bad impressions

[scotte735]

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a little back story,

I did research in a lab for one yr, this ended b/c it was an internship. I had problems here communicating with the graduate student and pi. Not like any bad confrontation just hard communicating with them with work. To put it really, I just didn't fit in. I mainly came off as shy and "dumb" i guess. There were way more males and they all seemed to "get along" going on trips and such... The pi seems really nice and i'm not sure whether to ask for LOR. He said I could ask him for anything and to stay in touch...

I was planning on not getting an lor from here b/c just thinking about my experience just makes me cringe.

Anyway, once that was over, I joined a lab at my school and it was going well i guess, the pi sometimes comes off as flip floppy, he would be super nice at one point and then cold all of a sudden. I asked if I can continue in his lab and he started going into how just staying in a lab and my work would just plateu. Not sure what he means by this! He said if u think staying here longer will get u a better lor then that wont be the case! I really couldn't believe he said that! he then talked to me about my plans in the future and sounded so condescending saying that I wanted to do research on top of my schedule and such. He made it seem like i have so much going on. The worst part is that he wants to give my project to a different lab member and said he and that person would finish the project. Like what does that even mean. and Why. That person doesnt even do research as much as me.I only see that person like two days a week max!!

Now i dont know what to do, this pi seems like he wont write a good letter. and the last pi seems shady. I feel like he puts an act of i will write u one but might write something bad.

Should i not get a lor from both of them, thats a lot of research down the drain...?

 

[ndafife]

The 2nd PI said he won't right you a good LOR in as many words. And projects don't usually get transferred to someone else unless the person currently working on it isn't meeting expectations.

 

[Ehwic]

The way you write makes me cringe--but that's a different topic 😛

You're going to have to choose the least of the worsts. In this case, I would think your first PI is your best bet, but by the way you described the situation, it might not be strong LOR.

You're currently batting at 0/2 which may indicate the situation is more of your personality/maturity level than anything else. Now is probably a good time to self-reflect on what could be improved in the future.

 

[Goro]

I can't sugar coat this. If you're foolish enough to ask for, and use a LOR from either of those PIs, you will never get into med school, and you would deserve for such poor judgment.

You were outright told by one PI that they would NOT write you a good LOR! This PI is giving yoru project to another lab member.

The first PI pretty much told you that they didn't want you to continue in the lab.

Now, knowing this, what do you think their opinion of you is??????

a little back story,

I did research in a lab for one yr, this ended b/c it was an internship. I had problems here communicating with the graduate student and pi. Not like any bad confrontation just hard communicating with them with work. To put it really, I just didn't fit in. I mainly came off as shy and "dumb" i guess. There were way more males and they all seemed to "get along" going on trips and such... The pi seems really nice and i'm not sure whether to ask for LOR. He said I could ask him for anything and to stay in touch...

I was planning on not getting an lor from here b/c just thinking about my experience just makes me cringe.

Anyway, once that was over, I joined a lab at my school and it was going well i guess, the pi sometimes comes off as flip floppy, he would be super nice at one point and then cold all of a sudden. I asked if I can continue in his lab and he started going into how just staying in a lab and my work would just plateu. Not sure what he means by this! He said if u think staying here longer will get u a better lor then that wont be the case! I really couldn't believe he said that! he then talked to me about my plans in the future and sounded so condescending saying that I wanted to do research on top of my schedule and such. He made it seem like i have so much going on. The worst part is that he wants to give my project to a different lab member and said he and that person would finish the project. Like what does that even mean. and Why. That person doesnt even do research as much as me.I only see that person like two days a week max!!

Now i dont know what to do, this pi seems like he wont write a good letter. and the last pi seems shady. I feel like he puts an act of i will write u one but might write something bad.

Should i not get a lor from both of them, thats a lot of research down the drain...?

 

[Lifeblood_20]

Do NOT get LOR from either of them. It is not "a lot of research down the drain." Just write on your app about what projects you worked on and stuff. Many PIs are concerned about getting fundings and such that they are pretty aloof about undergrads in their lab -- it is not a requirement or anything to get a letter from them.
More importantly, think about WHY you ended up in this situation. Make the effort to get along better with your labmates. This skill is honestly more important than the stuff they teach at school.

 

[honey0102]

If you want to be sure, you can ask them if they are comfortable writing you a strong letter of recommendation for medical school-make sure to ask for a strong one. If they say no, you have your answer, but if they say yes, I think it's fair to believe them.