HYHY02

Agreed. I'm definitely not emailing again for a couple years, if ever again. I just hope that if I do end up wanting to apply to his lab for a PhD, I hope he forgets my name by that time!

So I'm going to try to make this as short as possible.... Anyways, I was very interested in a specific research field for my masters, so at a school here in Canada, I got into contact with a professor at a university early in the application process (usually for a research degree, you must secure a supervisor before you're officially admitted, as was the case here). He's relatively a new professor, so when I first got into contact with him, he said he didn't know if he'd have the available funds to take on another student. This was in October of last year, and we kept emailing back and fourth (usually me starting it off by asking if he had a better idea in regards to his funding), over the next 8 months. The application deadline ended in June, and it was then that he finally told me he could not take on another student for the upcoming year. I was disappointed, but I completely understood. I then enrolled into a different masters program that I applied to. However, because I'm so intersted in doing this specific work that the said professor was doing, I emailed him again in August (I was comtemplating of dropping out of my masters to pursue this exact type of research) and it was here where I don't know if I maybe crossed the figurative line when it comes to talking with potential supervisors. I asked him if he had any positions for the winter term (starting January 2014). In this email however, I kind of went into a full paragraph explaining how I'm sorry for the continuous emailing, but that I really want to get involved in this type of research, I explained what I found interesting in the articles he published etc. blah blah (probably came off as a little to desperate), and then I ended off the email asking if he would be accepting PhD applicants in the next couple of years, and if he would consider someone like me with a different background (although similar field) that I would want to apply then. I really wanted to work on this type of work at this university, then move to a lab in the States for my PhD to continue this work. Problem now is that the work I'm doing in a masters is quite different, so if I was to move into the field for a PhD, there would be no continued transition, but I'd be entering a new field. The fact that he just dismissed my masters application, and that I then asked him if I could potentially be a PhD student at minimum two years down the line, I don't know if that would make me come off as neurotic or even oddly hell bent on working with this one person. It's not the person per se, but the research, but I can only imagine this email left a sour taste in his mouth. Not to mention he didn't reply, I emailed him again a few weeks after no response, and again no response. Have I shot myself in the foot in regards to ever working with this professor in the future?

I'm in a tough situation with my new labmates. All the current students in the lab started at the same time, which was last year, but they also all volunteered together in the years prior, so they're all good friends. I'm the only new incoming student, so I just feel like it's them vs me. It doesn't help that I'm a very shy and anxious person, so in all the group meetings, or in some of the classes we share, they all huddle together, while I just do my own thing by myself (which I don't really mind since I'm use to it), but knowing these people are suppose to be my labmates (more experienced labmates to add), I feel like I want to open up some communication, but I just find it hard and awkard. At least I get to be alone in my office...

Thanks for the input. My supervisor already contacted the journal, so I'll be getting his response early this week. I just thought I'd post anyways to ask.

So I'm starting to work on a manuscript for potentially my first publication in a small journal (gotta start somewhere), anyways, in the 'call for papers' advertisement, it states, "Briefer papers of less than 14 pages will exceptionally be considered for this special issue". Now, this is probably going to sound dumb, but someone else in my lab read it differently that led to some confusion. From what I got from the sentence was that papers of less than 14 pages will be considered most/prefered. However, the other person said that it could mean that in regards to papers that are less than 14 pages, only those that are exceptional will be considered. Now I'm doubting what I thought it supposedly meant. Any clarification so I can put this thing to rest and get started would be great.

The first day, I did practically nothing. I went to a TA orientation, and then sat in my lab office alone for hours, so I decided to leave a little earlier. Wasn't the most exciting first day. Next week, classes start, so I expect things to pick up then.

My university promotoes/uses Refworks for all of it's students. I find it that it gets the job done well. I know some people who have had in proper citations in their bibliography when using the automated tool on Refworks, and didn't check. I use the tool, but always check myself if everything is fine, but I don't recall ever having problems with it. Love the ability to organize all my references, and it's even better when the journal/article search engines I use have Refworks part of the citation tools, which makes it easier. Can't speak for the others, but I'd recommend Refworks from my experience.

I'm about to TA for the first time (lab demonstrater), and I've yet to recieve any sort of training. There was a general TA orientation, but it was more geared towards etiquette, social dynamics and how to deal with problems such as confrontations, things like that. Although valuable, I found it not to be that important. Want I really want is some training in regards to the specific labs I'll be teaching/conducting, and for this, I haven't heard one word. I think there will be some sort of weekly training for TAs, a week before the actual lab, but I have nothing concrete, which is making me anxious. I mean I haven't touched a microscope in years, I'd probably fail that lab section if I had to do it today...

