Changing your program at Caltech

[Senior]

Could any of Caltech's students tell me about the procedure of program changing there, please? Do I have to officially apply to that program or is there an easier way to do so?

Actually, I wanted to know what are my chances of changing my program from medical eng. to chemistry or cell biology (noting that my background is in engineering)?

Thanks for the help.

[GeoDUDE!]

Could any of Caltech's students tell me about the procedure of program changing there, please? Do I have to officially apply to that program or is there an easier way to do so?

Actually, I wanted to know what are my chances of changing my program from medical eng. to chemistry or cell biology (noting that my background is in engineering)?

Thanks for the help.

 

 

I don't know if caltech is different, but funding is usually done on the departmental level and not school wide, so it isn't just "transferring" but finding an advisor and having funding. 

 

You should probably just apply to those programs instead next year.

Edited February 18, 2015 by GeoDUDE!

[Senior]

I don't know if caltech is different, but funding is usually done on the departmental level and not school wide, so it isn't just "transferring" but finding an advisor and having funding. 

 

You should probably just apply to those programs instead next year.

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that due to my background, I don't have any chances of getting into these programs directly, especially at Caltech. So I wondered maybe it will be possible to find advisor there willing to support me with an RA position and then requesting to change my program.

[nugget]

Have you considered doing the engineering program and applying for a second masters later on? If it's a question of not being competitive enough for this program, sometimes having a masters degree in another field can help you stand out as an applicant. If you are missing prerequisites or related work experience in this field, then it would make sense to take a year or two off to work on these areas.

 

We don't know much about your academic and professional background so it's hard to suggest how you might proceed. 

[GeoDUDE!]

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that due to my background, I don't have any chances of getting into these programs directly, especially at Caltech. So I wondered maybe it will be possible to find advisor there willing to support me with an RA position and then requesting to change my program.

 

 

I'm not sure thats true. I got into Earth Sciences with 0 earth science classes (though a few years of research).  If the research is closely aligned with your background (I'm assuming it is) then its possible. Like for example if you need to program and do math in whatever you do, and you have those skills, the biology or chemistry might be secondary and possible to learn while doing your phd. 

 

Again, someone at Caltech will probably be able to answer this better, but transferring programs within school and transferring to another program outside of school tend to be similar because of the funding constraints. 

 

I also think its disingenuous to go into a program you do not want to complete ( to yourself, program, and other applicants). You can decide if thats moral or not, but I'd advise you against going into a PhD program you are not intending to complete.  You don't want to be miserable, and you risk the chance of looking bad. 

 

Perhaps look into taking a biology/chemistry postbacc ? If english majors can apply to medical school, a mechanical engineer can get into a chemistry program. 

[TakeruK]

At every school, changing your PhD program is pretty tricky and rarely happens. I would strongly advise against applying to one program with the intention to transfer to another because you will likely not succeed and then you might end up in a program you don't really want to be in. 

 

I think advice for you would really depend on what is your real goal here.

 

If your real goal is to do research in chemistry or cell biology and you have a reasonable collaboration in mind then you can totally make this work as an engineering student. I'm assuming that when you say you are a "medical engineer", you have applied to a program with a name like "biomedical engineering"? It's not rare at all for graduate students (at most schools) to have projects that span two programs. You'll just officially be a biomedical engineering PhD that does research on chemistry/cell biology problems (i.e. applying your biomedical engineering background on chemistry/cell biology problems). If you want to go this route, when you visit your program, you should let them know you're interested in a cross-discipline project and see which professors would be interested in doing this with you. Not everyone likes having their students do this and you want to make sure you find a supportive advisor/lab!

 

However, if your real goal is to not only do research in chemistry but also actually have a chemistry PhD, then this is not the right path to take. I agree with jenste and GeoDUDE! that you should consider getting a Masters or postbac in the new field first instead of trying to get into one program at Caltech and then switch. Doing this is disingenuous and will definitely make you look bad. Ultimately, for the chemistry program to consider allowing you to switch into their program, they are going to consider your application compared to all the new chemistry PhD application. If you don't think you could get in originally, I don't think a switch is any more likely to be successful.

