<p>I am currently doing a research attachment in a lab whereby my advisor is a PhD in engineering. Thus whenever I need advice on life-science experimental troubleshooting, he is often unsure on how as he is an electrical engineer by training and doesnt do bench-work. I feel very troubled and vexed as mostly Im bumping along blindly ahead, wasting precious time and resources. Anybody in the same situation as me, what shld i do?
I have read online some horror stories on choosing the wrong advisor, and clearly the grad students either had hell, got kicked out, or didnt really know what they were doing and took a long time to graduate.</p>
<p>I figured if I were to enter graduate school, I must definitely choose an advisor who clearly knows what he is doing. Otherwise it will be the blind leading the blind, we wld probably perish altogether.</p>
<p>Choosing the right advisor is not just important. It is critical. Graduate school advisors not only direct the beginnings of your research, but they link you to their network of connections throughout the world. Have you ever seen the pedigree of a classical musician? It’s a tree that links the current performer to his mentors, to their mentors, etc. all the way back to, say, Heiffitz or maybe even Beethoven. That’s essentially what happens in graduate school; your “pedigree” begins with your advisor.</p>
<p>When you choose your advisor, he/she should be working in an area that you find fascinating. That said, if you are doing research in electrical engineering that has a bioscience component, it is your job to educate yourself in the associated field. Depending on the level of assistance needed, that may mean taking elective courses or contacting a professor in that other department as a sort of unofficial advisor or even suggesting to your current PI that you develop a more official relationship with someone who specializes in the non-EE aspects of the project. </p>
<p>As for the “blind leading the blind” in graduate school, I would be shocked if that happened. If it did, it would be an exceedingly poor program. And your choice to work with someone who didn’t know what he was doing would be bad judgment on your part.</p>
<p>Horror stories abound about graduate school. Keep in mind that there are always at least two sides to every story. The biggest mistake that new graduate students make is thinking that their education is merely an extension of undergraduate work. A top undergraduate does not always make a top graduate student, mostly because course work is such a small part of the process. (That’s why programs prefer research experience over perfect grades and test scores.) You must be able to work on your own to acquire the correct knowledge for the research, even if that means taking extra courses or staying up late to read up on the literature or meeting (with your advisor’s consent) with collaborating professors. The worst graduate students are those who expect to be told exactly what to do or who don’t know how to educate themselves beyond the classroom.</p>
<p>PI’s generally don’t do benchwork themselves. That is where you come in.</p>
<p>…mostly Im bumping along blindly ahead</p>
<p>Yep, that’s how it feels to be a researcher.</p>
<p>…choose an advisor who clearly knows what he is doing</p>
<p>It is possible that you might find a professor here or there who doesn’t know what they are doing but that would be pretty rare. More likely, you would find professors who make poor advisors due to lack of interest in the student/project, too many other responsibilities or any of the other reasons why mentors neglect their mentees.</p>
<p>Nope, my advisor is a research scientist, not PI. In our lab, the PI is usually away for meetings, overseas conferences, usually the PI usually assign a postdoc or research scientist as immediate supervisor to the graduate student. I can only be consoled by the fact I will be leaving as this is only a research attachment. If I made this kind of mistake again in graduate school, I sure will be screwed for the next 4 to 5 yrs. Thanks for all the kind advice.</p>
<p>I do want to chime as well. I’ve been meeting and speaking with a LOT of professors, just trying to find match in terms of personality, advising style, work style, and interests. Sure, nobody’s perfect but, most important of all, I believe, is that BOTH of you are excited about the projects that you’re both working on or have something to contribute. If you can pull off a very engaging discussion, you’re golden, especially if the professor’s known for being tacit.</p>
<p>If you don’t like his lab, methodology, or personality when you meet your graduate school PI, walk away. Bad fit in any of these categories are sure to set up, as you pointed out, challenges for the graduate student.</p>
<p>Advisers are everything. We, on this board, routinely encourage students every spring to try to choose based on the adviser, not the program’s rankings or reputation (unless it’s horrific), because, as MWFN pointed out, the adviser plays a crucial role for the network and job market.</p>