Epi_Catherine

Hi everyone, I am a first year PhD student and have already secured an awesome 5-year traineeship working with a professor that I really love (who is also my academic advisor). However, while my advisor was away for the holidays, another professor in the department emailed me and asked me to meet with her. I agreed and when I arrived to the meeting there were 2 other professors in the department there with her, and the three of them described a new training grant they are applying for and asked me if I was interested. It was a little overwhelming for me since I don't know these professors very well and it was very random/out of the blue, so I asked for some time to think about. I didn't want to appear rude, so I did say I was interested in the opportunity but would need time to think about it because it's not 100% my research area of interest. The more I think about it, the more I don't think it's the right fit for multiple reasons. Like I said, I already have guaranteed funding for 5 years, this new grant would only be for 3 years. Additionally, while two of the 3 professors would make great mentors, the third one (who arranged the meeting) is a bit pushy and also scatterbrained. I've heard bad things about her mentorship which make me nervous. Lastly, while the methodology involved with the research grant they are applying for is the same, it's a different topical area than I'd like to practice professionally and worry that I'd get stuck doing it after I graduate instead doing research that I'm truly passionate about. Anyways, long story short the pushy professor keeps emailing me and asking me to switch to have her as an academic advisor which to me is a huge red flag because I really like my advisor already and feel loyal to him. What's a tactful way to tell her that I just don't think it's the right fit without burning any bridges? Thanks! Catherine

Thanks, guys. I appreciate all your comments and I think you're right. The revisions that are being requested don't seem so bad, so I'll try to get it done even if that means possibly dragging this out until Thanksgiving or winter break. We did get one publication out of the work already, so this one is more of a supplementary/off-shoot type of analysis but it would be nice to add more to my CV.

Hey y'all, I got my Masters of Public Health back in 2012, but continued to do part-time work for my faculty advisor doing analyses/writing manuscripts that stemmed from my master's thesis project. I officially stopped being employed by him in August 2014 because I started a PhD program at a different school/different state. One of the papers we had submitted for publication got rejected, and he's now asking me to help revise it and send it to another journal. This is my first semester as a PhD student, so naturally, I'm busy. I have a research assistantship position on top of classes. And honestly, I'm just sick of working on a project that I started all the way back in 2011 for my thesis. Is it rude or unadvisable to try to cut ties with this project? Obviously, I respect my old advisor and his support definitely helped me get into my PhD program so I don't want to disappoint or upset him. It's just too overwhelming for me to work on this project in addition to everything else, not to mention that I'm just not motivated to work on it... I'd appreciate any input! Thanks, Catherine

Yes that helps a lot!! One of my friends told me Pilsen wasn't safe, but she hasn't lived in Chicago for a few years now and it seems like it's very up and coming.

What do you think of Bridgeport, Pilsen, or Logan Square? I'm am leaning towards living alone. I've lived with roommates for the past 8 years and it's getting kind of old. I just don't think I can afford to live alone in an area like Little Italy or Wicker Park. Bridgeport, Pilsen, and Logan Square seem more affordable, but I've heard they might not be that safe. I've lived in Boston and Atlanta in the past so I'm used to city life, but I definitely don't want to deal with break-ins or shootings. Thanks so much for your input on this! I can google crime stats on different neighborhoods, but I think it's better to hear from someone who actually has lived/lives there.

I have SO many questions about Chicago! Where to live being #1...I want to live in a safe neighborhood, but my stipend is pretty terrible so it needs to be affordable. Close to campus would be nice, but I realize it's not the best area so I'm open to living a little farther away and commuting using public transportation. Any suggestions for neighborhoods?

Hey everyone, I was recently accepted into the epi PhD program at UIC. Is anyone else going to be there in the fall? I have a couple of friends, but not too many and I'm not super familiar with the area around UIC. It would be nice to be able to talk to some current students or recently accepted students before I get to Chicago in mid-August Thanks!! Catherine

So I did an interview yesterday for a PhD program, and my POI basically said "I'd love to accept you, but we want to make sure we can offer you funding. I'm looking into some different grants for pre-doctoral students, and I'll let you know in a week if any of these work out." Would it be ok if I did my own research on the side to try to find a funding source? And then if I found something that seemed promising, would it be weird if I emailed my POI to tell him I found a potential source of $?...