Summer research experience shook up my plans

[sunflower18]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello lovely SDN members! I need some advice. I am an undergraduate sophomore, and I don't know if I should pursue MD or MD/PhD. For the longest time, I was completely convinced that I would hate research and didn't want any part of it, so I planned to completely avoid it in my medical career. I decided that I should at least give it a try before holding such strong feelings, though, so I got a full-time paid summer research internship.

It sounds crazy, but it changed my entire perspective. I loved everything about the lab. I was doing neuro-oncology research, and couldn't get enough of the knowledge or the experience. I am now involved in a cognitive neuroscience lab at my college, and am planning out a research internship for next summer.

So, in a nutshell, here are my stats:

Major: Neuroscience at a mid-tier liberal arts college
GPA: 3.96
MCAT: Will take junior year (next year)
Research Experience: By the time that I apply, I will have two years in a cognitive neuroscience lab, one and a half years either in a neurodegenerative clinical lab or a basic neurobiology lab, and two summer internships.
Clinical Experience: To date, 550 hours of hospital volunteering and 50 hours as a campus emergency responder
Shadowing: 50+ hours shadowing pediatric oncologist, 20 hours shadowing neurosurgeon, 20 hours shadowing pediatric rheumatologist
Other extracurriculars: Teaching neuroscience to middle schoolers, teaching swim lessons to preschoolers, hopefully getting a scholarship that will allow me to teach chemistry or biology to elementary schoolers. I also run the pre-health program at my school, which is a really cool job. Also, this is super weird, but I've published poetry in national literary magazines. I wouldn't expect that to add to my application at all.

I don't know if I want to pursue MD or MD/PhD. I know that, so far, I don't have much research experience. But I loved my summer so much that I want to start preparing my application in a way that will enable me to do either one. I see my career as being in neurology (PhD in Neuroscience) with both basic science and clinical research aspects. I definitely would want to see patients ~30-50% of the time, but I would love the opportunity to pursue research more readily.

Also, correct me if this sounds silly, but a large reason that I am interested in a PhD is that I love learning and would love to have time to pursue an area that I am really passionate about and contribute to the growing amount of knowledge on the topic. I love pursuing education and I love teaching, so I feel that I would really enjoy graduate school itself. I know that this is optimistic and likely to fall apart once I actually start school, but idealism to begin with is better than pessimism, right?

Okay, sorry this is so long, but opinions would be so great. Thank you so much!

 

[24thGrade]

Do a lot of reading around this forum. Your experience isn't particularly unique. I think a lot of MD-PhDs are ex-gung-ho premeds who try out research because it is just something that premeds do and end up loving the experience.

I think a lot of people who intend to enter programs directly from college have done research from the summer after the freshman year so you will be a little behind there. People with less experience typically take off a year to work in lab. If your MCAT doesn't end up being great you may want to consider a year off of research but you likely are decent at standardized exams and probably have a good grasp of your premed classes- assuming your reading skills are decent you should do fine on the MCAT. Other people can give you their opinions on if you will have enough experience but I think it will boil down to you being able to convince people interviewing you that you have a good grasp of what research is like, and know without a doubt that you are willing to devote the time to have research as part (or the majority) of your career.

As you read more on here you'll get a better sense of what the split between being a physician and a scientist actually works out to. People who maintain 50% clinical work are rare, but it does happen. (and now I'm just parroting people on here) Ultimately the department you work for is going to want you to do all clinical work ($$$$$) and it is going to be challenging to make time to do research and compete for the same grants with PhDs who are spending 100% of their time in lab. In any case, the end result is probably not as badass as it initially sounds.

Good luck.

 

[Neuronix]

BRAINS

(PS: I'm not sure you asked a question. But your reasoning sounds good enough to me to do MD/PhD)

 

[sunflower18]

Do a lot of reading around this forum. Your experience isn't particularly unique. I think a lot of MD-PhDs are ex-gung-ho premeds who try out research because it is just something that premeds do and end up loving the experience.

I think a lot of people who intend to enter programs directly from college have done research from the summer after the freshman year so you will be a little behind there. People with less experience typically take off a year to work in lab. If your MCAT doesn't end up being great you may want to consider a year off of research but you likely are decent at standardized exams and probably have a good grasp of your premed classes- assuming your reading skills are decent you should do fine on the MCAT. Other people can give you their opinions on if you will have enough experience but I think it will boil down to you being able to convince people interviewing you that you have a good grasp of what research is like, and know without a doubt that you are willing to devote the time to have research as part (or the majority) of your career.

As you read more on here you'll get a better sense of what the split between being a physician and a scientist actually works out to. People who maintain 50% clinical work are rare, but it does happen. (and now I'm just parroting people on here) Ultimately the department you work for is going to want you to do all clinical work ($$$$$) and it is going to be challenging to make time to do research and compete for the same grants with PhDs who are spending 100% of their time in lab. In any case, the end result is probably not as badass as it initially sounds.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for all of your advice and information!! I will absolutely take that into consideration.

One question I had, or clarification rather: you said that I'd be behind in research experience even though I started in the summer after my freshman year. Do most people start in high school, or just during freshman year?

Hopefully I will rock the MCAT. I just switched from an English major, so maybe those classes will help in VR.

I am not sure what ratio I will want eventually. Do most people change their minds about the percentages?

Thanks so much for your insight!!

 

[Neuronix]

Do most people change their minds about the percentages?

Pre-meds create some numbers out of their imagination based on what they've heard from others and based on what MD/PhD program directors want to hear. If you want your life to be majority research, you can figure out the details later.

 

[sunflower18]

BRAINS

(PS: I'm not sure you asked a question. But your reasoning sounds good enough to me to do MD/PhD)

Haha yes! Zombie in disguise.

I'm not sure if I did either.. I guess I am just looking for insight. I went into college as a creative writing/English major, and so it feels bizarre to start wanting a translational research career.

But your affirmation is encouraging!!

Oh one question I do have: is it bad if I have a lot of cognitive neuroscience research experience as opposed to or in addition to basic lab research? I did lab research over the summer and I am currently looking into a neurobiology lab, but I love my cognitive neuroscience experience so far as well.