Prospective Students

So you’ve decided to go to graduate school in human genetics. Aside from all of your friends asking you “Why?” the next question is: Where?

I was asking myself that same question in the fall of 1998. As I progressed through the interview process for different genetics and molecular biology programs, I realized that, in many ways, they were all very similar. Most programs, including the human genetics program at VCU, were home to distinguished faculty with diversified interests, promised students similar stipends and compensation, and offered a wide variety of challenging and engaging course work.

So why did I decide to go to VCU? Even as I interviewed, I was impressed with the caring atmosphere of the program and how the faculty were interested in my personal career goals, and not just their own. It was a place where I could imagine myself growing as a scientist and being supported in my endeavors. These first impressions were confirmed as truth during my tenure at VCU. I had always had an interest in the clinical side of human genetics, and VCU offered me unique clinical opportunities that I would not have experienced at other institutions. Now, as a clinical postdoctoral fellow in cytogenetics and molecular diagnostics at Duke University, I realize how beneficial those early encounters with clinical medicine really were. Even if your career goals don’t involve clinical genetics, exposure to the human side of human genetics is an invaluable experience for a graduate student. Being the best sort of scientist is more than the hours you spend in the lab or the time you spend reading journal articles, it’s about understanding your field and its impact on the world, and there is no better program than human genetics at VCU to help you gain that perspective. 

Catherine W. Rehder, Ph.D.
VCU Human Genetics Graduate 2004