Thesis Question

[WessH]

I will be starting a 2 year M.S. program in molecular and cellular biology this coming Fall. At what point should I know my thesis?

I've read background information in the 2 areas my PI works on (15+ reviews on each subject). He gave me 3-5 areas to concentrate on within each broad topic, however, each of those areas themselves are broad.

I am meeting with him in June. I have a few ideas for each of the projects (one project more so than the other) and I think they are valid, but I'm afraid of looking like a complete idiot. Is it better to tell my PI my ideas and reasoning or will the PI make a snap judgement about me if the ideas are not feasible and this will ruin his opinion of me? Am I supposed to know which project will give me the most data and therefore the most publications?

I'm just not sure what I should know at this point or if what I'm feeling is normal.

Thanks for any advice.

[prettyuff1]

When I did my masters I just started very vague. I knew who I wanted to work with and what this PI's interests were. From there, he gave me a few tasks and overviews in his lab and I got started. It was only after I had conducted a few experiments that I really got my gears turning and started to put together a research plan.

I think you have to really have a good feel for the lab you work in and have just a couple of smaller projects that get your gears turning as far as what you wanna do and moving forward you can go from there. It's good to be prepared but most professors I know just expect you to come in with a decent idea. I mean you never know. What you plan on doing initially may not be where you end up.

[Jimbo2]

I should also comment: grad school is a ritual of humiliation (according to a book I read) and being thought of as an idiot compared to experts in the field is part of the process. But it sounds like you're on the right track! Keep reading!