Does it matter where you do research?

[futuredoctor1995]

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Does it matter where you do research? For instance, does it matter if someone did research at Harvard or UPenn? I know you should do research but I am wondering is it worth to do research at those schools compared to a state med school? Thanks!

 

[MADD!!!]

Does it matter where you do research? For instance, does it matter if someone did research at Harvard or UPenn? I know you should do research but I am wondering is it worth to do research at those schools compared to a state med school? Thanks!

Your #1 goal at this stage is to get published and be pubmed indexed. Obv it looks better if it’s at a prestigious place, but by no means necessary. But also they tend to go hand-in-hand as places like Harvard and Penn are at the top because they’re constantly pushing out some of the most new content.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Like all things in life the answer is "it depends." Research at big name places means big name LORs. And in medicine LORs from people who are considered the premier people in their respective fields goes a very long way when applying to prestigious residencies. However, as a DO student, it is unlikely you will be competitive for these types of places (also unlikely you will even want them) so no it doesn't matter. Work on getting published on something that comes up in PubMed.

 

[futuredoctor1995]

Like all things in life the answer is "it depends." Research at big name places means big name LORs. And in medicine LORs from people who are considered the premier people in their respective fields goes a very long way when applying to prestigious residencies. However, as a DO student, it is unlikely you will be competitive for these types of places (also unlikely you will even want them) so no it doesn't matter. Work on getting published on something that comes up in PubMed.

If I only have 10 weeks of summer, do you think I could get something published?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

If I only have 10 weeks of summer, do you think I could get something published?

Absolutely. Depends on the kind of research though, like I wouldn't try and do any basic science junk in that time.

 

[futuredoctor1995]

Absolutely. Depends on the kind of research though, like I wouldn't try and do any basic science junk in that time.

I am considering either anesthesia or internal medicine, so would it still not matter? I always thought getting research at a big place is better than a state or low tier school.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Can you honestly get research at a big name place? Yes a big name in IM you've done research with writing you a letter would go a very long way matching a prestigious IM program. Anesthesia I don't think so seeing as people have matched Hopkins and MGH anesthesia and I highly doubt they all had big name research.

Research at big name places helps because of all the things that come with it, ie connections, LORs from big wigs, etc. Being at a big name place in and of itself won't mean anything. Similarly, simply going somewhere and doing research that doesn't get published isn't going to do squat for you either. The way you are talking about it though makes me think you don't quite understand how it works and are just throwing ideas out there without regard for their feasibility.

 

[Dwan]

Another thing to keep in mind is that doing research at a big-name place isn't likely to generate a big name letter. This is because the majority of researchers at top places are not actually big names (enough that residency PDs will recognize the name), given the difficulty of ascending the academic ladder. Additionally, while you can easily dig out the biggest name people, they might not be the best mentors. I did research at a top institute and chose to work with younger faculty because they provided me with close 1-on-1 mentorship, productive research, and personalized letters. I know many that sought the biggest name they could find and barely had contact with their PIs or help troubleshooting their projects. Unless you manage to get one of those esteemed letters (and have it be very strong), then the "prestige" of your research will be determined more by your level of authorship and journal quality, than where you did the research at. I would focus on where you can be the most productive. That being said, if you can get a grant/scholarship to work at a top place, then the award itself can be impressive to some.

 

[futuredoctor1995]

Can you honestly get research at a big name place? Yes a big name in IM you've done research with writing you a letter would go a very long way matching a prestigious IM program. Anesthesia I don't think so seeing as people have matched Hopkins and MGH anesthesia and I highly doubt they all had big name research.

Research at big name places helps because of all the things that come with it, ie connections, LORs from big wigs, etc. Being at a big name place in and of itself won't mean anything. Similarly, simply going somewhere and doing research that doesn't get published isn't going to do squat for you either. The way you are talking about it though makes me think you don't quite understand how it works and are just throwing ideas out there without regard for their feasibility.

I apologize but I seriously don't know how it works!

