Is it bad to do research if...

[muhali3]

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If I will be doing the research with my dad. He is a professor of Chemistry/Physics at a local university. Would it look bad, would it look like I just got an easy way to do research through nepotism. Or would adcoms only judge the research based on what I did and not on how I got the opportunity to do it?

 

[JamesBond15]

Probably not a good idea. If you do a lot of research it would be a good idea to get a letter of recommendation from the PI. Don't think med schools would like a letter of rec from your dad. Maybe he can set you up with a different lab.

Also, it would be hard to sort out what you really did and what your dad did and put your name on it.

 

[rHinO1]

I agree with the poster above that it would be a sticky situation regarding a LOR. However, if you work for your dad I would assume he would go way out of his way to teach you things and set you up with a really good project. If that is the case, then I would just state that as my reason for working for him if adcoms ask. Just tell them you have a good working relationship with your dad and you knew he would teach you more, and let you do more than another PI in a shorter amount of time. It may be the best experience that is available to you, so if all that is true then I would see nothing wrong with doing it.

 

[LizzyM]

Get your dad to introduce you to someone else with whom you can work. A letter from the PI is a big help but a letter from your dad would be no help because of the bias involved.

 

[235009]

it would probably be very helpful to start out working in your dad's lab for a year because i bet he'll make sure u learn alot more in his lab then you would elsewhere but then you should transition into one of his colleagues' labs. you'll be very well prepared to take on a big role in this lab because of what your dad already taught you and you will be able to get a glowing rec letter without the glaring bias