Advice on Research

[IceDuchess]

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Hello everyone,

I am planning on taking a gap year after I graduate college so I can focus on research (at the moment, I am a senior finishing my last quarter and have no research experience at all). I got an offer to participate in an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec. The problem is- Im not too interested in what he is researching. I know that I can definitely put in the time and effort and can most likely do well in his lab, yet Im afraid I will not enjoy it. Do you think that I should still go for it, or try to find a research group I would feel the most comfortable in?

I would appreciate any advice you may have!

 

[MilaKunisDoe]

It's hard to succeed in something you're not interested in

 

[ready2go2]

Hello everyone,

I am planning on taking a gap year after I graduate college so I can focus on research (at the moment, I am a senior finishing my last quarter and have no research experience at all). I got an offer to participate in an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec. The problem is- Im not too interested in what he is researching. I know that I can definitely put in the time and effort and can most likely do well in his lab, yet Im afraid I will not enjoy it. Do you think that I should still go for it, or try to find a research group I would feel the most comfortable in?

I would appreciate any advice you may have!

Don't do it. If you're not interested in the research, you're not going to want to put in the (long) hours and it'll show! You say that you will put in time and effort, but you don't have research experience, how do you know that this is something you can see yourself doing full time for a whole year?? You're going to be miserable, trust me.

Find something else to do (a more interesting topic etc)....

 

[eteshoe]

I've worked in labs where I've enjoyed the research and some where I couldn't care less. Life tends to be a bit more pleasant when you give a crap about the project's outcome.

 

[Cookiess]

I'd recommend finding a research lab that is working on a research topic you are interested in. You'll likely be more invested in the research if you find the topic interesting. Also since you're graduating, be sure to state that you're willing to commit for a year (or more since you'll be applying next summer) because some labs may be hesitant to take you unless they know you're available for a longer period of time.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Hello everyone,

I am planning on taking a gap year after I graduate college so I can focus on research (at the moment, I am a senior finishing my last quarter and have no research experience at all). I got an offer to participate in an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec. The problem is- Im not too interested in what he is researching. I know that I can definitely put in the time and effort and can most likely do well in his lab, yet Im afraid I will not enjoy it. Do you think that I should still go for it, or try to find a research group I would feel the most comfortable in?

I would appreciate any advice you may have!

I can see you stumbling over words when a 3 member interview panel grills you on what you've learned from your undergrad research exposure. Don't do this to yourself OP.

 

[mistafab]

Every PhD that runs a lab has "an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec."

Just find a lab with something you care about more - 'nuff said.

Hello everyone,

I am planning on taking a gap year after I graduate college so I can focus on research (at the moment, I am a senior finishing my last quarter and have no research experience at all). I got an offer to participate in an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec. The problem is- Im not too interested in what he is researching. I know that I can definitely put in the time and effort and can most likely do well in his lab, yet Im afraid I will not enjoy it. Do you think that I should still go for it, or try to find a research group I would feel the most comfortable in?

I would appreciate any advice you may have!

 

[JustAPhD]

I can see you stumbling over words when a 3 member interview panel grills you on what you've learned from your undergrad research exposure. Don't do this to yourself OP.

Eh. You can know your stuff and at the same time not be interested in the research.

I suppose it depends on just how much the research disinterests you. The posters above are correct ---you'll do your best work and be happiest in a lab where you're fascinated with the work--- but finding a research gig post bacc can sometimes be difficult (unless of course this is an unpaid gig, in which case yeah go find a lab that interests you because PIs are always looking for free labor).

 

[MaxPlancker]

Well, what exactly does OP mean by "not interested"? Researching plant genes vs some aspect of cancer literally makes no (hardly any) difference. You will end up using similar methods etc i.e. there is really a small tangible difference to what topic you're working on long as its in the same field like biochemistry. What really provides the "thrill"/fun of research is the curiosity behind each experiment's pending results and designing future approaches, troubleshooting, etc.

Edit: It's like solving a maze or a puzzle. You may initially be more interested solving a puzzle that looks like X-Men or whatever than a puzzle of a bland solid color circle but while you're in the midst of solving it, you think more about the process of solving the problem at hand rather than the image/topic/etc.

 

[Montisumo]

Hello everyone,

I am planning on taking a gap year after I graduate college so I can focus on research (at the moment, I am a senior finishing my last quarter and have no research experience at all). I got an offer to participate in an intense research lab that would look great on a med school app and with a professor who is known to give excellent letters of rec. The problem is- Im not too interested in what he is researching. I know that I can definitely put in the time and effort and can most likely do well in his lab, yet Im afraid I will not enjoy it. Do you think that I should still go for it, or try to find a research group I would feel the most comfortable in?

I would appreciate any advice you may have!

sounds like you answered your own question. Why make it your goal to just get a letter of rec, you should aim higher. How about a publication? Adcom look much more favorably on application with publications. Remember, they don't just want doctors, they want people who will discover the next generation of therapies. Publications indicate interest and productivity in research.
We all know the undergrad who works in a lab doing mini preps or genotypes all day long with no pubs. I think adcom are aware of this possibly. You could aim higher. And don't feel discouraged if you do not get any pubs out of your research. As long as you can explain what you did and your passion for what you did comes across then I think it's worth the extra efforts.
Gl to you.