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Chai_latte

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  1. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in Gaining experience for a job   
    @speechfan222: The internships from companies looking to hire researchers are generally full-time, paid internships. But I guess I might have misunderstood what you meant when you say "statistics and data collection/research jobs". I was thinking some kind of quantitative or data analysis type work for companies that need this analysis! One of my officemates found an internship through JP Morgan Chase and now works there full time. They often have paid internship programs for graduate students all over the world. I went to their main website (https://careers.jpmorgan.com/careers/programs), searched for internships and clicked on the first graduate level one: https://jpmorgan.tal.net/vx/appcentre-apac_jobs/brand-0/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/6/opp/4838-2017-Quantitative-Research-PhD-Masters-Summer-Analyst-Program-China/en-GB Although this particular position is closed and it may not be exactly what you are looking for, this is an example of the kind of internship I mean.
    It's not just limited to the financial sector, although that is a pretty lucrative field. I know other people who have gone to other companies such as The Aerospace Corporation (see https://careers.aerospace.org/go/College-Students-Recent-Graduates/2441200/) or Microsoft (https://careers.microsoft.com/students/internships). These are all paid positions. Again, I am not sure exactly what you are looking for and what kind of skills you have developed so search for the big companies in your area of expertise/interest and find information about their internship programs online. Generally, the larger the company, the more likely they have well advertised and documented internship programs. 
    But you don't need to limit yourself to just these big companies. I think it's fine to reach out to companies whose work you admire or find interesting and ask them if they are interested in hiring an intern over the summer or if they have internship programs. I think this time of year is a bad time to be looking for summer internships (usually these applications happen in March/April, I believe) but reaching out will 1) establish interest and 2) let you find out about future programs and the right timing. Having a connection definitely helps, as fuzzylogician suggested. Most of my friends who now work for start up companies either had some kind of personal connection with a current employee or made a good connection at a conference, career fair, or other networking event. Although I don't have experience in this myself, my friends say that they were later told the direct recommendation from a current employee at the startups really helped make a difference since startups are by nature small and usually want to ensure new hires fit into their company culture. 
    I forgot to mention that your school's career center could be a great resource too. Some centers will regularly invite recruiters on campus to conduct information sessions and/or recruiting sessions. It's a good way to make a connection with someone in the company (the company often sends an alumni to be the recruiter at these types of events). It's also a good way to learn about different companies and jobs that you might not have thought about before.
    Finally, don't forget about the usefulness of an "informational interview". There are tons of advice about these things on the web written by people with far more knowledge and experience than I can provide so I'll just direct you there. If you're not ready to apply to a specific thing yet (especially since it's kind of off-cycle for summer internship positions), you could interview someone who has the type of job you want and ask them about their work to learn more about the job and their company. Just remember that you are not actually interviewing for a job here, this is just an informal conversation to get you more information. Many people are willing to chat for 15 minutes over coffee or something if you show genuine interest!
  2. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in Funding and Drumpf/Devos   
    If you are applying to / visiting Earth sciences programs, I think it is a very good idea to ask about the security of future funding. Most likely, the department will have something prepared to say to you during your visit. If not, it could be worrisome. I think you should ask about things like the source of the funding mentioned in your offer letter. If the money is coming from a federal grant, ask the department if they have a backup plan in case future grants aren't there anymore. It's up to you what counts as a satisfactory answer, but for me, I would need to know there is a plan to actually promise me the funding for the full degree program. Some example alternate sources of funding might be private funds, department slush fund, moving people to other RAships that aren't federally funded, TAships, University-level scholarships or some University-level emergency pot of money etc. Probably going to be some combination of these things but if there isn't a plan that ensures 100% of admitted students will have their funding protected, I'd be worried. 
    These alternatives aren't going to be fun though. You may have to TA more than originally planned. You might get switched to a different research project that still has funding. And the department will likely accept fewer students in future years to not overextend their emergency funds / TA positions etc. But these might be acceptable things to you. Although this is probably the most anti-science administration we have had for some time, it isn't the first and it won't be the last. If we stay in this field for long enough, there will be other crises like this to weather. So, unfortunately, I think some of the disadvantages of the alternative funding might have to be accepted.
