What if the EC reference is pissed off at you?

[lady in red]

I worked in that nursing home for several months, then when it was time to leave i gave a two week notice, but the boss (apparently he thought I want to be a professional CNA) just won't give up--he kept putting me on the schedule with NO REGARDS to my notice. When i asked him, he said that i did not know what i was doing and was just threatening him! what the hell! so i left anyways, after two weeks. he basically failed to see that i was an adult and was serious. i still put this activity on AMCAS and put his contact number, since i devoted so much time and sweat to it, but i am wondering, what if they call him and he tells them **** about me because i quit?
BTW, he is the owner of the nursing home.

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[Jessica]

I am in a similar situation.... the prof. that I did two quarters of research with decided to have a grudge with me because I did not want to work with him again this quarter. He asked me to work in his lab spring qtr. last year, and after I signed up for two units with him, he turned into a flake. He avoided me like the plague all quarter, and every time I stopped by his office to ask when we were going to get started, he would stall saying that all of the supplies we needed weren't in, or he was too busy that week, etc. etc. Then he had the nerve to give me an incomplete for my lack of fulfilling the required lab hours! After e-mailing and calling him for two months this summer (with no reply), he finally decided to re-materialize and let me finish up my work. Needless to say, I would not like to repeat my research experience, at least not in his lab! However, this is the only lab research experience I have (aside from a part in a clinical study) and I wanted to have the wet-lab work on my list of ECs because the organic synthesis I did in this prof.'s lab was mostly independant. I am just hoping that if he gets called he won't be a total jerk!

 

[Bruin4Life]

About schools calling EC references, there was a post about this a couple days ago. Apparently some schools do call EC references. I think Kutsua (sp?) mentioned one of the schools he applied to called his PI.

This year is definetly harder on applicants than any other year, I would imagine. I personally think most schools will not call EC references and will allow the interview to guage the validity of or one's feeling toward the EC.

 

[lady in red]

Jessica,
as far as having nasty PI, I think that comes with the territory. I mean, if it is THEIR research, and they depend on it for promotions, pubs, grants, so on, many of them will totally disregard what your own goals are, and treat you like their lab slave. And if you are good, they will hold on to you forever. I am in a similar situation now; while I am on good terms with the PI, he thinks that I should be in the lab 24/7 and think of nothing else but his research. I was going to take a class in the spring (3 units)and volunteer, but now scared to mention it because he will think it will detract me from concentrating on his experiments. i don't DARE to mention medical school or applications or anything like that.
I don't know if its the same everywhere though (i am doing research in stanford), but I feel stressed out more than when i was in school and like I am always being watched and judged.

 

[kutastha]

Lady in Red - I wouldn't worry about it. You are allowed to quit jobs. If they call one of your EC contacts, they'll probably call several others to get a well-rounded picture of you. If one bozo talks **** on you, it'll be obvious why you quit if everyone else has praise for you. Yet, this is also something you needed to consider when you put it down on your AMCAS, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Jessica - that is something you should have taken up with the department you work in. If a PI takes you on, it is his or her responsibility to guide you in your progress, or assign someone to help you. Additionally, PIs even though they can be as you described, are indeed profressional and if you worked hard to complete your work, that person will most likely say the right things on the phone,

Originally posted by lady in red:
•Jessica,
as far as having nasty PI, I think that comes with the territory. I mean, if it is THEIR research, and they depend on it for promotions, pubs, grants, so on, many of them will totally disregard what your own goals are, and treat you like their lab slave. And if you are good, they will hold on to you forever. I am in a similar situation now; while I am on good terms with the PI, he thinks that I should be in the lab 24/7 and think of nothing else but his research. I was going to take a class in the spring (3 units)and volunteer, but now scared to mention it because he will think it will detract me from concentrating on his experiments. i don't DARE to mention medical school or applications or anything like that.
I don't know if its the same everywhere though (i am doing research in stanford), but I feel stressed out more than when i was in school and like I am always being watched and judged.•••

This is not the same everywhere. I had a PI when I first went to USC that turned on her whole lab. She fired people, wrote me and the other grad student up and made a list of requirements we were to achieve (can't check email, need to be in at least 50 hours a week, et al). Our work was progressing, but for some reason she snapped. She even asked us both to leave her lab. Well, six months later she left for the NIH and closed her lab. I still put her down as a reference though. The lab I switched to is much better. The PI knows that you can't do lab work 24/7 and even supported my going to the East Coast for two weeks for medical school interviews.

Anyhoos, I doubt the medcial schools are going to ask your ECs for a character analysis. They probaby just want to see that you were there and that you did the work and did it well. The email to my PI was probably just to see if I'd finish my PhD by August.

Andrew

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Wow, I feel horrible for you guys. I have had a few bad moments while working in labs, but most of it has been heavenly....I think it may be b/c of my brutal honesty at the interview, before I even get the job.

I think that before joining any lab or clinic, I usually have the attitude that "I don't care about money, I am here to learn something new." In fact, i almost state it as a requirement during my interview, that I am willing to do all the work etc, so I can be challenged and at the same time mould myself as a future applicant to med school. So in short you're telling them--you're here, you're dedicated, and just like they will have YOU to help them out for a dirt cheap price (and let's face us, us premeds DO get abused in that respect), you WANT an experience you want to write about in your application. Right from the get go, I think, the person knows your intentions, and I hope it would make him/her think twice about doing anything to jeopardize (sp??) your application. If indeed, this person does anything to to harm your application (with or without intent), then you have enough reasons to want to quit without guilt b/c the the job simply doesn't fulfull your "requirement" to constantly learn and be challenged anymore. (I've had to do this before and it's worked. My PI got his act together and we pulled ourselves out of a dark hole)

To Lady in Red--it may help to see the situation in a positive light. If adcoms question you on any negative light this nursing home guy may have shed on you, you can tell them the story about how he wanted to keep you longer, but you opted for "more fulfilling experiences" since you had learned all there was to know about working at a nursing home. Although I am not sure how you could sneak that into the interview.

Jessica, I feel bad for you girl!! What can I say...except, man! I feel bad.

Tweetie

 

[rxfudd]

I had a problem similar to this - see this thread (my very FIRST post on SDN!) from February:

<a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=001409" target="_blank">Report Nightmare Research Position on Application???</a>

 

[lady in red]

Thank you everybody!
rxfudd, did you end up applying to this med school where that guy is from? my PI is from Stanford, and sure enough i applied there--i don't know how involved he is in the application process, but I got a secondary from them, at least. i was reading your post, and it was like i was reading my own situation. its not as bad as yours, but my PI does quiz me all the time, and makes me do 'presentations' b/c he does not trust me.

 

[rxfudd]

Yes, I did end up applying and interviewing at the school where the PI is from. No problems whatsoever, from what I could tell. If you have good rec letters and seem pretty normal at the interview, I imagine that one person's opinion will not hold much weight. After doing about three years of research, I have come to realize that it's like any other profession: there are the good, the bad, and the psycho. We just happen to have the unfortunate luck of getting the psycho! I was WAITING for them to ask me about it at both of my interviews and no one did. Just have a good story ready!