Should I make the undergrad lab switch?

[837498]

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[Spr1ngrolls]

Essentially staying vs going comes down to two things. Staying will probably give me the best shot at getting into top tier MSTP programs, while leaving may position me better for initial success once I enroll in one of these programs. Thanks in advance for all your help guys!.

Honestly, this question of leaving or not is pretty loaded, but I think that you recognizing this as a "matter of fact" kind of tells me that you should stay. Now, it may be the unpopular opinion for me to suggest this as this lab is not what you're interested in (at least it seems), but I will defend my opinion by simply saying that your goal should be to actually get in to a MSTP program first. Obviously the above is all speculation, but I do believe that you've had an incredible start in this lab and that you should pull through with it. Your PI is obviously credible, you're going to be producing very tangible work, and medical schools (especially MSTP Programs) want to see that you were able to put your time in to something and follow through with it. That is not to say that changing labs would suddenly pull in to question how "dedicated" you are, but there is value in the sheer amount of time you've put in to a single activity.

Now I will also comment with my own experience of working in a bioengineering lab: the learning curve is rough. After conducting research for over three years as an undergraduate I've got to admit that it was difficult to grasp the concepts necessary to fully appreciate the projects. While mine focused more on the aspects of chemical engineering (polymers, thermodynamics, etc), almost everything in the field is difficult to comprehend. When it comes down to being able to interview well for MSTP programs, I'm concerned as to the questions regarding your research in both labs. In my opinion, it's much better to focus on ONE research topic during your undergrad and demonstrate that you have complete mastery over the content.

Of course, if you're really unhappy, then leave. You are an undergraduate and now is really your time to be exploring what you like or don't like. But from my perspective, a highly objective one, you don't have much to gain from leaving it now but you do have quite a bit to "lose".

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

Thanks for the reply, Spr1ngrolls! I agree it does seem like I have a lot to lose by switching here. I definitely don't hate the research, it's still cool. But it is sometime hard on me when I know I want to pursue something in a different direction down the road.

On the topic of your BioE lab experience, what made the work there more difficult? As a bioengineering major, would I likely be able to pick this stuff up once starting grad school? (to be honest, I will probably conduct bioengineering/translational research but not do a bioengineering PhD just because I don't want to take all the classes required for the masters in addition to med school classes).

No I definitely get it, after my first year in the lab (as someone who always debated between PhD, MD, heck even JDs and MBAs) it definitely started to dawn upon me that I was not destined by any means to become an engineer of any sort. I knew after a while that I always wanted to move on to other types of research (which I actually ended up doing in addition to staying in the original lab.....long story.....) I guess for me, it was just difficult because I started my research immediately after having finished only the General Chemistry sequence of my undergrad career so EVERYTHING discussed made absolutely no sense to me. After taking classes like orgo, biochem, and physics is when things really started falling in to place and I developed an incredibly deep appreciation for the project.

With that said, I think that answers your question. You will definitely be able to pick it up with basic knowledge in the field. Personally, one of the hardest things to do for me was understanding and dissecting data and parameters of "thermodynamic/kinetic simulations" that we did. It was just so much jargon that I had never been exposed to (and quite frankly didn't have much interest in albeit it was awesome that that simulations could give us so much data). Of course, the field is large and ever growing so depending on the project you choose, you will be given a different learning curve to overcome. For an example, "bioengineering" as it pertains to stem cell research is MUCH different from what my research revolved around.

 

[efle]

Doing this kind of research now does not lock you into this kind of research for your PhD/career. I'd stick with this lab and get yourself fantastic MSTP options, and make the switch in topics at that time.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Thanks for the advice Efle! I think I will most likely be doing that. I have also recently been entertaining the idea of asking my postdoc to let me do a part time summer rotation in a bioengineering lab to gain some experience there while still maintaining a commitment to my current lab.

This sounds like a perfect idea! Go for it. Best of both worlds.