    That is, you should definitely ask about their plans and I think you should expect some kind of promise/plan to ensure funding for course of the degree. But it might be too much to hope/expect that there will be no costs to these alternatives.
  3. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to fuzzylogician in Did I waste years on my education?   
    Any chance you could enroll in a professional program to become an electrician? What's stopping you from doing that now? 
  4. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to Neek in Anyone else starting PhD with chronic illness?   
    I'm in my second year, have dealt with chronic illness (mainly a cluster of symptoms around chronic fatigue and pain) at varying degrees of severity since 2012. Being in graduate school with chronic illness can be very hard, especially because many of the hegemonic narratives about how one should do grad school involve notions of working all the time, neglecting one's physical health b/c working all the time, etc. First, don't buy into any of those narratives. They're not true. This is real life and we should all be engaging in some kind of balance, chronically ill or not. Second, I definitely felt the questions of is it going to even be possible/am I even capable of getting through grad school, particularly in my first year. I now feel a little more solid on that, but I would say find out who your allies are--perhaps other students in your department, perhaps some faculty. It can be nice to know who it is safe to discuss how health issues are shaping your ability to do work--many professors are okay with that, but not all, so it can be good to carefully get a sense for each individual professor's attitudes.
    Obviously specifics of what to do depend on your symptoms or what exacerbates your illness, but a few things I do to make sure I keep my health relatively manageable include sleeping enough, eating well, and taking time to just rest even when it seems like the pressures of grad school say those things are "too much to ask." Also, don't compare yourself to others--first of all, people are always facing more challenges than they ever seem to be when you look at them from the outside, and second of all, each person does things in their own way and at their own pace. Comparing your chronically ill self to others is just a recipe for feeling shitty about yourself (I say this even as I still slip into this mode of comparison sometimes).
    Being chronically ill among predominantly young people who appear to be mostly healthy can be isolating. I haven't solved that one yet. If you're lucky the people in your department turn out to be good friends (since you'll be spending much of your time with then), but that may not be the case, especially depending on their attitudes toward whatever rhythms you seek as a result of chronic illness. I'm still trying to sort this one out...I feel very lonely a lot of the time and feel like there is no space for acknowledging my status as being a chronically ill grad student...hence my searching on grad cafe to see if there was anyone else out there. I'd love to talk further with folks going through this stuff--even if just to create a sense of solidarity and a sense that chronic illness in grad students isn't unheard of.
     
  5. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to ejpril88 in Anyone else starting PhD with chronic illness?   
    @MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou I am sorry that you're going through this. As someone who was having health issues without a diagnosis for two years (luckily, it ended well), I know how hard it is, especially if you're anything like me and can't stay away from Google. What I noticed when I moved to US from Europe a year ago is that people here react much better to physical and mental illness and won't think you're weird. If you think your health issues could affect your performance in school, you can always talk to your advisor and tell them how you feel. I'm sure they can help.
  6. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from Gradstud2017 in Teacher's College 2017 Entry   
    Well, since no one has answered, I'll share my two cents.  Note: I'm not in C&T; my department is significantly smaller than yours.  Professors have taught all but two of my classes (the guy who taught those two classes is now a full-time instructor--he was finishing his dissertation when he taught us last year).  
    TC is very expensive and can be stingy with financial aid.  Personally, I'd have a hard time paying that kind of money for fellow grad students to teach me.  This may be secondary, but one concern I'd have would be recommendations after graduation.  I suppose all of your recs would come from grad students and not established professors??  
    One thing you should do is email the masters advisor and ask him/her to get you in contact with a couple of MA candidates.  Talk to them about their experiences.  That's what I did prior to entry; the tips I got were invaluable.
    ETA: Just as an FYI, C&T didn't always rely on grad students to teach (I'm shocked to hear that's common now).  When my mom was a student there, she only had professors.     
