Hi! I've never posted before so I'm not sure if I'm in the right place. I'm a junior at Princeton and was not pre-med or pre-vet until this year (so I'll need to do a post-bac). For this summer, I have a neuroscience research internship at Princeton (not health related) and also a pediatric research position at case western . What should I do? I have to decide by monday and I am completely undecided. I dont know what the case western position is like or if one will be better for the other for a post-bac program. I'm still not sure if I want to go to vet or med school. Someone help!! I would appreciate it so much.
HELP summer health internship/or neuro research
- Thread starter sunlandia
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Both those programs are non clinical so won't make too much of a difference which one you pick. Do the Princeton one bc I said so.
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Research is research. Do whatever one will make your life easier/less complicated. I.e. moving to Cleveland for the summer might be more hassle than just staying put. On the other hand, if you really want to get away from Princeton and see something else, then go to Case.
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As far as admissions go, I don't think it matters whether you choose one or the other. Research can be boring if you're not passionate about the subject. I would go with whichever you're genuinely more interested in. That being said, I think that if you do the one at Princeton, it might be better because you could potentially continue being involved during the school year as well, making it a more significant activity.
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Doing research involving patient communication / contact is significantly different than sitting behind a computer.
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Yes, but the point is that it's research. Doctors don't only do clinical research, there's also basic science/bench research, translational research, etc. Adcoms aren't looking specifically for clinical research, they're looking for hypothesis-driven research that the applicant was actively involved in and can speak knowledgeably about. Do the project that interests you the most and that you can speak passionately about. If you want patient contact, do clinical volunteering and shadowing.
Based on the limited information OP has given, they really can't go wrong with either choice. What they really need to be doing is shadowing both physicians and veterinarians and really figuring out what they want to do with their life.
Thank you everyone for your replies! I wasn't sure if health related research at a med school would look significantly better than nonhealth research at a university. I'm not sure about how competitive post-bac programs are or what theyre looking for
