Andrea Chin ’15

Andrea Chin '15, a BBMB major at Whitman College, currently works as a research assistant at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland.</p>Eventually, Chin would like to go to graduate school and work toward an advanced science degree. She recommends students interested in lab work find a position as a research assistant before enrolling in graduate school to ensure it's what you really want to do. For Chin, going directly into research as an assistant allowed her to explore many different positions and areas of study, possibly bringing her closer to a decision on graduate school."I am still at that considering grad school stage, and advice I've been given from current grad students is that you should really be sure that getting a Ph.D. is necessary for what you want to do in the future," she said.
Graduate school is a big commitment, she said, so knowing that what you are studying is your passion is crucial.
"A benefit of being at a research institute like OHSU is the accessibility of seminars given by visiting professors, graduate students and post docs on a variety of fields. I was also able to audit a graduate student course," she said. "These opportunities are all helpful to keep me in the academic mindset."
Read more about Chin's journey after Whitman.