its actually a pretty funded lab and theres one md and 4 phds...they get a fair number of pubs...
the thing is at the rate im "learning" I will get my own project even within a year...the guy im working under doesn't like me. in fact, he doesn't like people. he's socially awkward and idk what to do...he doesn't want to teach me anything and i would not be suprised if he wants me to quit..
i constantly say I could stop by this weekend and afternoon or anytime since I decided not to get a job over the summer so i can concentrate on research, but he always say no. i feel like i just blew an entire summer...
and i somehow want to get a LOR out of this whole situation but i doubt i should cause itll prly be so bad...leaving will also not be a good idea since I already invested so much effort reading the pubs and understanding the material...
should i tell the PI straight up I don't like this guy..or what do u guys think
I was in a very similar situation a few summers back while I was participating in the Amgen Scholars Program. I had researched the lab prior and specifically requested to be placed in the lab to develop a set of skills that my current lab at the time did not have the resources for. I had no idea that the lab was dwindling down and downsizing (2 postdocs, and 2 RAs) or that the PI was not going to be readily available and not interested in mentoring. In fact, there was a miscommunication with the lab so they thought I was coming in as a part-time volunteer to do basically grunt work when I was supposed to be working full-time on a small project to present on at the end of the program.
It was incredibly frustrating to go into lab everyday to just read papers and shadow the RA especially when I knew that my peers were actually getting mentored, learning and excited about their work. They were incredibly backed up on their projects so they could not afford to waste any of their samples and just had me sit and watch for weeks at a time. The RA clearly did not expect to be mentoring full-time either and was applying to med school that cycle as well, so she was incredibly cold and bitter with her responses whenever I spoke up and asked questions. Her demeanor and attitude just soured the entire experience.
I tried talking to the PI multiple times and explained how the mentoring situation was less than ideal, but it was fairly early into the summer (at the month mark). He kept thinking that it was too early to start complaining and said to stick it out.
I got fed up with the entire situation and just started shadowing what other people were doing in the lab. One of the postdocs took me in and tried to talk to the PI in switching me over to her project, but she was transitioning out of the lab so that was not going to work out either. Apparently, this was not the first time that the RA was completely disrepectful to her mentees and the last one actually quit a few weeks in.
I had been corresponding with my program mentors throughout this entire lab conflict and eventually clamored to switch me out.
I would suggest shadowing and showing an interest in what other people in the lab are doing to possibly just switch mentors and/or projects. At the same time, looking into other labs that you could switch into - collaborators, neighboring labs, etc. Or start working part-time and supplementing your summer with clinical shadowing or volunteering so that its not a complete waste.
