Go to Conference + Present abstract vs. Have Professor maybe do it + not miss class?

[VitaminDD]

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Hey all,

I am an MS1 who is about to start med school in the fall. I did an international health research project last year and applied an abstract to a conference in South Africa last Spring. Low and behold, I got accepted and have been asked to present in early October.

Two questions:

1 - My research professor back at my school of public health offered to present my work, but I'm not really sure if he would be 100% available. Would it be worth going myself and missing class? Mind you, I'll be in Cape Town for a solid week, so that may be a lot of class to miss. (but then again, I've always wanted to check out SA)

2 - I got rejected for funding by my public health school, the conference themselves, and I was told by my med school that since I didn't do the project with them, they wouldn't fund it. Are there any outside outlets that fund med student conference attendance? I'm still working on getting an outside source to cover the costs, but nothing that has been concrete (flight cost needs to be covered, conference fee and hotel are negligible).

Any help is appreciated. 🙂

 

[joker2400]

SA is sweet as hell, so I would normally say go. However, being gone a week during the time when many schools are deep into anatomy is a not a great idea. If you are planning 5 days in Cape Town don't forget about the 2 days worth of travel required to go each way.

 

[JJMrK]

I would certainly go if you can get funding. Might not be worth it otherwise. Missing a week or so of MS1 year isn't ideal, but it also isn't a huge deal.

 

[michaelrack]

ON your CV it will make no difference if your prof or you presents the abstract. So the question you have to ask yourself is, do I want to take a one week vacation during an important part of M1? IF it is fully funded, maybe. Otherwise definitely NO.

 

[deuist]

Not worth it. As Michael Rack said, the only thing that matters is your CV, which will state that you had an abstract presented at a conference. Taking all of that time off of school – and paying for it, too – is just not worth it.

 

[evilbooyaa]

If you didn't have to pay for it, I would consider it.

In terms of travel grants, if no department will pay for it, I think you're SOL.

 

[Solara]

You can always study on the flight. I'm sure flight time will be 13-17 hours at least, so if you make sure to study then, it'll help.

Missing one week is certainly not the best idea. IF you have a pass fail curriculum at your school, then it's not that big of a deal. If you think grades really matter at your school, then it might be harder to go.

There's always the option that you let your professor present, and rather than spending $3,000 to go present during the middle of med school, go spend $3000 to go on a 2 week trip through South Africa during Christmas break. That way, you have your project presented, get an awesome break from med school, and are able to make the most of your time in South Africa (without the time commitment/obligation of presenting).

 

[VitaminDD]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Personally, I want someone to present the thing, so it's on that CV, but I was hoping someone knew of an outside org to pay for this kind of stuff.

I'll be asking my professor to confirm his presence this week. If not, I have a colleague who will be there that may present for me, if I get him on the abstract.

 

[deuist]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Personally, I want someone to present the thing, so it's on that CV, but I was hoping someone knew of an outside org to pay for this kind of stuff.

It will be on the CV regardless of whether or not you actually presented in person.