Hi all,
So I'm a graduating senior. I've worked in a few labs in the last 3 years. I currently work in two labs, one in chemical biology and the other in cell biology. I'm very intent on going the MD-PhD route. My grades are good (3.95 GPA) and, although nothing is certain, I anticipate attaining a competitive score on the MCAT. I have decided to take next year off to continue with research, hopefully finally getting a pub, making some cash to pay off my relatively modest undergraduate debt, and to take a breather from the monotony of undergrad coursework.
Anyway, I have a few options for next year and, although this is a good problem to have, I am having a problem deciding between them. Each offers something unique and any one of them would be good. I know what I would LIKE about each of them, but I am also being practical. So my question to you is, for the purposes of MD-PhD admissions, which of these would be most advantageous to me. Here are the possibilities:
(1) NIH IRTA (NCI, NCGC)
(2) Working in an up-and-coming chemical biology lab at a top university
(3) Fulbright (still pending) Scholarship in Canada working in cancer and cell biology.
Honestly, (1) and (2) are the most interesting to me research-wise. I am very interested in chemical biology and want to beef up my chem background and go easy on the biology for a while. I would be extremely honored to get (3) - I'll find out in a few weeks - but I am not all that crazy about the work I'd do there. But does one really turn down that kind of opportunity? Ultimately, I will go where I feel most comfortable and think I'll learn the most, but as I said, I'm curious to know which of these would 'look the best' to adcoms. This will figure low on the ladder of criteria for making a final decision, but it's significant nonetheless.
So I'm a graduating senior. I've worked in a few labs in the last 3 years. I currently work in two labs, one in chemical biology and the other in cell biology. I'm very intent on going the MD-PhD route. My grades are good (3.95 GPA) and, although nothing is certain, I anticipate attaining a competitive score on the MCAT. I have decided to take next year off to continue with research, hopefully finally getting a pub, making some cash to pay off my relatively modest undergraduate debt, and to take a breather from the monotony of undergrad coursework.
Anyway, I have a few options for next year and, although this is a good problem to have, I am having a problem deciding between them. Each offers something unique and any one of them would be good. I know what I would LIKE about each of them, but I am also being practical. So my question to you is, for the purposes of MD-PhD admissions, which of these would be most advantageous to me. Here are the possibilities:
(1) NIH IRTA (NCI, NCGC)
(2) Working in an up-and-coming chemical biology lab at a top university
(3) Fulbright (still pending) Scholarship in Canada working in cancer and cell biology.
Honestly, (1) and (2) are the most interesting to me research-wise. I am very interested in chemical biology and want to beef up my chem background and go easy on the biology for a while. I would be extremely honored to get (3) - I'll find out in a few weeks - but I am not all that crazy about the work I'd do there. But does one really turn down that kind of opportunity? Ultimately, I will go where I feel most comfortable and think I'll learn the most, but as I said, I'm curious to know which of these would 'look the best' to adcoms. This will figure low on the ladder of criteria for making a final decision, but it's significant nonetheless.
