misslitty

Thank you so so much for your response and advice. I don't have any aligned backups, as I can't really contact potential labs without risking him finding out, but I honestly think he will fire me once he knows that I will leave anyway. I may just bite the bullet and start asking around. Best of luck to you in your transition!

I am going to save the whole backstory and just get into my question. I am a first-year PhD student, and I came to this university because my PI's research is a perfect fit. I came out over the summer to begin research early and get into the swing of things, but this is undoubtedly NOT the lab for me. I'm miserable and it is a horribly toxic environment. I have contacted both of my previous PI's and they agree that I need to change labs. My question is, how do I go about doing so? As soon as word gets back that I'm looking into funding available in other labs, my PI will fire me on the spot. He also would not give a good reference once he learns I am leaving. There is also no departmental staff that I can inquire to about departmental support in the case of funding lapse- there is only 1 staff member who hasn't quit, and they would tell my PI if I asked about anything. I don't know what to do.. I feel like I'm forced to make this decision blind.

I'm not in your field, but are you confident about your personal statement? I feel like that made a very big difference in my applications

I'll be starting my PhD in Bioengineering there this Fall(:

I think we would need a bit more background to give a realistic estimate- do you have practice GRE scores available yet? I think those are a great variety of universities, but I would strongly encourage you to add 2 universities with a bit lower notoriety/name recognition. Find the programs that have the research that you find most interesting, don't simply apply because they sound fancy.

So I have accepted a PhD offer at a very prestigious institution, but I am concerned about the PI that I will be working under. He has exhibited a lot of red flags, and I am under the impression he is not a good mentor, bordering on labor abuse. Is it possible to defer my other PhD admissions for a year, granting me time to see whether my concerns are valid, or if the relationship can work? If so, how should I phrase this to the other institutions?

????

Ooookay I'm fucking livid and I'm mostly to blame. F/G, E/VG, VG/VG I'm a BS/MS student, but when I applied, I had no graduate courses counting towards my GPA. The only academic level that can reapply, as BS/MS students can, is level 1. So that's what I selected. WOW THAT WAS A MISTAKE. The ONLY negative comment on my application was from Reviewer 1, same comment for both IM and BI: The academic level is 1 for this applicant. However, she is already in here first year of graduate school. NOT HAPPY

God I didn't know this was coming soon, and had a nightmare I didn't receive it last night. That was quite an accurate prediction. Honestly, I'm crushed. Congrats to all who were awarded it!

I emailed them last night: "Award announcements are traditionally made by early April. If there is a change that warrants notification to the community, it will be provided as soon as possible."

I've accepted a PhD position to join a specific group's laboratory. We have already gone over the details of the position, and they sent a group email to his lab members welcoming me. I don't start until Fall, and am wondering how I should keep the communication lines open with this PI without annoying him.

I've accepted a PhD position to join a specific group's laboratory. We have already gone over the details of the position, and they sent a group email to his lab members welcoming me. I don't start until Fall, and am wondering how I should keep the communication lines open with this PI without annoying him.

I had actually booked my flight for the visit, but canceled it after I received that email. That is not the kind of environment I'm looking for. Very bummed such a great program could be so unprofessional.

Background: I asked the outreach person if I could receive the same materials that visiting students receive in the case that I can't make the visit myself. I made clear I wanted to go, but if I could not, I didn't want to be missing any of the information. Email got forwarded to the department head, and he was fucking RUDE. The whole thing was basically a call out of how I'm going on too many visits (I've only been on 2...). I never said where the school is on my list (it WAS top 3). Here's the line that really got me: "If we are that low on your list, I would much rather have you simply decline our offer now rather than waste everyone else's time"

I've been accepted to 5 programs so far, and all have invited me to their grad student visit days. I have crossed one, a school whose offer I won't be accepting, off my list. With the other 4, I just don't know which I'll accept yet, they all have their benefits. I am still in school and my research lab, however, and I don't want to miss that much time to go on visits. I truly don't know how to prioritize which program visits I should attend. Any advice is much appreciated!

