OldGrad2012

@Tall Chai Latte What is the best way to say this? By email or confront the PIs in person? I feel it's better to just sent the PIs an email mentioning that I want to "explore more options" like you said above. So do I need to give the PI two weeks notice?

Hi all, My graduate program has an option of doing rotations ( about 3) five weeks in each lab to find out if the lab is fit for you. It is optional but I find that I need to do rotations in order to get to know my potential mentor and get along with him or her. Does any of your program require rotations. If at the end of my rotation which is what I am doing now, I find I do not like this lab. So how do I tell my current PI that I want to move on to another rotation? Do I not tell them at all and just start another rotation. Is there a two weeks notice like a job when you want to move on to different lab? Does anyone in the same situation as me?

@deconstructing, I do not think age is the factor in admission for graduate school because I got in at age 37, and I had a choice to make on where to go too. But then again, I am a domestic student. In your case, If you are an international student, I do not know the answer. I guess you have to try applying to find out. But then again, maybe age is not a factor anyway.

Maybe I am in the same boat as you'all because I made a choice to stay in California and go to UCR in SoCAL. I am from Northern CAlifornia. Although it is still a new area and environment for me, I thought the other program at Washington State University that I got accepted into was more interesting in terms of research. WSU is heavily focused on mammalian system as a study model. However UCR is heavily focused on plant model. It is also too hot here as well.

I just started my PhD program at age 37. I am the oldest in this thread. Gosh, I am so behind, but I know others people in the 35+ club in this forum have also started their graduate study at around this age or even older.

THis time last year I was preparing for the GRE and took it. Also prepared for the GRE subject. I had also worked full-time doing research in a lab. I was also looking into many grad schools and started my grad application.

My program had a summer program in which I was supposed to start in July. I am delaying in to the beginning of Aug and start the summer program. It sucks because I do not have any break over the summer plus the fact that I am also working now and have to leave soon, which mean I have no break from my job and this summer program.

I am moving from San Jose CA to Riverside CA UCR. I have lots of furniture and will need a U-haul. I am thinking of towing my car too. But my other idea is to drive my car to Riverside and fly back to get a U-haul and hauled all of my stuffs. It will be more economical and safer than to towed my car at the same time.

I will be attending UCR as well in the Fall 2012. I think they have a good science program.

I just gave my boss a notice of my last day ( two weeks from now Aug 3). Is this too soon? I will not have a break. I will start my graduate summer program starting Aug 1( should have been in July but I delay it until Aug); and ending until my class start on September 21. I still have lots of thing to finish up at work and I hope my boss understand that I have to start my summer program in order to receive the full summer stipend.

@butterfingers2010 I agree with you of keep working until the very last few weeks when school starts. I feel very nervous about leaving my job early because I need the money before I start graduate school on a tight budget and all. I plan to leave early September even my school does not start until late September. At the same time, I want to fast forward this situation. I wish they would paid me a lump sum right now so I can leave sooner for grad school.

I must have to say getting the LOR worst the absolute worst thing and depression as well. I had to start over too because I graduated in 1997. It is 2011 when I applied too. Most of the professors where I got my bachelor degree were retired or does not remember me. So I had to asked my supervisors or boss from work for them. It could of being worst. If I had applied sooner like soon after I graduated in 1997, I could of gotten better LORs. But I got in anyway.

@ Loc Nguyen. I am of Vietnamese descent too. I will start my PhD late though. I will be almost 38 coming in this Fall 2012. I wish I could of started earlier or years ago. But it nice to know that there a lot of people in their 30s going back to grad school.

If I start my program in July, i will be doing an extra rotations and not get started in my thesis yet because I have not picked my lab yet. I think I will start in September and not do a rotation in the summer because I want to earn more money on my job as a research associate. I also want to be coauthor in paper submitted in the lab if I would stay longer until end of August? What do you guys think?

Anyone going to UCR GGB(Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatic) PhD programs. That University of California, Riverside GGB program?