Four lab rotations in, and still lost as ever

[binftastic]

Hey everyone (apologies in advance for the wall of text),

I am attempting to get my PhD in a field at the intersection of computational and biological sciences. The only problem with that is that it’s been a year and I have still failed to select a thesis lab after four rotations. Here’s why:

Last year, I started my rotations. The first one went well, I enjoyed the research, the PI (let’s call him Dr. X) seemed to like me and aside from him being very busy, I enjoyed working with him, and we worked well together. The two rotations after that were not so great. I returned to Dr. X, e-mailed him with a request to join his lab, and he said yes. Problem is, he was on leave when I e-mailed him and would not be able to sign all the paperwork until his return a month later. He then agrees to meet with me a week after he returns. When this happens, he tells me the department won’t let him take on any more students and that there’s going to be some kind of administrative struggle involved if I try to join the lab. Other than that, he says he wants me in the lab. However, this shouldn’t be a problem because my stipend comes from a pool of interdepartmental training grants, so I should be covered no matter what.

Because of this, I feel like Dr. X is not being completely honest with me. I don’t know why he won’t just flat-out tell me that he can’t take me on or that he actually doesn’t want me there.

If I can’t join Dr. X’s lab, I’m out of luck because there really isn’t another available lab at this school, which wasn’t the case when I first got here. Somehow the other labs I wanted just seemed to "fill up." All the other PIs that do what I like and have skills that I want to learn either aren’t taking students (due to similar “funding issues”) or have awful labs, according to other grad students I’ve asked. I’m now on my fourth rotation, which I’m not totally thrilled about and I’m considering leaving grad school. This is an undesirable option because A) my degree didn’t give me the background I need to get a job at a good software/web company, all the jobs I would get (ie, being a codemonkey/data entry drone) are probably being outsourced to India and C) I don’t want to quit before I’ve actually joined a lab (that's like quitting the game before you've even put your piece on the board), plus I’m told that if I ever want to get back into academia after leaving, it’s very very difficult to do so (not sure how true this really is).

How does one deal with PIs like this and how can I tell if he’s being honest with me? Am I as screwed as I think I am? Am I thinking about leaving for the right reason (ie just because I haven’t found my calling after this many rotations)? I feel like I’ve wasted an astronomical amount of time.

[Eigen]

So the thing that jumps out to me, is that you're assuming he's not being honest.

It seems more likely to me that he's being quite honest, and when he got back the department told him he couldn't take any more students.

I'd go back to him and tell him that there really are no other good fits, and you're considering leaving since you can't join his lab. That might put some incentive on him and the department to allow you to join.

I think this is a problem more often than not- good labs fill up fast, and most PIs can only take on a few students, if any, each cycle. So there's something of a first come, first served mentality.

I'll also add that you might consider the possibility of transferring. The fact that there are no available spots in your specialty is definitely what I would consider a good reason, and you might approach Dr X about writing you a letter of rec, since you got along well and he just can't take you. He might also have some suggestions for other good research groups that he's collaborated with.

[Tall Chai Latte]

I second Eigen's suggestion: transfer is a good alternative. You can go back and tell him that you are considering leaving if he doesn't take you on, but I wouldn't count on it -- since he has already reached his quota for students, he probably wouldn't fight further for you.

This happened to me twice during my rotations, where I had decided to join a certain lab and the PI agreed. And then the department secretaries (from two different departments I was trying to join) came back saying that taking me on will result in some kind of administrative struggle between the PIs and the respective departments. I kept rotating and eventually joined some other lab.

[binftastic]

Thanks a lot for the great responses, you guys!

I have a question for Tall Chai Latte: How many rotations did you have to do before you finally settled? I might do another one, because I heard that some new faculty in my field are coming in, but I feel like 5 rotations is excessive.

Should I have expected this rush? The advice given to me before grad school was always "just rotate until you find what you like!" which ended up being bad advice in the end because I found a lab that I liked, but couldn't join.

[fuzzylogician]

The advice given to me before grad school was always "just rotate until you find what you like!" which ended up being bad advice in the end because I found a lab that I liked, but couldn't join.

Maybe a better wording would have been "just rotate until you find a lab you like and can join!" but I generally agree with the sentiment. You want to find a lab and PI that you are comfortable working with. The decisions you make now can make or break your career (and spirit) when you come closer to graduating and when you're looking for jobs afterwards. Make sure that you take the time and make a good decision.

[Tall Chai Latte]

I did 5 rotations, and amongst the five there were labs that I like but cannot accept students. While you are considering how many more rotations you need to do, think about your overall progression in the program: when do you need to finish your core classes? When is your prelim? If you find a lab that you like and can join (also, good for your career), move on with the choice!