Intense competition from other labs can cause graduate school to be about getting results, not about learning. Experiments that will be performed by the student are designed by senior scientists in the laboratory. Lab mates with particular areas of expertise perform, instead of teach, technically demanding experiments. Advisers, instead of the student, write manuscripts. There is little time to allow the students to fumble.
Competition sometimes results in quality being sacrificed for speed.
Data may be published earlier than they would have been if publication by another group wasn't imminent. The story is not as complete and the experiments not as elegant. The race to be first drives secrecy. Like a spy in enemy territory, we suspect all and trust no one. We hesitate to speak freely with other scientists in our field.