I'm about to begin my masters this fall, but this question has been bothering me so I thought I'd go ahead and ask... anyways, I'm doing my Masters in an average Canadian school, the same school where I did my undergraduate. If I do go down the PhD route (which is what I'm intending), I also want to apply to some top schools in the States. Anyways, I wanted to ask just how important/what factor does where you went to school for your undergraduate/masters play when applying to some of the top schools in America? In Canada, I know people that have gone from little schools to the top tier ones and vice versa as they moved from one degree to the next. However, I don't know what factor it would play in my application in the States. Not only am I in an average school, it's an average international school, which I would assume puts me at a disadvantage when competing with other international students from top schools from their respective country, with all of us competing for the PhD position. It's bothering me that I feel doomed in regards to applying to PhD schools in the States before I've even begun my masters (even though I probably wouldn't get into any of the top schools I was potentially looking at, I thought I'd ask anyways about how big of a factor your previous school's reputation is...).

Thanks a lot for the response. I just feel like I have two things going against me for my masters: I'm returning to my average undergrad uni (only applied to 2 in total...), I was really hoping to go to the prestigious school, but I was set on working with only one professor whose type of work was something I really wanted to do (and still do). Unfortunately, he didn't get the funding to support a new student. Not to mention I'm not a big fan of my supervisor's work. There is some overlap of interest, but not something I'm in love with. However, I think I took for granted some of things mentioned here in these posts in regards to my professor. The man already did a lot to get me into his lab, he's easy to talk to, gives leeway in regards to the work that you can do, great enthusiasm, but I think one of the more important things that can end up helping me is how he sets up his students to suceed in the field beyond the masters, things like helping secure national funding (Canada), and just making you participate or learn things that will help, such as certain programming languages. Maybe I'm just trying to sugercoat something I've been seeing as a bad situation, but I'm just trying to take some positives from my situation now. Like I said, I became depressed over the fact I was returning to the same average school with the same supervisor whose work I wasn't keen on, but I guess it's more about what I put into it now, so I can get the most in return, which can help with my PhD options.

That's also one thing I've been told from another professor, something along the lines that switching up your research from your masters to your PhD is more than acceptable if it's in the relatively same area. Not to get all cliche, but between the masters I have now and what I was hoping for, the question and techniques are different, but there's some overlap in regards to the topic, but I'm also hoping that it wouldn't hurt in the process of a PhD application, since hey, at least it's somewhat similar. The topic of my current masters though is what really bothers me. At this point, I'm thinking that I just need to somehow find motivation in my work in the lab I'm already in. I was afraid of that, along with what you mentioned that there's no guarantee the school/lab of my choice would take me in next year, which would lead to a year wasted and just more sulking. Thanks for the great advice.

Any recommendations for wanting to switch when already committed to a masters program? I applied only to two schools this year (stupid me), one being a top school, and the other being my average undergraduate uni, both in Canada. I ended up speaking for with one professor for over 8 months, about how I could potentially work in his lab if he had room. We kept the discussion going, until in late June, he finally found out that he would not have the available funding to take me on (he warned me the entire time that he may not have the available funds).My thought process was that if I didn't get into the Neuroscience labs I wanted to at the better university, I would just commit to a professor I worked with for over 2 years, who I've had a great relationship with, for my masters, pick up some essential skills, and then move on for my PhD. Having said that, with my masters about to begin in a couple of weeks, I feel anxious and depressed over my work in the masters, knowing it isn't the work I would like to see myself doing (just for specifics, my current position is neuroimaging work with fMRI and DTI, but I wanted to work with cortical plasticity and electrophys). I'm thus contemplating about dropping out of the masters, taking a year off, and reapplying for next year for labs where I feel I'd be much happier with in regards to the type of work done. I just can't see this sort of abandonment going well over with my current professor. I would imagine a potential reference from him when reapplying (if I go down this route) would not be worth getting, that's if he was even willing to give one. I'm simply not as engaged into the research topic. However, I'm also debating about taking a year off for when it's a masters. If it was a PhD, where I'd be looking at least 4 years, I would have no problem waiting out another year. Some people have told me just to commit to finishing the masters in 2 years, and work my tail off to have a good CV afterwards for when applying to PhD programs, where then I could apply to a lab more aligned with the work I was hoping to be a part off. At the same time, I don't know how easy/hard it is to be able to move around to a different field from a masters to a PhD? If it's more than possible, I'm thinking of just stopping the whining and go in head first into the masters, but I can't shake off this feeling of anxiety.... I just don't know at this point if it's even worth it to quit the program I'm in now. Any advice would be great.