Hey desperately need advice on the matter,
I was doing an undergraduate internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering this past summer. My goal within the short timeframe I had was to purify and characterize a protein, which could be eventually used for x-ray crystallography. Long story short....after ten 60-70 hour work weeks...job done! In the process I learned a lot and in the process, I gained the friendship and respect of many of the post-docs and grad students in the lab. Unfortunately, I was preparing for the August MCATs at this time. Although I occasionally took out flash cards during downtime (centrifuging, heat shock...etc.), I never intensively studied while working in the lab (only in the library after work). However, my desk had presence of MCAT books and as a result, my PI, who very rarely ever saw me, eventually refused to write a strong letter of recommendation, saying that he felt I was way too distracted and unfocused "sometimes studying". I completed my research goal for the summer (purification), but he attributed it to "somehow pulling together at the very end". He was willing to write a very shady letter, discussing how I was very distracted and focused but somehow pulled together at the end to finish the job and present well-accepted presentations and a poster.
I requested a letter from the grad student I worked with, and he was more than happy to write a strong letter for me. Having worked directly with me, he knew my focus and sincere interest in my labwork, as opposed to my PI, who despite not observing my work directly, thought that the presence of MCAT books out on the table was enough to prove I didn't care about the lab. The grad student STRONGLY recommended me to get a letter from my PI, indicating that his letter would have no credibility.
My question....is it better to get a letter from a big-name, but big @#$#@ PI that is relatively shady, or a strong and sincere letter from a grad student. I know neither situation is ideal, but I do feel I need to account for such a significant research experience with some sort of letter supporting my work, which I felt I put a lot into. Thanks in advance for the input!
I was doing an undergraduate internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering this past summer. My goal within the short timeframe I had was to purify and characterize a protein, which could be eventually used for x-ray crystallography. Long story short....after ten 60-70 hour work weeks...job done! In the process I learned a lot and in the process, I gained the friendship and respect of many of the post-docs and grad students in the lab. Unfortunately, I was preparing for the August MCATs at this time. Although I occasionally took out flash cards during downtime (centrifuging, heat shock...etc.), I never intensively studied while working in the lab (only in the library after work). However, my desk had presence of MCAT books and as a result, my PI, who very rarely ever saw me, eventually refused to write a strong letter of recommendation, saying that he felt I was way too distracted and unfocused "sometimes studying". I completed my research goal for the summer (purification), but he attributed it to "somehow pulling together at the very end". He was willing to write a very shady letter, discussing how I was very distracted and focused but somehow pulled together at the end to finish the job and present well-accepted presentations and a poster.
I requested a letter from the grad student I worked with, and he was more than happy to write a strong letter for me. Having worked directly with me, he knew my focus and sincere interest in my labwork, as opposed to my PI, who despite not observing my work directly, thought that the presence of MCAT books out on the table was enough to prove I didn't care about the lab. The grad student STRONGLY recommended me to get a letter from my PI, indicating that his letter would have no credibility.
My question....is it better to get a letter from a big-name, but big @#$#@ PI that is relatively shady, or a strong and sincere letter from a grad student. I know neither situation is ideal, but I do feel I need to account for such a significant research experience with some sort of letter supporting my work, which I felt I put a lot into. Thanks in advance for the input!