  7. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from mg91 in Berkeley PhD vs Harvard Ed.M   
    I err on the side of "a bird in the hand"; you said that Cal seems really supportive of your plans.  If it seems like a great fit, I'd give it a shot.  The other thing you have to consider (and I'm saying this as someone who has finally paid off ~97% of her student loan debt) is debt load.  Are you willing to go forward with the PhD after you're 40-60k in the hole from Harvard?  That kind of debt is no joke when you remember that grad loans are unsubsidized and will accrue interest ALL while you're in school.  5-7 years of interest sure is a lot.
    The other thing you might want to consider is where you'd prefer to work as a professional--east or west coast?  That can really tip the scales in a particular direction.  
    Without knowing you/your situation, right off the bat, I'd go with UCB.
  8. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to geologyninja13 in Top Tier school or lower ranked school with better program for me?   
    Hi Sneaky Monkey, in your shoes I think I would go with San Francisco State. If you want to get into a PhD program it will be SO IMPORTANT to have research experience in your given field, and it sounds like SFSU could give you some really good skill sets. If your academic passion links up with professors' specialties it will be a lot easier for them to write the kind of glowing, specific rec letters that will get you into a PhD program, and also for you to make contacts among their network of colleagues doing similar work.
    Good luck deciding!
  9. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from historyofsloths in Favorite Rejection Quotes from the Results Page   
    SUNY Buffalo (mechanical engineering):
    I applied for PhD, but accepted into Maser's degree without financial aid. They are unbelievable bastard! I emphasized in my application that I only want to study PhD, NOT MS. Such a crappy school. Don't go there otherwise your urine will start to build up a stalagmite in this harshly cold place :))
  10. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from pj060690 in Teacher's College 2017 Entry   
    I'm finishing up too, so I'll throw in my 2 cents.  I'm very happy here, BUT it's not a utopia.
    1) If you're a master's candidate, financial aid is tough to come by...in my department (ed tech) and in general.
    2) Folks in my dept. think career services could be better.  Who knows, maybe if you're in Curriculum & Teaching, or a more traditional field, it's different.
    3) Choose your classes wisely.  Speak to older students in your program for guidance.  Not all of the classes are great.  A second year student saved me when I was a newbie.  She told me to switch programming classes IMMEDIATELY.  The one I had signed up for was awful, like 100% horrendous.  I owe her my life because the one she recommended was great.
    WITH THAT SAID...there are some great opportunities.  Stick your neck out to take advantage of them.  Get to know your profs and classmates.  They're great resources and very receptive.  My old TA recommended me for a summer job w/ our program head.  I heard about my spring 2016 internship from two people: a fellow classmate (who is now a friend) and my advisor.  One of my profs introduced me to someone who is doing exactly what I'd love to do post-graduation--who knows that person may become a mentor.  Our department chair has been my independent study advisor for multiple semesters.  It really helps to be full-time here.  There are a lot of opportunities you miss out on when you're only here a few evenings a week.  Again, talk to folks before choosing classes and register early.  If it says you can register Feb 10 @ 9am, get online at 8am.  The website tends to open up early, and kids in-the-know eat up all the best classes by 8:45 or 9am on-the-dot.  Please take advantage of independent studies, courses outside of your department and outside of TC.  Attend activities that are of interest on the main campus.  There are great speakers, seminars, organizations etc.
    This place is generally what you make of it.  Very few are 100% enthused about TC.  For many, it is just OK.  Let's be real; it's a huge school with a huge part-time population.  It's not hard to believe that some find it impersonal.  But, if you go in with your eyes wide open and get to know people (profs, classmates, secretaries etc.) who can show you the ropes, you can have a great experience.  It probably helps to be in a smaller department, too.   
  11. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to Yumiko Ann in Teacher's College 2017 Entry   
    Thanks for your kind response. Have a nice day ?
