Hi,
I graduated this Summer from Royal Holloway, University of London, with a First in Biology (Hons). Due to some bad decisions made at the beginning my degree my final transcript is now brimming with zoology and ecology related modules but not many biomed modules. Since the end of my second year however I have been doing some increasingly in depth reading, in my own time, into clinical oncology and am sure this is the area of research I want to go into.
To make matters worse whilst taking a year off to decide exactly what to do, rather than gaining work experience at biomed research or hospital labs I have had to take the first job that came along, an admin position at Oxford Uni, because unlike most other 21 year olds I haven't got the option of going back home and living for free, I have rent and bills to pay.
This has left me with only 4 weeks throughout the year and 2 months between the end of my contract and the beginning of the 2010/11 academic year during which to get some experience (which I'll have to secure well in advance of when I need it in order to be able to put it down on my MSc applications).
If secured early enough to put on my applications would this experience look good enough to get a place on a decent MSc in oncology or biomedicine. I was also going to apply for a place this year on the distance learning PGCert courses at either Newcastle (PGCert Oncology) or Staffordshire (PGCert Molecular Biology (which has a leaning towards biomedicine)), are these distance learning courses generally held in high enough esteem to enhance my application, I personally hadn't heard of them until recently, and are these particular courses good courses?
Suggestions are welcome from anyone who might have something useful to say.

Thanks in advance.

Hi there,

I wouldn't worry too much about experience when applying for a Masters. I'd say that the university admissions will be more interested in the fact that you have a First class degree overall, and obviously that you have a passion for what you are likely to be studying, which you appear to have. I suppose any bit of experience that you do manage to get will always help, not just in making you look more attractive as a candidate but also in giving you confidence in the lab etc, but I don't think if you didn't have specific experience it would be a negative thing. After I completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science, I took two years out working at a bank before I decided to embark on a Masters in Immunology, and I had very little lab experience other than what I had underaken as part of my undergraduate degree so I wouldn't worry too much.
In terms of the distance learning courses, although I don't know anything about the specifics of these actual courses, I do know that my Masters course was offered as distance learning, and the content of it was exactly the same as the on campus course. I'd say the most important thing to consider is what you actually want to do after the course, are you looking to do a PhD or get a research job etc? It's important to check on the pre-requisites of your chosen career field as you what qualifications you would require that would be instrumental in helping you make your decision.
Hope that helps, good luck in whatever you decide
S x

Hi there,

Thanks for a very useful reply. Most of my friends who, like me, want to go into research have gone straight into MSc's and PhD's so its nice to know that other people have worked in an unrelated area before embarking on a graduate qualification.
Depending on my enjoyment of the MSc I am hoping to go straight into a PhD or apply for the NHS HPC accredited Clinical Scientist training scheme.
Thanks for the help, any further comments are welcome.
D

I agree with Starshine's comments about you already being qualified anough to do an MSc. They will be lookng for academic aptitude and the ability to get to grips with scientific concepts, both of which can be demonstrated by your degree result. Nonetheless any more relevant extracurricular experience you can glean between now and then would enhance your application, particularly if you hope to be offered a studentship. See if there's an oncology seminar series that you can attend at Oxford - ask permission from the organiser, get networking and you might find that you build up contacts who can either give you a few small bits of work to do, or point you in the direction of some appropriate reading, or maybe even write you a reference if you cultivate good academic relationships with them.

Regarding distance learning courses, I have absolutely no idea how these are regarded. But for an area such as oncology, where a subsequent PhD would be lab based, I would be very reluctant to embark on a course that didn't have a decent amount of lab time built in, given that you haven't had the opportunity to build up that much relevant lab time. I imagine those courses (which will be lecture/exam only, no research project) would be best for someone who is a confident researcher but needs to suppliment their factual knowledge, so they may only partly meet your needs.

Good luck! :-)

Hi again,

Jut going back to the Distance learning courses, most science Masters involve the first 6 months being lecture/tutorial and seminar based with traditional written examinations, then the latter half being spent in a lab doing your research project. So although the first half can be done online via distance learning yourself with the help of online lectures etc, you would have to attend the uni in order to complete your research project in their labs, or where-ever your project is based i.e. hospital lab etc.

But I think that's what's different between a PGDip/Cert and a masters - the former omit the research project and just focus on the taught element and any associated assessment. I think they are probably mostly geared towards people at a more advanced stage in their career (e.g. those who already have a Masters/PhD or equivalent experience) who just need to plug a knowledge gap.

Ah right, I was referring to distance learning Masters courses rather than PGCert courses, so yes, you're entirely right. Obviously it would depend on the institution you're applying for, but overall I would say that a Masters, which obviously has the research element as part of it, would be far more useful if you are wanting to do a PhD or get a job as a research assistant etc. I'm sure not sure how important admissions tutors would regard having a non-research postgrad qualification, as at interviews etc alot of the questions would focus around your existing research experience. You could always phone up potential unis that you may be considering for a PhD just to ask about how much they would value the PGCert, but if not, I think I'd go for a Masters.