Kona_Akea

Thanks, this is good to know!

This is my first time applying to grad programs. I applied to a PhD program, had an interview, and was waitlisted WAYYY back in February. Now it's April 19th, and I still haven't heard anything from my POI or the school. Their website says my application is still in review. I'm not sure if I should contact them or not. Is this something that normally happens? I thought the April 15th deadline was pretty standard.

Where do I even start.. I've been working in a lab for 2 years now. I started as an undergrad research assistant and become quickly became the lab manager. Since the lab is relatively new I've work a lot to organize it and get a good group of committed RAs. When I started my advisor was super invested in the lab, we got TONS of research done. During my first semester in the lab, an old student of his had started a project using an eye tracker (which no one knew ow to use) and had abandoned it. I taught myself to use the equipment and ran the study myself. Last Fall, this student was accepted into the grad program by my advisor. He was continually showing her favoritism and ignoring myself, and the other 2 graduate students in the lab. He only gives her advise, only helps her with her studies, and only reads for her projects. He completely blows the rest of us off and constantly complains about not wanting to work. At a conference last fall, my advisor admitted they had feelings for each other, but nothing inappropriate had happened. She on the other hand, swore there was nothing between them because she has a boy friend. We met as a lab to settle our differences, and things were fine for a little while. Now everything is so much worse. This semester he is going through a divorce and his behavior in the lab is terrible. He's continued to show no interest in anyone's work other than hers, and has started being very rude to everyone. He will complain any time one of us asks him about a study idea or brings him a paper that we think may help him with his own research. He will only listen to her. Ideas I've been suggesting for months are completely ignored until she asks him about it. Any decision made in the lab has to go through her. He's making disrespectful remarks about myself and the other grad students. He just doesn't care, and sadly he thinks it cool to be that way. We don't know what to do. I've applied to PhD programs for fall to try to get out of there. I am waitlisted at one school, but everywhere else is either a rejection or some where I don't really want to go to. He has already told me that if I stay for my MS I would have year round funding and one of the other students and I would be in charge of part of his grant study (He uses giving us studies to run as an excuse for his childish behavior). Its looking like his lab might be my only option until I can apply to PhD programs again. So what do I do? We've tried talking to him about this before and it only made things worse for me. Does anyone have any similar experiences? We want to try to solve this so we can just do our research and get into good PhD programs.