Is it ok to quit research?

[glassesvar]

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Asking for a friend. He did research for 2 semesters and realized it really isn’t his thing. He’s much more in to volunteering and would prefer to spend his time volunteering, but is concerned it will impact his app. Will it?

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

A year is the baseline requirement.

If service drives "his" passion, nothing wrong with that.

 

[trobinsonmd]

Asking for a friend. He did research for 2 semesters and realized it really isn’t his thing. He’s much more in to volunteering and would prefer to spend his time volunteering, but is concerned it will impact his app. Will it?

Depends on a few things... if he is planning on getting a LOR from that lab, it'd be best not to leave early or mid-project... Two semesters of research is on the lower end of what he needs to get in, but it definitely is enough to get into some places, assuming everything else is okay. Shouldn't be a problem for him, but he should leave on good terms and thank his PI for the opportunity.

 

[Lucca]

He ticked the box, wasn’t for him, no harm done. Just tell them to finish out their commitment and give a heads up about their plans to the PI, no bridges burned.

He’s better off doing something he enjoys AND will contribute to his app, like volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

Asking for a friend. He did research for 2 semesters and realized it really isn’t his thing. He’s much more in to volunteering and would prefer to spend his time volunteering, but is concerned it will impact his app. Will it?

Unless he's ambitious and a strong candidate for top-twentyish, research-oriented med schools, he's already met expectations for a research activity.

 

[altblue]

Unless you're interested in research giants like Stanford, a year isn't even necessarily required.

 

[Goro]

Asking for a friend. He did research for 2 semesters and realized it really isn’t his thing. He’s much more in to volunteering and would prefer to spend his time volunteering, but is concerned it will impact his app. Will it?

That will be fine. Research is overrated by a lot of pre-meds.