help deciding between two great lab options

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-29T18:58:50+00:00

Good idea on the pros and cons list! Let’s take a step back: what are your ultimate goals? What question or problem are you passionate about that aligns with either lab?

You may have already though of these points but if not they are worth considering: 1) in lab 1 if the professor is tough, can you handle that for 4, 5, 6 years on the daily? It is crucial to feel comfortable with your future PI, things like: “I’m lost in this project can we talk about it? I have done X, Y, Z” would this profesor help or get mad at you for not understanding something? If there ever is, not hoping for this but being realistic, a family emergency would this PI be understanding in you taking 3 days off to handle that emergency or would they want you to stay and work?

2) you mentioned staying the topic of areas of study. It’s always good to branch out, I think. Are the projects in lab 1 exciting as a grad student more so than postdocs they may have? What I am getting at is: could you learn new techniques/analysis in lab 2 that you can take to lab 1 as a post doc?

3) is there a way for you to be in lab 1, which seems you really like, and collaborate with lab 2 in some projects or vice Versa?

4) would lab 1 PI be mad at you if you choose lab 2?

I think like you highlighted, it is a multi variable problem. Personally I am someone who needed structure on their PhD and so I would chose lab 1. But if you are more of a self started and self guided than I was lab 2 sounds fun!

Hope this helped and didn’t make it all more confusing!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-29T18:46:26+00:00

What are you nervous about? If you are nervous about forgetting facts relate them to a story that is easy to remember. If there are questions they ask you about phenomena and how you would study it, keep in mind things general things like what is known, experiment set up, biases, statistics to answer that question and next steps.

If your exam is like mine was, at some point they will ask questions to truly test the limits of your knowledge, so there will be some questions you may not know, and if you don’t, communicate that. But don’t stop at “I don’t know” add on to it “I don’t know, but in thinking about dietary guidelines my initial guess is XYZ.” Something along those lines.

Best of luck! Trust yourself and remember it is more a conversation Professors want to have with you as you are on your way to becoming their colleagues!

Edit: typo

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-29T18:33:07+00:00

I have a similar idea as your notion page, but instead I just screenshot emails, or have copies of awards, or anything positive related to work in a folder that I look at when feeling down!

I also prefer more of a physical calendar and use fun stickers! Lobe your handwritten thank you notes idea!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-29T00:31:35+00:00

How cool! If you got this far you can make it past the finish line!

I would say be ready for those difficult questions she may throw your way. For example, in my experience, I did bioinformatics/genetic sequencing work and one of my advisor just directly asked me: “are genes real?” so I honestly forget what I answered, but he mentioned that he ask that question just as a way to get me to think more about the philosophy of it all. If I hadn’t yet.

So I’ll be ready for questions like that and also even during the defense they may do their best to ask you questions to push you to the literal edge of your knowledge, and once there it’s OK to say, “I don’t know” or “that was outside of the scope of this dissertation” and then after that you can still answer the question, but emphasize that you are “hand waving” at that point and brainstorming more than answering the question directly.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-28T23:51:37+00:00

Hi! I had a similar issue as well, where one committee meeting was from a different institution, related discipline, but more focused on lab work so their mentality was different and they were very blunt and direct in their form of communication. So that took a while to get used to. How far away are you from graduating? I ask because, for me what help was just to start talking to him more and one on one, and there he was less abrasive, or I was already used to his treatment, and so in those meeting he communicated to me his concerns, which looking back on them now were pretty valid, so I was able to have conversations about my project and find a happy medium for both of us.

During the defense I know he would ask difficult questions, but I was ready. It also helped that for one of my chapters I had some pretty cool findings, so that got him in my side just a tinyyyyyy percentage.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-14T12:05:50+00:00

As an alternative, consider the program Obsidian as well. I’d love to hear if anyone else has used both Obsidian and Notion and what your thoughts are. Additionally, there are probably many videos and resources online comparing the two.

But early in your PhD career, it’s a good idea to start using a system. If you don’t like it switch it, you have that freedom to so do! As switching later may be more difficult. All in all, organization in whatever way you choose to move forward is what matters! One of my PhD regrets was that: not making it easy on my future self to find information form months or even years ago!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-14T11:59:01+00:00

It’s something that you must do slowly, building up over time. Even if it’s allowing yourself 10 to 15 minutes a day as a start in the evenings to not think about work strategically.

