When I began grad school, I thought I was prepared, and as I showed in Friday's Post, I was wrong! See the last few tips of what I WISH I would've known:
4. Funding: This ties into both #s 2 and 3. Make sure your potential lab has funding. How do you check this? For starters, hopefully the department will not encourage PIs without funding to take students. Warning: This does not mean it will not happen. Next, use NIH RePORTER to check grants for your potential PI. I knew students who had mistakenly joined labs without funding and ended up pilfering reagents from other labs to finish their degrees. This is not what you want to be doing. Additionally, APPLY for predoctoral fellowships. These not only provide a stipend, but look stellar on your CV.
3. Environment: Who are the students and postdocs that you will be working with? Are they competitive or helpful? My grad school colleagues were very helpful, although they worked 24/7. So, in turn, I felt I needed to put forth just as much ‘elbow grease’. My experience (grad school/postdoc) taught me to find a supportive lab, not one where students are pitted against each other to compete for the best project. Collaboration and helpful hands GO A LONG WAY to help you finish!! Also, ask: what time of day are you most productive? One of my best friends from grad school started experiments in the afternoon and worked through the night…sometimes days on end. I would burn out (and did) this way. In another lab I collaborated with, students were never in before 11am. Some advisors let you work whenever, as long the work is done. Others would like you to be in lab during certain hours to guarantee that you collaborate with others.
2. Advisor, advisor, advisor! Finding the right advisor is KEY. I would compare it to finding the right mate….….and as difficult as that is, find someone who is supportive and whose personality meshes well with your own. I believe that finding an advisor with whom you can work with is more important than finding the perfect project. To really get the inside scoop—speak with the current (and former, if possible) students and/or postdocs OUTSIDE of the lab. Asking questions directly will allow you to get a feel for the advisor. KNOWING YOURSELF is also imperative. Are you self-motivated (less hands-on advisor)? Do you need someone to motivate you (micro-manager necessary)?
1. What is the end goal of your doctorate? This is my #1. You don’t HAVE to know this from day one, but keep this in mind. What is your ultimate goal? If it is to take the “traditional”, academic track, select a laboratory in which the PI has a good record of placement with their students in postdocs and tenured-track positions. Always keep your eyes and ears out for places to do your postdoc, which can springboard you to an academic career. A friend recently told me that academia had become the “alternative” career for PhDs; I agree. If you want to go to industry, it is vital to have an advisor who doesn’t refer to biotech/pharma companies as the “dark side” (and a few connections wouldn’t hurt!). If you want to teach, select a program where teaching assistantships are available. Interested in medical communications/writing, or becoming a scientific editor? Work on your writing skills; ask your advisor and fellow students if you can help edit their papers and grants.
What is something that you wished you would have known? Leave a comment below and make sure you check JoVE for all your methods needs.