Is it worth pursuing an EC for potential authorship?

[SomniusLumen]

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Good morning everyone! (or I guess whatever time of day it is)

So I currently intern at two different labs: a social psychology lab, and a child psychopathology lab (that also works with a biopsychology lab on projects). Moreover, due to financial conditions, I'll be working a part-time job as a Kumon tutor and my Federal Work Study job at an equity center on campus during the semester. Additionally, I also currently volunteer at a suicide hotline, an Emergency Room (I know the insinuations behind that lol), and with disabled children.

I realize it's not a lot, per se, but I'm doing everything in fields I enjoy: psychology, child care, education, diversity, and so forth.

I got an invitation from a lab that's about an hour away at a hospital to intern in their lab, and my friend who works there currently is en route to recieving a publication--which he says is very possible for someone who devotes their time at the lab.

That sounds nice to me, because the prospects of getting authorship in a psychology lab on my campus is slim. Moreover, I've never done research at a clinical biology lab.

However, I also know that people here recommend only doing things that I love to do. I also was recommended to spend time improving my GPA that had dropped due to personal issues.

So I'm at a crossroad; should I drop one of the lab's I've been with for 1.5+ years? Should I somehow fit in yet another lab into my already somewhat hectic schedule? Or should I decline the offer, despite the great research potential it offers?

In case you guys didn't want to read through my borderline neurotic ramblings:

PROS:
+ Good chance of publication
+ Different type of research as opposed to my repetoire of psychological research
+ Actual research at a hospital
+ I'm essentially slated a position at this lab and they do have flexible hours with a minimal 10 or so hour requirement a week.

CONS:
+ It's a far away distance (and currently, my car has had it's third flat tire in a year and a half lol)
+ I may be able to squeeze it in, but it'll take away time from other things.
+ I also have never done this type of research, and I could actually be horrible at it and thereby wasting my time.
+ I'm not necessarily passionate about the type of work the lab does (although I do honestly enjoy helping people, I prefer mental health)

Thanks for your input--it means a lot. I guess I'm feeling a bit of pressure since a lot of my pre-med friends kinda look down at my psychology research, instead prioritizing biological or chemical research, and now that this oppurtunity has opened up...I'm just confused as to what I want to do.

 

[SN12357]

Good morning everyone! (or I guess whatever time of day it is)

So I currently intern at two different labs: a social psychology lab, and a child psychopathology lab (that also works with a biopsychology lab on projects). Moreover, due to financial conditions, I'll be working a part-time job as a Kumon tutor and my Federal Work Study job at an equity center on campus during the semester. Additionally, I also currently volunteer at a suicide hotline, an Emergency Room (I know the insinuations behind that lol), and with disabled children.

I realize it's not a lot, per se, but I'm doing everything in fields I enjoy: psychology, child care, education, diversity, and so forth.

I got an invitation from a lab that's about an hour away at a hospital to intern in their lab, and my friend who works there currently is en route to recieving a publication--which he says is very possible for someone who devotes their time at the lab.

That sounds nice to me, because the prospects of getting authorship in a psychology lab on my campus is slim. Moreover, I've never done research at a clinical biology lab.

However, I also know that people here recommend only doing things that I love to do. I also was recommended to spend time improving my GPA that had dropped due to personal issues.

So I'm at a crossroad; should I drop one of the lab's I've been with for 1.5+ years? Should I somehow fit in yet another lab into my already somewhat hectic schedule? Or should I decline the offer, despite the great research potential it offers?

In case you guys didn't want to read through my borderline neurotic ramblings:

PROS:
+ Good chance of publication
+ Different type of research as opposed to my repetoire of psychological research
+ Actual research at a hospital
+ I'm essentially slated a position at this lab and they do have flexible hours with a minimal 10 or so hour requirement a week.

CONS:
+ It's a far away distance (and currently, my car has had it's third flat tire in a year and a half lol)
+ I may be able to squeeze it in, but it'll take away time from other things.
+ I also have never done this type of research, and I could actually be horrible at it and thereby wasting my time.
+ I'm not necessarily passionate about the type of work the lab does (although I do honestly enjoy helping people, I prefer mental health)

Thanks for your input--it means a lot. I guess I'm feeling a bit of pressure since a lot of my pre-med friends kinda look down at my psychology research, instead prioritizing biological or chemical research, and now that this oppurtunity has opened up...I'm just confused as to what I want to do.

I think you should stay with what you care about.

First, because it's miserable to work on research you don't care about. Trust me on this. If the research you're working on makes you happy and you love it, that will carry through when you talk about it on your application and in interviews.

A lot of premeds think that only bio research is 'good enough' or whatever. This is nonsense. Clinical and epidemiology research often has more in common with sociological and psychological research than it does bio. So there is a lot of similarity and carryover, and psychology research is good experience.

Plus, you mention it might put your grades in jeopardy. Do not risk them. Long commutes are soul-crushing, particularly if you don't have reliable transportation (speaking from longstanding experience here).

Also, your chances of getting a publication are simply too chancy to drop other positive things you have going on right now. Yes, pubs in psych and clinical research often take longer than bench research. But showing longevity and productivity in one place is also a positive and many, many people do not have pubs when applying.

tl;dr: stick with what you love and protect your grades. don't listen to premeds who think you need to looooooove bio research to get into medical school.

 

[Lya]

It looks like you somewhat already made your mind on not taking that offer. I think it's a reasonable, respectable decision.

Like the poster said above, I wouldn't risk your GPA. You also have MCAT coming up, unless you took it already, so I would perhaps focus on them first. But, if you think you can keep up with your obligations as well as be open-minded towards things outside your interests, I would pursue it and take the offer for that extra opportunity to learn.

There are several questions you need to ask and answer honestly:

1) Can you handle the workload in your plate currently?
2) Is your course load manageable enough that you don't mind driving home from your lab at 4 am?
3) Are you open-minded enough to find your interests in things that are not initially intriguing to you?
4) Do you love to learn other things outside your interests?

If you answered no on any of the questions above, I wouldn't take the hospital research offer. There is no right or wrong answer, and you first have to reevaluate your time management and other factors honestly.


PS. Can you ask that hospital to see if you could intern there after you graduate? It's possible that you might need to take gap years, so it's good to have an option just in case you don't get into medical school right away.

 

[inycepoo]

Of all the fonts available in this world, OP chooses......................Comic Sans.

Why.

 

[inycepoo]

Go by interest. If you are interested, the pub will make it worth it. If not, objective stats are more important than getting a pub. No chance of "keeping" interest with a pub if said interest was never raised because of low numbers.

 

[SomniusLumen]

Thanks for the replies everyone--I'm about to politely decline the offer. I agree that it just wouldn't fit into my schedule, and I do think at this point in time, my grades > my EC's in terms of importance.

Also, I'm part of the minority that loves Comic Sans. Although Arial comes up at a close second.

Thanks for much for your opinions! I really appreciate it.

 

[inycepoo]

But Comic Sans....................................