Dear friend of the blog Coturnix over at Blog Around the Clock has a terrific post up right now. I mean, seriously, this guy finds to best stuff on the web. He has found an advertisement for graduate students for a lab at Duke that also comes with the following disclaimer:
We currently have room in the lab for more graduate students. Before you apply to this lab or any other, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be realistic about graduate school. Graduate school in biology is not a sure path to success. Many students assume that they will eventually get a job just like their advisor's. However, the average professor at a research university has three students at a time for about 5 years each. So, over a career of 30 years, this professor has about 18 students. Since the total number of positions has been pretty constant, these 18 people are competing for one spot. So go to grad school assuming that you might not end up at a research university, but instead a teaching college, or a government or industry job. All of these are great jobs, but it's important to think of all this before you go to school.Second, choose your advisor wisely. Not only does this person potentially have total control over your graduate career for five or more years, but he/she will also be writing recommendation letters for you for another 5-10 years after that. Also, your advisor will shadow you for the rest of your life. People will always think of you as so-and-so's student and assume that you two are somewhat alike. Finally, in many ways you will turn into your advisor. Advisors teach very little, but instead provide a role model. Consciously and unconsciously, you will imitate your advisor. You may find this hard to believe now, but fifteen years from now, when you find yourself lining up the tools in your lab cabinets just like your advisor did, you'll see. My student Alison once said that choosing an advisor is like choosing a spouse after one date. Find out all you can on this date.
Finally, have your fun now. Five years is a long time when you are 23 years old. By the end of graduate school, you will be older, slower, and possibly married and/or a parent. So if you always wanted to walk across Nepal, do it now. Also, do not go to a high-powered lab that you hate assuming that this will promise you long-term happiness. Deferred gratification has its limits. Do something that you have passion for, work in a lab you like, in a place you like, before life starts throwing its many curve balls. Your career will mostly take care of itself, but you can't get your youth back.
If, after reading this, you want to apply to this lab, we would love to hear from you.
This is, quite possibly, some of the best and most honest advice I have heard given to potential students and highlights the profound difference between the way students are treated at the high school and undergraduate level and the graduate level. And I think it comes at a huge surprise to some. Allow me to explain:
Figure 1: Dr. Isis appreciates the honesty with which Dr. Johnsen at Duke advertises for graduate students.
I have worked with students at the senior undergraduate level who, quite honestly, were probably the best students in their high schools and were far above average students at the undergraduate level. As part of the advanced physiology class I taught these students had to write article-style papers about assorted kick-ass topics. I was quite, quite liberal in my criticism (I mean, quite) and some of these students lost their minds. Mind you, my criticism was always leveled with the intent of making them better scientists, and I assured them repeatedly that they should take my criticism with that in mind and not worry about the effect that it would have on their grade (we can discuss this issue later). But, I could tell that this was the first time many of them had been told that their work was not perfection or that they needed to continue to work and develop in order to be successful and that this could not be a passive process. Graduate school is not the next logical step in the high school to undergraduate progression. It's challenging, requires the development of a certian degree of humility, and is not necessarily for everyone.
Dr. Isis loves being a scientist every single day, but that doesn't mean that it isn't really, really hard sometimes. Frankly, Dr. Isis regularly experiences periods of time where she feels like science is bending her over and being excessively rough (she's dealing with one right now). She's been in industry and she's been in academia and one thing is clear -- success is not something that happens to you or is guaranteed. Some of it happens because of sheer tenacity and some of it comes from pure, dumb luck. I appreciate that this PI sets this tone early in his lab.
Finally, in regular blog business, Little Isis turns two today. He is no longer Infant Isis or Toddler Isis, but Big Boy Isis and is making sure I know this. He makes me so incredibly happy, but I have to confess that my heart is breaking a little today at the loss of my sweet baby.
Figure 2: Little Isis, one hour old and freakin' adorable.
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Comments
Happy birthday, Big Boy Isis! And congratulations, Mama Isis! Bittersweet perhaps, but focus on the sweet and give Big Boy Isis extra hugs... even if he's squirmy.
Posted by: ScienceMama | November 24, 2008 10:45 AM
happy birthday, little big isis!
wow, i wish i had read that passage before getting to grad school. i can't find a single point of disagreement. i would have gone anyway, but i had no idea what i was doing when i first got here.
around the start of year 5, i really started to see myself turning into my PI- and debated whether or not this was a good thing... haha. but really, you do need a role model to connect with. and you do need to connect, not just observe and absorb, if you ask me.
Posted by: leigh | November 24, 2008 10:57 AM
That's the blessing of mortality. Enjoy them while you can; before you know it you're going to be talking to him on the phone while the Isis II household dissolves into instant chaos.
(Shhhh -- Grad-student-daughter Sessions is still sleeping in the next room ...)
Posted by: D. C. Sessions | November 24, 2008 11:05 AM
Happy Birthday Big Boy Isis
(after the initial fuzziness...I'm sure he'll sing along!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gE9VkHVrJo&feature=related
Posted by: jc | November 24, 2008 11:45 AM
Happy Birthday, Big Boy Isis! Before becoming a mom, I never understood that (early) birthdays were a really important milestone for the mama too, so congratulations to Mama Isis for birthing and raising your sweet little boy to the terrific age of two.
Posted by: ScienceWoman | November 24, 2008 11:58 AM
Happy Birthday Big Boy Isis! Its is so bittersweet watching them grow. We are so proud of their independence, yet saddened by them not needing us as much. Lots of hugs and kisses to you both.
Posted by: ScientistMother | November 24, 2008 12:49 PM
Happy Birthday, Big Little Isis! And congrats to the proud Mama Isis!
Posted by: sciencegirl | November 24, 2008 1:51 PM
Happy birthday, Little Big Boy Isis!! Boy does time fly!
Posted by: Minerva | November 24, 2008 3:29 PM
Happy Birthday, Little Isis! And congratulations Mommy Isis!
Posted by: JLK | November 24, 2008 4:03 PM
Happy birthday to the gorgeous, brilliant, and creative progeny - I hope that Mr Isis is cooking you dinner and/or bringing you flowers today.
Posted by: Abel Pharmboy | November 24, 2008 5:17 PM
Happy birthday young Isis! He really is freaking adorable.
And that was some wonderful advice for young scientists that you passed on. I, too, wish I'd read that before I started grad school...
Posted by: bean-mom | November 24, 2008 9:26 PM
Happy birthday big boy Isis. YOU may still think of him as baby or toddler Isis...just don't let him know you do!
Posted by: Mimi | November 24, 2008 9:40 PM
Happy Birthday Little Isis Man!
He'll always be your baby though. Even when he's taller than you.
They do grow out of babyhood seemingly too soon. I often look at the boy wistfully, seeing him morph into a little boy.
But that only lasts a few seconds before the PTSD of red-faced, rigid as a board, 95 dB screaming every night from 6-930 PM for a good 4 or 5 months slaps me across the face.
And all is good.
Posted by: Nat | November 25, 2008 10:36 AM
great post. don't really care about your kid, but I still like the way you write about him.
Posted by: msphd | November 27, 2008 1:31 AM
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | November 27, 2008 9:26 AM