Which area of research should I choose? HELP!

[dreamtobeMD]

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Ok so I have two teachers that I can do research with. One does research in adult and embryonic stem cells and the other does research in medical microbiology, molecular biotechnology, bacterial pathogenesis, and vaccine development. Which one do you think would look better to med schools in CA?

 

[tastybeef]

Stem cell research sounds cooler.

 

[dreamtobeMD]

Cool that is what I was thinking too. Anyone else?

 

[redlight]

are you equally interested in both? i think vaccine development + biotech cancel out stem cell haha.

try and figure out which lab is more productive/which one would give you the most responsibility and experience.

 

[135892]

Ok so I have two teachers that I can do research with. One does research in adult and embryonic stem cells and the other does research in medical microbiology, molecular biotechnology, bacterial pathogenesis, and vaccine development. Which one do you think would look better to med schools in CA?

Do you really think that adcoms are going to care which one of these you pick? If one of the projects sounds more interesting to you, then obviously go with that one. If both seem equally interesting, then go with the one that you think will give you more responsibilities and the one that will give you a better overall experience. If you have not already done so, you should ask the PIs (or whoever you've been in contact with) what sort of projects you may be involved in, and what sort of work other undergraduates have done in the past. This should give you an idea of what will be expected of you, and can help determine which lab will give you a better experience. At the end of the day, the "personal growth" you obtain from this research will be important to adcoms, not the field that you did your research in (especially when your two choics are fairly similar).

 

[shindotp]

Do you really think that adcoms are going to care which one of these you pick? If one of the projects sounds more interesting to you, then obviously go with that one. If both seem equally interesting, then go with the one that you think will give you more responsibilities and the one that will give you a better overall experience. If you have not already done so, you should ask the PIs (or whoever you've been in contact with) what sort of projects you may be involved in, and what sort of work other undergraduates have done in the past. This should give you an idea of what will be expected of you, and can help determine which lab will give you a better experience. At the end of the day, the "personal growth" you obtain from this research will be important to adcoms, not the field that you did your research in (especially when your two choics are fairly similar).

👍👍

 

[seansss]

I would do the vaccine one, but thats just because I find that kind of biology hella cool. Pick the one you will get the most out of really......

 

[ninetynine]

what do you LOVE? also think about the lab culture. which one publishes more? which one is more supportive? does one have a super famous PI whose rec letter will carry weight? does one have super competitive angry students? will your mentor care about you and help you grow or will you be his slave? im being slightly facetious here - etc. choose the one that would give you a comprehensive research learning experience, all those things contribute.

 

[dreamtobeMD]

I know I must sound like a fool, but what is a PI? I have spoken directly to both professors. With the vaccine teacher it seems like I will mostly be around the graduate students, but he does have a lot of pubs. With the stem cell teacher it seems as though I will be working more with her and she said that she has a small project for me to do, but wanted to make sure I could do research with her for at least a year. She seems far nicer (and so I've heard) than the other professor. I have meetings with them both next week, but I am definitely leaning towards stem cell research since that seems very interesting to me.

 

[ninetynine]

PI = principal investigator (the person whose name is on the grant, or the head master of your lab)

don't worry, it took me a while too 🙂

either of the labs sound fine. personally, all else being equal, i would lean toward the one where i got to work more closely with the prof. you'd have more access, leading to more potential for publication (if your grad student is slow... you may or may not get your name on a paper, for example) and i think you would learn much more from working side by side with a prof - they'll care more about you and have more things to say and you'll have more input into their research. its also easier to stand out in a smaller lab. good luck 👍

 

[dreamtobeMD]

Thanks for the advice. I am meeting with the stem cell professor on Monday so hopefully all goes well and I can get started right away. I'm having a bit of tough time getting the volunteer work started at the hospital, they seem to take forever and not really care about getting volunteers in.

Do you know how long it typically takes to get published?

 

[Tensyle]

Thanks for the advice. I am meeting with the stem cell professor on Monday so hopefully all goes well and I can get started right away. I'm having a bit of tough time getting the volunteer work started at the hospital, they seem to take forever and not really care about getting volunteers in.

Do you know how long it typically takes to get published?

It depends on how often your professor's lab publishes, and how the research project is going in his/her lab.

Also, good choice on the stemcell project...President Obama just recently approved federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, so I have a feeling this is going to become a hotter field really soon (if the economy ever improves!)

