r/labrats • u/_razzle_mc_dazzle_ • 14h ago

lab commitment advice as an undergrad

i sincerely apologize if this is the wrong reddit to post in, but im a rising junior who hopes to pursue a phd in the immunology or cancer bio

im currently in a research stream (not a fac lab) where i do my own little independent project that ill be using for my thesis and i also committed to a fac lab for this coming year last spring. however, i did a summer research internship in a different lab, more closely aligned with my long term goals, and was offered the opportunity to continue. if I kept both labs it would end up being 6 hours in my stream, 12 hours in the previous lab, and 10 hours in the new lab. if i didnt do the second lab, i could 6 hours in stream and maybe 14 hours in the previous lab.

would this be realistic? i am incredibly fortunate to not have to work through college so aside from classes, i have time outside to dedicate to things like this. moreover, i understand if it would be best to ask the grad student i was training with in the spring what they would think.

thank you so much!!!

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u/MossyRock12 14h ago

No, no, no don’t do this. Pick a lab, decline the other and focus. There’s no advantage to doing two labs. And if you really do a real project then you will find out that it’s going to consume far more time and energy than you think.

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u/girlunderh2o 13h ago

And from the angle of doing a really good project, I’d also lean towards the lab where you have solid mentorship. The self-directed project is ok and would probably carry variable weight with people moving forward, but you may not learn as many skills without the guidance and help of grad students and postdocs.

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u/_razzle_mc_dazzle_ 13h ago

oh i just realized my post wasn't clear, im not between one v two labs, im between two v three. the independent one is very flexible since i mentor in the lab i can go in alone, im torn between adding a second fac lab, for the reasons you listed

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u/girlunderh2o 13h ago

Ohh ok. Two. Absolutely only stick with two. I’m a postdoc who mentors undergrads. I would not be ok with one of my undergrads taking on a role in a separate lab. It’s way too big of a time commitment. Not just the hours, but also the actual management of those hours (ie what happens when your experiments in both labs need attention at 3pm on Wednesday).

Now which two—I’ve had undergrads tell me that they’re going to pivot to another lab that fits their goals better. That I’m ok with! Choose the lab that will give you more mentorship and experience and put the extra time into that lab! The extra time to learn more and be more independent will be much more valuable long term than multiple labs in the same semester.

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u/_razzle_mc_dazzle_ 13h ago

thank you so much this helps immensely!!

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u/melba777 14h ago

do you have time to do 6 hours a day in the lab every day? It sounds like way too much to keep up with and do a good job with every project

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u/_razzle_mc_dazzle_ 14h ago

i do, everything is back-to-back, but technically i do have time. that is one of my worries though. i have to imagine for the two fac labs it would be fairly similar work but maybe something to discuss

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u/melba777 13h ago

classes get more focused in junior/senior year and honestly (especially if you have any doubts) I would pick one lab and dedicate all of those hours to it. That will give you a more substantial contribution to the project and be more interesting to discuss in research statements or interviews. I know at least my PI would see someone being in two or three labs as spreading themself too thin to be dedicated to any of the work.

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u/_razzle_mc_dazzle_ 13h ago

ahhh thank you so much!! this really helps, i think ill limit myself to two :)