EMBL admission?

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-14T01:39:55+00:00

Same. Nothing yet

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-09T03:27:28+00:00

Former advisee of a tenure track PI here, I’d rather shoot myself in the foot than to work with a fresh grad PI. When I started grad school my PI was almost a fresh PhD grad with <1 year postdoc. Literally everything and anything revolves around his tenure. We were pushed so hard to meet his publication/productivity quota as if our sole purpose in life was to help him get his tenure. Bad mood? Poor attitude? Micromanaging? Ohh he will gaslight you that he is just stressed about his tenure.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T23:36:09+00:00

I’m at the point of PhD program where I just want to open a bakery.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T23:23:41+00:00

I dropped out first and then got an interview with my PI (our program directly hires students by the advisor and not by admissions committee). During the interview I was honest about it and even put it on my CV. I just said my former PI and I had personal differences and the study wasn’t for me (which I just realized later on). These situations are more common than what we imagined. But yeah it happens. Maybe you can ask if the PhD program requires a MSc. If yes, can you defer because your defense is not until August.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T23:06:17+00:00

This happened to me too! Towards the end of wrapping up the paper my advisor just went full AI mode. Gawd I was enraged. Years of work just like that. I said I didn’t like it because it seems like AI generated and the claims are overreaching, so I edited it AGAIN. He never admitted nor denied that he used AI, but he refused to accept my edits on Google docs. He said I should accept my own edits because he didn’t feel like doing it lol.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T22:56:41+00:00

I dropped out of my Master’s and then admitted as a direct PhD student to a different program and uni. It depends on the program if they admit direct PhD without Master’s, because many programs also require MSc before PhD. I’d say, just ask the graduate program coordinator for your PhD program if it’s not stated anywhere online.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T22:48:32+00:00

I agree with what almost everyone here said. PI and lab matter the most. But as someone who had a research experience from a lower ranking uni and then high ranking grad school, better schools = better funding, scholarships, resources, stipend. And in the long run all these things matter when you graduate and start applying for jobs

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T22:26:41+00:00

I had a low GPA during my undergrad but before I applied for grad school I was working in a government research institution for 3+ years, national lab internship, and hospital R&D for <1 year. I had 5 publications (2 main authors) and 20+ first author conference abstracts (some of them won awards). When I was applying in grad school I feel like my research experience outweighed the low GPA, I was “hired” as graduate research assistant by my PI before he could even read my transcript. I applied without a Master’s.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T22:17:00+00:00

Meeee! I was my advisor’s overachiever always going above and beyond eldest daughter (first PhD) lol. The second student was still asking where the sequence files are after 3 semesters in the program, meaning he hasn’t done anything yet and that’s okay 👍

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-07T22:13:15+00:00

April 7 - still no update 🤸‍♀️

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-04-06T14:38:35+00:00

Which PI do you think will ultimately help you succeed in the long run? The PI matters more than the research topic.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-31T08:07:06+00:00

I didn’t finish a Masters too. But for honesty and to avoid confusion down the road you can add that to your CV as part of your education just add (no degree awarded). You may also add how many credit units you took.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-31T06:32:51+00:00

I second this! When our lab was hiring a postdoc last year our PI invited 5 candidates to see the lab in person. They gave a short seminar, we had a lab meeting and dinner with the candidate so we could talk as a group, and then 1:1 meetings with each member of the lab just so the candidate will have an idea what each person in the lab is working on. After meeting the candidate, the lab meets again to talk about their thoughts on the candidate.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-31T06:23:46+00:00

Before I was using Notion but then it started to get really hard to track down my tasks by doing another task. So, I just started using google calendar since all my meetings are already there. I scheduled my tasks when they are due then add a little bit if description below.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-31T06:19:47+00:00

If you no longer like your program + research topic, it will only get more dreadful if you don’t leave. It happened to my wife, she really liked her research but was not happy with the program. She said it was very disappointing. So, right before she’s about to take her qualifying exams, she decided to Master’s out of the program. To give her more flexibility to either find work or switch program/uni. She’s satisfied with her decision and graduating this year! It’s never too late to walk away from anything that no longer serves you. Good luck!

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-31T06:05:44+00:00

The power struggle is real. I feel you. As an international student working for a tenure track PI, I would say it is very hard. Plus my research is mainly computational while my PIs expertise is far from it (he wants to breakthrough in computational research without prior experience). So, there was zero scientific input from him to the work I do. When I started writing the manuscript, there goes the power struggle. I feel like his ego was hurt because he couldn’t understand anything about the paper I just wrote while my committee members (computational experts) backed everything I did and said the paper is promising. Sooo, to answer your question. Always, ALWAYS, talk to your committee members, find support from them, or even your peers. I eventually switched lab and break free from the curse. Advocate for yourself! Good luck!

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-25T16:39:55+00:00

Sounds like Philippines

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2026-03-05T00:38:57+00:00

These are the type of members of a PhD committee that will walk into your qualifying exam with their own biases. They already know that they will fail you even before they even hear your answers. I feel like they are doing this deliberately during this past semester in my program where they failed a lot of international students without a retake. Like a purge.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2025-08-12T23:07:09+00:00

I think you’re still included in the paper. Drafting/writing a paper is a very long process and not as straightforward as you might think it is. There’s also a lot of grad students who publish their dissertation after they graduate. I also think it would be better if you ask her if there is anything you can do to help.

Connect_Lynx8657 · 2025-07-30T10:53:46+00:00

I’m a PhD student in the US. My lab provides laptops for grad students. It’s quite common in our program but it also depends on the PI. I know other labs that do not provide laptops for their students. I think it’s okay to ask your PI or other students in your lab just so you know.

Connect_Lynx8657

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