Post-undergrad research opportunities

[MD021]

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Hi!

I just recently graduated from my undergrad institution and I'm looking to apply this upcoming June. However, my weakest spot is definitely my lack of research experience. Now I know research isn't a requirement, but definitely having some experience is preferred by most schools.

So my question is, what is the best way to go about getting some experience as a graduate who has also moved back home? I'm definitely not expecting any high-end opportunity, or being paid for that matter. Just something I can get involved with and be a more well-balanced candidate. Is/was anyone else in the same situation?

Thanks 😀

 

[LRAccord624]

Do you have a 4 year university near by? Or a hospital/medical center? You should research to see what's going on at those places. You should think about whether you'd rather do basic or clinical research, and what subjects you might be interested in.

Research really isn't that important, however. Do it if it's something you're interested in. The most important thing is to have long-term experience with something that you're passionate about. If you do that, there's no need to cross research off of some list of crap you "have to do" to get in to med school.

 

[MD021]

Thanks for the response!

I was interested in research in college but I was committed in other extracurriculars as well as my course work. By the time I made time for research, no labs really wanted to train a 4th year graduating senior.

I think being involved in clinical research would be a more likely choice for me. Although there were basic science research labs i was interested in during college, the research is probably too specific for me to find something now. I definitely am interested in a broader range of clinical research.

What would be the best way for me to approach this? Should I just look up hospital websites and email them or is there a better way? I live pretty close to Stanford, I'm not sure if any other nearby hospitals conduct research studies.

Thanks again 😀

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

The problem is, most labs want you to make at least a 2 year commitment to them (because it, most often, takes around 4-6 months to get trained on lab techniques). I got incredibly lucky and got into a lab that's cool with a 1 year commitment and conducts pretty much the exact type of research I'm interested in.

I literally applied to more than 150 different labs though and got responses from a couple of them. Interviewed at 2 places and accepted the position I'm in right now. I will tell you right now that if you're only planning on staying in the lab for 1 year, it'll be very hard to get a position. Expect to apply to a TON of labs if that is the case. If you're willing to stay longer than a year, I would imagine that it would be easier to get a position.

PS. My response relates to basic science/translational research, not clinical research.

 

[MD021]

I see, well I definitely can commit to over a year since I'll hopefully be matriculating in fall 2012. However my concern is that I'm no longer in college so I can't really email all the professors at my university anymore.

I'm mainly trying to see how to go about getting anything as a post-undergrad student.

 

[Scotty knows]

The problem is, most labs want you to make at least a 2 year commitment to them (because it, most often, takes around 4-6 months to get trained on lab techniques). I got incredibly lucky and got into a lab that's cool with a 1 year commitment and conducts pretty much the exact type of research I'm interested in.

I literally applied to more than 150 different labs though and got responses from a couple of them. Interviewed at 2 places and accepted the position I'm in right now. I will tell you right now that if you're only planning on staying in the lab for 1 year, it'll be very hard to get a position. Expect to apply to a TON of labs if that is the case. If you're willing to stay longer than a year, I would imagine that it would be easier to get a position.

PS. My response relates to basic science/translational research, not clinical research.

Interesting. I read a thread of yours some time ago about I think getting into a lab with research related to radiology, correct me if I am wrong. You really applied to 150 labs 😱. I'm glad you found something you like. My PI told me he would pay for me stay an extra year, but after 4 years I am really starting to hate basic research.

I'm debating between IB and clinical reseach for next year while applying. Do you think clinical research positions are harder to get?

Did you submit a resume for any clinical research spots or just basic?

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I see, well I definitely can commit to over a year since I'll hopefully be matriculating in fall 2012. However my concern is that I'm no longer in college so I can't really email all the professors at my university anymore.

I'm mainly trying to see how to go about getting anything as a post-undergrad student.

I'm curious, but why can't you email your professors at your university anymore? If you graduated from college relatively recently, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Send them an email explaining why you're interested in conducting research in their lab (keep it short to about 2 paragraphs) and attach a CV to the email (in pdf or doc format).