  12. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from Levon3 in Teacher's College 2017 Entry   
    I'm finishing up too, so I'll throw in my 2 cents.  I'm very happy here, BUT it's not a utopia.
    1) If you're a master's candidate, financial aid is tough to come by...in my department (ed tech) and in general.
    2) Folks in my dept. think career services could be better.  Who knows, maybe if you're in Curriculum & Teaching, or a more traditional field, it's different.
    3) Choose your classes wisely.  Speak to older students in your program for guidance.  Not all of the classes are great.  A second year student saved me when I was a newbie.  She told me to switch programming classes IMMEDIATELY.  The one I had signed up for was awful, like 100% horrendous.  I owe her my life because the one she recommended was great.
    WITH THAT SAID...there are some great opportunities.  Stick your neck out to take advantage of them.  Get to know your profs and classmates.  They're great resources and very receptive.  My old TA recommended me for a summer job w/ our program head.  I heard about my spring 2016 internship from two people: a fellow classmate (who is now a friend) and my advisor.  One of my profs introduced me to someone who is doing exactly what I'd love to do post-graduation--who knows that person may become a mentor.  Our department chair has been my independent study advisor for multiple semesters.  It really helps to be full-time here.  There are a lot of opportunities you miss out on when you're only here a few evenings a week.  Again, talk to folks before choosing classes and register early.  If it says you can register Feb 10 @ 9am, get online at 8am.  The website tends to open up early, and kids in-the-know eat up all the best classes by 8:45 or 9am on-the-dot.  Please take advantage of independent studies, courses outside of your department and outside of TC.  Attend activities that are of interest on the main campus.  There are great speakers, seminars, organizations etc.
    This place is generally what you make of it.  Very few are 100% enthused about TC.  For many, it is just OK.  Let's be real; it's a huge school with a huge part-time population.  It's not hard to believe that some find it impersonal.  But, if you go in with your eyes wide open and get to know people (profs, classmates, secretaries etc.) who can show you the ropes, you can have a great experience.  It probably helps to be in a smaller department, too.   
  13. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to overunder in If a program is your top choice, let them know.   
    This may be obvious to some of you but I'll say this anyways. 
    If a program is truly your top choice, and if you will say "YES" if an offer was extended, LET THEM KNOW one way or another.
    As an applicant 5 years ago, I let my top choice know that if they made me an offer, I will accept. They did, and I did.
    Now as a faculty, I ask applicants how they would feel if we extended an offer, and you bet I will make the first offers to someone who I know will say YES first. 
    Now, obviously, I'm not advocating you lie. In academia, everyone knows each other and false promises may come back and hunt you. But if you have a top choice in mind, don't be shy in letting them know that. A lot of the times, the top 2~4 candidates are equal, and in those cases, one bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush. 
     
  14. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to Bumblebea in The Trump Effect   
    Um, they're crimes committed against certain minority groups with the intent to intimidate. I'm not sure what you proof you're really looking for. Trump spent all year using inflammatory hate speech against minorities. Is it a surprise that his supporters, whilst celebrating their victory, are doing the same? And when someone writes "Trump" on a Muslim prayer room in an attempt to deface it, just days after the election, I'm going to apply Occam's razor here and assume they're a Trump supporter.  
    There was also a hate crime at Wellesley--Clinton's alma mater. Some Trump supporters waved Trump flags and spat on African-American students. http://www.wcvb.com/news/fraternity-ousts-2-students-who-waved-trump-flag-at-wellesley-college/42458568
    But yeah, I'm sure they're just hoaxing. Or their actions are being totally misinterpreted. 
  15. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in Prof. Vs College   
    To me, all of these cons are really big cons. But to clarify, you say that this school is barely in the top 100 universities in Chemistry/Biomedical engineering. But how does it rank overall? What type of lab space are available, etc. If it's still in the top 30 in terms of overall reputation (read: money) then I think it makes a big difference.
    My experience is that research impact/output is a combination of both talent and resources. I think that if you take one of the world's best researchers and put them in a place without enough resources, it won't be the same as their output at a top 30 school. This is a generalization but in your case, this prof has just arrived at the new school so it's not clear yet whether the prof's research impact will change. 
