anonymous20

Okay, it seems that you're supposed to have a specific research idea or a lab figured out when applying for PhD, but in my case, I had a very broad research experience & education during undergrad and it also doesn't help that I'm super indecisive and inquisitive. I applied based on my previous research background rather than research I would like to pursue [which is ill advised I know] and got into a couple programs (both PhD and masters). I've been perusing through many scientific journals, but it's only making me get excited about research areas in my field that sound incredibly interesting. If you had personally struggled with this and could impart some wisdom on how you went about choosing what you are researching now, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, what are your thoughts on choosing a research area that you have not had much exposure to during undergrad? Thanks a lot!

You know, actually my interests are also in tissue eng & mechanobiology, so we're really in a similar situation. My options are UCLA(PhD), UCI(PhD), CMU(MS), Cornell(MEng), and I'm technically still waiting for UCSD MS but that's a long story. I've been asking those same questions for like the past month haha.

Thanks! I'm interested in regenerative medicine. It's a hard decision. I guess what your really weighing is whether the better name is worth the extra 1-2years + $$ for masters that you'd be spending. Of course, the other side is that the better name may give enough return on your investment in less tangible ways by giving you more recognition in the job market as braindump has pointed out.. Let me know when you come to your final decision haha. We'll both be struggling in the same boat.

Yes, please, let me know what you think as I'd like to hear as many opinions as possible before making my decision. I do realize they are pretty strong in optics, but unfortunately it's not really my research interest although it would be cool to work on some collaborations involving optics. Also, are you a PhD or an MS candidate?

Anyone have any thoughts on UCI bioengineering program? I have been accepted to their PhD program with funding, but I am not sure if I should take that offer over doing an MS in top programs like UCSD and reapply for PhD. I'm really split in the decision

@TakeruK It's really reassuring to hear the pros from someone who've gone through the process. As you said with #1, when I visited the professors, the younger. untenured professors seemed way more passionate and excited about the new potential projects ideas they have for me, and it's part of why i was more drawn to them over the more senior tenured professors. Hopefully the pros will help me pull through!

wow, thanks for such a comprehensive and detailed advice on what to expect. Will definitely take your advice and look into secondary mentors/advisors thst are more established. Also, the lab i am looking at has a few grad students and 0 post-docs.. which is a dynamic i am not familiar with because i solely worked under a postdoc and learned a lot from him during undergrad. I think I will end up just asking around a lot like you said and probably look for possible collaborations. Thanks for the info!!

I wanted to seek some advice on choosing professors for the PhD program. The university I plan on attending has a relatively new department but is growing quickly, and therefor has a lot of young professors. In particular, the majority of the professors whose research I am interested in are not tenured (associate or assistant), so I was wondering what kind of risks I should be aware of, and if I should instead look for other options. From the graduate students in their labs, they all had only good things to say about them as being good mentors and eager to help, but it still seems a bit risky choosing them over tenured professors that are more established and are more known in the field. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

I got rejected from most of my top choices for PhD this year and now it boils down to this: PhD in a relatively low rank UC school (top 30) or an MS in a top 10 program, which I'm hoping may lead to a PhD there. In terms of career, I'm hoping to earn my PhD and go back to industry as a sr. scientist or an engineer. Perhaps doing a post-doc in industry prior to doing that. My question is, how much does school reputation play a factor when hiring in industry vs. your success in research, and would it be worth sacrificing an extra 1-2 years + $$ for a potential to lead into a better PhD program? It seems like I have a pretty good fit at the lower rank school and the professors there, but I am not sure how difficult it would be to get a job afterwards considering how competitive the PhD job market is and I would have to compete with PhDs from other Ivys. Thanks for your input.