FuturePhD12

After a series of bumps in the road I've found a research home, i love my cohort, & once I found a place where I felt like i belonged & was offered the opportunity to do research that is equally challenging and mesmerizing I discovered that I'm right where I belong..... in a great program doing great research. Its hard but worth it! Med. Chem/Pharmacognosy: 3.75 out of 5 Thanks Chai_Latte for your advice...I didn't get a chance to respond back in Nov but I read your comment! Needless to say things have gotten much better lol

Hi everyone, I'm a first year PhD student in desperate need of advice. Ok here goes... I'm in a science field so first year students have lab rotations before we pick an advisor. Well both my fall & spring rotations were secured before I began grad school but they have both since fallen apart. I love the research that I'm doing in my current (fall) rotation but this professor lacks funding and won't be taking on additional students. My spring rotation professor chose a different student to be in her lab and basically told me that I could still rotate with her but there's no guarantee that she'd be able to take me in. So I decided to talk to each and every professor in the dept who is doing cancer research (my focus) and they all either said that they don't have funding or aren't taking any students. I spoke to my DGS who basically said he didn't know what to tell me and proceeded to lecture me about not being proactive and waiting until the last minute....when in fact that is far from the truth *sigh*. So in the midst of my anger, sadness, and frustration I applied to a medical lab sciences certification program as a safety net in case I couldn't find a lab to rotate in. In fact the MLS program sounds pretty exciting since I love to be in the lab and doing research....learning the lab skills would be great on my resume & I planned on using it as a stepping stone to another phd program. Well today I got invited to an interview for the program (awesome!) but I just recently found a professor who's research doesnt exactly match my interests, but is still pretty interesting, who is willing to let me rotate in their lab (equally as awesome!) Now I have to decide what to do. I'm thinking of taking a LOA and completing the MLS program then coming back to finish my PhD but what if that professor won't have room/money for me when I get back. Yet on the other hand if I decide not to attend the program and discover that either A) I dont like the research or the prof doesnt have money/space for me I'm screwed. I also came to grad school fresh out of undergrad (like I finished my degree in July and started grad school in Aug) and could use the change of pace but I think that the dept would look down on me taking a LOA for "personal reasons". Help please!