Hey!
You might remember me, the palestinian guy. I recently finished my master's in molecular medicine (life sciences etc.) and was looking to do a PhD.
The problem is, I have no idea in what I want to do my PhD.
I currently feel lost, without orientation, sitting in a place far from university, communicating through the internet, isolated.
I went traveling for nearly 6 months, not worrying about what will come after, I felt that I needed it. Now the fun is over and its time to apply for graduate schools and PhD positions. But where to apply if I have no idea what I want? How do I know that the lab that I choose will be O.K. and I wouldn't be working like a slave without guidance (happened to me during an internship at UCL). And what subject should it be?
In the past, it didn't matter in which direction the research went. I am a curious person. If I find a research question interesting the passion and motivation came by itself. Here I am supposed to bring interest with me for a specific subject, explain why it interests me and tell them about my 3 favorite recent publications.
Were you even in a situation like this? How did you overcome it?
I am, similar to ButterflyEffect, going through this weird phase of confusion. Hopefully somebody has some advice on this situation.
UPDATE:
Out of desperate need of something to do (and a little money to pay my monthly checks) I sent an E-Mail to a prof. who used to teach during my bachelor's times that is situated in Düsseldorf (my current city).
He invited me over today and told me that he has some PhD positions to fill. Showed me his research subject and the labs.
I was very impressed. They work on axonal regenration, just got loads of funding etc.
I was excited and could imagine myself working on this subject for the next few years. But I hate this city. It is expensive, very money-centered (loads of stock , consulting and insurance companies). I wanted to move into a young city, with many students.
What do I do now? Accept this awesome offer, knowing that I will have a cool job that I enjoy or go for another city?
PROS AND CONS LIST
Seriously
Make a list about every possible goodness this situation offers you.
Make a list about every possible downside this situation offers you.
For each item on the list put a score from 1-10 in terms of the IMPORTANCE of each item.
Total the numbers. If the bad score is higher than the good score, then look around for a few more possibilities. Promise to give this lovely and generous prof an answer by October 15.
If the good score is higher than the bad, and on paper it looks like a really good idea, but your heart is screaming no, then follow the instructions for the bad score above.
Seriously.
(But if this guy has a ton of funding for this type of work, surely his colleagues at other universities do as well. Ask for an introduction.)
Honestly in today's society not many truly know exactly what they want to do and if you do good on ya. I was in a similar scenario just recently after graduating from nursing school. I was trying to find out what field I want to apply my trade in. I asked many people from every part of the hospital to try to get a better handle on what actually sparked my interest. In the end i decided to roll the dice and ended up working in the ER. Now I've been working for the passed two months and realized that I would love to work in primary care and that's what I plan to do in the near future. So in conclusion take a leap of faith and things have a way of working out. Hope this helps and everything works out for you!
Just getting into a PhD program is tough. It might be a good idea to narrow it down to some locations you like and then check the profs in the field and see if you're interested in what they're doing. As you know, you need to be part of a team to get in . Profs like you to have an area of creativity to explore, but they are thrilled if someone can bring some skills and interest in their current projects. Does that make sense? Are you totally bored with your MSc area?
Another approach might be to ask this, "What does the world need right now that you can find out more about or help with?" People go into health sciences because they want to help the slow process of solving problems. Where can your areas of expertise help? How about Ebola? (Just kidding, you're not a specialist in infectious diseases -- but boy that's a bad one.)
When it comes to skills, there are a bunch of (imo) basic skills that most people got covered in life sciences. Sometime there are those special skills that you can't learn in any lab that are interesting, that is true.
My MSc was in an obesity related area which is one of those areas that do need loads of research because we are getting FAT. I am not bored of it, I am just bored of the city, that is why I left.
During my travels I really liked Berlin. And had Heidelberg and Freiburg in mind because they have many students. the city I live at right now caters to business people and is way too expensive and snobby for me.
The brain is still a mystery to us. So this could also be an option. I haven been interested in psychoactive substances lately, but will probably not be able to find a lab that is doing molecular biology research with MDMA etc., they are very rare.