Declining acceptance offer, yet still hoping to volunteer in POI's lab?

[SocialPsychHopeful]

Hello,

I was hoping you could offer me advice on whether it would be inappropriate to decline an acceptance offer to the phd program at my undergraduate university yet still ask whether it is possible to volunteer in my POI's lab. I applied to several programs during this application season, and I was rejected from all of them but this one, likely due to a lack of psychology lab research experience. I applied to my undergraduate university as a back up plan; it is not a good fit for the research interests I plan on pursuing. In retrospect, I shouldn't have bothered applying. When speaking with my POI at the interview, he asked why I applied there and said that he thinks it is possible for me to get into better programs and that he thinks it would be best for my career if I do so. He was very open about the program's shortcomings in social psychology (my area of psych); he is the only social psych professor at the university and they have no plans to hire more soon.

I have absolutely no research experience in a lab setting (only independent research and a thesis project). I know that it is crucial that I gain some before reapplying to programs in the fall. His lab is just about the only social psych lab in my town. He currently only has one student in his lab, who is a first year student, and he definitely seemed to act as though he could use assistance in the lab. I don't want to offend him by declining the offer and applying elsewhere in the fall, but he certainly seemed as though he thought I could get into a better program based on my credentials.

I appreciate your thoughts and advice.

[psychapplicant2011]

Hello,

I was hoping you could offer me advice on whether it would be inappropriate to decline an acceptance offer to the phd program at my undergraduate university yet still ask whether it is possible to volunteer in my POI's lab. I applied to several programs during this application season, and I was rejected from all of them but this one, likely due to a lack of psychology lab research experience. I applied to my undergraduate university as a back up plan; it is not a good fit for the research interests I plan on pursuing. In retrospect, I shouldn't have bothered applying. When speaking with my POI at the interview, he asked why I applied there and said that he thinks it is possible for me to get into better programs and that he thinks it would be best for my career if I do so. He was very open about the program's shortcomings in social psychology (my area of psych); he is the only social psych professor at the university and they have no plans to hire more soon.

I have absolutely no research experience in a lab setting (only independent research and a thesis project). I know that it is crucial that I gain some before reapplying to programs in the fall. His lab is just about the only social psych lab in my town. He currently only has one student in his lab, who is a first year student, and he definitely seemed to act as though he could use assistance in the lab. I don't want to offend him by declining the offer and applying elsewhere in the fall, but he certainly seemed as though he thought I could get into a better program based on my credentials.

I appreciate your thoughts and advice.

Is it a funded offer? If so, do your two years, get an MA, and transfer out. It sounds like your POI might be supportive of this.

[LJK]

I don't think it is inappropriate. There is a stigma attached to getting all of your degrees at the same place - you don't show that you can play well with others. You become too narrowly exposed to just a few professor's viewpoints. So if you have the objective of staying in academia, don't go to your undergraduate institution for your PhD - I had a professor at an interview straight out tell me that getting my PhD at the institution that I am getting my MS and have my BA from would be stupid (I didn't even apply but the idea came up in conversation). That combined with the professor's own opinion that you could 'do better' should make asking to get more experience by volunteering in this lab less awkward, I should think.

[SocialPsychHopeful]

Is it a funded offer? If so, do your two years, get an MA, and transfer out. It sounds like your POI might be supportive of this.

It is a funded offer (although the program's funding seems sketchy due to budget cuts), but they don't offer a terminal masters program. Would it be considered unethical to just get a masters and leave a program that accepted you into a doctorate program with funding?

[lewin]

It is a funded offer (although the program's funding seems sketchy due to budget cuts), but they don't offer a terminal masters program. Would it be considered unethical to just get a masters and leave a program that accepted you into a doctorate program with funding?

If you know in advance you only want a masters, yes.

[psychapplicant2011]

It is a funded offer (although the program's funding seems sketchy due to budget cuts), but they don't offer a terminal masters program. Would it be considered unethical to just get a masters and leave a program that accepted you into a doctorate program with funding?

No. It happens. As long your POI is not a jerk (and you neither), he/she will understand and will be supportive of you.

And from the sounds of things, it sounds like your POI may even want to encourage you to transfer out.

[LJK]

No. It happens. As long your POI is not a jerk (and you neither), he/she will understand and will be supportive of you.

And from the sounds of things, it sounds like your POI may even want to encourage you to transfer out.

It isn't unethical if it just happens, but going in with the intent to get out after 2 years is unethical. Now if the OP were to talk to this prof and he was ok with it, then fine. But if he is accepting the OP with the expectation that they are going to get their PhD with him and is not accepting a different student that would get their PhD with him - that is unethical.

[Arcadian]

Since the professor agrees that you can get into a better program, then it should be fine to decline the offer and work in the lab. That was my backup plan as well - strikingly similar to yours.

If you're thinking of joining and then transferring out, you should discuss that with the lab instructor. But wouldn't that just over-complicate things? It would be way easier to just work as a volunteer and then apply to other programs.

[lewin]

No. It happens. As long your POI is not a jerk (and you neither), he/she will understand and will be supportive of you.

And from the sounds of things, it sounds like your POI may even want to encourage you to transfer out.

If you know in advance that you want out after two years but give the impression you will stay for your entire PhD, this is unethical. Advisors put a lot of resources--time, money, reputation--into their graduate students. Few students know what they're doing the first year or two, so it's really only in those final years (as a senior grad student) where you're producing quality work independently. Advisors "put up with" the first few years because the investment is worth it.

It's like taking a term contract knowing you'll only be there for 33% of the term. People do it, but it's still unethical and burns bridges.

(Of course, if you're frank with your advisor then all this is moot.)

Edited April 1, 2011 by lewin00