Internship hunt: It's venting time! - (May/05/2010 )
lab rat on May 18 2010, 02:53 AM said:
I have seen many undergrads come into labs, excited to get to do "real research," only to find that they have gotten thrown off the deep end, or that they are the lowest priority in terms of the lab's focus. The students that stayed in research were the ones who got good guidance from the start.
Problem: I don't know who's going to provide me good mentorship, I don't know what good mentorship should be, and I don't know how to find out who's a good mentor without running afoul of people.
Another problem is timing. My timing was spectacularly bad today. I went to a lab, all dressed up, with a list of questions, and found out the PI's lab was full - including of minors. (I have a problem with the fact that they've started funneling high school kids - who are KIDS with zero qualifications, not even courses - into laboratories when there are plenty of perfectly qualified undergrads who are actually committed to what they're doing and have classes under their belt and who want to go to grad school and need research experience. I am too old to be bitching about this, being in my early twenties, but I can't tell you how teed off I am to have my pool of possible positions decreased by someone who's too young to vote and who may be too young to drive.)
acetylcholine on Jun 4 2010, 01:53 PM said:
Problem: I don't know who's going to provide me good mentorship, I don't know what good mentorship should be, and I don't know how to find out who's a good mentor without running afoul of people.
well, you'd never really know until you get into the lab and in the end, you could be assigned a good or a bad mentor but then many grad students have gone thru this...so yours won't be a special case anyways...people oftenly find ways to get around this....
just curious A-choline...so how did you react after seeing all these minors? cos you're soo dripping with frustration
....if the position is a competitive one, then you shldn't worry cos you have an advantage over these high school kids.... casandra on Jun 4 2010, 02:54 PM said:
acetylcholine on Jun 4 2010, 01:53 PM said:
Problem: I don't know who's going to provide me good mentorship, I don't know what good mentorship should be, and I don't know how to find out who's a good mentor without running afoul of people.
well, you'd never really know until you get into the lab and in the end, you could be assigned a good or a bad mentor but then many grad students have gone thru this...so yours won't be a special case anyways...people oftenly find ways to get around this....
just curious A-choline...so how did you react after seeing all these minors? cos you're soo dripping with frustration
....if the position is a competitive one, then you shldn't worry cos you have an advantage over these high school kids....Regarding mentoring, are there questions I can ask and things I can watch out for?
Regarding my reaction, I saved my reaction for after I got home.
chason on May 7 2010, 04:29 PM said:
Also, having a clunker shows you have "character". And you will not piss your PI off by having a nicer car than him.
I've done this. I have asked MANY MANY people if they have any spaces open. Most of them have said 'nope'.
Should I just wait until the fall? 'Cause this is irritating.
I have two more interviews, one of them for a position at an aquarium (which is my backup if the interview for the research assistant position goes to crap). I should get the last one if I don't get the second one.
At least I got interviews.
mdfenko on May 6 2010, 12:43 PM said:
Did that. Everyone's lab is full for some reason!
Now I feel bad 
Only 2 weeks ago, I informed my supervisor that I could not possibly take on a summer intern. (And so did every other member within my lab). Next year, I promise to take someone on, even if both of us have to stand. (My lab has the space of a sardine can.)
Seriously, I am this far from standing on the street in a suit, holding a folder with my resume, and holding up a sign that says 'Unemployed Biology Undergrad Seeks Lab Work'.
It worked for some kid I heard about in the Washington Post.
Also, can someone explain how freshmen and sophomores get their lab positions if they get them (because this is something I don't comprehend)? Is it nepotism? If it's not nepotism, I don't know what it is.
Do I have to stand on my head and spit tadpoles?
acetylcholine on Jun 7 2010, 04:19 PM said:
It worked for some kid I heard about in the Washington Post.
Also, can someone explain how freshmen and sophomores get their lab positions if they get them (because this is something I don't comprehend)? Is it nepotism? If it's not nepotism, I don't know what it is.
Do I have to stand on my head and spit tadpoles?
Don't suppose you are in Denver or Houston?
Hi,
I hope everything goes well for you. The key is not to give up! I'm sure something will come your way.
Best of luck,
Massiveattack
I know your frustrations all too well. I graduated a year ago and I JUST found an internship relevant to my field–I’ve been working J-O-B jobs for the time being. It can be really hard in such a rough economy. Now is possibly the *worst* time to be graduating. Finding an internship that’s right for you is really important and can sometimes prove to be trickier than you might expect. It can also be hard to find a company that wants interns who really benefit from the relationship without taking advantage of them. One great resource I found in my search is Vault. It’s an online career building service with tips, information, and hundreds of connections with companies currently offering internships–some of them even paid positions! Since most of their information is free, it can’t hurt to check out the latest at http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/internships