[Choosing a Lab...by Friday]

So, I'm in an odd position right now.  The way my program works, we had a series of talks at the beginning of the semester followed by a couple weeks when we arranged one on one meetings with faculty we were interested in working with.  The deadline to submit our final ranked choice of lab is this coming Friday, and I really don't know what I'm doing.  Most of the labs that I came here interested in are not taking new students after all,even though they were recruiting at the visiting weekend last May.   I managed to find a couple labs I am interested in that would be willing to take me, even though they weren't actively looking for new students, but I've been so busy with classes the past few weeks that I haven't had much chance to interact with the professors or their groups.  This week won't be any better as far as that goes.

 

Anyway, I think I have it down to 2 groups now, but am very hesitant to try and choose one.  The first lab is very small, only 4 graduate students, 3 of which will be graduating within the next year.  The PI is much older, and not active in the lab anymore, though they seem very nice and I think I would get along with them well.  The work has an environmental focus, which is what I really wanted when I came here, but I have no background in the specific things they do and don't know if I would actually enjoy it or not.

 

The second group is much larger, with a younger PI who is willing to be very hands-on if the student wants it.  I haven't been able to meet most of the group yet, and don't know how much I would interact with them regularly.  The work is more biologically focused, which isn't as interesting to me personally as environmental, but the specific type of work I would be doing is mostly instrumental--designing, building, and optimizing a new system.  I know I like method development and optimization, but I don't know if I would enjoy the initial stages of trying to build from the ground up.

 

So, I know no one will be able to tell me what to do, but I thought I'd go ahead and post and see what comments arise.  Any general tips as I hit crunch time (other than reading and such, which there is honestly no time to do), or any insights based on how I write about my options?

[First years - how are we doing?]

Sadly, things aren't going great for me just yet.  One of my courses is so extremely difficult for me and so fast-paced (currently with an oral exam every week) that I've had no time to work on my other class, which has a test coming up worth half my grade, or look into research groups much.  The way things are set up here, we had a seminar series through the first few weeks and aren't expected to choose a group for another couple weeks still, although it turns out most of the other first years do already have groups, which has taken a lot of research groups out of the running for the few of us who don't.  Not to mention that nearly every group I was interested in, or had talked to previously, suddenly decided that they are not looking for students,  And by nearly, I mean all but one, who might not have the funding to take me...

 

I'm taking a forced break tonight, and just not letting myself look at anything course related for a few hours.  It won't help me catch up--and I am crazy far behind from being sick for a week and unable to focus or take quality notes--but maybe it will help snap me out of a sudden descent into the depression that runs in my family.  Unfortunately, I'm actually actively discouraged from trying to contact the teaching assistants for the harder class outside of lab time and the professor is randomly not around right now, so there's not much I can do to get things back on track there.

 

Here's hoping things look up soon, though!

[Princeton/Michigan Chemistry (Organic)....and other program concerns]

You've talked a lot about the available faculty and what they bring to the ranking and implied dedication of the programs, but, at the risk of sounding repetitive, what about their relevance to your interests?  If one school only has one faculty member with research that really interests you, it probably isn't going to be your best choice, even if there are a lot of other professors in the general subfield.  On the other hand, if one of those schools has many faculty that you would be interested in, that might be a better fit.  When you think about individual professors, there's more than reputation and even more than publication potential to consider: if you go to a great place with great new faculty but don't love the specifics of your research, you're going to make your life difficult.

 

With all that in mind, you're really the only person who can decide which school is more enticing.  If commitment to bringing in new blood is important to you and you can see yourself working with the new professors, there's your answer.  If you like that there is active growth in the department but the people coming in don't fit your specific interests, you might need to think more about which thing you would prioritize: prestige or personal potential.  Most people would probably say to go for the personal potential with a balance of rank and interest, but if you are a person who can be happy doing any type of work in their general field and flourish under pressure, than maybe prestige is your better fit.  Even then, though, current ranking vs. observed dedication is a tossup that you have to decide.

[Technology Recommendations]

I've never had a laptop last more than 3 years (I have really, really bad luck even with good systems), but I refuse to go for a tablet as my main computer.  I pretty much despise completely touchscreen based devices, though I do have a Nook Color that is more transportable than my laptop, cheap, and handles email and documents just fine if I really need it to.  I just cringe at the thought of trying to run all the programs I might need on a tablet, and I like to take my work with me.  A real touchscreen laptop might be nice, as opposed to a tablet with a keyboard attached, but I've never been willing to foot the cost.  

