Conected Professors? Contact them all?

[bsharpe269]

I posted a similar question in applicaitons but am not getting much feedback so I am hoping to get more here. Here is my situation.

 

 3 of the professors who I would be interested in working with for Phd (I have a very specific research interest) are conected. Ill call them Professors X, Y, and Z and they work at universities X, Y, and Z respectively.

 

Professors X and Y have sort of a joint research group, but each work at different universities. They even call their lab X/Y lab. Professor Y also calloborates, it seems, with Professor Z and a 3rd university. They publish together frequently and often grad students from one do their postdoc with the other.

 

Professors X and Y and both at the top of the field while professor Z is a bit newer. If I get into all 3 universities though then I would go to Z because of location and lab size(I perfer a smaller group). Can I contact all 3 professors and apply to all 3 universities? They are my 3 top choices. How would it look though if I get into all 3 labs and then I choose Z. I wouldnt want to jeporize my change of doing a post doc with X and Y since they are the top of the field. Any advice for this weird situation?

 

 

[GeoDUDE!]

You can apply to all 3 if you can afford to pay for all 3 applications. You can contact them if you have the ability to 1) write a letter, 2) call them on the phone, 3) write an email.  If X,Y,Z are doing similar work, chances are you will not postdoc with any of them no matter where you go. Post docs often with someone who does a different type, for example the modeler might work wtih an observational or experimental scientist. 

[bsharpe269]

Thanks for the input... so the reason I mention the postdoc quesiton is because it is really common for someone to do a phd with one and postdoc with another. By looking at the current/past students on their website it actually seems that this is more of the norm for them than unusual.

 

I just dont want to mess up my postdoc chances by turning them down for undergrad. Some of these guys are the BIG names in my subfield.

[0908]

Do you honestly believe that the PI's whose lab you do not join will remember you 5 years from now? They probably won't even care that you didn't go to their school/lab for your Phd. You shouldn't even be thinking about a post doc right now, have more important things to worry about. Have you been accepted into any of the schools the PI"s are at?

[bsharpe269]

Do you honestly believe that the PI's whose lab you do not join will remember you 5 years from now? They probably won't even care that you didn't go to their school/lab for your Phd. You shouldn't even be thinking about a post doc right now, have more important things to worry about. Have you been accepted into any of the schools the PI"s are at?

I'm applying next year so right now I am just trying to figure it out where to apply. If i reject admission at a school though and then have to callaborate with that faculty member throughout my phd then I am sure that they will remember me. I wont reject it then never talk to them again. These professors work together so I would reject it then be regularly seeing the professor.