<p>So I got accepted to 1 grad school during this applicant year and I am not sure if it is right for me. The school seems nice and people graduating from there seem to find careers well enough. But I looked up their NIH funding and it is not that much, also their grad school prestige is only good in the state. They have a lot of faculty doing research that I could be interested in and they have a hospital as part of their campus. (With some clinical research being done). The grad school offered me 23k a year with full tuition, health insurance, and student fees.</p>
<p>So I was wondering if it would be better to take a year off for research. I think the only thing wrong with my application was that I did not have research experience related to the field I wanted to go into. </p>
<p>How hard is it to find a research job for immunology and how hard is it to go back into school after a year's break?</p>
<p>The school is in city which is new for me (but I think I might like it). Also, the other thing I liked about the school was that since it is in a city there are lots of company connection if I wanted to go into industry after a PhD.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>How difficult it is to go back to school after a year’s break depends a lot on you and what you were doing in the break. If you’re doing research directly related to what you would be doing in the PhD program, I’d imagine it’s easier. The people who have had the hardest times (by their own account) are people who were making a lot more money and had nine to five jobs that didn’t require after hours work. It’s an adjustment to being on a student’s stipend and working around the clock.</p>
<p>That said, this is a personal decision. I don’t know what you mean by “not that much” for NIH funding, but NIH funding is relative to the school and the individual projects that are being done there. What’s more important to you, as a graduate student, is your funding package and the reputation of the school, as well as the placement rate in the kinds of jobs you want to do. People find careers, but what kinds of careers? Are they working as assistant professors at good places, are they doing post-docs first and then working as APs, or are they going into industry? When you talk to your current professors and people at conferences in your field, what are they thinking and saying about your program? What do people associate you with if you say you go there? (People can tell me the research I do just by me mentioning my advisor’s name, for example.) </p>
<p>You said they had faculty doing research you <em>could</em> be interested in. Is it research you’re interested in now, though? The goal is not to shoehorn yourself into someone’s area, it’s to develop your own area by working closely with someone whose interests are related to yours.</p>
<p>You sound like you’re really not stoked about the program at all.</p>
<p>I took four years off between undergrad and grad school and spent a couple of those years working in Immunology at a university. I am very grateful that I had the experience that I did. In the time after undergrad, I grew up and became an adult (do you remember what you were like four years ago?). I got married, paid off some student debt, took courses at the university with grad students, TAed a medical school section, published several times, went to conferences, presented posters and identified a career direction. This wouldn’t have happened if I had gone right to grad school as a 21 year old. </p>
<p>I found that while I was in academia (as a tech) there was a natural expectation that I would work for two years and then proceed to either medical or graduate school. Indeed, my PI who was nearing the end of his career had had over 30 techs who had each stayed for two years and went to medical or graduate school immediately afterwards throughout the preceding 40 years. People were supportive of my plans and offered contacts whom I could contact to get a better feel for departments I was applying for. My recommendations all came from the lab I worked as a tech in.</p>
<p>If I were in your position, I wouldn’t commit to six or more years at a place if you aren’t 100% certain that it will be a good fit. You only get one shot at choosing a grad school. I hope it works out for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them. I’ve been intensely deliberating on this decision and I think that I will take the offer from the grad school. I am interested in T cell development and this school seems to be a good place for research.</p>
<p>My friends are currently applying for jobs and have told me how difficult and competitive it is, so that is another reason why I’m taking the offer.</p>
<p>To be frank, I’m very surprised that I did get any offers at all. Although my application is good, none of my research have been even remotely related to biomedical science. It is a recently developed passion that I am going with and I don’t think I will regret my decision.</p>
<p>I guess I am kind of depressed because there are so many people on this forum going to the top schools in their field. But I realized that going to a top school and doing research doesn’t necessarily amount to happiness or fulfillment. It’s what you make out of whatever is given to you and I believe that I can succeed and be happy with the school I am going to.</p>