 

[futuredoctor1995]

Another thing to keep in mind is that doing research at a big-name place isn't likely to generate a big name letter. This is because the majority of researchers at top places are not actually big names (enough that residency PDs will recognize the name), given the difficulty of ascending the academic ladder. Additionally, while you can easily dig out the biggest name people, they might not be the best mentors. I did research at a top institute and chose to work with younger faculty because they provided me with close 1-on-1 mentorship, productive research, and personalized letters. I know many that sought the biggest name they could find and barely had contact with their PIs or help troubleshooting their projects. Unless you manage to get one of those esteemed letters (and have it be very strong), then the "prestige" of your research will be determined more by your level of authorship and journal quality, than where you did the research at. I would focus on where you can be the most productive. That being said, if you can get a grant/scholarship to work at a top place, then the award itself can be impressive to some.

Thank you so much! I guess it's not that big of a deal to be getting research there then.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

@futuredoctor1995

DM me

 

[sab3156]

Does it matter where you do research? For instance, does it matter if someone did research at Harvard or UPenn? I know you should do research but I am wondering is it worth to do research at those schools compared to a state med school? Thanks!

It isn't necessarily about the institution itself, but the faculty. Sure, you will have a much higher density of famous researchers at a place like Harvard or Rockefeller. But even some low tier schools have a handful of well-known researchers. Yes, of course it matters if you do research with renowned faculty who will write you letters for residency - and it's even better if they are from a famous institution. But realistically, most DO students won't be able to get into the research game like that, so you should just focus on getting published anywhere.

Some real world advice - famous researchers at prestigious institutions aren't necessarily the best mentors. You should definitely try and work with someone who is well-known in their respective field, but it is much more important that the researcher is a great mentor and has a track record of mentoring many students like you. There are famous (and not-so-famous) researchers who will do nothing for you as a medical student, even though they may be exceptional at training and mentoring their residents/fellows and colleagues. On the flip side, there are famous (and not-so-famous) researchers who will be happy to take the time to teach you knowing that you are a medical student, and will take great pleasure in going through research topics with you in detail until you understand things at a high level. These are great people to work with. They understand what your goals are and will be glad to help you out, and you will probably get a good letter out of it for residency. The tough part is finding good people to work with. The worst thing is to begin research at a prestigious institution and not have any direction and zero idea what the hell is going on.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Does it matter where you do research? For instance, does it matter if someone did research at Harvard or UPenn? I know you should do research but I am wondering is it worth to do research at those schools compared to a state med school? Thanks!

It depends on what field and how competetive of a residency you are trying to achieve.. Please note that you should also have a stellar step scores. If you were interested in doing some research in order to match a very competetive specialty, I would say do great on your steps.. then take a year off to do research and publish.

 

[weqwerq]

It isn't necessarily about the institution itself, but the faculty. Sure, you will have a much higher density of famous researchers at a place like Harvard or Rockefeller. But even some low tier schools have a handful of well-known researchers. Yes, of course it matters if you do research with renowned faculty who will write you letters for residency - and it's even better if they are from a famous institution. But realistically, most DO students won't be able to get into the research game like that, so you should just focus on getting published anywhere.

Some real world advice - famous researchers at prestigious institutions aren't necessarily the best mentors. You should definitely try and work with someone who is well-known in their respective field, but it is much more important that the researcher is a great mentor and has a track record of mentoring many students like you. There are famous (and not-so-famous) researchers who will do nothing for you as a medical student, even though they may be exceptional at training and mentoring their residents/fellows and colleagues. On the flip side, there are famous (and not-so-famous) researchers who will be happy to take the time to teach you knowing that you are a medical student, and will take great pleasure in going through research topics with you in detail until you understand things at a high level. These are great people to work with. They understand what your goals are and will be glad to help you out, and you will probably get a good letter out of it for residency. The tough part is finding good people to work with. The worst thing is to begin research at a prestigious institution and not have any direction and zero idea what the hell is going on.

I couldn't agree more with this.

