NIH or working in professor's lab?

[athelas314]

Hi, all. I'm looking at my options for summer work, and have decided to do one of those two. As I see it, working for a professor has the advantage of follow-up opportunities (I'm a freshman), but NIH has a more definitely medicine-related focus. Which would you guys advise, both for med school purposes and for overall enjoyablility?

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[BellyDancingDoc]

Hi, all. I'm looking at my options for summer work, and have decided to do one of those two. As I see it, working for a professor has the advantage of follow-up opportunities (I'm a freshman), but NIH has a more definitely medicine-related focus. Which would you guys advise, both for med school purposes and for overall enjoyablility?

I can't speak to enjoyability. That would depend on your interpersonal dynamic with your labmates more than anything else.

However, I can tell you what would be best for med school purposes. I recommend the following:
1) call the PIs from both palces
2) determine what opportunites you'll have to get published, present a conference poster and/or do independent research
3) choose the place that will give you the best opportunities in #2

 

[BigRedPremed]

I think the answer is that it depends. First of all, are you interested in the work that the professor is doing? Secondly, make sure that there are opportunities to continue your work into the school year. Some professors are strictly looking for someone for the summer while others are looking to "groom" someone for long-term work in his lab. And then there are other things to consider: pay, location, etc.

 

[kerplunk112]

well i would go with what interests you. also i would assume the NIH programs will be more interesting and educational since they are specifically tailored towards highschool/college students who they know dont have much lab/science experience. I would assume, if you worked with a prof as a freshman you would prob being doing mostly menial and simple tasks. ie borderline slave labor.

as to whether or not you should choose something pertaining to medicine..well like i said earlier i wouldnt choose a particular research assignment simply b/c i thought it looked good on a resume. medical research is more important if you are going for an MD/PHD....other than that im sure the schools are more interested in the fact that you were involved in something scholarly above and beyond simply attending college. in fact im sure research in fields not pertaining to medicine will make you stand out as a canidate.

unless you are truely attracted to what this professor does. the calibur of research and mentorship at the NIH can not be beat. and i know for a fact that working there opens all sorts of doors.

another thing to consider...the NIH programs are pretty selective i know the IRTA for post bacs have only near 10% acceptance rates. So apply early(i mean EARLY)! and try to line up another position if the NIH thing doesnt work out.

 

[EBI831]

I'd do NIH for the summer. they have lovely programs and recognition. then during the school year you can contact the prof now to work with him starting next fall and he'll see the interest level and most likely reward the fact that you were so excited that you contacted him so early. (or she)

 

[RAD11]

I'd do NIH for the summer. they have lovely programs and recognition. then during the school year you can contact the prof now to work with him starting next fall and he'll see the interest level and most likely reward the fact that you were so excited that you contacted him so early. (or she)

^I agree with this. Try to do both.

 

[modelslashactor]

I did a couple summers at my school because I knew it was the best opportunity to get a long-term project. The summers somewhere else are good, especially if you are only a sophomore and can do two years in a row, but realistically you can't get too much done in just 10 weeks (that also usually involve numerous time-wasting activities each week). If you have a good project at school and you've started working on it, I say do that and run with it.

 

[mtlove]

Hi. I would strongly recommend that you find a prof at your school to work with in hopes that it would become a long term project (assuming you want to do research during the school year). I have done both the long term project and summer programs, and longer-term research is better by the fact that you get more done. If you want to do research in the future, this is a necessity.

I currently work at NIH, and it is a great place to work. Most of the PIs are well known, which is great in terms of recommendations. The other thing to note is that most PIs recruit freshman to work in their lab for every summer while in college, but you may be working on different projects each summer since research does not stop while you are at school. I would strongly advise you to not work in a clinical lab at NIH for the summer, since those fellowships tend to not be as good as basic science labs. You would spend the majority of your time doing paper work in the clinical lab. Another thing to consider is that it is difficult to find short term housing for summer work, and all of the options tend to be ridiculously priced for even DC.

In conclusion, I would suggest that you work with a professor over the summer in hopes to join a long term project over going to NIH. A few years down the road it may be beneficial to do a summer program for the purposes of networking, but at your age a long-term project is probably more beneficial. If you decide to do a summer program, I would recommend doing one associated with a school. It is a great opportunity for networking, and it increases your likelihood of receiving an acceptance at that particular school if the internship went well. (I am unofficially have a spot in the grad school of the place I went and I know people on the medical school admissions committee).

Good luck with your decision. PM me if you want.