Learn About Careers in Life Sciences

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Wellesley Career Education

A career in the life sciences can include a broad range of companies, organizations, and foundations concerned with the study of living organisms, including biological sciences, botany, zoology, microbiology, physiology, biochemistry, and a number of related subjects. Employers may include biotechnology & pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, foundations, and federal agencies. Most of the information on this page concerns non-patient facing options but there are opportunities to create career paths that merge patient and non-patient settings.

The Wellesley Hive Mentee Resource: What is Mentorship?

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Wellesley Career Education

The Wellesley Hive is a flexible, interactive virtual space for professional networking and mentorship. Whether you are a student or an alumnae (at any career stage), the the Hive is a platform to connect with the mentors in the Wellesley network. This resource is an overview of how to use the Hive to find short-term or long-term mentorship, informational interviews, job shadowing, and more.

The Wellesley Hive

The Wellesley Hive Mentor Resource: The Fundamentals of Successful Mentoring

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Wellesley Career Education

The Wellesley Hive is a flexible, interactive virtual space for professional networking and mentorship — exclusively for Wellesley. This resource, authored by Sherry Holland '66, describes some key steps in building any successful mentoring relationship within the Hive platform.

The Wellesley Hive

Financing Your Graduate School Education

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Wellesley Career Education

Everyone will specific questions regarding their financial situation and how it impacts the entire application and funding process. This resource provides information to help you project costs and possible methods of funding including loans, school-based aid, PhD specifics, outside funding, fellowships, and scholarships.

Preparing to Apply for Graduate School

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Wellesley Career Education

Preparation for grad school can begin any time during or after your time at Wellesley. What is it about graduate school that attracts you? What do you hope to gain by going to graduate school? This resource covers people to meet, how to identify programs, and researching schools.

Resume Guidelines and Samples

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Wellesley Career Education

Your resume is generally a one-page document that clearly presents your current and past experiences and accomplishments so that your reader can understand the unique value that you bring to the table. As you begin to draft your resume, this resource will provide guidelines to consider.

Discounted Princeton Review Test Preparation

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Wellesley Career Education

Princeton Review

 

Wellesley College has a contract with the Princeton Review that allows all students to get a 50% discount on any test prep courses. This includes the MCAT, GMAT, LSAT, GRE, and DAT. 

Graduate Degrees and Program Examples

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Wellesley Career Education

This resource covers key questions to explore when considering a degree and program type, and provide information about:

  • Certificate & Post-Baccalaureate Programs
  • Master’s Programs (MA, MS, MBA, MFA, MEd, etc.)
  • Doctoral Degrees
  • Dual Degree Programs

Graduate School Preparation Mini-Grants

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Wellesley Career Education

The Graduate/Professional School Preparation Fund, funded by a generous grant from the Wellesley Students’ Aid Society, is intended to help current Wellesley students with expenses related to graduate or professional school preparation. 

Applying to Graduate School

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Wellesley Career Education

"Do I want to apply now?" There is no simple way to answer this question because the reasoning is different for each person. This resource will help you to consider if this is the best time for you to apply for graduate school.

How to Sign up for Industry Newsletters

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Wellesley Career Education

Update your Career Interests in Handshake to sign up for Industry-Specific Newsletters!

Cover Letter Guidelines and Samples

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Wellesley Career Education
  • The purpose of the cover letter is to demonstrate to the employer that you are a good fit for their organization and the role for which you’re applying. Think about your cover letter as a way to “connect the dots” between your resume (your past) and the job description (the future).
  • Share the reasons for your interest, enthusiasm, and qualifications for the job, beyond what is communicated in your resume.
  • Help the employer understand your motivation and provide an introduction to your personality and values.

Navigating the Job Search: The 4 Step Model

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Wellesley Career Education

The four steps in this resource will help keep you focused and productive in your search. You should plan on revisiting each step as your knowledge and understanding of positions and industries grow. Each step below is outlined without a specific industry or position in mind. It is best to schedule an appointment with your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE) or an Industry-specific Career Advisor to customize your process. The questions we have provided at each step are designed to help you reflect on your preparedness and identify what you may need to move forward in the process.

Test Preparation Book Loan Program

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Wellesley Career Education

 

Wellesley Career Education has LSAT, GRE, MCAT and DAT test prep books to lend to current students planning to take one of these exams in the near term. 

Introduction to Graduate School

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Wellesley Career Education

Graduate school is an opportunity to examine a field of your choice with more specificity and direction. It gives you the tools you need to succeed in the industry of your choice. Preparation for grad school can begin as early as your first year of college as you begin conversations with your College Career Mentor about how your values, interests, and strengths align with potential fields of study.

Writing a Personal Statement

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Wellesley Career Education

A personal statement is a narrative essay that connects your background, experiences, and goals to the mission, requirements, and desired outcomes of the specific opportunity you are seeking. It is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program. It gives the selection committee the best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future.

Application Timelines for Graduate School

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Wellesley Career Education

This resource provides a date-free timeline, to give you an idea of the order of events in an application process. Specific dates and timeframes/timelines can vary greatly by academic program and area of interest.

LinkedIn

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Wellesley Career Education

Think of your LinkedIn profile as a virtual “resume” that includes information about your education, experiences, skills, and much more. Keep in mind that your LinkedIn profile, similar to your resume, is an opportunity to brand yourself. So before you begin building your profile, you should think about how you want to communicate your brand. Ask yourself: What sets you apart from your peers? What unique contribution do you bring to the table?

Standardized Tests for Graduate School Resource

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Wellesley Career Education

Many, if not most, graduate school programs will require standardized test scores as part of the application for admission. Which test you will need to take will vary based on the institution and degree program. This resource will help you to research the programs to which you intend on applying to determine which test(s) will be required.