CharlotteTink

Thanks for the input. The thing is given that's its May, I'm only going to be able to strengthen my application that much more by Dec (if I had started back in march it would have been a bit different). Those are all questions that I have been struggling with myself. I think I'll give the prof one semester and then make a more informed decision in a few months.

Complaints for the POI are that he doesn't actually review your work, doesn't take time to actually help/assist in research, keeps students for a long time (i.e. his students are KNOWN to take forever to graduate), is manipulative and will lie to get you to with with him, and just overall it seems no one is happy at the lab. The POI did just win a big award with one of his students at a conference, and brings in ALOT of funding so he must be doing something right. Students do transfer PI, and I was instructed to do it sooner rather than later (i.e. after the 1st year). The problem is this is the only prof that is doing EXACTLY what I want to research there. I can do other projects of interest just not exactly what I wanted to research. Well I know students can complain about courses, but the students at the Canadian school were all like classes were fine, and quals were fine. Compared to this school, people complained of the quals not being standardized and covering material they weren't taught (i.e. the board that made the qual exams didn't coordinate with the instructors of the courses), as well as busy work.

So I didn't get into my first choice (which happens to many of us), but I didn't take the time to really rank the programs I didn't think I'd get into. Hence, the time came and I was accepted into the a top ranked program (one I didn't expect to get into), and rejected from the schools I thought I had a good chance. Sounds great but then I wouldn't be in this dilemma. I accepted when I was still waiting to to hear from my last school. The last school was in Canada so there was a good chance I'd hear AFTER the Apr 15th deadline. The program I accepted had a lot of pros but I didn't really like/feel comfortable with my POI. Alot of students were unhappy with the POI, and there were complaints on the quals and some courses. The pros were I had great funding, good location, and a well tenured and networked POI. I assumed that if things didn't work with the POI, I could get co-advised or change advisors. So one week before April 15th, I got accepted to the school in Canada. I really like the POI there, the lab, and the city. The students seem to be REALLY happy overall. But between funding restrictions (being an international student), lower ranked, and concerns over networking and recanting my offer at the US school, I decided to just stay. Now I just feel REALLY unexcited about going to school, and feel like I made a mistake. I can't recant a rejection AND an acceptance, so I'm debating between just going for a year and trying out the program but then does reapplying after you've started a program somewhere else look bad? I'm not sure if you can get co-advised with a POI at another school. I know my MS program let me do that. I mean a year in a program will give me more experience and I could know if I like the program, the research topic I wanted to do, etc. I just feel like I should be excited about something I'm ready to spend half a decade doing. Maybe I'll be better off just working this year and making more money? Any advice?