Spoiled As An Undergrad
So I'm starting to realize just how awesome she is. When I sent that fateful email to the associate dean two years ago and asked him to 'convince me' that this was the best school for me, she was just one of the ten or twelve or so professors to whom he introduced me. I remembered her clearly because a) she was a female research scientist, of which there are still sadly few, b) she spoke to me as an equal, though I clearly was not, and her explanation of her research made sense to me and I was able to follow her easily.
So sixteen months ago or so when I decided that I wanted to join a lab, and I found out that she was the only professor in the entire school studying anything similar to what interests me most, I was excited to ask her. And when she recognized me and assigned me to a grad student, it all seemed to simple.
But now, conversing with friends of mine who work or have worked in other professors' labs, and witnessing the differences in scientific politics from one lab to another, I can begin to compare her to the others. My comparisons have led me to believe that she is more approachable, more well-rounded, more open-minded, more respectful of her inferiors, and more careful that the work done in her lab will relate to the treatment of patients than any of the others on her team. Furthermore, her absolute lack of ego and willingness to admit mistakes for the sake of advising me boosts my already glowing esteem for her.
And her mentor-lineage traces to a former president of the American Psychological Society and another professor who has held multiple administrative and (state) governmental positions, so she even gains me an impressive reputation.
It seems I could not have chosen a better professor to approach for research experience, despite that I knew none of these charms at the time.
*sigh* I will be spoiled for when I get to graduate school; although her research interests are not precisely aligned with mine and working for her for x more years will not help me on that score, I'm afraid I won't find a better mentor.
You have an eternal fan.
So sixteen months ago or so when I decided that I wanted to join a lab, and I found out that she was the only professor in the entire school studying anything similar to what interests me most, I was excited to ask her. And when she recognized me and assigned me to a grad student, it all seemed to simple.
But now, conversing with friends of mine who work or have worked in other professors' labs, and witnessing the differences in scientific politics from one lab to another, I can begin to compare her to the others. My comparisons have led me to believe that she is more approachable, more well-rounded, more open-minded, more respectful of her inferiors, and more careful that the work done in her lab will relate to the treatment of patients than any of the others on her team. Furthermore, her absolute lack of ego and willingness to admit mistakes for the sake of advising me boosts my already glowing esteem for her.
And her mentor-lineage traces to a former president of the American Psychological Society and another professor who has held multiple administrative and (state) governmental positions, so she even gains me an impressive reputation.
It seems I could not have chosen a better professor to approach for research experience, despite that I knew none of these charms at the time.
*sigh* I will be spoiled for when I get to graduate school; although her research interests are not precisely aligned with mine and working for her for x more years will not help me on that score, I'm afraid I won't find a better mentor.
You have an eternal fan.