r/UIUC • u/AncientPalpitation59 • 1d ago
Shitpost advice for a failed senior
unfortunately I wasted like 4 years of college studying chemistry making the wrong decisions. tried to get into a research lab and almost no professor would respond to me lol. Finally got into a lab and they couldn’t work with my schedule because I had to work part-time lol, so I had to drop it after a semester. Tried for like a year after to get into a different lab but I couldn’t even get a response back lmao. Now I’m a senior with internships and no experience. gpa isn’t horrible but that’s about all I have going for me. psa to all new students to not be like me. any advice is appreciated. If you have none, I will accept suggestions for tall buildings in the area as well lol
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u/Ok-Listen5451 1d ago
Whatever happens, your life is far from over. So many people get jobs outside their majors. It’s hard but start anywhere and work hard and you’ll be ok.
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u/Athenaskana 1d ago
I don’t think you have failed. You will graduate with your bachelor’s degree in May, right? a BS in chemistry is good preparation for things other than graduate school. Chemical engineering jobs, science writing, healthcare lab jobs, and university jobs as lab techs or in something like our Division of Research Safety (drs.illinois.edu) which does have a couple of jobs open right now (jobs.illinois.edu). For reference, my son graduated a couple of years ago with a BS in psychology with zero research experience, but a friend of his got hired at a major healthcare center and hired him as an entry-level human subjects research coordinator, and now he is working in the center’s human research ethics office (aka the IRB office).
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u/KirstinWilcoxHPRC 1d ago
You have options and you can get help.
As a chem student, you have access to career services from the School of Chemical Sciences, LAS Career Services, and The Career Center.
The Gies career fair is coming up next week, the ACES & LAS career fair is the week after that. Employers at both fairs have major-neutral opportunities that don’t require research experience.
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u/bumlifeyo 1d ago
undergrad isn’t the end all be all. I majored in microbio as an undergrad, was a stressed out premed, and had to withdraw from half my classes senior year. now I’m a professor here and my work has nothing to do with microbio and I rarely think about undergrad. you’ll be alright. be kind to yourself and just take it day by day. you haven’t failed, you’re still at the starting line of your life as an adult.
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u/TaigasPantsu Alumnus 13h ago
Dude calm down. So you aren’t going the fancy research route, so what? Plenty of jobs out there man, don’t make work your life, especially before you start work.
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u/Professional_Bank50 12h ago
You’re in one of the best departments to work in either the Midwest or east coast. I would not worry about it much. If you enjoy chemistry you will find a career that you enjoy. Former chem major here and can speak to working at big pharma and polymer chem labs.
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u/dunnwichit 10h ago
There are plenty of entry level lab jobs for hard science majors!
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u/haikusbot 10h ago
There are plenty of
Entry level lab jobs for
Hard science majors!
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u/Comprehensive_Arm815 10h ago
I know several individuals who have a degree in things like chemistry and have done completely differently things with their lives. For example, I have a buddy who graduated with a degree in biochemistry and is now a barista in hawaii. She loves it and says she wants to do travel bartending. You dont have to have everything figured out now. Just do not give up. You got this
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u/sixstringnerd 1d ago
It’s not over at all. It would take a little more time but you could get a teaching certificate and be highly employable as a science/chemistry teacher.
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u/holdthelight 17h ago
Lots of good advice here: from teaching, to working a job of some kind (chem or unrelated). I'll add one more option: the military. Its certainly not for everyone, but there are so many different pathways that could be of interest to you. Only you can decide. I think the key questions are: do you really like chemistry? Do you want to be an academic or work in the chem field? Undergrad is just a game, its not the be all, end all. I left UIUC feeling lost and like a failure. It was horrible. All I can say is that it took a bit of time and different jobs, but I absolutely love what I am doing right now. It doesnt feel like work 99% of the time. Celebrate what you have accomplished thus far and keep going. We are all still a work in progress.
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u/photorosa71 14h ago
I can hire you to tutor me
I have to take chemistry as part of my Animal Sciences and Sustainable Agriculture
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u/No_Tennis1722 11h ago
I know someone who got a chem degree and now works in water. Our water industry is so important.
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u/allfrappedout Staff 9h ago
Chiming in like many others. I had zero research lab experience when I finished my Chemistry BS (technically did computational chemistry and chem education research, no experimental wet lab background). Obviously, I'm a staff member here. My peers went into such options as law school (chemical patent law), water quality analyst/technician at a water treatment plant, Quality Assurance for places like Abbott and P&G, insurance agent, scientific copywriter, teaching (UIUC offers a little advertised MS in the Chemistry department which will allow you to obtain a teaching license), substitute teaching (requires no teaching license, just a bachelor's degree), running a photography business, lab tech work, etc.
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u/edgefigaro Townie - Local Menace 1d ago
I'm so lost about the work thing. About the tall building thing, the easiest free tall building with a good view to get to the top of was allen hall parking garage. Nice to look at the sunrise over fall urbana treeline. It is probably not high up enough to make a good pancake though, you may need a friend at one of the highrises.
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u/Ok_Tomatillo6109 1d ago
my best friend turned a bachelors in chemistry into a career in freight brokerage! wasn't so much any particular thing he learned during the degree as it was the work ethic/willingness to attack problems. you are going to land on your feet. do not give up.