<p>Hi Everyone. I am in the fortunate position of having completed two first year rotations and being asked to return to each. I enjoyed the time spent in both labs, and do not foresee any issues with joining either. However, I am having a tough time choosing between the two because each one offers a distinct advantage over the other. Before I get into that, I wanted to preface this by saying that I got along with members of both labs, both labs are well funded and can support me, and I bonded well with both PIs, who are well regarded in their fields.</p>
<p>Lab A: If you were to ask me what is my ideal project, I could easily respond with the the types of projects in Lab A. They are exciting and cutting edge, and now is a great time to be getting involved in this lab's work. I am really excited about this work. However, the downside of this lab is the PI. Though this person is really nice, he/she is very busy, travels a lot, and does not have the time to really "mentor" the graduate students in the lab. Current students attest to this and say it is a problem. I would be working primarily under the direction of a post-doc.</p>
<p>Lab B: This lab also does exciting work that I can definitely see myself enjoying for the duration of my studies, though it is not quite as exciting as the work in Lab A. However, the PI of this lab is amazing. Everyone I talk to says that this PI is a great person to work for, and that they wish their PI was as helpful as this PI. He/she has a genuine interest in the students and makes sure that they are always on the right track, moving forward, conducting appropriate experiments, analyzing results properly, etc, all without interfering/micromanaging.</p>
<p>This has become a difficult decision for me to make. As I said, I really liked both labs, and I probably can't make a "wrong" decision here.. I just want to make sure I make the right one. Does anyone with experience in graduate studies and beyond have any advice? What's more important; the project or the PI, in being successful in graduate school?</p>
<p>No idea, but I’ve heard pick the advisor over the project since projects may change. However, I think that advice is geared toward a single project; if all of the projects seem cool, then perhaps it makes sense.</p>
<p>I would pick Lab B. If it was between projects you liked and projects you hated, I think my advice would be the other way. If you can see yourself being happy, enthusiastic, and dedicated to the research in lab B, go for it; great projects and a perfect mentor is better than amazing projects and a mostly absent mentor. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you’re completely self-directed and need little to no guidance, the attentiveness of the PI may not matter much for you. In the end, its going to come down to what you think is more important!</p>
<p>Lab B, for sure. To me, it is an obvious choice (based on what I know I want, and that’s not to say I don’t care about the research project, I do, but it seems both are pretty good in those respects). Good luck!</p>
<p>I will speak up for what seems to be the underdog, Lab A. I’m in a lab with a very busy PI, and I’d choose this lab all over again a hundred times out of a hundred choices. </p>
<p>Being in the lab I’m in works for me because a) I love the work we’re doing, and I love my projects, b) the people in the lab are very smart and very collaborative, so nobody is ever working without input from others, and the input from all the smart postdocs and graduate students approximates input from the PI, and c) when I do get time with my PI, it’s extremely productive.</p>
<p>For Lab A, it definitely depends on the professor and student on a case by case basis. I work for a professor (as a current undergrad) who has awesome projects and is really well known, but he is largely absent, doesn’t respond to most emails, and isn’t very attentive. However, some of his graduate students still get very far, but some obviously need extra attention. Its really hard to say without knowing each person.</p>
<p>I’m rotating in a third lab this quarter largely to give myself some time to think this over, so thankfully I have some more time left to decide!</p>
<p>I choose option C. Propose a project to the advisor you like. You can’t really predict where a project is going to go anyway so you might as well start where you like and enjoy the ride.</p>