[Senior]

Have you considered doing the engineering program and applying for a second masters later on? If it's a question of not being competitive enough for this program, sometimes having a masters degree in another field can help you stand out as an applicant. If you are missing prerequisites or related work experience in this field, then it would make sense to take a year or two off to work on these areas.

We don't know much about your academic and professional background so it's hard to suggest how you might proceed.

Thanks a lot. I didn't know you can apply for a second master degree! Indeed, it seems a good idea to bolster my background in biochemistry in the first couple of years for example by minoring in chemistry and then apply for a second master :-) the only problem is in that case I have to quit my direct Ph.D. program , wouldn't it be a problem especially at Caltech which rarely gives M.Sc degrees? Edited February 18, 2015 by Senior

[GeoDUDE!]

Thanks a lot. I didn't know you can apply for a second master degree! Indeed, it seems a good idea to bolster my background in biochemistry in the first couple of years for example by minoring in chemistry and then apply for a second master :-) the only problem is in that case I have to quit my direct Ph.D. program , wouldn't it be a problem especially at Caltech which rarely gives M.Sc degrees?

 

 

Is it more important to go to Caltech or study what you want?

[Senior]

I'm not sure thats true. I got into Earth Sciences with 0 earth science classes (though a few years of research).  If the research is closely aligned with your background (I'm assuming it is) then its possible. Like for example if you need to program and do math in whatever you do, and you have those skills, the biology or chemistry might be secondary and possible to learn while doing your phd. 

 

Again, someone at Caltech will probably be able to answer this better, but transferring programs within school and transferring to another program outside of school tend to be similar because of the funding constraints. 

 

I also think its disingenuous to go into a program you do not want to complete ( to yourself, program, and other applicants). You can decide if thats moral or not, but I'd advise you against going into a PhD program you are not intending to complete.  You don't want to be miserable, and you risk the chance of looking bad. 

 

Perhaps look into taking a biology/chemistry postbacc ? If english majors can apply to medical school, a mechanical engineer can get into a chemistry program.

Thanks a lot for sharing your opinion. To be honest, I really don't like to enter a PhD program I'm not interested in much. I just wanted to consider all the possibilities

[Senior]

Is it more important to go to Caltech or study what you want?

Obviously the latter, that's why I am hesitating so much. I am trying to convince myself I am making the right decision by rejecting the offer

Edited February 18, 2015 by Senior

[Senior]

At every school, changing your PhD program is pretty tricky and rarely happens. I would strongly advise against applying to one program with the intention to transfer to another because you will likely not succeed and then you might end up in a program you don't really want to be in.

I think advice for you would really depend on what is your real goal here.

If your real goal is to do research in chemistry or cell biology and you have a reasonable collaboration in mind then you can totally make this work as an engineering student. I'm assuming that when you say you are a "medical engineer", you have applied to a program with a name like "biomedical engineering"? It's not rare at all for graduate students (at most schools) to have projects that span two programs. You'll just officially be a biomedical engineering PhD that does research on chemistry/cell biology problems (i.e. applying your biomedical engineering background on chemistry/cell biology problems). If you want to go this route, when you visit your program, you should let them know you're interested in a cross-discipline project and see which professors would be interested in doing this with you. Not everyone likes having their students do this and you want to make sure you find a supportive advisor/lab!

However, if your real goal is to not only do research in chemistry but also actually have a chemistry PhD, then this is not the right path to take. I agree with jenste and GeoDUDE! that you should consider getting a Masters or postbac in the new field first instead of trying to get into one program at Caltech and then switch. Doing this is disingenuous and will definitely make you look bad. Ultimately, for the chemistry program to consider allowing you to switch into their program, they are going to consider your application compared to all the new chemistry PhD application. If you don't think you could get in originally, I don't think a switch is any more likely to be successful.

Thank you a lot TakeruK for your kind advice. Actually I have a final interview with a professor at the program tomorrow, in which I will say about my interest in doing a multidisciplinary research there and see what happens then. I guess that would be honest and fair. Edited February 18, 2015 by Senior

[ERR_Alpha]

I can speak for my school (not Caltech)- switching is incredibly department dependent. Our bio umbrella program is very accepting of transfers as long as they have an advisor- whereas chemistry is next to impossible and basically forces students to reapply. So I would be extremely careful - make sure you apply to programs that are a good fit.