M
mokhoras
Last edited by a moderator:
You need some self-esteem. Either calmly sit down with your PI to explain your side of the situation or you might as well quit. You have to soothe the situation because every medical school will want a LOR from your PI. It would be a red flag to not have one.
Also, maybe do some self discovery. Medical school is long and challenging. If you are having trouble juggling your course load, research time, and a person life, you might struggle a lot more than the average medical student.
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2010
- Messages
- 137
- Reaction score
- 0
First off, your PI is a d-ick. Even if you do sh-itty work, that doesn't mean he needs to be an as-shole.
I agree with Porfirio. Calmly sit with him and talk it out. If he is still a dick, then leave and do something else. You only live once, and there is more than one way into medical school.
Sounds like an interesting situation. HOWEVER, your PI is your PI. You chose to work with that person and therefore you must have saw something worthwhile in them initially. I was in a similar situation and let me tell you. Try to relax before you complete your studies and start on medical school apps. If you are frustrated with that person in anyway it will show on your application. People are people, and I would like to think that med school admissions evualuate how well applicants adjust to difficult situations. The OP is extremely immature and I wouldnt advise you look at your situation that way. Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself before applying to med school:
1) What have I learned from working with my PI
2) How have I changed from this experience.
3) What do I want to accomplish before finishing
If you dont have a good answer for these questions or can't see yourself explaining them to your PI its gonna be tough to explain your experience to each medical school and learn from the difficult situation you are in. So take it from someone who has applied twice now.... don't ever have a negative attitude when striving towards medical school. Would you want a doctor with a negative attitude? I'd rather have a doctor who got average grades than one who graduated AOA yet is always negative. In most cases he wont be very optimistic when faced with a challenging health issue.
I wasn't able to read all that you wrote, but I can tell you are frustrated. Try as hard to make the best out of your situation. People feed off of each others energy, if your in a bad mood he will act that way towards you. Sounds like you guys need to start over, communicate better, and create a plan for the future. He may be upset that you are leaving research for medicine. Most PI's get that way because how much time they put into their students. However, this is a temporary thing for him as he will eventually cope and wish the best for you. You should communicate your feelings to him, and emphasize your concerns. Don't get locked up in a 'cold war' with the guy, where you both silently hate each other.
Good luck my friend. You have a promising future ahead of you.
1) What have I learned from working with my PI
2) How have I changed from this experience.
3) What do I want to accomplish before finishing
If you dont have a good answer for these questions or can't see yourself explaining them to your PI its gonna be tough to explain your experience to each medical school and learn from the difficult situation you are in. So take it from someone who has applied twice now.... don't ever have a negative attitude when striving towards medical school. Would you want a doctor with a negative attitude? I'd rather have a doctor who got average grades than one who graduated AOA yet is always negative. In most cases he wont be very optimistic when faced with a challenging health issue.
I wasn't able to read all that you wrote, but I can tell you are frustrated. Try as hard to make the best out of your situation. People feed off of each others energy, if your in a bad mood he will act that way towards you. Sounds like you guys need to start over, communicate better, and create a plan for the future. He may be upset that you are leaving research for medicine. Most PI's get that way because how much time they put into their students. However, this is a temporary thing for him as he will eventually cope and wish the best for you. You should communicate your feelings to him, and emphasize your concerns. Don't get locked up in a 'cold war' with the guy, where you both silently hate each other.
Good luck my friend. You have a promising future ahead of you.
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2012
- Messages
- 132
- Reaction score
- 3
Sounds like an interesting situation. HOWEVER, your PI is your PI. You chose to work with that person and therefore you must have saw something worthwhile in them initially. I was in a similar situation and let me tell you. Try to relax before you complete your studies and start on medical school apps. If you are frustrated with that person in anyway it will show on your application. People are people, and I would like to think that med school admissions evualuate how well applicants adjust to difficult situations. The OP is extremely immature and I wouldnt advise you look at your situation that way. Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself before applying to med school:
1) What have I learned from working with my PI
2) How have I changed from this experience.
3) What do I want to accomplish before finishing
If you dont have a good answer for these questions or can't see yourself explaining them to your PI its gonna be tough to explain your experience to each medical school and learn from the difficult situation you are in. So take it from someone who has applied twice now.... don't ever have a negative attitude when striving towards medical school. Would you want a doctor with a negative attitude? I'd rather have a doctor who got average grades than one who graduated AOA yet is always negative. In most cases he wont be very optimistic when faced with a challenging health issue.
I wasn't able to read all that you wrote, but I can tell you are frustrated. Try as hard to make the best out of your situation. People feed off of each others energy, if your in a bad mood he will act that way towards you. Sounds like you guys need to start over, communicate better, and create a plan for the future. He may be upset that you are leaving research for medicine. Most PI's get that way because how much time they put into their students. However, this is a temporary thing for him as he will eventually cope and wish the best for you. You should communicate your feelings to him, and emphasize your concerns. Don't get locked up in a 'cold war' with the guy, where you both silently hate each other.
I agree. I have a good friend that ended her PhD early to go to med school, transitioning to a masters, so of course it can be done. But I think, first, you need to get in a place of cool, calm reflection and really work these problems out before you act on impulse.
I have met graduate students who are really unhappy with their PI. At most institutions, there tends to be some kind of support network or "safety net" for this situation, because it is challenging to find a perfect match with limited time together during the PhD application process. It may be, as mokhoras suggests, that it's difficult for anybody to find a "perfect" mentor. I'd explore the support systems of your school and get advice from graduate students at your institution.
You have options-I wouldn't get too worked up. The best place to start is first by talking to your PI. People who go into research, especially those who are successful, tend to have a very "type A" personality that can be intimidating and polarizing. There's a reason why they prefer the bench to the clinic. I also agree that if you do decide to go the MD route, you need to find a positive way to spin this. Put bluntly, medical schools do not like hearing "quitting stories."
M
mokhoras
.
Last edited by a moderator:
