Should I stay or should I go? - a conference... (Jan/10/2008 )

Keeping it simple...
Is going to a conference where you'll meet all your gurus, but don't have a poster, worth going?

My personal opinion is yes. Do go. Although you have nothing to show, you can still go to various people's posters and discuss their work with them.

I agree with pernesblue. In addition, if you are ever considering a move to a different lab (postdoc etc) the meeting could be useful for making introductions and networking with potential bosses.

U will learn so many things about ur topic just by being there - like readng so many journals in no time. If there is nothing to lose by going then there are so many things to gain. New ideas, experiment techniques, presentation style, poster design, new contacts, etc

Absolutely. Moreover, the scientists there could give time to chat with grad students, and talk to them about their "philosophycal views" of science. This can be as useful as a real scientific talk to us, I can tell!!

hmm...

my friend also facing the same problem.
there is a international conference in our town. so it is a good opportunity to meet all the gurus. we all wish to go coz i once apply to go oversea for conference, we need to go through a lot of department and ministry... this make our life very difficult. since this conference now is in my country, we only need to apply approval from university.

however, my friend doesn't have much thing to present if she goes. and normally we are required to PRESENT something if we attend conference. she asked permission from or PI. she said she need to consider...

Hi Telomerase,

I agree with everyone.
Yes go... if your PI willing to pay for it.

You never know what you will learn from the conference.

I had gone to conference (paid the registration myself) without presenting a poster and I learnt so much.

hi telomerase,
i can tell you by personal experience it is not easy to be infront of the gurus. even worse if your poster is not very impressing. but you can learn a lot about them and about all the other students at the conferences. they're all humans after all.

Thank you all... I didn't go eventually, because I don't have $ :/ It'd cost me my year's savings. Can't they meet somewhere in Europe? I'll probably regret it for a long time...

O, spending a year's saving is not a good idea at all. U did the right thing then. Wish there could be a distinct line between investing and wasting.

Do not regret at all. U did the wisest thing one can do. Treat yourself for that instead. Go out and have an ice-cream