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Yeah, the H-index is exactly what I was talking about! Thanks for the tip!

I don't think you're legally obligated to stick with the place you accepted - that wouldn't seem right. but I don't really know for sure. How do you know the other 4 schools won't tell you anything till March or April? Did the tell you that directly? Because honestly, the fact that you haven't heard anything from them at this point is definitely not good news and usually means a rejection. Or did you already interview at these other schools?

Anyone know a good way to find out not just how many papers a professor is publishing, but also how well referenced the papers are? I know a metric exists that measures these two criteria together, but not sure if a student like me would have access to it. Where would I find this information, or a similar statistic? I know I can go on Pubmed to look at the amount of pubs. Also, does anyone know what's considered a 'good' and 'average' rate of publications? I'm trying to choose between 2 PI's, both whom I really like..

Yea this was my plan actually! Wanna get through the first year and make sure I do really well, get into the swing of things, etc

Are there any PhD students, particularly in the sciences, that have a child or had a child while in school? This may well become the case for me. I'll be starting my PhD in about half a year and my girlfriend wants to have kids as soon as possible. She's willing to wait a little, but definitely not until after I finish school (her age is a factor so I can't really ask her to wait much longer). So without delving too much more into my personal situation, let me just ask: is it doable to have a child while in a PhD program? I'm particularly interested in hearing from people in science, but I'll take advice from anyone who's been through this or is currently going through it. Also, if you know anyone who has done this, how did if work out for them?

As you may have gathered from examining the other interview topics, it's very hard to know how an interview will go. I just got back from one, and from that experience I can tell you it was a mixed bag for sure. I had 4 short interviews with different people. First guy was my top choice POI. He got pretty technical on me (molecular bio stuff) and I kind of dropped the ball. There were two questions where I was just honest and told him I didn't know the answer. We talked science for first half and personal for the next half. I left with a not-so-great feeling. i didn't bomb it, but could've done much better. It made me nervous about the next 3. Luckily, these were all the complete opposite - they really were just conversations. With one prof we talked about hiking and mountain biking the whole time practically. With another we talked about his research (but he did all the talking) for a bit and then started talking about comedy and who are favorite comedians are. With my last guy I just asked a lot about the program itself, the inner workings of it, etc, but nothing about science. The first guy really made it feel like an interview, and it was tough. But the other 3 really were just casual 'conversations' as many people have put it. I later learned that the guy who grilled me on technical stuff had a reputation for being intense and demanding as a PI. Another great piece of info I got out of one of the current grads during the party that night was that they were sort of "taking note" (his words) of all our interactions - meaning with profs, grads, and each other - throughout the whole weekend. I know it's going to be hard, especially in you're an introverted or anxious person socially, to be heavily involved for the entire time. I know this because I am one. These trips are jam-packed with social events, so not only is it physically tiring, you're also probably going to be spending a lot more time surrounded be people than you ever would in your normal life. Just try to elevate yourself for the couple days you're there and make a good impression. Act enthusiastic. Ask questions and meet as many people (especially current grads) as you can. They invited probably 4x the amount of people that they can accept. So it's clear that there was a lot of evaluating going on. Count how many people are there in your group, and also take into account that many times there are 2 of these 'interview weekends' for a certain program. If there are way more people than open spots, you know you're gonna want to make yourself stand out. Programs usually take in around 12 new students each year.

Did he say he was "still thinking" before or after one of the three of you didn't show up for the visit? If he said that before the other person no-showed, that'd probably help him make his decision.

If it calms you down any, I just got back from an interview weekend where, at one point, our whole group was walking down the sidewalk. One guy tripped and fell onto a cactus. On top of that, he ripped a gigantic whole in the crotch of his nice pants he was wearing for the formal interview part. It can't get any worse than that. It was awkward as hell and really weird, because no one could figure out why he fell. Guess he just tripped over his own feet.

Haha you couldn't be more wrong picturing me as a fedora-wearing hipster. Hell, Id rather be some overdressed tool than a hipster! They're the lowest form of life on Earth! I'm more of the 'scientist with zero ability to understand fashion' type guy.

I'll keep that in mind. And yeah, it really makes sense when you put it into practical terms - such as using the PI's equipment and reagents - that I'd need to be aligned with their research to a large degree. I guess I need to make sure there are several PI's I'm interested in in order to avoid this becoming a problem.

Wow, that comes as a huge surprise. I thought you pick your own research topic and that's what you write your thesis about... My subfield is chemical biology.

Thanks for the help guys! @Eigen So if I were to end up with a not-so-ideal PI, how screwed would I be? How much time would I spend working on their projects? Just my first year or two right? Then I move onto my own research I thought... And when I pick my own research topic, is it necessary for it to be very closely related to the PI's research?

what dept did u apply to at UCR? Im curious because your info says your program is geosci/astrobiology. Did UCR have a program in astrobiology or something related? Thatd be very interesting

I have no idea how this works, and it will play a big role in what school I choose. USC has only a couple POIs for me. They're doing really cool stuff Id love to be a part of. But no one else there interested me at all. What are the chances I'll end up with one of these two POIs? If a POI is interviewing you, does that mean they definitely are taking in new students? Will I automatically get to be with my top choice POI? How is this decided. It could be really devastating to choose a certain school and not get your top POI, then be left with only choices that you're not interested in at all. So I'm really curious as to how the assignment of an adviser works. And how do you go about choosing your research topic. How close to the advisers work does it have to be? If you end up with an adviser whose research is uninteresting, can you just start doing your own thing even if its very different from their expertise?

Wow, you're a psychologist, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're referencing pseudoscience! It has everything to do with the character of the interviewers and interviewees. People of strong character won't care what you're wearing--like me. I have transcended such things, I hope one day you, too, will achieve such a level as I have . One of the quickest ways to spot a lying sadistic psychopath is to look for people that are overdressed.