Oregon State, UC Riverside, and University of Minnesota ?

That's honestly really comforting to hear. I was CONVINCED I would be rejected from everywhere I applied. I assume you're published?

Here's to hoping it doesn't matter that much! I'm in Yu's class right now and took one from Bowles last year! They're both really kind, but Yu is a lot more of an experienced PI, FWIW. I'm doing the BS/MS now since it only pushed my graduation date back by a semester and it's paid for lol. I'm applying for PhD for Fall 2019 and those are what the acceptances are for.

Thank you, but I feel like everyone on here is a FAR better applicant than I am! I'm pretty sure my GPA will get my application trashed a lot of places. I applied to MIT, University of Colorado, Oregon State, University of Wisconsin and Minnesota, Northeastern, UCLA, UC Riverside, Boston University, and Washington State. Also, I'm in Utah's M.S. Bioengineering program now! Who are interested in working with??

Commenting to give some of y'all hope, because you're all far more qualified than I. Undergrad Institution (approx. rank/reputation in STEM): Okay public uni, strong research institution for my field Major(s): Biomedical Engineering (B.S.), Bioengineering (M.S.) Minor(s): Chemistry GPA in Major: Fuck, I have no idea Overall GPA: Undergrad: 3.55/4.0, Grad: 4.0/4.0 Demographics/Background: White, female, American GRE Scores: Q: 161 (77%) V: 164 (94%) W: 5.0 (92%) LOR: 3 incredibly strong LORs. 2 were from current and former PIs, and one was from my advisor/professor Research Experience: Solo research project when I was 16 (published at same age), summer research internship and top university, 3 years research at current university Publications/Abstracts/Presentations: 2 publications (1st and 2nd author), 8 conference abstracts, which were a mix of poster and oral presentations Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Took 1st place poster at a conference, if that counts Fellowships/Funding: 2 semesters of undergraduate research funding, travel grant to present at national conference, funding from local medical company, and graduate research assistantship Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Highly involved with outreach. Have been volunteering with low-income families and women since I was 13, worked with scientific outreach programs that work with primary students, and my last job was solely outreach activities. Anything else in your application that might matter (faculty connections, etc.): I can't emphasize enough how good one of my LOR was. It was from the head of the dept at this incredible institution, who was also my PI. Research Interests: POC diagnostic development for low-resource areas (-: Comments: Have 3 acceptances! If I can do it, so can you!

Important details: I have been in contact with a professor at a great program which I would very much like to be a part of. They are flying me out next week to check out their lab and learn more. In our last communication, they asked that I keep them up to date with my other applications. I feel like this would be shooting myself in the foot, but it also feels dishonest to not disclose acceptances I have received to PhD programs at other universities. Do I tell them now and let them know their lab is my top choice, or should I wait until they ask?

Perfect, thank you! I will look into the University of Delaware and University of Connecticut, as I have already looked into the other two quite a bit. How did you determine your safety school, though? I feel as though I am shooting too high and want at least one school that I am confident I will be admitted to.

Hi all! I could really use some help. I am working towards my BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering, thesis option. I want to pursue my PhD in MSE with a focus on biomaterials, particularly for diagnostics, biomimetics, and drug delivery. GPA: 3.55 (not great) GRE: 161V, 163Q Research: 2 publications (1 first author, 1 2nd), 3 conference presentations, 3 years research at Tier-1 research institution, summer internship at top international uni I will be applying to: University of Minnesota, U of Wisconsin, Boston University, Oregon State, UC Riverside, and maybe Washington State I am hoping to add 1 or 2 safety schools to this list, as I feel I am shooting above where I can realistically get in. I have no problem finding research I am interested in, but I don't know how to tell if I have a decent chance at admission. Also, is there any way to determine likelihood of full funding? I have heard many horror stories lately.

Was accepted into a mid-tier Biomedical Engineering M.S. program, fully funded, though!