the past or the future?

[adesua]

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Hello all,
The kind of research I do now is different from the kind of research I hope to do in the future. Right now I do genomics/cell biology type research involving biophysical methods on yeast. For the future I want to do some infectious disease- type stuff.

Do MD/PhD interviewers tend to ask more about what you've done or what you want to do?

Linked to this, when you state on your secondaries that you are interested in pursuing X for your PhD but meanwhile your college research was in Y, will those scenarios presented in your interview try to test your knowledge in X or Y?

I'm just a bit apprehensive about being tested on something I have an interest in but with which I am not too familiar.

Thanks.

 

[Naphtali]

With a few exceptions, the check boxes for areas you're interested in don't mean all that much. They just want to have an idea of what fields you're considering. They might use it to set up a visit with someone in that department-- usually informal, and hardly a pop quiz. (An exception is UPENN, where they have specific interview days-- I was there for Pharmacology. My impression is that they want you to commit to a specific dept. right away, given that you can change it. I didn't like the look of that, but you should ask a current student for the real skinny.) I would suggest you consider a program's flexibility when choosing your school. It was certainly a deciding factor for me.

ALL schools will ask you about the research you've already done. Usually you just give a semi prepared speech, since you know it's coming. Only at one school was I asked science questions that didn't directly relate to my project. Interestingly, it was at SUNY Upstate, where I'm an MD/PhD now. (I guess I did OK!)

It would be good if you could explain WHY you have an interest in a field you indicated on your app. It'll show you've put some serious thought into the process (and your future).

Naphtali

 

[pbp4]

make sure you know are research AND are excited about it. most people will understand that you are not a pi and do not really get to decide the exact research you do. my interviews were a long time ago but i have interviewed canidates and can say the people who impressed me the most were the ones who could explain their projects, why it is important and why you loved doing it. i do not think you can be too excited about lab because the md/phd will test your committment especially in the lab. anyway- good luck- and i commend your interest in ID- I don't think there are too many of us and that is a good thing.
jef

 

[Primate]

You can change once you're in (I know several each year who have).

They like to know in order to set up interviews with appropriate PIs.

Also, you have to pass muster in the med school and with the PhD side of the house. Med school adcom accepability is an absolute requirement. Past that you have to make it through the MSTP committee and the basic science side of the house (which probably has a representative from your area of stated interest).

The interview days are intended to allow applicants to meet others who are so inclined (ie, your potential classmates and others already pursuing that area). I think this is a major advantage (and we do get people on each day who are "off cycle" - difficult to arrange, but we try to set them up with as many current students and interviews in their area of interest as possible).

Hope that helps ([start advert] ie, Penn is trying to do a good thing for applicants [end advert]).

P

 

[coldchemist]

adesua--

What kind of biophysical methods do you use? Just curious.

CC

 

[Sonya]

As others said, you are NOT committed or the slightest bit obliged to doing what you say you want to.

Know y ou're previous work well.

Know a *general* idea of where you want to go.
Be able to say WHY, especially if it's different from w hat you currently do. more specific is good, but they accept all sorts of reasons. They will NOT be dismayed that you don 't know too much about it.

That being said, I had a few research interests (3), and i stuck with the one that was most relevant to what I currently do (and briefly said, and maybe along so and so lines, thus relating it to other interests)

sonya

 

[adesua]

Thank you all of you for your response.
And to answer cold-chemist's question, the biophysical method I use is FRET (fluorescence resonane energy transfer).

Cheers