research for their own personal gain and benefits. There's a few corrupt (Narcissistic) ones out there. But, there are also great ones. Navigate and find your best match!

 

[alexamomexa]

Microbiology is fascinating, as the field is changing very fast especially in the area of human microbiome.

If it's in your heart to pursue the field, why not?

However, grad school is more than a full-time commitment. You really have to interview the instructors you will closely work with. I'd do a lot of digging into which school would be a great match. And find instructors who are into the areas of research you'd be into. Also, evaluate their teaching styles. Some department chairs can be very... lets just say, academia isn't always fair so you'll have to size these people up really fast, and see if you'd feel comfortable working with them, and don't go by what's presented on the surface, because in my experience, a program can say that they're about one thing and they're really not. Choose a program that has the type of reputation you'd gladly want to say you graduated from (not for the purpose of status and image), but because you truly paid for what you learned, and received the support you required. Some teachers don't always teach once they're tenured, and in fact, will use their graduate students' research for their own personal gain and benefits. There's a few corrupt (Narcissistic) ones out there. But, there are also great ones. Navigate and find your best match!

Thank you, that was good advice. I will be sure to do more digging on who I'll be working with!

 

[alexamomexa]

Thank you for your help. So my sister did the same thing with her physics phd program but we just handle things completely different such as stress or organization of getting things done! This is why I was looking for someone more like me for an answer but it definitely helps getting advice from others as well. If you or your son has any more advice on the whole process I am all ears!

 

[Selena Grey]

Microbiology is a quite difficult subject, but if you like it why not to try? I study Biochemistry and sometimes it's really hard to cope with all those paper work. But I don't have any regrets, I like this subject! Currently I'm trying to write my first critical essay about importance of biochemistry and I decided to use some help of [link removed] for editing and proofreading help.