PI is transferring schools, question regarding options.

[tennisplaya1021]

Hi all,
There is a wall of text, but I am having difficulty weighing the relative importance of all the factors, and hoping some of the more experienced physician scientists can help guide me.

I am in my second year of grad school, and my PI got a big promotion to become the chair of ophthalmology at a big-name school. He is relatively young but is a rising star if I have ever seen one. My project is progressing well with good potential. The research focuses on a mixture of neuroscience and ophthalmology. He is an excellent boss, tons of funding, good track record, lab environment is great, etc. He also really likes me, and has strongly asked that I come with him next march, at least for 2 years to finish the PhD. I have a collaborator on my thesis project in my current university who has offered me a position if I decide to stay, meaning I keep the same project and lose no time.

PROS:
- continuing working with my current PI, and possibly establish ties to a top school. Collaborator's lab is highly-respected, but pure neuroscience without ophthalmology.
-lab manager is wonderful, and supervised a transfer 2 years ago with ~2 month delay in research. With almost a years notice, the transition should be relatively painless? (Still probably at least a month lost)
-med student SO has been aiming at residency in the area of the new school.
-establish ties to an area I would enjoy doing residency in, I have no ties there now (do not know how important this is)
-directly or indirectly help my residency chances, my step1 score is average.
-finished graduate coursework, so that shouldn't be a problem.

CONS:
- lose time in transition, hassle of starting up a new lab, weaken network at current school
- New school does not accept transfers, so I would have to move back for 3rd and 4th year, and possibly be isolated during PhD years ( new school has said I can audit classes and attend retreats, but not in writing)
- friends, connection to MSTP classmates, deans, etc. social considerations.

Advice I have read on here (Neuronix and others) has said to just finish PhD as soon as possible and get back to 3rd and 4th year rotations, but I believe having my PI being the chair of a specialty I might go into ( either ophthalmology or neurology) would be helpful, but I could be overestimating this impact.

Any similar situations? Can I make this work out to my benefit? It just feels like I am in a crappy situation that is going to harm either my graduation time line, my thesis project, or my transition back to third year.

Thanks!

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[solitude]

Hi all,
There is a wall of text, but I am having difficulty weighing the relative importance of all the factors, and hoping some of the more experienced physician scientists can help guide me.

I am in my second year of grad school, and my PI got a big promotion to become the chair of ophthalmology at a big-name school. He is relatively young but is a rising star if I have ever seen one. My project is progressing well with good potential. The research focuses on a mixture of neuroscience and ophthalmology. He is an excellent boss, tons of funding, good track record, lab environment is great, etc. He also really likes me, and has strongly asked that I come with him next march, at least for 2 years to finish the PhD. I have a collaborator on my thesis project in my current university who has offered me a position if I decide to stay, meaning I keep the same project and lose no time.

PROS:
- continuing working with my current PI, and possibly establish ties to a top school. Collaborator's lab is highly-respected, but pure neuroscience without ophthalmology.
-lab manager is wonderful, and supervised a transfer 2 years ago with ~2 month delay in research. With almost a years notice, the transition should be relatively painless? (Still probably at least a month lost)
-med student SO has been aiming at residency in the area of the new school.
-establish ties to an area I would enjoy doing residency in, I have no ties there now (do not know how important this is)
-directly or indirectly help my residency chances, my step1 score is average.
-finished graduate coursework, so that shouldn't be a problem.

CONS:
- lose time in transition, hassle of starting up a new lab, weaken network at current school
- New school does not accept transfers, so I would have to move back for 3rd and 4th year, and possibly be isolated during PhD years ( new school has said I can audit classes and attend retreats, but not in writing)
- friends, connection to MSTP classmates, deans, etc. social considerations.

Advice I have read on here (Neuronix and others) has said to just finish PhD as soon as possible and get back to 3rd and 4th year rotations, but I believe having my PI being the chair of a specialty I might go into ( either ophthalmology or neurology) would be helpful, but I could be overestimating this impact.

Any similar situations? Can I make this work out to my benefit? It just feels like I am in a crappy situation that is going to harm either my graduation time line, my thesis project, or my transition back to third year.

Thanks!

Stay at current university, continue to collaborate with old PI, and finish PhD as soon as possible. You will likely change your mind about your specialty in MS3, and if you don't you can still draw heavily on the old PI for funding, LORs and to pull strings. I know what area you are talking about. The logistics and cost of moving and living there for a couple years and then moving away are considerable, and the residency programs are very competitive and you cannot depend on your SO (or you) to get in there. Being from the area helps a little bit, but not as much as doing well in MS3.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

PI got a big promotion to become the chair of ophthalmology at a big-name school. He is relatively young but is a rising star if I have ever seen one. My project is progressing well with good potential. The research focuses on a mixture of neuroscience and ophthalmology.

Sounds familiar. I would talk to PJ about your options.

EDIT: Make that Porteus. Transfers may be accepted unlike previous policy.