Minority Access to Research Careers An Evaluation of the Honors Undergraduate Research Training Program (1985) / Chapter Skim
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Survey of Former MARC Honors Trainees
Survey of Former MARC Honors Trainees
Pages 29-52
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From page 29... ...
Design and Methodology The primary purpose of the survey of former MARC Honors trainees was to collect data on educational and career achievements. Secondary objectives were to ascertain the trainees' exposure to the various elements of the MARC Honors program (e.g., on-campus research, off-campus summer research, special seminars, and attendance at scientific meetings)
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From page 30... ...
A request for permission to survey a comparison group of nonMARC science graduates at MARC Honors schools.was not approved by OMB.l Mailing addresses for the former trainees were obtained from MARC Honors program records at NIH. Address information was also obtained from MARC Honors program directors and from alumni offices at participating institutions.
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From page 31... ...
Of the l88 trainees who left the MARC Honors program before l98l, l2.5 percent of the respondents and 3.6 percent of the nonrespondents had NIH predoctoral support in l98l. An additional perspective on response bias can be obtained by comparing the survey respondents' rate of medical school attendance to that of the entire study population.
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These 22 doctorate holders represent 2l.2 percent of the respondents who graduated (or left) the MARC Honors program during its first 3 years of operation.^ Another 30 former trainees from these program cohorts are still in doctoral programs.
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, holders of professional degrees (e.g., M.D.) , and former students who withdrew from graduate or professional schools without receiving degrees.
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. Over one-fourth of the former trainees are doctoral students in professional schools.'*
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can provide some perspective on the rate of graduate school attendance for the former MARC Honors trainees. The New Entrants Surveys conducted by the National Science Foundation in l980 and l982 produced national estimates of the educational activities of the science majors graduating one to two years before each survey.
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5The percentages from five science fields were weighted according to their proportion of the majors in the MARC Honors program (biology = .604, chemistry = .243, psychology = .069, mathematics = .06l, and physics = .024)
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Employment The former MARC Honors trainees were asked about their employment status as of November 12, l984. Since the overwhelming majority of the respondents were in school, their current labor force status was a poor indicator of their career progress.
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5 5.4 Financial reasons (needed to work) 10 l0.8 • • Classes conflicted with job 3 3.2 Other 7 7.5 Totala 93 l00.l l20 l00.l aEighty-four people left graduate or professional programs.
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IOC 0 20 20 0 20 0.0 100.0 "TOO 100.0 0.0 TOO 6 7.1 78 92.9 84" "TOO 1981-1984 Employment Status Unemployed 1 12.5 9 12.2 0 0 .0 - 10 11 .8 Employed 7 87.5 65 87.8 3 100 .0 75 88 .2 Total Labor Force "S TOO 7* "TOO 7 TOO" • U -- -- ~55 W Tfi Field of Employment Science/Engineering 7 100.0 43 66.2 1 33 .3 51 68 .0 Other 0 0.0 22 33.8 2 66 .7 24 32 .0 Total Employed 7 100.0 "65 T5O 1 TOO TU 75 100 .6 SOURCE: MARC Honors Survey.
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. Nearly 25 percent aspired to biomedical research careers and another l0.6 percent planned research in other fields participating in MARC Honors programs (e.g., chemistry, physics, psychology, and mathematics)
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4l TABLE 5.8 Labor Force Status of Recent Science Bachelor's Degree Recipients Who Are Not Full-Time Graduate Students (Total U.S.) BIOLOGY Employment Status Unemployed Employed Total Labor Force Field of Employment Science/Engineering Other Total Employed Survey Year and Year of Bachelor's Degree l980 Survey l982 Survey l978 Graduates l979 Graduates l980 Graduates l98l Graduates Field/Labor Force Status Percent Percent Percent Percent 3.3 96.7 46.6 53.4 100.0 6.5 93.5 l00.0 47.9 52.l TOO 6.7 93.3 l00.0 50.0 50.0 ToO ll.7 88.3 l00.0 46.2 53.8 l00.0 ALL MARC FIELDSa Employment Status Unemployed Employed Total Labor Forceb Field of Employment 3.4 96.7 TOOTT 4.8 95.3 TOOTT 5.6 94.5 l00.l ll.l 89.0 l00.l Science/Engineering 54.3 55.2 56.2 57.5 Other 45.8 45.8 43.9 42.5 Total Employed TOOTT TOTTO 100.1 100.0 aThe percentages from five science fields were weighted according to their proportion of the majors in the MARC Honors program (biology = .604, chemistry = .243, psychology = .069, mathematics = .06l, and physics = .024)
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Of the l46 former trainees who were enrolled in professional doctorate programs (medical, dental, or veterinary schools) or who have finished their professional training, 19 (l3.0 percent)
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Students in clinical programs outnumbered students in research doctorate programs. TABLE 5.l0 Percentage of Respondents in Each Career Outcome Category by Year of Exit From MARC Honors Program Career Outcomes Doctoral Enrollmenta Doctoral Progress b Doctoral PlansC Year of Exit Yes No Yes No Yes No l978 46 .7 53 .3 46.
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From page 44... ...
Although some of these students may end their education with master's degrees and others may go on to professional schools, a portion of these students will pursue research doctorates. Adding the master's degree seekers to the population in doctoral programs raised the percentage in a more broadly defined measure of success, doctoral progress, to over 60 percent.
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SOURCE: MARC Honors Survey.
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Fewer than one-third of the respondents rated special MARC Honors classes and guest lecturers "much more beneficial." 6The site visits to MARC Honors program institutions revealed a difference of opinion at more research-oriented schools over the relative benefits of on-campus and off-campus summer research (Chapter 4)
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From page 47... ...
Professional Meetings (Ql8) 93.5 36.3 As part of your undergraduate science program, did you attend any scientific meetings or conferences?
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Another l9 respondents reported that the MARC Honors program enhanced their science education. In the words of one former trainee: Through the MARC undergraduate program I was able to better understand the complex nature of much that I had been taught previously in science classes, and learned to approach future material in a more analytical manner.
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TABLE 5.l3 Comments From Respondents Comments Number Percent Comments Referring to MARC MARC enhanced education (general) l9 l2.l MARC enhanced science education 26 l6.6 Appreciate research exposure of MARC l6 l0.2 MARC influenced research career 2l l3.4 Specific MARC recommendations and criticisms l6 l0.2 Comments Not Referring to MARC Clarification of current career status 14 8.9 General comments about undergraduate education 23 l4.6 Requests for job or fellowship information 5 3.2 Disappointments with Career progress 3 1.9 Job opportunities for bachelor's degree holders 9 5.7 Science, graduate school, scientists 5 3.2 Totala l57 l00.0 aThere were l28 respondents who wrote comments.
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The research experiences of the MARC Honors program were not a normal part of the undergraduate curriculum, as the comments of one student indicated: The program afforded me the opportunity to gain valuable research and work experience even before completion of undergraduate school.... The program exposed those students interested in pursuing scientific research to various aspects of graduate studies.
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reported disappointment with the job opportunities for persons with bachelor's degrees in science. It should be recalled that 8 other respondents criticized the MARC Honors program for failing to provide sufficient academic guidance and career counseling.
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Although exact comparisons cannot be made, the rates of graduate school attendance and employment in science for the MARC trainees are above those found in the most closely comparable national data. Unemployment rates among former trainees are low, not much different from the national average for recent science graduates.
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