Author: Life After My Ph.D.
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What’s the Deal With Grapefruit Juice and Drugs?
Introduction Can something in grapefruits really affect how a medication works in our body? The answer is yes, yes it can. For a lot of medications, you can find a warning on the label stating that you should avoid grapefruit while you’re taking it. Basically, drugs are designed to work on patients at a certain dose…
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Feeling Sick After Eating Chinese Food, but Not Doritos? It Ain’t the MSG.
All From a Bowl of Broth MSG (monosodium glutamate) was discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda, a scientist who initially wanted to figure out what made his favorite soups, flavored with Laminaria japonica kelp and its stock, so delicious. He noticed that kelp stock had a distinctly savory taste that couldn’t be categorized into any…
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Everything You Need to Know About Pumpkin Seed Oil and Overactive Bladder
In this post, I’ll explain everything you need to know about pumpkin seed oil and overactive bladder (OAB). The first thing to keep in mind is that this is still a fairly small field, with not a lot of research done compared to other more well-studied diseases and medications that we’ve heard a lot about.…
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The Top 3 Things That Helped Me Get Into an R1 Research University for my Ph.D. with a 3.1 Undergrad GPA
Introduction You need to realize one thing about getting into grad school at the Ph.D. level. It’s all about the fit, not necessarily how stellar your grades or test scores are. The programs have to feel confident that you will be a good financial investment to them; your technical skills, scientific knowledge, and research interests…
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How I Made Easy Money During Grad School: My $500+/Month Side Hustle
Introduction There are some industries that never go out of business, and one of them is anything related to kids and childcare. Parents will do anything for their kids and are willing to pay a premium for quality. Parents that are extra busy and have a lot of money are great clients, because they just…
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Everything You Need to Know About Calcium Oxalate in Houseplants
Houseplants have always been a vital part of peoples’ lives worldwide. There’s something super satisfying about seeing your plants thriving under your care. Every new growth, bloom, and propagation sparks joy for so many hobbyists. I’ve noticed an explosion in the number of people who have become houseplant hobbyists in recent years, probably due to…
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Top 6 Personal Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Ph.D.
Having finished grad school, there are so many things I wish I knew or I wished that someone told me when I was going through the rigmarole of it all. These are tips that lean more “personal”, that focus on mental health, physical health, communication, and self-care. Here are the top 6 personal things I…
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My 5 “Unpopular Opinions” About Grad School
A lot of times, the way things are done in grad school feel antiquated and preordained. There are a lot of aspects of academia that require serious reevaluation and restructuring. Therefore, it might feel hard to find your way and speak up for yourself, especially as a new student. It’s important that you find a…
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Top 10 Most Important Questions to Ask During a Lab Rotation
My Ph.D. program required 3 laboratory rotations in the first year, with each rotation lasting 1 quarter. You were allowed to commit after any of the rotations, but you had to get through all 3 before you officially started in the lab you committed to. Students in my program were fully funded by the program…