I've been doing research at one of the above institutions for the past 2 years with one of the younger faculty and it's been super productive. At top institutions, the administration places so much pressure on faculty to publish alot for promotion.

Since he's a young faculty, he doesn't have a line of med students waiting to be mentored but he was so excited to have me. So I definitely think you should keep that in mind when it comes to prestigious faculty.

 

[Kalam]

Man, I spent 4 years of undergrad doing research. I figured once I got into med school that it wasn't necessary anymore and didn't bother to get all that research published. Probably the biggest regret of my life. Don't make the same mistake as me; make sure what research you choose to do that it's something you will 100% be able to publish.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Man, I spent 4 years of undergrad doing research. I figured once I got into med school that it wasn't necessary anymore and didn't bother to get all that research published. Probably the biggest regret of my life. Don't make the same mistake as me; make sure what research you choose to do that it's something you will 100% be able to publish.

Doing research is one thing.. but in my opinion, I went to med school to be a doc, not a researcher...so do research if its required for your specialty and you are truly interested in academic side of things after you get out.... If not, in my opinion... F..it.. they are just getting free labor out of you.

 

[Kalam]

Doing research is one thing.. but in my opinion, I went to med school to be a doc, not a researcher...so do research if its required for your specialty and you are truly interested in academic side of things after you get out.... If not, in my opinion... F..it.. they are just getting free labor out of you.

I think the problem with this approach is that many students don't know what specialty they want to pursue until M3. Research needs to be done between M1 and M2. You may think you want a non-competitive speciality at first, decide to do no research, but then later "fall in love" with a difficult specialty (or, you just did well on Step 1) and you're kind of boned since you didn't do research.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

I think the problem with this approach is that many students don't know what specialty they want to pursue until M3. Research needs to be done between M1 and M2. You may think you want a non-competitive speciality at first, decide to do no research, but then later "fall in love" with a difficult specialty (or, you just did well on Step 1) and you're kind of boned since you didn't do research.

I agree with you... but I think people should do well on Steps first...If you dont do well on that- guess what they are not gonna get their specialty that they love.. If they truly love (for example ortho).. They should do a year off between MS3-4 just to do research.. .. Another 1 year wait will be so worth the specialty that they are interested in.

 

[JimBone905]

How would i get in contact/ find these "big wig" researchers and convince them to do research with me? Should i do it during M1? (Starting this year)

 

[sab3156]

How would i get in contact/ find these "big wig" researchers and convince them to do research with me? Should i do it during M1? (Starting this year)

If you go to a DO school, try your luck first at getting anyone in the area to take you on board. I cannot tell you how many of my friends have been trying unsuccessfully to get attention from any of the nearby researchers at MD schools.

The problem is that the top researchers, especially at top schools, are going to have exceptionally motivated students from their own schools doing research with them, and it can be hard to get involved from the outside, especially as an unknown DO student. Send some emails out, see if you can get in touch with residents, and you may get a reply. If all fails and you are determined to do research, doing a formal research fellowship for a year is a good way to get inside a productive research team.

Doing research is one thing.. but in my opinion, I went to med school to be a doc, not a researcher...so do research if its required for your specialty and you are truly interested in academic side of things after you get out.... If not, in my opinion... F..it.. they are just getting free labor out of you.

I don't think OP is interested in your personal opinion on whether or not they should pursue research. This has nothing to do with the thread.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

If all fails and you are determined to do research, doing a formal research fellowship for a year is a good way to get inside a productive research team.

This. Or hell there are even a lot of research fellowships just for the summer between M1 and M2, I know more than one of the DO Integrated CT matches over the last few years did summer research fellowships with I-6 CT programs. Could be a coincidence but I think not. Getting these people to write letters for you goes a long way in landing a spot in these competitive fields. Personally I would look at these first, and then only a year long one between M3 and M4 as many of them are designed that way.

The other option is to publish multiple papers in the types of journals PDs read and follow. I know more than one person who has published in top journals in their field of choice and that has also impressed PDs to the point of it being mentioned in their interviews as part of the reason they were interviewed. Much easier said than done however.