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2pter

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    2015 Fall

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  1. While trying to decide which grad program I'll be attending this fall, I've consistently been given two, seemingly contradictory, pieces of advice: 1. Go with the program that has the highest number of labs/PIs whose work interests you and who seem like a good fit on an interpersonal level. The quality of your grad experience will mostly depend on how well you fit into the lab you ultimately join, not on the program as a whole. 2. Don't pick a program just because you have your heart set on one or a few labs, or because it's strong in the particular sub-field you like. The majority of grad students end up doing work that's significantly different than their perceived interests at matriculation. Make your decision based on the overall fit of the program/department. How does one reconcile these equally reasonable but opposing viewpoints?
  2. I should put "Molehill-to-Mountain Transformation" as an applicable skill in my CV . I appreciate that I'm probably overthinking this, but it's my first time dealing with the politics of academia, so I'm just trying to get the input of those better-versed than myself in such things. As to summer rotations, I've checked with admins and POIs at all three programs and found that it's quite common. Two of them would simply start my stipend early, while the third requires the PI to cover my salary. In the latter case, my POI said he'd have no problem funding the rotation. Seems each school has a couple of students do it every year. I like that approach, focusing on the positives of the other programs instead of the negatives of Local U. By the way, I don't think I was clear on this in my first post, but my PI gave me an LOR for each of the programs I applied to, and is already aware of my acceptances and the quality of the other programs. I think objectively he understands that Local U does not compare favorably, so it just comes down to whether he thinks joining his particular lab is such an overwhelmingly awesome opportunity that it trumps everything else. My reasons for leaving early are mostly practical. I'd be able to find a place to live before the big surge in demand in the fall, and could deal with all the little details of relocating at a more relaxed pace. Without coursework in the summer, I could focus more on my first rotation project and hopefully make a better impression with my POI. Current students have warned me how hectic the fall term can be, so an early rotation could alleviate that. So I'm not exactly dead-set on leaving early, but if my current project reaches a natural stopping point where I can hand it off (my PI has another RA joining this summer), I figure it would benefit everyone.
  3. Hello all. I am currently in the enviable position of choosing between acceptance offers from several great PhD programs. Problem is, that list does not include the program my current PI is a part of. What's the best way to tell my boss I'm going elsewhere for my PhD without sounding ungrateful, and what's the appropriate time to break this news? So first, some background info. My field is in the life sciences. I worked in industry for several years, and only decided to seriously pursue grad school last summer. While I had lots of work experience, some of it research-oriented, I felt I needed at least some time in academia to 1)bolster my application profile, and 2)make sure I would be compatible with the academic environment. This was particularly important to me because I had virtually no undergrad research experience and was years removed from my last academic experience in college. So last fall I signed on with my current PI as a research associate, at the local university. My work in his lab has undoubtedly filled a hole in my resume. My PI is very supportive and nice when it comes to matters of career development. While he encouraged me specifically to apply to the PhD program at Local U, he also repeatedly emphasized that I should pick the program that's best for my career. He supplied a very nice LOR (and let me review it before sending) despite the fact I'd only worked for him 3 months at that point. When I began the application process, I picked several programs that I thought were “reaches”, one seemingly more realistic one, and the program at Local U. I went into things knowing that Local U's program wasn't really what I was looking for, but that if I liked the research I was already doing with my PI, it wouldn't really matter so much. Unfortunately, the last few months have made me realize I don't really like the research I'm doing now. It's a departure from the subfield in which I worked for many years, and in general bores me to death. To make things worse, I've discovered that my PI is very difficult to work with when co-authoring a paper (I won't go into detail here). Add to that the fact that the program is obviously not a great fit interest-wise, and I came to the conclusion I wouldn't be attending Local U well before I heard back about an interview. Fast forward to today, and I'm sitting on my third acceptance letter: two of my top three as well as the “realistic” fit, which turns out to compare surprisingly well to the top programs. I've also gone through the recruitment day for Local U; while all of the interviewing professors were perfectly nice and some had decently interesting research, the overall small size, lack of a cohesive core curriculum, and general disorganization of the administrative staff only further emphasized the fact that the program is not on the same level as my other choices. I'm now debating whether to come right out and tell my PI I won't be attending Local U, even before I've heard back on a decision and before I've picked which program I do want to attend. I don't want to string him along when I've firmly made up my mind, nor do I wish to hoard an acceptance to Local U that could go to someone who wants it. However, I also feel like withdrawing now is basically saying “I don't know yet which is best, but I know you ain't it!”. Complicating the situation further is the fact that I'm on contract with this lab until the end of August, but would really like to leave early to do an early summer rotation at whichever program I pick. I'm not sure how legally binding the contract term is, given that I live in a state with at-will employment, but I don't really want things to get to the point of legal nitpicking. So, fellow GradCafe-ers, how would you advise I handle the situation? Lay it all on the table now? Or wait until I've decided on a program? And how do I cite a reason for declining that is both tactful and truthful?
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