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Elizabeth Bose

Elizabeth Bose

When I was in high school, I looked for two things in a university: a varsity golf team that I would be able to compete on and a major that would fascinate me. Being given an opportunity to play on the varsity golf team was the factor that drew me into Virginia Tech. I settled on it because I knew that the Biochemistry program would be profoundly interesting to me because through it I would learn how life works at the most fundamental levels.

Virginia Tech Biochemistry prepares you for a career in ... anything

Virginia Tech Biochemistry really prepares you for many different options – a degree in it can allow you to go to any type of profession school or graduate school that is life science or chemistry related. I have also had employers reach out to me for business related jobs and looked into jobs at federal agencies that accept degrees in all backgrounds. The VT BCHM advisors will help you at every step along the same, as will the Virginia Tech Career Center, whether it is figuring out what type of career you are gifted for, help with your resume, or preparation for interviews. A degree in Biochemistry has taught me to think analytically and critically, and I feel prepared for any career because of this.

Open Doors to Research

One of my favorite parts about the Biochemistry Department is that there are so many opportunities for research. I got involved in research the summer after my freshman year after emailing some professors during the spring semester, and even though I had only just finished freshman year, I able to start in the White Lab that summer and learn many basic biochemistry skills. A year later, the results of the project that I finished went into a graduate student’s dissertation. I took a semester off research, and after missing being involved with it, I was able to get involved with the then joint Vinauger-Lahondere laboratory which only a semester old and get involved in a couple of projects. Just under two years after that and lots of dedication to a couple of projects, I found myself published on two papers! Another great research opportunity I have received was being accepted to the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program run by the Department of Energy to do research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory last summer and fall, an opportunity that being a VT biochemistry major helped open to me.

VT Biochemistry: a Life-Changing Experience

Being a Biochemistry major at VT has changed my life – I have received an excellent education and had opportunities to do research that have affected how I see and interact with the world. I have gotten opportunities to have real research experiences that help make my resume stand out. Virginia Tech is a place full of opportunities that make any experience here extremely rewarding.