 

As it is, I'm currently doing fine with an Asus brand laptop running Windows 7, about 2 years old so far.  Asus generally seems to be a good choice for a full laptop--not the priciest, but good quality with a range of options depending on what you need.  It's no MacBook, but personally I don't think those are all they're cracked up to be (also virtually anything else is cheaper). I wholeheartedly agree with a previous poster that I would not touch Windows 8 unless you have a touchscreen based device; it was built with touchscreens in mind, and pretty much just makes your computer look like a phone (I personally would rather the other way around).

[Information for next Fall?]

I was told that I would get information regarding registration at some point in July, along with a suggested class schedule.  Right now I'm just biding my time.

[Signing emails with "Best"]

Currently, my habit is to always sign with Thanks or Thank you when emailing professors.  With other people I know or students, I usually forgo a sign off and just put my name.  I've only known one professor to use "best"--most don't bother at all--but it doesn't bother me.  It isn't really an important part of the email, it just sounds too curt sometimes when it's left out entirely.

[Learning to drive!]

I would suggest waiting as well.  The written test should be no problem, as often you can find manuals online or at least pick one up at the testing center.  The test for a permit is pretty easy, too, and is only a written test.  As for learning, driving schools are good but not strictly necessary: if there's someone you know who is willing to teach you once you have a permit, that's fine too.

 

I don't know for sure what the requirements are for internationals, but for citizens the required "hours of practice" you normally keep track of before getting a license (a least in some states) is waived once you turn 18.  So theoretically, you could go get a permit right away, take a week or so to learn (that's all it took me) and go get your license.  While you can make a lot of small mistakes and still pass, just be aware that some things, like missing a stop sign, are an automatic fail.  

 

As a new driver, I just think it would be more comfortable to learn driving in the place where you'll need to do it.

[Landing a Job In New City Before Moving.. Help!]

I won't be doing this and really have very little experience with job searches anyway, but I can give my 2 cents.  As far as working in your field, I would ask people you know already at home if they have any connections in that city, or know of any companies or institutions that you could look into.  You can also try to contact other students or any professors or other workers at your new school that you have been in contact with or are expected to help incoming students, and ask them if they have suggestions for earning a living while you're there.  As long as you can send in applications online or even by mail, applying shouldn't be an issue, though I'm sure you'll need to add some statement to confirm that you will for sure be there at a certain point.  Depending on the type of job (I'd guess a better chance with field related work where you need some background than a general job where there will be plenty of nearby applicants) they might be willing to conduct phone or even Skype interviews if you can't be there in person.

[Problem with a prof.]

No. Of course it's not a good idea. He was professional and did his job when he needed to (DGS business) but clearly wants nothing more to do with you. You should leave it at that and walk away.

Agreed, I would suggest you just leave him be.  Before, when you were trying to enroll in his class, he had reason to communicate with you.  Since you dropped it, he no longer does.

 

And with regards to how he may feel about you dropping that class: even if it doesn't create a lot of work for him, he still took the time to consider what you were asking, and was placing trust in your assurance that you could handle it.  Choosing to drop the course before even starting it is telling him that maybe you were not taking the possibility seriously after all, and likely did lower his opinion of you academically.  He was probably just trying to clear that up with his later email, and see if that reflected your usual attitude toward your academics (that you might ask for something and then say no thanks when it's given).  If you are pursuing something in his department, he probably feels that is an important thing to know about you.  There doesn't have to be anything personal about it.

 

Edit regarding BlackBoard: Isn't that how blackboard works, though?  You have to officially drop a class or it will go on your record as a fail, and once you drop it officially you're taken off the class roster and lose access to the page.  At least, that's how it has always worked in my experience.

[Grad Student Stipend and Rental Applications???]

If a place is known to rent to students, I wouldn't think it would be an issue.  The places I'm looking at now will cost me just under half of my monthly stipend, and while I have not specifically asked yet, they know I am a student on a stipend and have made no mention of income requirements.  In fact, one place wanted to show me apartments that are more expensive than what I'm looking for.  If it does become an issue, my parents would happily co-sign, but I'm not expecting anyone to make a fuss at complexes that advertise and rent to students who wouldn't be expected to have much income.

[Bags for women]

I just have a regular messenger bag and backpack, both SwissGear.  I've had really good luck with SwissGear in the past: they hold up well and don't wear too much, aren't too expensive, and look fairly nice (just not formal).  If I carry my computer (and I rarely do, because it's nice and I'm paranoid) then I use a sturdier computer case.  The messenger style case isn't anything special, but it was free with my first ever laptop and I never shelled out money for a new one.

