Prof asks about your future?

[blueberryman]

A professor I am going to be volunteering for wants to go out for lunch to get to know each other better. I eventually want to do a thesis with this person and possibly work for during a summer. If I'm asked what my career goals are, which I am sure I will be, what do I say? I want to be honest and say medical school, but I feel as if the professor would rescind the position in her lab since the effort she'll put into training me (will in her eyes) go to waste, since I don't intend on pursuing a graduate degree. How do I tell her I want to go to medical school while at the same time showing that I care about her work and I'm not just doing in for a letter of reference.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Aerus]

A professor I am going to be volunteering for wants to go out for lunch to get to know each other better. I eventually want to do a thesis with this person and possibly work for during a summer. If I'm asked what my career goals are, which I am sure I will be, what do I say? I want to be honest and say medical school, but I feel as if the professor would rescind the position in her lab since the effort she'll put into training me (will in her eyes) go to waste, since I don't intend on pursuing a graduate degree. How do I tell her I want to go to medical school while at the same time showing that I care about her work and I'm not just doing in for a letter of reference.

Give a more open answer then.

"I am sure that I want to do a career in science. However I'm not 100% sure at this point, so I want to see whether a career in research or perhaps healthcare is for me."

And truth be told, you probably don't know 100% what you want to do yet. You're still young and nobody can see the future.

 

[rotari]

Give a more open answer then.

"I am sure that I want to do a career in science. However I'm not 100% sure at this point, so I want to see whether a career in research or perhaps healthcare is for me."

And truth be told, you probably don't know 100% what you want to do yet. You're still young and nobody can see the future.

I completely agree. Although you could dodge the question, it is best to at least allude to medicine. You will most likely ask your PI for a recommendation (required by many schools), so if she truly hates that you are going into medicine, that doesn't bode well for your recommendation anyway. While you are there, be enthusiastic and show some commitment.

 

[Dandine]

I completely agree. Although you could dodge the question, it is best to at least allude to medicine. You will most likely ask your PI for a recommendation (required by many schools), so if she truly hates that you are going into medicine, that doesn't bode well for your recommendation anyway. While you are there, be enthusiastic and show some commitment.

On that note, consider where your professor works as well. Does her research involve medicine or apply to medicine in some way or another? If it does, there is a chance that she might appreciate that you want to delve into the "how" and "why" of it.

If not, I would not stress over it too much--just be prepared to work hard and be committed to your tasks/project. The common, safe answer would be to say, "I'm exploring my options; not sure which I am interested in yet" or something similar, but I agree that you shouldn't completely avoid the topic of med school if it's in your future (and a letter of recommendation for med school is something you're interested in).

Best wishes!