    In academia, timing is important too. Sometimes you are just unlucky with timing. It sounds like this person could potentially be a great advisor but I think the timing for this year makes it too risky. However, I would still advise you to apply to the school if you have some interest in this group. Maybe a visit to the location and talking with the professor about research opportunities would settle some of these doubts (one way or another). You shouldn't feel shy about asking professors for letters even if they require scanning. I felt the same way too but I took it as a challenge to overcome my shyness on this aspect. You'll likely have to ask for similar things in the future!
  16. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to AP in Advisor Troubles....   
    Wow.
    1) You do belong. I study belonging and the construction of inclusion and exclusion. You applied there, you got in. Make it home. If you feel you don't belong because of your background, then communicate your background to peers so that they know. If you feel you don't belong because you still struggle economically, well, I think you represent most grad students PM if you want to talk further.
    2) I think you should talk. If you don't feel comfortable talking to your advisor, talk to the old one or the DGS. The DGS is here for this type of things. He/She should meet with you and talk to the professor safeguarding your privacy. Maybe they drop the subject in a meeting. But it is clear that professors in your department should be more sensitive, especially since clearly they are open to "traditionally underrepresented students" since they admitted you. You displayed a calm attitude and you differentiate the different sides of this story ("she was not in the admission process" etc). So I think you could have a professional conversation about this.
    3) Look for a mentor. Clearly, this advisor will not work as your mentor because you need someone who understands your background and helps you build from it, not in spite of it.
    All the best!
  17. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in What were your reasons for getting a Masters before PhD?   
    Additional time will also diminish the impact of your uGPA. When you are fresh out of undergrad, your GPA is one of the few ways schools can measure your aptitude for grad school etc. However, now that you are beyond that stage, you have lots of different ways to show them that you are going to be successful in a PhD program. Especially since you are doing research in a chemistry lab right now!
    Here's my advice, if I were in your shoes. It sounds like a research career is really important to you and your career goals doesn't necessarily require going to a top tier school. But the higher you can get, the better! So, if your current research job in the chem lab is somewhat stable (i.e. it's not just for this month or something), my advice is to just apply to UChicago and UCIC this year. If you get in, great. If not, keep working in the lab, build up your research experience and try again in the future. At the same time, maybe apply to a few Masters programs that can provide funding. Again, if you get ones that pay enough, and if it will provide more experience than your current lab position, then take it. 
  18. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to Eigen in Is R1 the right path for me?   
    I'd look at some top SLACs, I think they'll provide more of what you're looking for than a lot of R2s. 
    Our grants office, for instance, is very on the ball, and we have a pretty robust education program. Some SLACs that I've applied to even have fairly robust M.Ed programs as their sole graduate program. 
    It's also worth noting that there are a lot more NSF grants awarded to *good* SLACs than mediocre R2s. 
  19. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to juilletmercredi in Is R1 the right path for me?   
    Wait a second here. If I am understanding you correctly, you applied for a position at one nonprofit, and weren't a great fit there, so now you have completely given up on nonprofits altogether and decided to focus your energy on faculty positions?
    I mean, if you really want to be a professor that is your call - you can direct your own job search. But if the only reason you gave up on nonprofits is because this one nonprofit rejected you for being too research-focused...don't!
    First of all, every nonprofit organization is completely different, and some will have more of a focus on or appreciation for research than others. There are lots of giant nonprofits that do lots of education research - ACT, the Educational Testing Service, and the College Board are just the first three that pop into mind. There are lots of think tanks and policy agencies that do educational research. There might be state school boards and administrative bodies that would benefit from an educational researcher. Education is one of those fields where there are lots of researchers in lots of places other than academia. If you wanted a research-focused, non-academic position you could find one.
