Starting Grad Research in the Summer?

[laocoön]

So, I just accepted an admission and am looking forward to starting grad in the fall! Currently, I am in a flexible research position at a laboratory and can leave any time after June.

 

I was wondering if anyone had experience with starting their grad research in the summer before officially starting grad. I've heard mixed things about it (some people I know were able to get a paper out of their early research, while others went through huge tuition debacles and ended up getting little accomplished), and I know summer research is tied up in your adviser's funding, department politics, etc.; ultimately, though, even if I didn't get a lot done, I still think it would be valuable to move in to my new apartment early, to explore the new city, and to judge how things work in my new program before getting caught up in classwork.

 

Also, how does one initiate the conversation about doing summer research with your new adviser? Somehow I managed to choose to attend the one program where I forgot to ask during my visit if summer research was a possibility

 

Thank you.

[Merlin]

I don't have experience with this yet (I will be starting research and lab work this summer), but I can answer your second question. Basically, I just e-mailed my advisor and asked if he had funding available for me to start in the summer. I brought up some ideas on how to start my thesis research, and mentioned that it would be a big help to have another field season.

 

I've heard mixed things about starting in the summer too; on paper it looks good, especially for fields where season matters (soil science, ecology, hydrology, etc.) and the fact that you're getting an additional summer is more important than the three extra months. I might be a little different than most grad students, as I graduated with my B.S. last fall and have had this semester off, so I've had my break and my time to relax, and now I'm eager to start research.

[TakeruK]

If you can get funding for the summer months, then do it! I did not do this because I worked at my undergrad school for a few months after graduation to finish up a project, then took a couple of months off before grad school. Between Masters and PhD, I was not able to do this because I defended my MSc thesis just a week before I moved to my PhD school! 

 

People in my current program that started in the summer (where there is nothing else to worry about except research) seem to have accomplished a lot. One student started in June and had a paper submitted by the end of the fall. Other students used this time to get a start on their first year projects. However, almost all the students that started early (that I know about) did not come straight from undergrad -- they had a year off in between. I know that for me, I would not be that productive in my first summer straight out of undergrad because I needed that time to decompress and get settled into a new routine. But whether or not you can be productive if you start right after you graduate is up to you!

[Eigen]

I started in July, and was very happy with the decision. Gave me a good 6-8 weeks to get payroll straightened out, get used to a lab, get used to the city, meet people in the department, etc. 

 

I didn't have to ask, since two of the PI's I wanted to work with both offered. Since, however, I've recommended some of our incoming students ask, and none have been turned down that I know of.

[TakeruK]

Oh also, you might want to check with the Graduate School or Graduate Division, or whatever it's called. At my school, if both you and the professor wants you to arrive early, but the professor does not have the funding to pay you, the Graduate School might be able to come up with the money for summer funding, as well as enroll you onto the health insurance plan early etc.

[Dedi]

Depending on whether or not my PI gets his grant, I'm thinking of starting in June. I would be coming right out of undergrad, but I would have all of May to recuperate.

When I asked my PI about starting my research in the summer, I didn't know he had to fund me. I thought that the department would work that out. How naiive I was...

[rising_star]

I started my master's in the summer. While I'm not in a lab science, it was still helpful for me because it gave me a chance to begin working with my advisor, get up to speed on some of the literature (I was switching disciplines), and also get to know what was expected of me. I did it through a summer program the Graduate Division offered, so I also got to make friends in other departments, which was cool. In the end, I don't regret it because it did help with the transition from undergrad to grad school.

[laocoön]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! I am definitely going to ask now. It sounds like the possible positives outweigh the negatives, and since I'm coming from a relatively low-stress research setting, I don't think there's much of a possibility that I would get burnt out from starting a few months early.

 

Good luck to everyone just starting out!

[SNPCracklePop]

After admission, I contacted a professor whose work I was very interested in after inquiring about him through past students of his.  I think he was impressed with the initiative, because he offered me a summer position in his lab as a research assistant (even gave me the same pay rate I had at my previous job, which was generous compared to stipends).  My program requires three lab rotations, and this counted as one of them.  Didn't get a publication from that rotation, but I enhanced my technical skills that would lead to a publication in my following rotation in the Fall.  My advice is to go for it.  Especially if it's with someone that you are considering as a potential advisor; it will give you a head start to make a connection.  Good luck!