Should I quit research???

[tehkdi]

So, I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should quit research.

I've been working in a lab since my freshman year (now a junior). When I got to college, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to purse grad school or med school. After talking to advisors and professors, they all seemed to push me towards pursuing grad school or md/phd programs.

I joined a neuro/microbiology lab that wasn't exactly medically related. I joined a whole bunch of research-based clubs to complement my work in the lab. I also made sure to take all med school pre-reqs for a potential MD/PhD.

Long story short, I enjoyed working with the people there, but the monotony of bench work drained me emotionally and made me dread going into lab. I now know I don't want to do a PhD. I also worked at a hospital as a medical assistant over the summer to earn a couple bucks and absolutely loved my time there. My PI requires all undergrads to do an honors thesis their senior year and says it would be about 20hr/wk commitment. I don't have stellar grades (3.7 GPA), and I know doing an honors thesis would cause a minor dip.

Should I quit, or should I just bear through for another year and a half? How will med schools view me dropping my research after 3 years given that all of the EC activities I've done and clubs I've joined are research based?

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[DokterMom]

You have a very reasonable story as told above. Not sure about medicine or research so did lots of research. Tried it; decided you didn't really love it. Tried medicine; loved it. Therefore quit research. Logical. Reasonable. Prudent.

How bad will it look?
For an MD/PhD program at a top research school, it won't look good.
But for a solid upper-mid-tier medical school, it'll look like you chose medicine and patient contact over research, and that's actually a good thing.

 

[tehkdi]

You have a very reasonable story as told above. Not sure about medicine or research so did lots of research. Tried it; decided you didn't really love it. Tried medicine; loved it. Therefore quit research. Logical. Reasonable. Prudent.

How bad will it look?
For an MD/PhD program at a top research school, it won't look good.
But for a solid upper-mid-tier medical school, it'll look like you chose medicine and patient contact over research, and that's actually a good thing.

This is actually how I was thinking I'd frame my application! I'm just worried that I don't have typical pre-med EC activities like Pre-Med clubs, volunteering at hospitals, etc. I think the hardest part about my application would be showing med schools that I actually care about healthcare, since right now, I don't have activities that demonstrate that interest other than my job this past summer.

 

[DokterMom]

This is actually how I was thinking I'd frame my application! I'm just worried that I don't have typical pre-med EC activities like Pre-Med clubs, volunteering at hospitals, etc. I think the hardest part about my application would be showing med schools that I actually care about healthcare, since right now, I don't have activities that demonstrate that interest other than my job this past summer.

Also a valid concern -- So let that inform your actions between now and when you apply. Seek out patient-contact opportunities and focus your efforts there. If those are hard to find, loosen your definition of 'patient' and instead work with the elderly, disabled, under-resourced, mentally ill, homeless, immigrant, etc.

Make your walk match your talk. (So far it does.)

 

[Catalystik]

Should I quit, or should I just bear through for another year and a half? How will med schools view me dropping my research after 3 years given that all of the EC activities I've done and clubs I've joined are research based?

Quit. You are not obliged to include all the research-oriented clubs on your application. Change your focus now, and don't apply prematurely, before you have a good demonstration of your interest in working with the sick and those in need through your chosen activities.

 

[jm192]

Quitting>Misery.

 

[Goro]

So, I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I should quit research.

I've been working in a lab since my freshman year (now a junior). When I got to college, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to purse grad school or med school. After talking to advisors and professors, they all seemed to push me towards pursuing grad school or md/phd programs.

I joined a neuro/microbiology lab that wasn't exactly medically related. I joined a whole bunch of research-based clubs to complement my work in the lab. I also made sure to take all med school pre-reqs for a potential MD/PhD.

Long story short, I enjoyed working with the people there, but the monotony of bench work drained me emotionally and made me dread going into lab. I now know I don't want to do a PhD. I also worked at a hospital as a medical assistant over the summer to earn a couple bucks and absolutely loved my time there. My PI requires all undergrads to do an honors thesis their senior year and says it would be about 20hr/wk commitment. I don't have stellar grades (3.7 GPA), and I know doing an honors thesis would cause a minor dip.

Should I quit, or should I just bear through for another year and a half? How will med schools view me dropping my research after 3 years given that all of the EC activities I've done and clubs I've joined are research based?

Your mental health is not worth the troubles you're going through with the lab. Dump it.

 

[Robin-jay]

Your mental health is not worth the troubles you're going through with the lab. Dump it.

If the OP is stating that his mental health is declining due to repetitive scientific tasks, then the OP has to learn some key elements of life, specifically that he will have many job-like tasks int he future that are monotonous and repetitive.

 

[tehkdi]

If the OP is stating that his mental health is declining due to repetitive scientific tasks, then the OP has to learn some key elements of life, specifically that he will have many job-like tasks int he future that are monotonous and repetitive.

Don't get me wrong haha. I have absolutely no problem doing these "repetitive scientific tasks" for the remainder of college. I just don't want it to be what I do for the rest of my life. I was just trying to find out what the best thing to do is in order to get into medical school, since my research is not medically related.