Do you know what your PhD research will be?

[canadagirl]

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Somebody on the pre-allo forum said that MD/PhD programs are for people who know exactly what their research will be. ... What are your thoughts about this? Is this true for you? Did you know exactly what you wanted to research before starting medical school?

Personally, I have some broad idea of the kinds of things I would like to do, but I don't have a particular project or even a particular area in mind?!

 

[Neuronix]

Originally posted by canadagirl
Somebody on the pre-allo forum said that MD/PhD programs are for people who know exactly what their research will be

That's completely false. Even those who have a good idea are likely to change their minds. Program directors expect that the first two years of medical school will help to change your mind about what you would like to do. At many schools you don't have to choose a grad department until the grad school years, and at the others it's completely normal to jump departments as your interests evolve.

The person who suggested that you need to know what research you want to do has no idea what they are talking about.

 

[Vader]

Neuronix is right. While most students have a general area of interest and some may even be interested in a few particular labs, this is by no means a requirement. Most MD/PhD programs understand that students will change their interests over time and through exposure to the vast array of medical material during the first two years. I had a general interest in neurobiology when I was applying, and had a few particular labs in mind, but didn't know specifically what I wanted to work on. That was a lot more focused than the rest of the students in my MSTP class, who did not know coming in which area they wanted to work on.

Hope this helps. 😀