Interesting. I read a thread of yours some time ago about I think getting into a lab with research related to radiology, correct me if I am wrong. You really applied to 150 labs 😱. I'm glad you found something you like. My PI told me he would pay for me stay an extra year, but after 4 years I am really starting to hate basic research.

I'm debating between IB and clinical reseach for next year while applying. Do you think clinical research positions are harder to get?

Did you submit a resume for any clinical research spots or just basic?

Yea, I had a thread a while back about radonc research. And that's the stuff I do now (I got really lucky to get into such a great lab!). And yea, I applied to ~150 labs. Like I said, the biggest problem was that I was looking only for a 1 year position. I applied to practically every single lab in the NCI and sent out emails/CVs to PIs at all the research-heavy schools across the country. Northwestern, Chicago, MGH, Columbia, Yale, UCLA, UCSF, etc, just to name a few. Similar to applying to med schools, if you have something that would put you at a disadvantage (in my case, staying for only 1 year), your best bet's to apply broadly.

I applied to only basic/translational labs. My reasoning was, since I don't have any clinical training at all, it would be unlikely for me to get into a clinical research lab where I can contribute in a meaningful manner (ie. not just administrative stuff) on a good project that would get me published. I wasn't interested in just doing retrospective studies, etc. At least, not at this time. Since I was going to have a whole year off, I might as well spend time in a basic lab and get a pub, which would be considered "better" than a chart review.

 

[MD021]

I would love to work in my university for research. However since I've graduated, I have moved back home which is about 2 hours away so it's not practical anymore.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

I would love to work in my university for research. However since I've graduated, I have moved back home which is about 2 hours away so it's not practical anymore.

Well, are there research opportunities near your home? And would moving back to your university if you got a research position there not be possible at this time?

Honestly, if you restrict yourself to labs in a certain area, it'll likely be much more difficult to get a position. At least, that's the sense I get. If you apply broadly all over the country, there's a higher chance you'll get into a lab somewhere.

 

[MD021]

Yeah you're right, I definitely need to be more flexible. But are you referring to paid lab positions? I'd definitely consider relocating if I could get a paid position to support myself however those are difficult to get without experience. Unpaid positions I can only look within my area because then I can live at home and not need a means to support myself.

 

[Scotty knows]

Well, are there research opportunities near your home? And would moving back to your university if you got a research position there not be possible at this time?

Honestly, if you restrict yourself to labs in a certain area, it'll likely be much more difficult to get a position. At least, that's the sense I get. If you apply broadly all over the country, there's a higher chance you'll get into a lab somewhere.

Does your institution pay well? It seems like the most you could make in bench research would be 28k and upwards of 35k for a clinical research associate. I know money won't matter for 1 year though.

I also only want one year off, but I don't know I'm debating between IB and CRA. Do you have any advice for specific insitutions that are more willing to open up to students for one year, I'm also hoping to stay in the south unless I go IB which I'll have to go NYC.

Thanks a bunch for all your help.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Yeah you're right, I definitely need to be more flexible. But are you referring to paid lab positions? I'd definitely consider relocating if I could get a paid position to support myself however those are difficult to get without experience. Unpaid positions I can only look within my area because then I can live at home and not need a means to support myself.

Yes, I'm referring to paid positions. Even if you don't have prior experience, you can still land a paid position, especially if you're willing to stay for 2 or more years. The first couple of months will involve training you in different lab techniques and then, you can start working more independently.

Does your institution pay well? It seems like the most you could make in bench research would be 28k and upwards of 35k for a clinical research associate. I know money won't matter for 1 year though.

I also only want one year off, but I don't know I'm debating between IB and CRA. Do you have any advice for specific insitutions that are more willing to open up to students for one year, I'm also hoping to stay in the south unless I go IB which I'll have to go NYC.

Thanks a bunch for all your help.

Research pays okay; you can support yourself with the money fine, especially if you're single.

I don't know of any specific institutions that offer 1 year positions. It really comes down to each individual lab and whether the PI is willing to take you on for only a year. Like I said previously, it's much harder to get a 1 year position because it's very unlikely for you to do any significant research in such a short time-frame.

I don't know much about clinical research positions, so don't take my word for that stuff. I'm only talking about basic/translational work. Good luck.