Summer Research After MS-I

[bcat85]

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Ok guys.. I have a question. My parents got me a trip to europe for next summer (Summer after MS-I). Problem is, I know that (a) it is somewhat important to do research during that summer and (b) I don't want to spend the whole summer sitting around other then the 2 weeks I'm in Europe. The trip is scheduled for the middle of the summer.. June 22nd or so. Anyone else have this experience or have any advice?

 

[thedelicatessen]

Research is definitely a good thing, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to. People often shadow or work during the summer rather than doing research, which may be more flexible with time.

Second, do you actually want to go to Europe? If not, I would stay in the States, which would save you money and give you plenty of time for research or whatever. If it's just the timeframe that's the issue, rescheduling your trip to the very beginning of the summer would give you a larger portion of free time for a research project, and if this proposed trip is one year away, there should still be time to change the itinerary. Happy summer!

 

[TerpMD]

Go on your trip! You still have plenty of the rest of the summer to do something. I know people who only did ~6 wk programs so they could go places. This is your last chance to do something like this for a while- take it!

If you find a 40 hour/wk research job you're in love with, you could prob work something out to make up the two weeks.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

If you're a pre-med, quit gunning your first summer a year in advance. Who knows, you might be spending the summer relaxing in a comfortable white vest with tie-around straps trying to get your sanity back. Although, if it's only a 2-week trip, you could apply for positions with the proviso that you need 2 weeks off in June. Miracles can happen when you just tell the straight truth.

Seriously, I wouldn't make MS-I research a huge priority unless you're gunning for Chief Resident at Johns Hopkins. Most of the students I know who did research during MS-I summer were biology majors who couldn't find anything else that paid better. Since I was a non-trad student and my old employer hospital was, God Bless 'Em, kind enough to take me back for the summer at my old rate of pay as a CPA strategic planner - which was 4x or 5x what I could get anywhere else - I was there with bells on for the summer. It's wonderful how much you save on income taxes when you've only worked for three months out of the entire year. Anyway, the extra money helped to pay off my over-budget credit card indiscretions from MS-I year.

 

[Luxian]

Ok guys.. I have a question. My parents got me a trip to europe for next summer (Summer after MS-I). Problem is, I know that (a) it is somewhat important to do research during that summer and (b) I don't want to spend the whole summer sitting around other then the 2 weeks I'm in Europe. The trip is scheduled for the middle of the summer.. June 22nd or so. Anyone else have this experience or have any advice?

Go to Europe.

First of all, you can find a job or research on campus that will allow you to take the time in the middle. Alternately, find a cool job over there and spend the whole summer there.

But seriously, go to Europe. Soon enough, you will find you go a decade at a time between vacations as long as two weeks, or you're scrambling paycheck to paycheck to pay your debt. Take it now!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Doing research during that summer will definitely give you a leg up on the competition. You can probably get funding from your school so your PI won't care if you go on vacation two weeks because he/she's not paying you directly. Also if you like your lab you can continue researching during MS2 year and really be set.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Seriously, I wouldn't make MS-I research a huge priority unless you're gunning for Chief Resident at Johns Hopkins.

That sounds like some awfully unambitious advice. A student should do what he/she can to maximize options when it comes to residency specialty and location. For quite a few specialties if you don't get started early the door's already pretty much closed.

 

[bcat85]

Research is definitely a good thing, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to. People often shadow or work during the summer rather than doing research, which may be more flexible with time.

Second, do you actually want to go to Europe? If not, I would stay in the States, which would save you money and give you plenty of time for research or whatever. If it's just the timeframe that's the issue, rescheduling your trip to the very beginning of the summer would give you a larger portion of free time for a research project, and if this proposed trip is one year away, there should still be time to change the itinerary. Happy summer!

Yeah I definitely want to go.. I'm really excited about it.

If you're a pre-med, quit gunning your first summer a year in advance. Who knows, you might be spending the summer relaxing in a comfortable white vest with tie-around straps trying to get your sanity back. Although, if it's only a 2-week trip, you could apply for positions with the proviso that you need 2 weeks off in June. Miracles can happen when you just tell the straight truth.

Seriously, I wouldn't make MS-I research a huge priority unless you're gunning for Chief Resident at Johns Hopkins. Most of the students I know who did research during MS-I summer were biology majors who couldn't find anything else that paid better. Since I was a non-trad student and my old employer hospital was, God Bless 'Em, kind enough to take me back for the summer at my old rate of pay as a CPA strategic planner - which was 4x or 5x what I could get anywhere else - I was there with bells on for the summer. It's wonderful how much you save on income taxes when you've only worked for three months out of the entire year. Anyway, the extra money helped to pay off my over-budget credit card indiscretions from MS-I year.

I'm not really making it a priority in the interest of gunning for anything.. I just like to do research. Though that wouldn't be such a bad deal I suppose.

Doing research during that summer will definitely give you a leg up on the competition. You can probably get funding from your school so your PI won't care if you go on vacation two weeks because he/she's not paying you directly. Also if you like your lab you can continue researching during MS2 year and really be set.

This is awesome advice... thanks a lot

 

[Jwax]

Ok guys.. I have a question. My parents got me a trip to europe for next summer (Summer after MS-I). Problem is, I know that (a) it is somewhat important to do research during that summer and (b) I don't want to spend the whole summer sitting around other then the 2 weeks I'm in Europe. The trip is scheduled for the middle of the summer.. June 22nd or so. Anyone else have this experience or have any advice?

I know a student that between his 1st and 2nd years did research over the summer but had a week in which he was a camp counselor for an muscular dystrophy camp (I had to spell that out b/c all I could think of was NMDA... and said no... that's involved in autonomics... I couldn't come up with the MDA off the bat; ugh school fries your brain). Anyways, he also had a few days that he needed to take w/his wife to go visit in-laws. So he started a week early and continued a week later than everyone else in the program.

Long answer for a simple point - you can do both. Work it out with your mentor before hand; most of them will be very understanding and not have an issue with it.

Non-trad tulsa was right on about one thing - I imagine many of us are choosing to do research this summer b/c we can't find anything else that would pay as good or better and it will boost our resume at the same time.

 

[geogil]

Since you're going to SLU I can tell you exactly what to expect, since I'm doing a summer fellowship here. IF you do a summer research fellowship, you're expected to work 10 weeks of the summer, of which there are 11 weeks. However, whether or not you work the full 10 weeks is kind of between you and the PI. I have a good friend who has two weeks off because his PI said it was ok.
There are also many other oportunities besides research that you can take advantage of. PM me and i can give you some examples. Also, playing for 11 weeks sounds pretty good after path and pharm!