sciencenerd123

Perhaps I should ask a direct question: would any of you be able to "suck it up" and work in a completely different department in which you have no experience in for the next 4+ years? It seems like an awfully long time to be doing something that doesn't make you happy. I know grad school isn't supposed to be the happiest experience of your life, but I would at least like to enjoy it (and not have to take another year full of courses just to catch myself up to speed on a completely new subject). This semester alone I'm taking close to 19 credits (including 4 classes, rotations, and other small courses required by the program); this courseload is specifically for my department. So if I don't get into this department, I've killed myself for these classes for absolutely nothing. I've done one rotation in a different department that I have some experience in (there's only two departments here in which I've had course or research experience), but ultimately I would like to do my Ph.D. in my current department. With the lack of funding for the majority of the labs in my department, it looks like the chances of getting into a lab in my department are slim (especially with additional people competing). I also understand it's supposed to be competitive, but when there's so little room in the department in general and I came in under the assumption that way more professors had funding, it's a little frustrating. Am I in the right for feeling this way, was the program in the wrong at all for accepting so many students for this department and then essentially screwing us over? Or should I just shut up and suck it up and deal with it? Also, Eigen, you've given great feedback and advice, so thank you!

I don't think they realized the amount of people that would be interested in these labs, especially the amount of interest from people in other departments. We were just told to pick a few people we were interested in to interview with, there was no specific information on funding. From interviews to the beginning of the semester to now, a lot of funding situations have changed (mostly for the worst). A lot of the "available" professors are waiting to hear back from grants so we're all kind of walking on eggshells when it comes to rotations. We knew we could rotate with anyone, but the funding issue wasn't made know at the beginning. Of course, a program doesn't want to make departmental money issues known during interviews, but if there's not going to be room for everyone than something needs to be said. At least that's how I feel. I know what I'm passionate about and I know what I could care less about, I'm trying to be flexible but to them flexibility means leaving the department entirely and finding a new subject (for example, switching from micro to biophysics). Also, it's not that they're the "top" labs to be in, they're the only labs that may have funding for the department. There are only 5 labs that might potentially even have funding for my department. Best case scenario, there are 3 or 4 spots. Worst case, there are 2.

I'm not exactly sure how I would go about fixing things, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do (apply for some kind of fellowship myself or something). There are only 6 people headed under my specific department, so that's why some are taking the classes my department requires and some aren't. Some of the people competing for spots in my department are in a different department with their own curriculum. I think the main thing is just that we were told there were labs for us and our interests but the majority of us are probably going to get screwed over. If we had known we wouldn't be able to even rotate with people who interest us, I don't think a lot of us would've accepted.

Little bit of background: I am currently a first-year student in a Ph.D. program for biomedical sciences (on the West Coast). We are all being paid a stipend from the university until we find a permanent lab (no TA-ing necessary). We were told at the beginning of the semester that the university would pay for us in case there were funding issues (funding dropped in middle of degree, etc.), or they would somehow find a way to keep us funded. Issue: There are multiple departments in this program. My interests lie specifically in one department that I'm already temporarily under. However, there is a huge issue with funding in the labs of this department, and therefore only 2 or 3 labs can take students at all. There are 10+ students competing for these spots. When a student expressed concerns over the lack of funding, they were told to basically suck it up and find some other interests to do a Ph.D. in. We have offered to help with grants or do whatever else was necessary to get funding, but apparently that can't work in certain situations. Some professors are reluctant to even let students rotate in their labs. The coursework for this department is rigorous, and only a handful of the 10+ people competing are actually taking the classes needed for this department (yet no preference is given to anyone already under it). Any advice from more experienced grad students? Should we suck it up and find something else to work on for the next 4+ years? Or should we try to fix this situation now so it won't happen to incoming students in the future?