With second visits coming up, does anyone have suggestions for non-obvious questions to ask once you're accepted? Something you might not know matters pre-matriculation?
Best second visit questions
- Thread starter pcm810
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One thing to explore is how funding works. Here are some things I learned:
- Many of us believe that the med school/MSTP grant covers all 8+ years of our training, giving us great flexibility in terms of doing whatever research we want or joining whatever lab we would like. This is not always the case. Some schools have more funding "constraints:" you must join a department (or even lab) that has funding to cover you during your PhD years. Other schools are less constrained in that your lab/PI doesn't really fund you (your money comes from other sources you don't need to worry about), so you can have more flexibility in terms of choosing a lab.
- At some schools, getting external grants/fellowships can have unintended consequences (e.g., you may no longer be eligible for yearly stipend increases or something).
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One thing that I’ve discussed a lot at interviews this cycle that I hadn’t really thought about before: are there mechanisms for continuing your research post-graduate school in your final clinical years?
Especially if you are going into a clinical field with a long residency or into a non-PSTP, there will be a long layoff between your last significant research output (i.e.: non retrospective/case report fluff) and when you’d be applying for external funding to continue as an independent investigator. Shortening that time/otherwise staying productive in your field will make you more competitive for a K, and at least some schools are starting to think about these things. I’ve heard of some schools allowing a “mini post-doc” as an M4 elective(s), or providing funding for a tech in your thesis lab to continue doing some experiments that you design after you re-enter clinical medicine.
Edit: I don’t necessarily expect a program to have established mechanisms or to have all these solutions figured out, but I think it is important that someone is seriously thinking about this.
Especially if you are going into a clinical field with a long residency or into a non-PSTP, there will be a long layoff between your last significant research output (i.e.: non retrospective/case report fluff) and when you’d be applying for external funding to continue as an independent investigator. Shortening that time/otherwise staying productive in your field will make you more competitive for a K, and at least some schools are starting to think about these things. I’ve heard of some schools allowing a “mini post-doc” as an M4 elective(s), or providing funding for a tech in your thesis lab to continue doing some experiments that you design after you re-enter clinical medicine.
Edit: I don’t necessarily expect a program to have established mechanisms or to have all these solutions figured out, but I think it is important that someone is seriously thinking about this.
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