    Second, learning to tailor your resume/CV and your frame of mind into a more applied one is a skill. It's not something that's innately born into you. Yes, it can be difficult to switch gears, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. You have to take certain steps to learn how to do it, but it's definitely doable. Of course, again, whether that's something you want or not is really up to you.
    If you are still uncertain about academia I would not take this one rejection as some kind of cosmic sign from the universe that you were meant to be in academia. It's simply a job rejection from one job that just wasn't the right fit.
  20. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in Quitting School and Getting a Job to Reapply to Schools Next Year   
    Maybe I am just missing something, but I don't understand the terms "basic research" and "translational research" because I haven't heard of the second type before. Sorry if this is just a naive question. I originally thought you were using jargon specific to your field and that was why I did not understand, but now it sounds like the differences are of a scale much larger than I had thought? Or maybe not? Would you mind clarifying what you mean?
    As for getting letters / leaving programs, as you say, there are several different possible scenarios. Here is my perception of how good/bad they look. I am going to only discuss the professional outcomes here, even though you should definitely consider and balance both professional and personal goals (see next section for that). I kind of rank them here, but within each section, I think there's not a ton of differences.
    Best scenarios for you, professionally:
    1. You finish a full Masters program at your current school (whether it's 1 or 2 years) and have 1-2 strong letters from this school, including one from your advisor. This letter should indicate that you are a strong researcher and good student, but you left because it was determined that the program cannot provide you with the training and skills that matches your goals. Maybe you even publish in these two years. (This is the best possible outcome and it will actually make you even stronger for your top choice schools in the future, I think)
    2. You finish a full Masters program at your current school (whether it's 1 or 2 years). Maybe your advisor and you had a falling out because you decided to leave but you still have 1 really strong letter from someone else in the department stating something like scenario #1.
    Scenarios that may raise some eyebrows when they review your application but will probably not going to be the thing that makes or break your application:
    3. You decide to leave after the end of your first year (or maybe after the current term, depending if you have TA obligations next semester). You tell your advisor right now and they agree to write you a letter that confirms the fact that you are leaving because your goals don't match the department's focus, and not because of any failure or problems on your part. Hopefully you have done enough with them that they can still evaluate one semester's worth of research (after all, this is the same amount of interaction an advisor may have with an undergraduate researcher anyways).
    4. You decide to leave before joining a lab and your PI says they cannot write you a good letter because they don't know you well enough. You contact your other letter writers and explain the situation to them so that they can emphasize your strengths in future application. Maybe you can even get a generic letter from your PI or your department to confirm that you chose to leave because of lack of research fit, instead of being dismissed for performance reasons etc.
    And here are some cases where it can go badly for you in future application:
    5. You stay for the full 2 years, get a Masters degree, but no one in the department writes any sort of letter for you. Also, no publications were possible. However, you can likely salvage this still by contacting old letter writers and explaining yourself in your new application.
    6. You stay for just the first year and don't get any sort of degree at all. Your advisor and other profs in your department refuse to write any sort of letter for you at all. This doesn't mean you are doomed though, but it will put you at a disadvantage. However, you do have a compelling reason so contacting old letter writers and explaining your situation well in your SOP would go a long way.
    ---
    Ultimately, I think you have much more to lose, professionally, by leaving now than finishing enough of the program to get some research output and a degree. It is very important, in my opinion, to have strong letters from your current program, and it would be much easier to get this in your 2nd year in the program instead of the first. Also, by staying for at least one year, you may find that your research interests change. That is, although you are not happy with your research right now, if you move to another school away from your SO whose research attracts you right now, how do you know this will still be the case 3 or 4 years from now? Will you be in the same situation in 3 or 4 years?
    As for the personal reason, I don't think it is unprofessional at all. In fact, having your PI know this might help you because then it makes it clear that the only reasons you want to leave are because the research match isn't good and you aren't personally happy. (i.e. it's not a problem with them, their lab, the department, or you at all). It's just things that are out of everyone's control.
