3MF

Grad school beginnings

Yesterday i had my first learning experience as a University of Michigan student. When i was accepted to the Biostatistics department, i was also accepted to the Genome Science Training Program (GSTP). Hence, i attended Monday's GSTP annual retreat. The day focused on talking about the grant review process. The success of an active researcher is dependent on his ability to get funding. To understand how to write grant proposals, we acted out a mock grant review session. We evaluated previously written applications and decided whether to fund certain proposals or pass on them.

The fact that i was the dumbest person in the room made me both scared and excited. I shouldn't feel too bad because most of the students at the retreat have been a part of the program for at least a year and i haven't taken a single class yet. I quickly realized that i have a lot to learn. This is exactly the type of intellectual challenge i was looking for.

I also got a glimpse of just how much more focused my grad work will be on the who rather than that what. In the mock grant review session, we used the prestige of the principal investigator as a criteria for approval. A positive reputation is extremely important. To some one new in the field, it is important to work with mentors with the best possible credibility. Luckily for me, UM has one of the top three biostatistics departments in the country, so there is no doubt i will be working with the best.

Posted by Matthew at May 22, 2007 11:53 PM