Not excited about program :( Should I reapply next season?

[CharlotteTink]

So I didn't get into my first choice (which happens to many of us), but I didn't take the time to really rank the programs I didn't think I'd get into.  Hence, the time came and I was accepted into the a top ranked program (one I didn't expect to get into), and rejected from the schools I thought I had a good chance.  Sounds great but then I wouldn't be in this dilemma. 

 

I accepted when I was still waiting to to hear from my last school.  The last school was in Canada so there was a good chance I'd hear AFTER the Apr 15th deadline. The program I accepted had a lot of pros but I didn't really like/feel comfortable with my POI.  Alot of students were unhappy with the POI, and there were complaints on the quals and some courses.  The pros were I had great funding, good location, and a well tenured and networked POI.  I assumed that if things didn't work with the POI, I could get co-advised or change advisors.   

 

So one week before April 15th, I got accepted to the school in Canada. I really like the POI there, the lab, and the city.  The students seem to be REALLY happy overall.  But between funding restrictions (being an international student), lower ranked, and concerns over networking and recanting my offer at the US school, I decided to just stay. 

 

Now I just feel REALLY unexcited about going to school, and feel like I made a mistake.  I can't recant a rejection AND an acceptance, so I'm debating between just going for a year and trying out the program but then does reapplying after you've started a program somewhere else look bad?  I'm not sure if you can get co-advised with a POI at another school. I know my MS program let me do that.  I mean a year in a program will give me more experience and I could know if I like the program, the research topic I wanted to do, etc. 

 

I just feel like I should be excited about something I'm ready to spend half a decade doing.  Maybe I'll be better off just working this year and making more money?  

 

Any advice?

Edited April 25, 2014 by CharlotteTink

[bsharpe269]

Alright well this school has a lot of pros it seems. You say that the cons are that you don't really like/feel comfortable with yout POI and and that there were complaints on the quals and some courses.

 

So I think that before we can give specific advice, you should expand on this a bit more. What are your hestiations with your PI? What specific things do you think could be an issue? Also, have you discussed with current grad students how common it is to transfer PIs and if you were to transfer, is there anyone else you would be interested in working with?

 

As far as courses go, I think its pretty normal for students to complain about courses. In genernal, phd students want to spend there time on research, not course work. If you give more info on some of the specific issues though we might be able to help out!

[CharlotteTink]

Alright well this school has a lot of pros it seems. You say that the cons are that you don't really like/feel comfortable with yout POI and and that there were complaints on the quals and some courses.

 

So I think that before we can give specific advice, you should expand on this a bit more. What are your hestiations with your PI? What specific things do you think could be an issue? Also, have you discussed with current grad students how common it is to transfer PIs and if you were to transfer, is there anyone else you would be interested in working with?

 

As far as courses go, I think its pretty normal for students to complain about courses. In genernal, phd students want to spend there time on research, not course work. If you give more info on some of the specific issues though we might be able to help out!

 

Complaints for the POI are that he doesn't actually review your work, doesn't take time to actually help/assist in research, keeps students for a long time (i.e. his students are KNOWN to take forever to graduate), is manipulative and will lie to get you to with with him, and just overall it seems no one is happy at the lab.  The POI did just win a big award with one of his students at a conference, and brings in ALOT of funding so he must be doing something right.  Students do transfer PI, and I was instructed to do it sooner rather than later (i.e. after the 1st year).  The problem is this is the only prof that is doing EXACTLY what I want to research there.  I can do other projects of interest just not exactly what I wanted to research. 

 

Well I know students can complain about courses, but the students at the Canadian school were all like classes were fine, and quals were fine.  Compared to this school, people complained of the quals not being standardized and covering material they weren't taught (i.e. the board that made the qual exams didn't coordinate with the instructors of the courses), as well as busy work.  

[nugget]

If your POI is very well known in the field and he's a big name, I was once told by a PhD student that it's not that uncommon for students to not get a lot of time and attention from the POI. This is the downside of working with someone who is involved in a lot of projects and (most likely) has a bigger lab and more students to supervise than others that publish less and get less funding. The upside, of course, is that you will get the chance to work on a lot of projects and get a good number of publications in before graduating. As well, you can  benefit from a generous funding package.

 

I think you need to make a decision; no one here can make it for you. Clearly you do not plan to work with him for very long so you need to decide if you'd rather 1) do research on work you are less interested in or 2) apply again next year and see what happens.

 

Are you willing to devote the next 5+ years to working on a project that isn't your top choice? Are you certain that other POIs you are considering have a more compatible mentoring style and devote more time to their students? 

 

Are you willing to delay your life for a year or two to get a better offer? What can you do in the upcoming months to give yourself better chances of getting more offers next year?

Edited April 26, 2014 by jenste

[bsharpe269]

I think jenste makes great points.

 

Your POI doesnt sound like the sort of person who I would want to work for. If I were in your situation, I would probably start readings tons of publications from the other PIs at the school. If there are a couple that you think that you could really enjoy working with then I would contact them and their students and get some more information (if you dont think this could be viewed as you going behing your PIs back).

 

I think you might have to decide if you would rather work with a different PI or wait a year adn reapply to schools. This would probalby just depend on whether you can find a couple people there who are doing work that you could enjoy adn that would give you enough experience in your area to get a strong post doc.

[CharlotteTink]

Thanks for the input.  The thing is given that's its May, I'm only going to be able to strengthen my application that much more by Dec (if I had started back in march it would have been a bit different). 

 

Those are all questions that I have been struggling with myself.  I think I'll give the prof one semester and then make a more informed decision in a few months.

[fuzzylogician]

A few things worth to keep in mind, in no particular order:

- interests change. Even if you have a preferred project now, that may change a year or more into the program.

- even if you work on your dream project, at some point you're going to start hating it.

- because of that, what really matters is that you have a good advisor who supports you and you get along with.

- if you go to this school and change advisors, I'd choose based on who you feel the most comfortable with, so if make sure to meet with them all at least once, not just read their work to find the one that's closest to your interests.

Finally, have you contacted the Canadian school to ask if their offer could still be on the table, or did you assume it isn't? It's worth knowing for sure. You never know, maybe there is still a way you could have a spot there.