Genomic Repairman

I call bullcrap, after meeting with many industry employers most still want you to do a postdoc, albeit a shorter one. Typically 1-2 years, maximum of 3. Some don't because they already have a particular skill that industry wants ASAP but most want to see you manage a research project as a postdoctoral fellow and function more independently than you did as a graduate student.

I was forbidden to have an outside job in my MS program but I moonlighted teaching labs at another university across town. The classes I taught were at night and generally if no one met with me during office hours I did my own work then. Also I never graded while in my lab. And it was damn lucrative and helped support me beyond my meager stipend. The whole forbidden job thing is a bit like, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" but with a little don't be dumb and get caught mixed in with it.

Its a natural feeling, but one you have to get over. As you progress through your training, you need less and less hands on mentorship from your boss. In fact you start resembling more of a colleague than a noobish trainee by the time you are done. Your job begins to become mentoring the new student in the lab but only if you are way senior than they are.

Zyzz, run in the directors office and let them have it, since you stand upon a firm bedrock of principle, err whackaloonery!

pee in it. And make a fresh gel damnit, it only takes minutes. I cast mine in the cold room so they set up quicker.

You know you can accept and then rescind an offer. I did, but the only thing to make sure of is you have to get permission to be let out of your offer to take another school's offer. At least etiquette-wise based on the "rules" of the CGS.

Sometimes schools are throwing out more acceptance letters than spaces that they have available sort of like how airlines will overbook flights because they know some people won't show up. So they want you to accept quickly so they can slow down offers and not run the risk of taking folks in where who might have issues with funding because all of the TA/RAships are gone by the time you accept. Usually the acceptance letter will dictate any time restrictions on the offer.

Somewhat of a misnomer, schools have the right to rescind an offer at any point and time. Its pretty much in the fine print of any school's application form and the CGS is a voluntary organization, not some suicide pact. A reason why you may wish to accept early is that folks that sign on early lock up institutional funding (TAships, RAships, other institutional funds) and if you wait around you may undercut your chances of getting those monies. This isn't a huge problem but some PI's may not wish to take you if they have to foot the bill for you because you strung out the decision process or they needed you to secure those funding mechanisms in order to join their labs. That being said, I've seen offers with a two week window and that is indeed a dick move. In my experience I have found that communicating with schools that have offers on the tables with you that you are waiting for others and found them quite receptive to waiting.

I lost funding during my MS and resorted to a variety of jobs to make ends meet (sold Christmas trees, delivered pizzas, gave handjobs underneath dark overpasses, adjuncted at a community college, tutored). See if you can get some type of on campus jobs (ask for federal work study if you can apply because as I remember, the university only has to pick up 25-30% of hourly wages, federal government pays the rest) but adjuncting at a near by community college could be an easy way to pay the bills, especially if you already have some TA experience.

I am the reason we no longer have metal trashcans thanks to a 6 month failed project in expressing a protein. Kgumps, what voltage and conditions are you doing your transfer at? email me, if you want help.

Why ask when you can snoop, use the NIH reporter... See link below.

Usually its a professor who you have had for class or met in seminar. The relationship usually begins with something as innocuous as going to ask them a question about research or class and grows from there. But as for officially being a mentor, you ask them to serve on your committee because you find their expertise to be relevant to your research. Just ask them, they are usually willing.

Retake the GRE's, those scores will close doors to you that would have otherwise been open.

Illustrator.

Not sure how germane this is to the conversation, but then again I have little expectations for you.

Sounds like you get a second chance to find a program that isn't run by the incompetent or assholes.

Is this kid a troll or really just this hapless? I pray for the former and not the latter.

If you looked at my notes from when I took class in grad school, half would pertain to the lecture and the rest would be doodles, to do lists, stream of consciousness ramblings, and offensive drawings (never borrow notes from me if you have puritanical beliefs). I did quite well in class but I fade in and out of paying attention in class, most of my learning came from reviewing the notes or reading.

You realize that because there is so much competition and they do get so many applications, they shorten the personal statements so they don't have to read the great American novel of everyone's lives. And it also saves you time from having to write it.

Dear ATGC, How do we keep track of all the different threads you have posted this crap in? I think I need a LIMS system for that too, but I'm not paying $5k for it though.