So, here's the background. I'm a Texas resident, and I know I get Texan preference for my instate schools, but I want to try my hand at heavy research out of state institutions as well. I know it's a partial function of the MCAT and GPA. My GPA is doing well, and we'll see about the MCAT. I understand that those heavy research institutions get money to do research, and they want to make sure their students fit the bill in addition to having natural inquiry, so I'm doing research as well. Not only to appease medical schools, but because I enjoy the technical hands on aspect of problem solving.
Anyway, I've done about two years of biostatistics research, but my lab is losing funding and I want to expand my horizons. I've e-mailed a ton of labs. I'm a Statistics major with an emphasis in biology and electrical engineering (there are major tracks). My chemistry/organic chemistry/cell biology is very, very good even though I don't have a "science" major. I've e-mailed a couple of professors, and I've gotten offers from a Neurobiology Lab that does work in inflammation and pain modeling. I also got an offer in a molecular biophysics lab that works on radiation treatment innovation. My interest level is equally high for both, so I have no personal bias. I'll be doing concrete biology lab work in the neurobiology lab, but in the biophysics lab it'll be part lab work-however the biological physics researcher sees my programming proficiency in Java/MATLAB and my past experience in simulation an asset.
I don't know where to go. I'm worried that if I lean towards biological physics, that admissions committee will see me as some mathematician/physicist who did work in bio, and will feel like the content is very distant. However, I have been told that it looks well as a rare applicant if I can sell myself well. I'm also worried that a combo of biostatistics/biophysics is not as "clinical" in connotation as neurobiology. Help?
Anyway, I've done about two years of biostatistics research, but my lab is losing funding and I want to expand my horizons. I've e-mailed a ton of labs. I'm a Statistics major with an emphasis in biology and electrical engineering (there are major tracks). My chemistry/organic chemistry/cell biology is very, very good even though I don't have a "science" major. I've e-mailed a couple of professors, and I've gotten offers from a Neurobiology Lab that does work in inflammation and pain modeling. I also got an offer in a molecular biophysics lab that works on radiation treatment innovation. My interest level is equally high for both, so I have no personal bias. I'll be doing concrete biology lab work in the neurobiology lab, but in the biophysics lab it'll be part lab work-however the biological physics researcher sees my programming proficiency in Java/MATLAB and my past experience in simulation an asset.
I don't know where to go. I'm worried that if I lean towards biological physics, that admissions committee will see me as some mathematician/physicist who did work in bio, and will feel like the content is very distant. However, I have been told that it looks well as a rare applicant if I can sell myself well. I'm also worried that a combo of biostatistics/biophysics is not as "clinical" in connotation as neurobiology. Help?
. Just spent the last month figuring out how to generate large patient databases using our coding/billing data. Already have two dozen abstracts written up as mockups for the faculty based on them, now I need an army of pre-meds/med students to help me fill in the gaps and get them to publication =/.
