Meeting a Prospective Advisor/Time Off

[mike0982]

Hello everybody!

I’ve been lurking around here for a few months and something has come up recently that I’d like everyone’s thoughts on. I am a recently graduated biology major and I am currently still working in the lab where I did all of my undergraduate research in evolutionary genetics. My PI informed me that one of his friends (aka the PI that is my number 1 choice for grad school!) is coming in to town in a couple weeks to give a seminar and he asked if I would like some time to meet with her, so of course I said YES! After the excitement wore off it was replaced with some anxiety. You see, I recently decided that I want to take another year off before I go to grad school and just work some in the lab, TA, and hopefully get in some travel/relaxation time. I’m worried that, even though I’m really excited to potentially work for her, that she might think that since I’m waiting until next fall to apply that I’m not dedicated and thus, not an asset to her. So I guess I have a few questions for you all:

1. Should I just consider applying this fall (I have taken the GRE, have LORs lined up, and I have picked out the programs I’m interested in applying to, so it is feasible)?

2. For those that took more than one year off did you find it rewarding? How did you explain that this was the right choice for you in interviews or informal meetings?

3. When I meet with a potential advisor outside of an actual interview what questions should I be prepared to answer/what questions should I ask them? (Do you think she will expect me to have project ideas?)

Thank you in advance for your input!

[virion]

So it sounds like you have two motivators for taking your year off. The first is, R&R, is something we can't really advise you on. If you need it, you need it. Either way, don't bring up this aspect of your time off decision with the PI. If you bring up the possibility of waiting a year, do so in the context of improving your CV, unless of course the PI brings up the importance of vacation time. Some certainly do this.

As far as everything else, you're trying to prepare so that you've got a good shot at getting into grad school, right? If this meeting, and the fact that you are fresh in mind will help your chances, I say definitely go for it. You will get experience in researching and TA work when you get there. You'll have this year anyway. Maybe you don't want to apply to every school on your list this year. But it sounds like you've got everything else lined up, if you're entertaining the idea, go for it. Sometimes you can even defer for a year. I can't imagine doing that without some serious health or family related reason, though.

I took two years off and worked as a research assistant. I found it rewarding, as I certainly wouldn't have gotten into half of the programs I did with just my limited undergrad research experience (in a slightly less relevant field). My technique and discipline in the lab improved quite a bit as well. As far as letting my mind relax after undergrad... maybe? It was a moderately stressful job. I had my time on the weekends generally, and had plenty of fun, but I didn't take six months off to travel or anything like that. A well-spent summer between undergrad and grad school could be at least as rewarding.

She's not going to expect you to have project ideas. Prepare enough that you can carry on a good conversation and you can ask the types of questions that one would if they were thinking up projects. For all you know someone in their lab is already doing it, or someone else in the field has their tight grip on that question already. But you can at least show your ability to think critically. If you actually want to work for this person, ask practical questions about the scale of the lab, would you be working mostly with post docs, if she plans on taking on a new student next year (a polite way to ask if she thinks she'll have funding for you), and so on.

[prettyuff1]

I would take the time and speak with her definitely and get an idea of what she has in research for the next few years. She may be in the middle of a project so taking an additional year off may not hurt you. She may be applying for a grant and getting things together so her funding may be up in the air. I think as long as you are participating in activities that are related to Ph.D. it will not hurt you. Everyone needs time to get themselves in order for what they.

Taking an additional year off may not hurt you but i would just see what her outlook is.

[mike0982]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. So to follow up a bit, I agree that waiting to see what she has on her plate (current projects, grants etc.) is a good idea because she may not even be taking new grad students this cycle. My concern is that my meeting with her will not be until late september. If everything goes well and she has space available this year than I will probably apply, if not I'd probably wait another year like I intended to. If I do decide to apply this year though won't late september be too late to contact other people of interest at other schools I would apply to? I don't want to contact them now and say I'm not sure weather or not I'll be applying this year or next. Advice?

[virion]

I don't know the details of the field/program you're applying to. For much of the biosciences, you do rotations your first year rather than solidify a PI before the admissions process is complete. Contacting a PI can be beneficial, especially if there are only a few faculty members you're interested in. I didn't end up contacting specific PIs before hand and things worked out great.

I realize some fields don't have rotations. Evolutionary genetics may follow that model. If that's the case, check the deadlines for other programs of interest. You may have time to establish contacts and plan visits.

In my last post I suggested an alternative to scrambling for a full load of applications this year. If this PI you're meeting with and her program are clearly your top choice, you could apply to a limited number of schools this year. I wouldn't apply to *only* this school, as the application/interview process can alter your decision. But if your top choices don't work out this year, you can still apply to a larger selection next year including "safer" schools.

[prettyuff1]

I agree with the above application plan. It wil just "see whats out there". Applicant pools change so drastically each year so you never know what happens each cycle.

Personally, I had contacted one PI before applied and I did so after I had completed the first round of interviews. It is good to have an idea of who you would like to work with, but i believe most programs have built into the orientation an overview of who is acccepting students and what projects they are working on. This was true for my program( Biomedical sciences). You won't be behind in fact, a lot of my classmates showed up and winged it with who they wanted to work with.

[mike0982]

Hi guys! I just thought I'd give a quick update. I met with the perspective PI today and she was absolutely perfect! I got to chat with her about some of her current projects that I hadn't heard about, I got to ask her about applying to her program, and I even got to ask for her advice on my current research. She said that she did have room for graduate students and she even said she strongly prefers students who have taken a little time off to those who come fresh from undergrad. Aside from all that she is pretty much the nicest lady ever and she was so easy to talk to. Now I just have to make that decision to apply this cycle or to apply next cycle. Hard choice.

Thanks for your input