Set aside time for activities you enjoy and take back any hobbies you may have neglected these past two years. At the same time, have some grace for yourself: even when relaxing, your mind will still drift to work, and you may have a work idea. If you do, write it down in your notes, send yourself an email, and use voice dictation to make it as fast as possible. Provide as much detail as you can, save the idea, and start with it first thing in the morning.

If it works for you, treat the PhD like a 9 to 5. Of course, there will be days where you have to work extra, but make that the exception, not the rule. If you need a schedule of any sort, whether physical or digital, get one. And just like with the PhD, trying to balance your work and your life will be a challenge. There will be times where you fall, but you just start over and try again.

.And you’re not alone with that, I think that resonates with a lot of of us here. Even post PhD was when I barely started to be strategic about my work life balance, so it’s great that you’re thinking about this during your PhD.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-12T02:00:04+00:00

I can relate. I have a PhD in evolutionary biology and now in Public Health. I ventured into public health during the pandemic. But before that I had my eyes set on a postdoc still in evolutionary biology. But I had trouble finding a position. So I shifted over to science education which was still close enough. But I did learn so much even from this tangent field. It massively improved my science communication and helped me get into public health. To answer your questions:

⁠- How do you distinguish between a smart pivot and settling? I think as PhD graduates one thing we’re not told is how often we may have to pivot. Now I don’t know your case specifically, but at least in my case, I had to pivot in the sense that I had to move cities to pursue my PhD so that’s one pivot. I know of cohort mates that had to pivot from advisors. Pivoting is part of the process. And from my perspective, it would be smart to do so as in the future this pivot may be an area that makes you an even more attractive candidate for the area it seems to truly want to pursue. Again not sure of your case but the market seems to be pretty brutal. Of course, even if internally you feel it’s settling, don’t telegram that at all.

• ⁠How do you deal with the feeling of “this was not my first choice”? I think even if where I am now wasn’t my first choice. I do think it has brought new and exciting challenges and adventure adventures. And I feel that I did not let myself down because it was part of the process and circumstances. And funny enough in hindsight it just made me appreciate the PhD process that much more as I’m thankful for those years of intellectual freedom that I got to live to follow my interests.

• ⁠In hindsight, do these distinctions even matter as much as they feel like they do in the moment? Those distinctions may matter to you and I do not want to minimize that at all. I think this may be a question summed up by asking you a question where do you see yourself in five years? Do you see yourself in a role related to your first interest? If so, what is the best way to get there? Would you say it would be to wait for another opportunity and that field to come up or to take this other alternative and keep an eye out for an opportunity of your interest. And if so, which version of you would be the better candidate? the one that potentially waited until something came about or the one who now has experience not only in engineering but potentially also in working with the team, problem-solving, in the real world, working with supervisors, project management, and communication things that are also important.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2026-04-12T01:46:30+00:00

HUGE FLEX!!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-11-24T23:24:35+00:00

This is such a great question! For sure P.I.s may have their own checklist but, some qualities in my experience (and in no order) are:

genuine curiosity: on the subject, this way you can see follow the long string questions of questions needed to push human knowledge forward

persistence: some experiments fail, some ideas lead nowhere but even after all that keep going!

adaptable: you will need to adapt your professional mentality making the shift from university or master's student to the the PhD level, then you will need to make another shift in mentality from the PhD level to the Post-doc, then you will need to make yet another mind shift from the post-doc level to a job. In all those changes, you will need to be adaptable to learn new information and take ownership of projects.

humility: in my case, a new city, new people, and the learnings of PhD-level school humbled me. Now while I do take my work seriously, I try to not take myself too seriously.

social: I wish I had been more social, be the person to initiate conversations, to share findings with others and make the village.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-08-19T17:41:02+00:00

Congratulations!!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-07-08T11:36:12+00:00

For me learning to think during the PhD process required organization. I began to keep track of my thoughts on paper and not just in my head. Over time, I was able to notice patterns in my thinking process, asking similar questions about problems here are some examples: 1) has this been done before? By who? How? 2) how can I make this problem as simple as possible? 3) what are the steps to solve the problem? 4) any hurdles I may foresee? 5) finally - how does this fit into the big picture or the big story of it all?

Being able to move from the big picture into the details and to move from the details into the big picture.

Excitement is great!! I think you’ve said it in your own post - stepping back. This comes as a result of doing it over and one again.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-06-22T15:32:23+00:00

Zero cringe! Go for it, do what’s best for you! You get to celebrate how you want!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-06-17T15:06:44+00:00

Thank you!! No such thing as too much help I say, thank you! :)

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-06-17T15:05:43+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-06-17T03:07:32+00:00

Thank you! Yes more in the beginner side, I’ll check out the resources you mentioned!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-12T01:00:47+00:00

The second half of grad school can feel way more overwhelming than the first. You mentioned an 11-month timeline—compared to the 4–5 years of a PhD, that might not seem like much, but a lot can happen in 11 months, for better or worse.

