It is impossible to become a good microbiologist without getting involved in the process directly. There is no possibility of learning how to cultivate fastidious bacteria, perform CRISPR experiments, and use an electron microscope without performing these tasks in a laboratory setting.

Sadly, every single college or university brochure boasts about "state-of-the-art facilities." Now that you are researching different colleges, how can you tell which claims are just marketing and which are actual immersion labs? This is a list of things you should be looking for to have the necessary lab immersion experience.

1. Inquire about Student-to-Bench Ratio

When touring college campuses, it is hard not to be impressed by large, shiny mega-labs available for students’ use. Yet, there is one question that you should definitely ask – “What is the student-to-bench ratio?”

In case there are thirty people crammed into one lab section with three desks, you will be mostly occupied with observing the way other people perform pipetting. Choose classes that have no more than 15-20 students in one group.

2. Check For Specialized Undergraduate Research Environment

In big institutions that have lots of research activity going on, the cutting-edge microbiology lab equipment tends to be used only by BSc Hons microbiology students. If you are an undergraduate, you may end up washing glassware and preparing agar plates.

The question must be directly asked when talking to teachers or admissions officers: “How many undergraduate students conduct independent research, and when can they begin?” This indicates that the institution has an established process where sophomore or junior students get involved in co-authoring articles and running experiments.

3. Assessing the Technical Toolbox

You will not want to become familiar with industry-standard instruments for the first time when you are in your first week of work. A software program designed for training in modern microbiology should provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience with the following tools:

• Automated thermal cyclers for PCR amplification.

• Fluorescent and phase-contrast microscopes (as opposed to just basic brightfield microscopes).
• Biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) cabinets, which are essential for working with actual human pathogens.
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS) machines or at least access to bioinformatics pipelines.

4. “Open Lab” Policy

Great scientists do not develop in a set time from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Tuesdays. Organisms have a schedule for growth. Inquire whether there is an open lab policy at the department or designated project areas in which students can monitor their cultures or resolve any failed attempts.

Rigidity in scheduling is an indicator of a department that looks at laboratories as something to tick off the list.

5. See What Its Alumni Are Doing

The real test of whether or not the college’s laboratory preparation is up to scratch lies in its graduates.

Consider what the graduates have achieved after leaving the department. Have they gone straight into jobs as lab technicians, clinical settings, biotech startups, and prestigious PhD programs? Why would companies always be hiring from one school? It is because they understand that the graduates already have bench confidence.

Get your graduate or post-graduate degree in Microbiology from IMS UCC Ghaziabad

IMS UCC in Ghaziabad offers students its graduate and post-graduate degrees in microbiology. The course offers detailed insights, offering a classroom programme along with an extensive laboratory schedule to provide practical knowledge on the subject. Enroll for B.sc microbiology admission today!!