 

[eyang22286]

do the one that you find most fascinating, because that is ultimately what will push you to possibly get a publication out. when the going gets tough, well, you need the light at the end of the tunnel

if it's of equal interest, then evaluate what kind of position you can get... if it's just someone doing tissue culture all day or, god forbid, glassware.... don't do it. also check out publication record of the lab, as well as just the degree of involvement undergrads can have, ie whether you get your own project after a few months.

and with that aside.... i'd pick the latter, but only because im' quite extremely biased. i work in immunology lol

 

[dreamtobeMD]

Well she said she has a small project for me to do, so I don't know exactly what that means, but I will definitely let her know that I am very interested in being actively involved in the lab. I guess I will find out Monday. Thanks for the all the advice guys! 😀

 

[135892]

For the interview, if you have not already done so, you should read up on some of your prof's papers and try to get a general idea of what she is studying. For example, if she starts to explain what her research is all about, you don't want to seem completely clueless. Generally though, these interviews are pretty relaxed, so no need to worry.

Good luck 👍

 

[deleted202457]

I would go with the one that gives you the most responsibility to give you more experience. Just my opinion

 

[Nomdeplume]

Do you really think that adcoms are going to care which one of these you pick? If one of the projects sounds more interesting to you, then obviously go with that one. If both seem equally interesting, then go with the one that you think will give you more responsibilities and the one that will give you a better overall experience. If you have not already done so, you should ask the PIs (or whoever you've been in contact with) what sort of projects you may be involved in, and what sort of work other undergraduates have done in the past. This should give you an idea of what will be expected of you, and can help determine which lab will give you a better experience. At the end of the day, the "personal growth" you obtain from this research will be important to adcoms, not the field that you did your research in (especially when your two choics are fairly similar).

This. 👍

I don't think adcoms will care to any significant degree, or perhaps even at all, about what particular type of biological research you conducted. They may care that it's biology (though I've heard this idea questions as well), but beyond that, it's all good.

So go with whichever lab feels like it would be more fun, more interesting, and more exciting. Honestly, if one PI seems like they would be better to work with than the other (nicer, more understanding, easier to get along with in general, etc), then maybe factor that in as well.

Finally, not to be a buzz-kill, but I recommend you don't go into this with your focus on being published. It's possible to work in a lab for a pretty decent amount of time and never obtain a publication. Science moves at science's pace, and unless you join a lab that's publishing nonstop for whatever reason with or without you, then it's not a good thing to get your hopes on.

Besides, there are dozens of benefits to doing research, other than getting published. Enjoy research for its own sake. In an idealistic sense, you will be helping to give humanity new knowledge! And in a practical sense, a lot of lab science is just really, really cool.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Red Leader]

]Finally, not to be a buzz-kill, but I recommend you don't go into this with your focus on being published. It's possible to work in a lab for a pretty decent amount of time and never obtain a publication. Science moves at science's pace, and unless you join a lab that's publishing nonstop for whatever reason with or without you, then it's not a good thing to get your hopes on.

Besides, there are dozens of benefits to doing research, other than getting published. Enjoy research for its own sake. In an idealistic sense, you will be helping to give humanity new knowledge! And in a practical sense, a lot of lab science is just really, really cool.

Good luck! 🙂

Yeah this is pretty much all bullsh*t.

When you spend time to do something you expect something out of it other than some abstract bullsh*t like "helping to give humanity new knowledge."

Go in with getting a pub as your goal and work towards it. If you get it, great. If not, you're no worse off and can make yourself feel better by thinking you contributed to humanity.

 

[Red Leader]

Oh, and the answer to your question is to choose the one where you will have more freedom and a better chance of publishing.

 

[Nomdeplume]

Yeah this is pretty much all bullsh*t.

When you spend time to do something you expect something out of it other than some abstract bullsh*t like "helping to give humanity new knowledge."

I won't be drawn into an argument, but I would like to briefly note to future posters that there are a lot of people in research who will become quickly annoyed by new additions to their labs who clearly only want publications for their application.

 

[flip26]

Yeah this is pretty much all bullsh*t.

When you spend time to do something you expect something out of it other than some abstract bullsh*t like "helping to give humanity new knowledge."

Go in with getting a pub as your goal and work towards it. If you get it, great. If not, you're no worse off and can make yourself feel better by thinking you contributed to humanity.

No, what you wrote is bullsh*t, not what you quoted.

Choose the lab and the research that interest you the most. If pubs follow (the frequency of this happening, much less the "necessity" of it happening, is vastly overstated on SDN) then great. If not, at least be able to speak about what you did from a point of personal interest if not passion.

 

[sully677]

Choose what you want.

They don't care.