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What is a good way to tell a professor that you want to get involved in their research?
dajimmers said:Do significant research in their field before asking them. Like spend a full saturday doing it. And then just let them know after class, or at office hours. Don't be upset if all your newfound knowledge isn't brought up, but if you have the chance, let it free! Good luck!
This is great advice! If a professor has no graduate students and only a few postdocs and techs it is because they have poor interpersonal skills and are huge turds. You may learn about science and critical thinking, but then - because professor jackass thinks he's hot **** and has no other avenues to express this because everyone else hates him - he'll tell you how to talk to people and will try to fashion you into his little "mini me" and you'll realize he's a big ass. And then he'll be an ass to you and it'll be too late. You will have been there for a year and will have to be nice and put up with his **** to get that letter of rec otherwise you'll have nothing to show for your year of commitment so he's essentially got you by the balls and that's the bad place for people to forcibly grab you.solitude said:Talk to people before you do this! A lot of profs are really nice at first, but with time they are real dicks. Talk to other students and make sure they are good mentors, then research their stuff and talk with them.
desiredusername said:This is great advice! If a professor has no graduate students and only a few postdocs and techs it is because they have poor interpersonal skills and are huge turds. You may learn about science and critical thinking, but then - because professor jackass thinks he's hot **** and has no other avenues to express this because everyone else hates him - he'll tell you how to talk to people and will try to fashion you into his little "mini me" and you'll realize he's a big ass. And then he'll be an ass to you and it'll be too late. You will have been there for a year and will have to be nice and put up with his **** to get that letter of rec otherwise you'll have nothing to show for your year of commitment so he's essentially got you by the balls and that's the bad place for people to forcibly grab you.
Yeah, I was miserable there towards the end. But I did get a great j. neuroscience article out of it and hopefully a good letter of rec in my file at my undergrad school (got it in my file before I quit). I actually learned a lot about science and stuff, too. And I made some great friends with the other techs in the lab, too, so it wasn't all bad. And the techs and one of the post docs would get drunk at lunch and come back and just mess around. But I wanted to beat the **** out of the PI when I quit - I'm not a violent guy at all but bet I could totally do it. I ended up just telling him to **** himself one friday and never went back. (I was the third person do that in 6 months.) He was just a condescending **** of a man. So, be careful and choose wisely!Dr.D-man said:Hmm... is this coming from experience?
yourmom25 said:go to them, ask them about their research. most people will be more than happy to expound on the details of their research. see if you're interested, if so tell them. that's all it is.
also on the huge turd/dick argument, you'll meet up with people like that all your life. learning to deal with a huge turd/dick while getting an LOR and/or publication out of it is good experience.