Summer research at Top school vs Own

[PatchAdams25]

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Is there any advantages to doing M1 summer research through a fellowship offered at a different school/hospital compared to your own school?

For instance, would doing one of the summer research fellowships at HSS (ortho) be more advantageous vs doing one at your own institution?

I get the point of doing research in your own department in order to make connections, but is it worth passing on some other, more prestigious summer opportunities?

 

[mistafab]

If both are funded I would go with my own institution. Connections >>> prestige.

 

[PatchAdams25]

If both are funded I would go with my own institution. Connections >>> prestige.

What if my school does not have a home residency program??

 

[masaraksh]

Personally - I'd go elsewhere.

1-3rd year there will be plenty of time to make connections at home. Summer is a free block of time to get out and explore. I mean, thats what I'd do. For myself, I came back to the group I worked with before med school

 

[PatchAdams25]

Personally - I'd go elsewhere.

1-3rd year there will be plenty of time to make connections at home. Summer is a free block of time to get out and explore. I mean, thats what I'd do. For myself, I came back to the group I worked with before med school

So is your reasoning for going elsewhere purely just to have a new/different experience??

 

[NickNaylor]

Quite honestly I would go with whatever is likely to net you “tangibles” at the end of your experience: abstracts, presentations, and even manuscripts.

Being able to talk about a research experience you did is nice, but being able to point at something that you produced at the end of that experience is even better.

 

[PatchAdams25]

Quite honestly I would go with whatever is likely to net you “tangibles” at the end of your experience: abstracts, presentations, and even manuscripts.

Being able to talk about a research experience you did is nice, but being able to point at something that you produced at the end of that experience is even better.

So on this note.... What if I am interested in a surgical subspecialty, but can't find a good opportunity at my institution in that field, but have an opportunity to do research in a different surgical subspecialty where the PI says there will be opportunities for multiple publications.... Do I take the "tangible" one even though it isn't directly related to my field of interest?

 

[shisong]

i go to DO school in jersey, i had opporunity to do lipid research in penn.... guess what i did... research at penn, got 2 pubs = gold. now i have connections at penn so i can do auds there and possible residency.

make the best of your situations!

 

[jhamaican]

Top school. Connections with important people trump everything in this game.

 

[PatchAdams25]

i go to DO school in jersey, i had opporunity to do lipid research in penn.... guess what i did... research at penn, got 2 pubs = gold. now i have connections at penn so i can do auds there and possible residency.

make the best of your situations!

Top school. Connections with important people trump everything in this game.

Yeah but is doing an 8 week research fellowship under a big wig at HSS (using this as an example b/c I know they have an orthopaedics summer research fellowship) and pumping out a poster/maybe a paper going to have a huge impact down the line? Heck, would they even write you a letter 2+ years later after you did research with them that summer?

Would it be better be better to do research at home institution in a different department (surgical) where one is all but guaranteed to get multiple pubs even if it is not in desired field?

In short, my options are:
1) Apply to summer research fellowships at other schools/use connections I have at Top school to try and get a summer gig in field of interest
2) wait/continue looking for research at home school in field of interest even though it has been fruitless so far
3) Take an offer in a different field at home institution where the attending/residents are pretty confident it will turn into multiple publications (One main project + collaborating on many others)

 

[NickNaylor]

So on this note.... What if I am interested in a surgical subspecialty, but can't find a good opportunity at my institution in that field, but have an opportunity to do research in a different surgical subspecialty where the PI says there will be opportunities for multiple publications.... Do I take the "tangible" one even though it isn't directly related to my field of interest?

Research that you do is somewhat irrelevant with respect to your ultimate field of interest. Obviously doing research in the field that you want to go into is advantageous, but it is by no means necessary, and it isn’t uncommon to do research in a field that is completely unrelated to what you eventually go into.

Ultimately there is no right or wrong answer to this situation. You’re going to do research, which is great in and of itself. There will be advantages and disadvantages of both routes. You will need to make that final decision, though.