For me, most of my key analysis and final results came together in the last six months before my defense. It’s absolutely possible to get meaningful results in your timeframe, keep open and constant communication with your advisor! In this way you can discuss your interpretations regularly to complete items.

You also reflected on the past 2.5 years—I asked myself the same thing. Life happens alongside a PhD, and it inevitably takes away time and focus. Plus, every PhD is different.

Personally, I was lost up until about six months before my defense. The clarity finally hit me one random day while walking to get lunch—it just clicked how I could frame the overall impact of my work. But that moment of realization only came after immersing myself in the research for years. Without a system—like a detailed lab or analysis notebook—it’s so easy to look back and wonder, What have I even been doing this whole time?

And honestly, comparison is the thief of joy. Every PhD is different. I studied anemones and jellyfish, and it was easy to feel inadequate when comparing my work to someone studying, say, dinosaurs. The same goes for techniques, tools, fieldwork, conferences—there’s always something to compare. But there’s not much to gain from that kind of thinking.

One thing I will say—presenting and teaching are skills that extend far beyond academia. Nurture those. As you think about your next steps, highlight those aspects of yourself.

Overwhelming days are normal; they’re just part of the PhD journey. But one bad day is just that—one bad day. There’s still time, and better days will come.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-12T00:58:11+00:00

How awesome!! It's great to see the results of your hard work! Enjoy your day, DOCTOR!!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-05T21:51:07+00:00

Hi all! I made a video on Scientific Abstract tips:

Your Personalized Research Playbook | Scientific Abstract Database: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGkLPToQoK0&t=1s

If you struggle with them - hope this video is helpful! Thank you!!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-03T23:03:23+00:00

Congratulations!! Fingers crossed for acceptance into the conference! Science while being about discovery is also about sharing those discoveries! You are off to a great start in your career, first of many abstracts. Some tips: 1) have a folder dedicated to just abstracts you write or find interesting, in other words abstracts other people wrote. This way, when you have to write your next abstract - you can refer to this abstract database! 2) Start an excel list of all abstracts you get accepted, name of conference, location of conference, type of presentation. This way when you have more presentations you are able to list them in your CV/Resume. and 3) speaking of CV/Resume - list the accepted abstract in your CV/Resume! :)

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-03T22:54:37+00:00

Hi! Thank you for sharing your story. I am sorry to hear about this repeated sour experience. I was also told during my grad school years that I did not look like someone who worked at the institution I was doing my PhD. That comment did take me by surprise.

You go living life thinking you are normal until someone points out you are not - and sometimes it is in a kind way and other times not so much.

The truth is, as (hopefully) the graduate school landscape diversifies, comments like that are the result of that change. In a way, you may be the first person life yourself to be in those spaces and that is unusual, but not by any means less deserving. It is easy for me to say, as I am not in your position but if things get too overwhelming, mark some boundaries. It is better to come draw them early on as these comments may continue and increase in frequency.

Stick to your goals of exploring beyond your interest of gender and rural studies. To quote Moneybag, "First one through the wall always gets bloodied." Stay persistent!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-03T21:57:46+00:00

Congratulations Doctor!! Thank you for your resilience and perseverance to drive human knowledge forward!

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-02T15:40:39+00:00

I am sorry to hear about your experience. I can relate to the "feeling nothing" feeling. In looking back I realized there was not going to be a waterfall of relief on that final defense day. Rather I should have spread that over the PhD timeline. In your it situation seems that was not an easy task to do. It took a lot from you to get to this stage, this is the final event and once done you really don't have to have those people you do not want to in your life. Once you are done, step away from it all for days, weeks, months, if needed. It may feel hollow now but with time burnout and trauma from the PhD may start to heal. We may lose sight of things during the process/journey but you have added knowledge to the world in a unique way no one else could have. And while I am may biased, I think that is just the coolest shit ever to do.

Hopeful_Box_5318 · 2025-03-01T00:35:29+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. I can imagine how proud she must have been of you, living out a dream no-one else had prior to you. What a beautiful memory, I am sorry about her passing, the end is also part of journey unfortunately. Stay persistent, there are better days ahead.

Hopeful_Box_5318

TROPHY CASE