Competitive (paid) research program in public health vs. self organized ophthalmology reserach

[anjali435]

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Hi there,

1st year med student almost finishing up first yr. Trying to decide between a summer program I've gotten into at my home institution in a public health vs. someone i talked to who does research in genetics in ophthalmology. Trying to figure out what to do. General info:

The internship is paid/ will look nice on resume vs. the ophtho lab is not gonna pay me and is self organized.

lab at my home institution is nice to students/ sticks their names on papers vs. the optho lab does a lot of GWAS and chances are i'll spend summer learning stats but unlikely to get any sort of publication.

Overall, I am interested in going into ophthalmology since I'm pretty severely myopic (-11) and the topic has always fascinated me. But I'm not sure if I stand to benefit more from the internship program on a objective and concrete level. Is it necessary for me to do optho research this summer if I want do it long run? Also, grades wise I'd say I'm near the top of my class-ish if that is relevant. I'm not sure it is.

Thanks!

 

[Etorphine]

publications or bust

 

[MadRadLad]

Gonna semi-piggyback on this post to ask - does landing these "internships" to do research actually help (e.g. compared to a standalone research opportunity you arranged through speaking with someone). Assuming you get the same results out of it, obviously (poster, pub, w/e).

To the OP - I would agree that results is what will matter, not the opportunity. If you have a strong chance to publish with the ophtho opportunity and you are interested in the field, it's a good way to get something under your belt early and demonstrate interest in the process.

 

[anjali435]

well as of the moment, I don't have a great prediction in publication. I believe that the program I will probably get some sort of mid author at least. Stand alone optho thing is hard to judge right now.