I want to position myself as favorably as possible to have my pick when the time comes. I know a lot is uncertain with STEP 1 potentially being pass/fail since this was the biggest metric used in selection (from what I have read) but I would love to hear other advice!
Also, I am (as of day 1 lol, most likely will change from what I hear) interested in competitive residencies- how early should I get started with research and is it bad if it's not in the specialty I end up applying for?
just M2 here, but i asked pretty much the same questions. I found out about research, so i will share what i was told on that subject:
1) any research is better than no research (even if it is in a completely unrelated subject)
2) if you are not sure exactly what specialty you will try to go into (and, majority of us are really not sure till we go through rotations), during M1 and M2 years its a great idea to shoot for projects that engulf several areas. for example, one of my projects was immunohistochemical evaluation of gliomas. SO that fits into pathology, into neurology, into cancer (so, IM sort of fits), into neurosurgery. One project, - a lot of specialties. You get the point.
I also heard from someone that clinical research projects are often more fruitful than bench ones, because it take less time to publish clinical research usually (or, at least, make a poster presentation). I am not sure how correct it is, but i see a point there as well. also, - even if you do not want to be a pathologist, checking with pathology department for research projects is always a good idea. In my biased opinion, they often have something going on, and you can do pathology project pretty quickly. Plus any specialty, any medical condition is a "pathology", you know?
3) if you are given several options, select the project you are more passionate about, - you will naturally be more invested in it, and you will push it further. If you feel neutral about both, - choose the PI who has a bigger name, more well known, and publishes a lot. A recommendation letter from him/her might go further, since he/she is probably more well know. Plus PIs like this publish more often. That being said, pay attention to how much time that PI invests into his/her students. are they a good teacher? do they invest time in people? those are very important. Maybe more important than the name sometimes... for you to decide though.
4) dont be afraid to email ppl. Go to the page of your school, go to research section, and look through research labs. Look at the projects, an email a few people. Be very professional, make a short specific email (just a few lines), attach your resume. Tell them you are interested in research position and ask if they have any opening OR if there is a place they can recommend/people you can talk to. I had a situation when i emailed someone, and they said they cannot help me. But then, 2 weeks later, someone else emailed me, saying that that first person mentioned that i was looking, and they took me in. So, ask politely, humbly, but confidently. You are a medical student, you study there, you have a full right to ask for an opportunity, you know? Dont email more than 1-2 ppl at a time, because if you email 4-5 and several say "yes" it might get awkward, because you will have to reject ppl....
5) if you start on a project, ask the PI if you can ask another medical student to join. I learnt that it is a great opportunity to split the work. I have always been the lone wolf, but recently i started working with another classmate (she is not even my friend), but we really complement each other, and i am so happy we joined efforts. Now we have 3 projects, and each one of us can put all the three on the resume. Alone i would never be able to do even two. So think about it.
