research summer before starting med school

[palatopharyngeus]

hey guys. im starting med school in the Fall, and was wondering whether it would be a good idea to do some research this summer. I was thinking that id just reach out to a few PIs at the med school I'll be going to and just be like "hey im an incoming medical student at your school and was looking to do some research for the summer. came across your research bio online, and it looks like your lab would be a good fit for me". except I would actually use complete sentences and proper grammar. lol.

you guys think this would be a good idea? is it too late in the game to be asking PIs for research this summer?

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[palatopharyngeus]

Following this thread. The school I will probably attend is not research-oriented but they have a summer research program before starting and I was thinking of doing it.

What would you do with your summer otherwise?

honestly, I have no idea lol....which is kind of the problem. I guess I would probably just work out, read some books, and get a random part-time job to keep me at least somewhat busy. and im sure as I get closer to when classes start in august, i'll be busy moving in with roommates, getting ready for classes, etc.

what about you? any plans?

 

[MadRadLad]

The standard advice is to relax during your truly free summer, and I tend to agree with that. You'll have plenty to do from hereon out so I really do recommend taking this summer to yourself. You'll have plenty of opportunities to do other things like research throughout the next 4 years. This really goes a long way, because you don't want to get burned out super early in your med school career because you filled up your plate during summer and then immediately transitioned to the heavy workload of med school.

 

[palatopharyngeus]

The standard advice is to relax during your truly free summer, and I tend to agree with that. You'll have plenty to do from hereon out so I really do recommend taking this summer to yourself. You'll have plenty of opportunities to do other things like research throughout the next 4 years. This really goes a long way, because you don't want to get burned out super early in your med school career because you filled up your plate during summer and then immediately transitioned to the heavy workload of med school.

you're probably right...maybe i'll just get a light 20ish hours/wk part-time job as a barista, cashier, etc. and then just spend the rest of my time relaxing. thanks for the advice!

 

[PIacebo]

If you can get a position somewhere, do it. I did it last summer. This summer I am going to just take it easy as I need this break pretty bad and don't want to burn out 2nd year.

 

[operaman]

I'd generally advise against it -- the burnout issue is real and you WILL feel it eventually no matter what you do. The only question is when and how long will you feel it.

That said, if it's a project you are truly passionate about and you absolutely genuinely enjoy the work, then by all means. If you already are 100% set on a very competitive field and this research applies AND you would enjoy it, then maybe it's worth the time, but only if it's highly likely to result in publication in the next couple of years. If you do it, make sure your hours are more part time so you have plenty of time to relax. And I would only do it if I was doing interesting work and learning something; I would not waste the time doing menial grunt work unless there was some $$.

Once you get settled in m1, you'll realize there's plenty of time during the preclinical years to do research and you'll have next summer as well.

And whatever you do, don't even think about doing one iota of study for M1 material. Just don't.

 

[Desk_Jockey]

I don't think it's a bad idea- especially if you see it as something that won't stress you out and it's in a field that you're interested in. Putting in a handful of hours a week would leave plenty of time for rest and relaxation, and you could have a productive summer of research, even if you take a few weeks off for any trips that you have planned. Don't decide against doing something like this because you're afraid of burnout.

Although there's more time for research during preclinical years, as operaman said, it's still a pain to put up with the hassles of research while you're trying to keep up with classes. Taking 4 hours a week to work on a project doesn't seem like much of a commitment now, but those 4 hours can end up seeming like a huge deal at times during your first two years.