[The other side of being accepted....shopping and planning the trip! :D]

I'm mostly looking forward to outfitting a new apartment (once I get there, that is, no point buying things here).  Since I'm taking the summer off and I love making things myself, I have a few crafty projects in mind already that will fit in any place I get. Clothes probably aren't going to be a big thing for me--lab clothes are lab clothes, and I don't think I'll need much more than I have in the way of more formal outfits.

[When to update the CV...]

I won't be needing my CV for a while anyway, so I chose not to change it yet so I don't have multiple "expected" degrees from different institutions listed.  I'll update social sites when I graduate in two weeks--it's soon enough anyway.

[Anyone else stressed out about housing?]

I'll be heading to my new city for a few days right after graduation to look at apartments and hopefully choose one.  I'm not a social person, so no finding a roommate/housemate for me--I'll be looking at single bedroom apartments not too far from campus, with easy access to bus stops (I'd much rather get on a bus than drive every day).  I'm not going to try for campus housing because as far as I know, there's no guarantee of a certain place (there's just a priority list) and I'd like to live away from undergrads since the undergrad program of my new school has a bit of a party atmosphere.  That puts housing cost a little high for me, but living alone and other considerations will greatly reduce my stress level.  Right now I have no time to look things up on my own, so my parents are doing the online searches for me.

[How many programs did you apply to?]

I only applied to 3 programs total, which I think is actually pretty low for chemistry.  2 were competitive for my division, one not so much but takes fewer students total, and all were only in the top 25 overall for chemistry.  I would have applied to a couple others, but I decided on grad school late last semester and had already missed deadlines and my chance to take the subject GRE.

[How do your students address you?]

I introduce myself by first name, so that's what gets used.  I am an undergrad TA right now, so most of my students are near my age and anything more formal seems silly.  In general, though, I prefer going by first name basis anyway, because I like the atmosphere it provides--my favorite professors have always been those who offer their first name, because they seem more approachable and more interested in forming a relationship with their students.  In a larger class, I would still be comfortable going by first name, but only so long as I was the one to suggest it--I do find it disrespectful to address any teacher by their first name before that option is specifically offered.

[Summer before grad school]

I know a lot of places really encourage coming early, but personally I plan to take the summer completely off.  I seemed to have a harder time coming back every year of undergrad after interning full time through the summer, so I need the time to get my brain back on track this time.  I think having time to get nice and bored will have me raring to go come August.

[Energy and Envt Chem VS Organic Chem]

Honestly, if organic is your preferred choice I would just go with it.  Yes, a lot of people are doing medical based research right now, so there will be competition.  On the other hand, so many people are doing it because there is need and funding at the moment.  If you have any connections in the industry to pharmaceutical companies, there's likely going to be something you can do, though from what I hear most actual synthesis is being outsourced right now.  On the environmental side, there should be a decent demand for a while, but you'll still have competition from other fields (environmental sciences, chemical engineering, physics, etc.).  You have to think about what your focus would be there, too: working in environmental monitoring, remediation, policy, or energy will all lead you to different opportunities and employers.

[Choosing between 2]

Thanks for the responses, guys.  Well, I had some interesting flip-flopping moments, but I decided on School B.  A few days ago I thought I was set on School A, did the coin flip and everything.  But I couldn't stop wondering why I hadn't chosen School B, so I wasn't done thinking.  Then yesterday, a friend told me I should choose School A, and I found myself wanting to argue that her points were invalid for me and School B was just as good, if not better in those respects.  I'm definitely ready to decide now, so School B it is!

[Choosing between 2]

With only a few days left to make a decision on where I will got for my PhD, I find myself stuck between two schools that are both very similar and very different.  

 

School A

Ranked highly in my field

Well-known name all around

Several professors I might be interested in, but some push to commit to a specific lab quickly and no info on who's accepting

Higher stipend/competitive fellowship

Slightly less nice area to live

 

School B

Ranked just below school A in my field

Not a name you immediately think of

Professors in similar areas who I know are accepting, slightly less known or newer

Interesting interdisciplinary minor option

Slightly lower stipend/fellowship but still plenty live on

Better college town

 

Originally, I was much more excited to apply to School B, but it turns out School A has more than I thought it did in my area of interest.  And while the areas of research are similar, the actual projects and even coursework vary quite a bit.  The more I look at things, School A seems to have more research that would later apply to industry, which is my end goal.  However, the groups there are fairly large, professors are already making commitments I'm not ready for, and one group of interest is struggling for funding at the moment.  At School B, the research seems more specialized and less applicable to a future in industry, and one of the groups I'm most interested in has a very new interdisciplinary professor whose students are all currently from another field.  On the other hand, I get the feeling that it's a more relaxed atmosphere and they really encourage trying out a lab before full commitment.  My brain says School A, my heart says School B, and my gut can't decide.

 

Any advice?