Applying to PhD program at the lab you RAd at

[tiy123]

I'm wondering how it looks/how acceptable it is to apply to work with a professor whose lab you were an RA for in the past.

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[BizQuick]

Nothing wrong with it. I knew several folks at my undergrad who ended up joining their labs as PhD students. Each university has a different culture with it, though. Some schools don't mind taking their own undergrads, while others discourage it.

You will want to have a frank, honest conversation with the professor in charge of your lab about this. Talking with current grad students in your school is also a good idea. You should understand that your professor can't make any promises, and you should apply to a wide range of schools, regardless if you apply to your undergrad or not.

 

[WisNeuro]

Happens all the time. I was actually accepted as a grad into the lab that I worked in for two years, one of those as lab manager. Saw it several more times throughout the years. As Biz said though, some universities have an unwritten policy against taking their own, "academic incest" I've heard it called.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agree with the others--happens all the time; seemed like there was a student or two accepted almost every year at my own program who had RA'd for their POI in the past.

 

[erg923]

I'm wondering how it looks/how acceptable it is to apply to work with a professor whose lab you were an RA for in the past.

Not if you end sentences with a preposition....

 

[Chalupacabra]

Not if you end sentences with a preposition....

 

[futureapppsy2]

Not if you end sentences with a preposition....

Past isn't a preposition here though...?