CRAP my PI just finished giving me a lecture about how i am doing too much and have spread myself out too thin and need to prioritize....ive been getting everything accomplished in lab just taking longer than expected because im learning EVERYTHING (procedures, etc) on my own..and im the only undergrad in the lab filled with medical residents and MD/PhDs...he wants me to take less credit hours next semester(taking 24 credit hours which is true i do need to take less)..he tried to spin it in a positive way by saying i know your very bright but blah blah..and he gave me a freaking A- for my research saying that he was only giving me that grade to motivate me and show that there is room for improvement....should i forget about asking him for a LOR?????...i know he doesnt HATE me or anything but still...CRAP
How Badly Did I Screw Up?!?
- Thread starter paki20
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lol
wow i was reading my post again and it does come out really bad...i know its not the end of world sorry didnt mean to come across as though it was im obviously not worried about the grade because an A- is good but the fact that he had to lecture me for a good 45+ minutes about how I need to improve in lab its almost as though he was disappointed in me....
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I think you're fine. Trying to take on too much responsibility is not a negative trait. It seems to me that if you show improvement then your letter could potentially be even better than it could be without this bump.
And an A- is not a bad grade.
And an A- is not a bad grade.
L
LikeClockWork
Awww gee. An A-? 
May I suggest falling on your own sword to save yourself the humiliation?
Really though, if he made the effort to phrase all this with the "you're a bright person" caveat, I think he probably thinks you're allright. He could've just been a big jerk about it, but sounds like he was trying to be nice Go ahead and get that LOR, I say. And please, no more of these "bitch-to-boast" posts.
May I suggest falling on your own sword to save yourself the humiliation?
Really though, if he made the effort to phrase all this with the "you're a bright person" caveat, I think he probably thinks you're allright. He could've just been a big jerk about it, but sounds like he was trying to be nice Go ahead and get that LOR, I say. And please, no more of these "bitch-to-boast" posts.
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why on earth are you taking 24 credit hours in one semester? no one needs to do that.
limit yourself to 18 and you should have enough time to work in the lab.
limit yourself to 18 and you should have enough time to work in the lab.
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That A- means you are unfit to be a physician, and certainly unfit to treat me and my family. How can someone be confident in your abilities if they know that you've gotten an A-? Maybe you'll only expend an A- effort when treating them. This humiliation will follow you for the rest of your life.
haha damn im going to get a lot of crap for this post....i shouldnt have mentioned the grade im NOT worried about the grade!!! im worried about the fact that he was disappointed in me and might mention that in the LOR that "this guy spreads himself out too thin and doesn't do anything welll...he tries to be a jack of all trades but ends up being a master of none...." .....lol the last part is something he said....
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If you're worried, ask for the recommendation in person. Judge by the way he reacts whether he whole-heartily supports you. But honestly, he will.
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do you see anything incorrect about his assessment? do you have a good reason for doing all of that?
i totally agreed with him because i am taking way too many classes + extracurricurricular + research..so obviously im not putting in much time in the lab as i should..but i told him i am going to only take 3 classes next semester and put a lot more time especially since i have my own project and could have submitted an abstract a few weeks ago if only i had collected just a few more data..but missed the deadline (which he wasnt mad abotu or anything)...but today he just seemed kind of disappointed in me which sucks...
he said that i have spurts where im really in the lab all the time and then i disappear for a week which is all true especially when i have exams and stuff (and ive had exams like every week this past month with the end of the semester and all these classes im taking)...i told him all this..i also told him that i felt disappointed in myself because i really wanted to impress him...lol trying to earn some brownie points...but he said that i was an impressive guy and didnt have to impress him and that i have the "phenotype of someone who is enthusiastic and wants to do everything" but seriously he was just saying all that after he saw my self-esteem crash in front of his eyes....when it comes time for that LOR he is going to say that i spread myself out too thin, dont know my limitations, etc etc and its going to look bad...
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people need to know their limitations. he just showed you his disappointment that you don't know yours. it's not a big deal.
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The PI doesn't want you to go crazy.
Like me.
I am turning into a neurotic student. I got the med bug. All I wanted was a hug...
I am literally going ape over this BCMP stuff.
Like me.
I am turning into a neurotic student. I got the med bug. All I wanted was a hug...
I am literally going ape over this BCMP stuff.
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Hey guys, she already said she's not worried about the A-, she knows it's not a big deal...she's worried about the LOR, which is a real concern, especially from your PI!
The first questions is why on earth are you taking 24 credit hours in one semester! My school doesn't even allow that. There really is no good reason to be doing this unless you are a double major and like self-torture. Ease up on the class load, 18 credits MAX! 15 is totally fine too.
Don't worry about your PI's lecture either. He obviously thinks you are qualified, and sees your potential but he's giving you good advice in telling you to take less than 24 credits a semester. That's really crazy.
The first questions is why on earth are you taking 24 credit hours in one semester! My school doesn't even allow that. There really is no good reason to be doing this unless you are a double major and like self-torture. Ease up on the class load, 18 credits MAX! 15 is totally fine too.
Don't worry about your PI's lecture either. He obviously thinks you are qualified, and sees your potential but he's giving you good advice in telling you to take less than 24 credits a semester. That's really crazy.
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(Heh. He thinks that you're spread too thin but you still have 45+ minutes to be lectured to.)
Take another look at what you wrote in various posts:
paki20 said:
He took 45+ minutes out of his own busy schedule to talk to you about how you're doing and what you need to change. Take his advice and scale back, and then stop worrying so much. From your posts, he appers to think very highly of you and he obviously wants to see you succeed. I'm guessing this will end up being one of your stronger LORs.