    That said, it might also be a good idea to think about your long term goals. Maybe this research area is not what you want, but if the school provides a great work/training environment and has the resources to build up your skills/experience, then maybe what you are doing here will maximize your chances to work in the academic job you want in the future that is also in the location you want (i.e. near your SO). So, maybe it could help to reframe what you are looking for in grad school---instead of happiness with current research fit, what if you view your current position as the best place to train for the future position that will make you the most happy? Whether this is realistic goes back to my first paragraph here---I'm not sure I understand how different your current lab's work and your preferred work topics are. 
    Note: Eventually, my spouse and I would like to be back in Canada to settle down, but for grad school and postdocs, we are willing to live further away in order to have access to the best resources/training so that we would be the most qualified for positions near our family. 
  21. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in Quitting School and Getting a Job to Reapply to Schools Next Year   
    I will also say that it is very likely that your courses will not transfer. If you want to go to a new school, you're likely going to start over again, at year one.
    I also want to second @Butterfly_effect's point about the importance of mentorship and research fit over research fit/passion. I always say that these two things are important for happiness and productivity in grad school, however, it is much easier to change your research interests than your PI's mentorship style and lab culture. If you find a good PI and a good lab at a school/department that is a good fit for you, I'd hang on as best I could! 
    From an outsider's point of view, it sounds to me that you are focussing too much on the little differences in research topics. To me, it sounds like your "dream project" and what your lab does is very similar, just not exactly what you were hoping for. Since I don't know the terminology of your field, I'd use an analogy. To me, it sounds like your ideal grad school project is to study the best pastry making methods because you want to make apple pies. However, the lab is working on making Beef Wellington, but part of a good Beef Wellington is a nice pastry crust, so they are working on developing pastry methods too! 
    My advice for new and prospective graduate students is to avoid framing your research interests as a specific topic or research question. Instead, when picking labs in grad school, think about what are the things you want to learn by the time you leave. Grad school is a training ground---I think of it as an "incubator" for us to develop into independent scientists. So, I don't really care that much whether I work on making apple pies, cherry turnovers, or Beef Wellington. My goal is to develop good pastry making skills so that I can go out there and become an independent researcher.
    I also think flexible research interests is good for you personally and good for science overall. It's good for you personally because you will be able to "follow the money" and do whatever work that is getting funded. Having narrow interests in grad school means that you might have to adjust to this during postdocs and later in your career. That is, you might just get lucky and have the perfect fit project in grad school, but that's not always going to be the case later in life, so I wouldn't stress about it now. I also think it's good for science and academia in general to be flexible. If every scientist decided on research interests for life in grad school, our field won't be able to adapt to new discoveries and work on whatever is at the forefront of knowledge at a given time. 
    Okay, so here is my suggestion on future steps:
    1. Don't do anything now. You've only been here for a few months. You gain almost nothing from leaving the program right now so give it some more time. Do not contact the schools that did not accept you to see if they would reconsider you. They didn't accept you during the regular season, and they are unlikely to somehow change their mind. If there were schools that accepted you but you declined, then maybe there is a chance. 
    2. After 1 academic year in the program (e.g. the summer), re-evaluate how you feel about the research fit and the city and the lab fit etc. I understand your ethical concerns about staying longer knowing that you will leave, but I don't think it's a concern if you fully commit to keeping an open mind until next summer. No one will expect you to know within a few months whether or not you will stay. 
    3. If you do decide to leave next summer, you should tell your PI right away. This will give you the summertime to figure out the next course of action---whether it's to stay and finish the MS (and whether or not you will still be funded in the 2017-2018 year) or to just leave and take a job while applying for more schools. 
  22. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from 711fanatic in is Peterson's a reliable Grad School guide?   
    It depends.  
    According to a Peterson's employee, Peterson's gets the info from the departments themselves.  However, the information is not always current.  If a particular program has not responded to the survey in 3 years, the out-of-date responses may still be listed.
    At least, this was what I was told ~5 years ago.
  23. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to dr. t in Potential Laboratory Sabotage   
    Having a just cause is not enough.
