Integrated masters (MSci): why, how and takeaways

By Fedor Alexander Župník , 5th year MSci Biochemistry student 

In this blog post, I will detail the stages of my experience with my integrated masters (MSci), from my committing to the idea to everything being done and dusted and how it has benefitted me in ways a regular undergraduate degree may not have. I hope this will offer some value, especially to those who are, like me, uncertain about their future.  

The first step towards the degree switch 

In year two, I sat through an information session detailing the option to switch degrees, which would involve spending the fourth year on placement, doing practical work for a year. My rationale was that a year spent working would represent a competitive edge when applying for work or further studies down the line, in addition to being able to focus on one specific area for a whole year.  

Application 

To ease my nerves, I reassured myself with the fact that going back to BSc was my safety net if this venture failed at any point, and I started compiling the necessary materials. In addition to a load of paperwork, I revisited my writing skills while discussing what my motivations for applying were and why that line of work would suit me, reiterating my points from above at length. All in all, a set of short answers, a motivational letter and a few documents requested from the university registry did the job. 

Interview 

Being fortunate enough to evade long formal interviews for my earlier academic and non-academic experiences, I expected the final round of MSci application to be intense. However, I found that answering frankly and plainly proved quite a good strategy. What the coordinators look for is a genuine interest in what you apply for (being set on a specialised field helps) and having no misconceptions of what the next steps would entail. I got asked how I pictured the dynamics at the lab to which I replied I saw myself as treated as a regular colleague, will all the responsibilities of one.  

Contacting prospect labs 

After being accepted into the programme, I started looking for where to go. I didn’t want to spam dozens of places, so I tailored my cover letter to describe what I could offer each lab (reading on their research, really helped) and what they could in turn offer me. I contacted a postgraduate institute near Vienna, a university hospital in Lille and a research institute in Montpellier, to cast a net, both geographically and topic-wise, focusing on methods they utilised and research questions they worked on. With a two-month-long radio silence, I sent polite reminder emails which basically reiterated the points of my first emails, while assuring the recipients that I appreciate that their workload might take priority over my request. This got me an invitation to a (zoom) interview for a position in Brno, Czechia.  

Interviews 2.0 

There were no surprises there. The Principal Investigator, acknowledging that I am an undergraduate, led the interview more in the vein of logistics, motivation and experience, rather than discussing the details of his work in depth. What I feel has helped me was having prior lab experience, so I would recommend early undergraduate students to seek out opportunities outside the classroom, even if it’s not your exact field and a prestigious institute. Previously I had worked in for six-weeks in a cancer cytology lab at UPJŠ Košice got me off the ground. Overall, my responses were satisfactory, so I was in for another load of paperwork, liaising with the university and Masaryk University Brno, the host university, basically until I set my foot on their ground.  

The placement 

I was proven right in thinking that an experience like that would be invaluable. In working with the independence, trust and workload of an early PhD student, I learned to plan (experiments-wise), ask for assistance when at my wits’ end, and consult the tomes of wisdom (literature) in search of specific answers for my practical problems. My project concerned structural determination of ribosome-polymerase complex (generating a 3D model, in essence) using a Cryo-Electron Microscope (a two-metre-tall box full of automatised valves and cables). I was also given ample time to keep records and to write up everything I have done in an orderly manner, something that I will need to consciously strive to reproduce in my later endeavours when my workload will be more drastic.  

Take-aways 

I am immensely thankful to the CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology and the lab group that took me for the year for all their support throughout the year and during the writing up stage. The placement made me more confident in my ability to power through a PhD, something that I will try pursuing next. The trust put in me to operate independently, and the results of this management decision have somewhat silenced “the imposter syndrome” which tells me that I am not prepared for actual work. I am not quite comfortable with the fact that this chapter is soon ending, but I am sure that the MSci equipped me for my next steps post-graduation. Ultimately though, that one-year programme is what you make of it, so make sure you find a place where you will be happy living for a year and a lab that studies something that interests you.