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First, I don't think he would have spent 45 minutes of his time with you if he didn't think you were worth his time. He obviously sees a lot of good things in you or else he would have just ignored you and not tried to teach you time management.
Second, its great that you want to do everything and be involved in everything, but he has a lab to run, and it sounds like it puts a strain on him when your attendence is inconsistent (another good sign because that means you do valuable work). It doesn't matter the reason (Exams, etc). You do need to manage your schedule and your time such that he is not having to worry about it. He's not your parent and he is not going to want to hear excuses.
Third, please learn how to take constructive criticism without falling apart. When someone takes time out of their day to mentor you and teach you (whether they are kind and gentle, or brief and detached), be grateful and don't take it personally. If you do take it personally, then you become someone who is difficult to be open with and give necessary constructive criticism, and its a drain on your PI if he's having to worry about you not falling apart. When your PI sees you hear everything he says and implement it, he will be impressed. I would take the time to thank him for the feedback.
Fourth, chill. You'll be fine. Your not the first person to ever receive feedback like that, we all get it. Its meant to help.
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Vihsadas, I think she's a he.
I assumed paki20 was a woman too until that "impressive guy" line. Maybe that says something about cultural roles/stereotypes/norms, our unconscious assumptions, the anonymity of the internet, and paki20's low self-image and fragile emotional state, or maybe it means we're just jerks.
But if I were a jerk, I'd tell paki20 to stop being such a chick - so it must be the other one.
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First, I don't think he would have spent 45 minutes of his time with you if he didn't think you were worth his time. He obviously sees a lot of good things in you or else he would have just ignored you and not tried to teach you time management.
Second, its great that you want to do everything and be involved in everything, but he has a lab to run, and it sounds like it puts a strain on him when your attendence is inconsistent (another good sign because that means you do valuable work). It doesn't matter the reason (Exams, etc). You do need to manage your schedule and your time such that he is not having to worry about it. He's not your parent and he is not going to want to hear excuses.
Third, please learn how to take constructive criticism without falling apart. When someone takes time out of their day to mentor you and teach you (whether they are kind and gentle, or brief and detached), be grateful and don't take it personally. If you do take it personally, then you become someone who is difficult to be open with and give necessary constructive criticism, and its a drain on your PI if he's having to worry about you not falling apart. When your PI sees you hear everything he says and implement it, he will be impressed. I would take the time to thank him for the feedback.
Fourth, chill. You'll be fine. Your not the first person to ever receive feedback like that, we all get it. Its meant to help.
This is good advice. When people try to get you to improve upon something it means they think you are capable of more. It's when they give up trying to teach you that you have something to worry about.
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If you pull your act together next semester and give your research the attention your PI thinks it deserves, then ask for the LOR. If you don't, you will still have to ask for the LOR because some schools want letters from your research supervisors, but don't expect it to be outstanding.
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Wow. We're capped at 20 credits. Those extra four equals about 6000 dollars on top of tuiton (25000 - 27000) depending on your program.
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Uhhh...****. I got nothing.
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maybe they go to a school with flat rate tuition. We got charged the same for full time no matter how many credits, be it 12, 16, etc.
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Actually, I thought it was a girl too, but I think it had something to do with his writing style.
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A- oh no what will daddy say?
Don't take it the wrong way but its the same way with my parents, you tell them hey mom I got an A and she'll be hope it was A+!
Don't take it the wrong way but its the same way with my parents, you tell them hey mom I got an A and she'll be hope it was A+!
HumidBeing
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Okay, so, you're doing the lab project for credit. No instructor likes to feel that a student considers other classes and assignments more important than his. When you take off for days or a week at a time to devote your efforts to more pressing matters, that's the message you're giving the PI - that his stuff can be put off because it's not as important.
Does the lecture mean that he'd give you a poor LOR? No. He gave you specific advice on how to improve your performance in his lab. Follow his advice. He'll notice that you have the good sense to change and correct your deficits. He's likely to be an even better source for an LOR, under those circumstances.
Someone said that trying to take on too much responsibility is not a negative trait. He is wrong. When we spread ourselves too thinly, we are less effective overall. Life is about balance. He wants you to find yours so that you can be more successful at the things you attempt. Thank that PI for caring enough to tell you now.
Does the lecture mean that he'd give you a poor LOR? No. He gave you specific advice on how to improve your performance in his lab. Follow his advice. He'll notice that you have the good sense to change and correct your deficits. He's likely to be an even better source for an LOR, under those circumstances.
Someone said that trying to take on too much responsibility is not a negative trait. He is wrong. When we spread ourselves too thinly, we are less effective overall. Life is about balance. He wants you to find yours so that you can be more successful at the things you attempt. Thank that PI for caring enough to tell you now.
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Seriously, who does things perfectly the first time? This is a learning experience, right? You're doing it through SCHOOL for credit.
Now, if you can show that you can learn and adapt, I would think that he would write you a great LOR, much more so than a professor that knows you only by a grade that you got in bio. It's the capability to learn that will serve you well and prove that you handle unfamiliar situations. Isn't that important to med school and medicine in general?
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Why dont you follow his advice. After a month into spring semester, email him and say something like: "wow this has worked really well. Thanks for your positive advice....thank you blah blah......... by limiting my workload, I'm getting more out of my activities and classes." Then he can write an LOR of how you accepted his criticism and improved.