    Your posts here focus on your obvious disgust at Sarah's manipulative and unethical behavior, but the way you chose to resolve the issue was entirely based in the hope that others would share this disgust. You didn't really consider that the people with the power to address the issues you raised might be at best disinclined to do so and at worse complicit in Sarah's behavior. As a consequence, your behavior, particularly how you talked about the problem in your community (as @St Andrews Lynx noted above) made it very easy for your professor to pass this off as two squabbling graduate students.
    Politics is the fine art of getting what you want. In many cases, as it would have been here, what you want is an ethical and just outcome. But achieving such an outcome often requires a great deal of (ethically ambiguous) finesse, since what you want is at odds with what someone else (Sarah, your professor) want. If you had been more deliberate and careful in this portion of your campaign, I think you would have been able to either marginalize or remove Sarah while keeping your position.
    As I said, none of us are trained for this, and few realize how important such skills are. This was an expensive lesson; don't let it go to waste.
  24. Upvote
    Chai_latte got a reaction from fencergirl in Potential Laboratory Sabotage   
    I think you should leave that lab, but I don't think you should drop out/switch careers because of this.  You said it yourself, you could've done "great things"...and you still can (in another lab).  Please don't allow her to sabotage your career plans.  Maybe there's another lab within the department that can meet your needs.  If not, don't rule out other institutions.  Regardless of your next step, I really hope things get better.
  25. Upvote
    Chai_latte reacted to TakeruK in When your advisor may be changing institutions   
    No standard procedure, but to help you think about what could happen, here are what I've seen my friends/colleagues do (this happens way more often than one might think!):
    1. Student remains at first school and finds a different professor to be their advisor. This is most likely when student is in first or second year and/or they do not want to move.
    2. Student remains at first school and continues to work with their original advisor. They usually add another faculty member who is at the original school as a co-advisor. This works best for students who are good at working independently and/or there are other faculty at the original school who can serve as a good co-advisor.
    3. Student remains registered at the first school, but moves to their advisor's new school to continue their close working relationship. The student may get some "visiting student" status at the other school, but they would still remain officially a student at the first school (and paid by the first school). The student would return to the first school for all degree milestones, such as qual exams, candidacy, thesis defense, etc.  This scenario is more likely for someone who is past the coursework stage of their PhD, likely in their 3rd year or beyond. This is also more likely when the student is funded by a RA or something that is not TA-related.
    4. A hybrid of scenarios 2 and 3. The student would remain registered at the first school but would divide their time between the two schools. They might do this out of choice, or because there are different facilities available at each school, or because of commitments like classes or TAships. For a more junior student, they might start more like scenario #2 at first, and stay at the first school during the fall/winter semesters and move to work with their advisor during the summer, until they transition out of classes and TA work. I've also seen students who fly back and forth more often---sometimes spending one month with their advisor, one month "back home" etc. Or maybe one month of each semester with their advisor etc. The frequency of how many flights they can take depends on how much funding their advisor has to pay for all of this. Remember that faculty have some negotiating power when they accept a new job, so some professors may ask their new school for enough money to do this for all of their current students.
    5. The student may completely transfer to the new school and move with their advisor. To be clear, all of the above scenarios results in a degree from the original school. This is the only scenario listed where the student gets a degree from the new school instead. Usually, most grad programs do not allow you to count courses at another school towards their degree, so often the student has to start all over again from the beginning. Thus, this is more common when the advisor moves during the student's first year (so only one year is "lost") or when the advisor moves even before the student starts (but after accepting an offer). The advisor may be able to convince their new school to accept the student, even if you didn't apply to the new school originally.
    As you can see, there are almost every combination of scenarios possible and a lot of what happens depends on where you are in your studies, what you want (maybe you don't want to live in new city, or you're currently in a low cost of living area and the new school is in a much higher cost of living where your stipend can't cover costs), what resources your advisor has secured in their move, what commitments you still have to your original school and what works best for your research! The important thing is to start talking to your advisor about what they think the potential options are and work out what is acceptable for you.
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