<p>Current grad studens/faculty, I would love your input on my situation.</p>
<p>I am in my 2nd year of a graduate program. I am having trouble finding a lab. Several of my rotations have not worked out, because I decided that I dont want to work in that particular field. My other labs have not worked out due to PI issues. On the scale of hands off and hands on, I need a mentor that is moderate. All of the other PIs were extremes on either side, so I have mutual agreements with these labs that they will not work.</p>
<p>I find myself needing to do another rotation. The major issue is that I have to take my quals in January. Hence, I will need to study for them a lot during my rotation. This qual is one of the worst at my school. I also have a very heavy course load this semester. I am worried that any rotation PI will not be happy with the amount of lab work I can do during the rotation and they will not want me (I cant do the 30-50hrs I did as a 1st year). How should I deal with this issue? I need to find a lab and I need to pass my quals! Any ideas?</p>
<p>At this point you are deciding very very late. You really don’t need to do another 10 week rotation, you just need to find a lab where you think you click okay with the PI and the science. Does your qual involve a thesis proposal? If so then you need to pick ASAP. It seems like you should approach the PIs that you are still interested in and tell them the whole situation, and make sure that they have room in their labs still before bothering to rotate. Then agree on a short time-frame (3-4 weeks?) where you can spend a decent amount of time in lab and decide if it works for you. You can get the feel of a lab pretty quickly, and at this point it seems like you should be deciding pretty quickly. The short 4th rotation also helps if it doesn’t work out, you still have time for a 5th. Additionally, maybe you want to postpone one of your classes? Why do you have such a heavy courseload in your second year?</p>
<p>My program requires everyone to take their qual within a two week period of time. The first part is a general grilling on subject matters they expect us all to know. If we pass that we have to write a proposal on an assigned unrelated topic and defend it. Hence, the lack of a lab will not be too big of a problem in that sense.</p>
<p>We all have coursework second year, and there is no way to get out of it. I did drop one of my unrequired classes, so hopefully that will help some. I unfortunately have two classes and a couple seminars that I still have to prepare for every week (which has been mounting to 20-30hrs out of the lab).</p>
<p>My biggest worry is not being able to satisfy lab productivity requirements during that time. It is easier when you have been in a lab for a few months, so your PI knows you can produce results. In my situation, I am starting in a lab during a time when I will not be very productive. I do not think many PIs are not going to put up with that.</p>