<p>I'm a sophmore and I've had a research experience this past semester at the university .. and I like teaching and doing experiments in lab (both in research and in labs at my liberal arts school) .. but after getting a taste of the "real" world of research ...
with the grant worrying .. the idea stealing .. etc etc. I don't know if I want it to be a MAJOR part of my future goals</p>
<p>I definately want to do research, especially medical school .. but I'm debating on whether I want it to be a significant part of my career. That being said, at my school, we have a january term .. and I was going to do research full time for a month (hoping that it would lead to a summer experience) .. but after a bunch of miscommunications I thought they didn't want me in lab so I started looking up internships.</p>
<p>Turns out, they just "forgot" and sent me a long apology email .. and I totally understand .. but I also received an internship at a nonprofit organization that deals more in public health ..advocacy and support group networking .. and they said that I would be on board for their new project which sound like something I could really be passionate about. </p>
<p>I don't know. I know that in order to get into most university medical schools (my state of residency is california .. yipee .......) you need a significant amount of research .. and honestly, people in science tend to judge you on the quality of your research .. but I'm really excited amount this internship and volunteering and starting my own project (which they wanted to discuss with me). </p>
<p>I do love science and discovery (I'm a chem major), and I do well in lab .. it's just not my bread and butter .. I don't feel like I'm making a true difference .. and I don't get to work with the people that I want to help. =/ I feel lke whatever experience I choose for January will be the one I will continue throughout the semester .. and I know I really want to do the internship .. but I feel like if I give up this research opportunity and connection .. I'll never get a research position during my junior summer.</p>
<p>Research helps, but people can get into schools (top schools, too) without research or without intending to do much in medical school. That you have a worthwhile alternative that you're passionate about is good, imo.</p>
<p>This is somewhat related to the OP's post...I apologize for hijacking your thread a bit.</p>
<p>Do medical schools care what kind of research you do? What if I'm more into public policy research or historical research (humanities and social sciences) rather than the typical biological research that most premeds engage in? Do they favor scientific research over, say, research in a psychology lab, etc?</p>
<p>It's not unusual to get a bit disappointed with initial exposure to research. The key is to figure out which research makes you feel excited about waking up and facing the day every morning. Which research makes you feel enthused, energized? Once you figure this out, you can find different types of work within that area that is meaningful.</p>
<p>There are different kinds of research one can pursue. However, Research would not be your cup of tea if you like immediate gratification. Patience and persistence are not simply virtues but a prerequisites of research careers. </p>
<p>If you like chemistry, you might want to consider looking into Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. This area specializes in Structure activity relationships and synthesis of drugs that best fit the required profile of disease targets. Some examples of disease targets are receptors, specific processes in physiological cascades, enzymes, or pathologies such as plaque in hippocampi for example.</p>
<p>This work is extremely meaningful if you are interested in innovative research that eventually ends up in the armamentarium of a physician in fighting disease.</p>
<p>Having said that, I need to mention that in a research career, the climbing up the ladder begins from the lowest rung.</p>
<p>The key in finding a satisfying career is finding an area that you enjoy working extra hours on! So if you have an internship that excites you, most definitely follow that up! Its fairly easy to find a lab to do research in. Its much harder to find a research lab that any one individual enjoys (based on research focus and lab culture).</p>
<p>Honestly, what is preventing me from just doing the internship is that seems to me that no matter how much I accomplish outside of research..with volunteer .. music, any accomplishment in research trumps all .. especially to UC's. I want to show that I'm passionate about science, but right now, I really feel like I wasted a semester, because even though I learned lab techniques..how to write grants .. etc. I don't feel like I really accomplished anything. It's not even like, I've got the fundamentals and I want to build .. I'm just not all that interested except I think that I need it to get into medical school and I've never been able to succede when I'm not passionate about it. =/</p>
<p>I could take a risk on this research lab that I'm in and hope that working full time for 3 weeks will get me more involved in the project or I could just cut ties with that lab and do the internship that I know I have a Jterm and summer position for and probably lose any chance at getting a summer research position. This would also affect my junior summer as well. GAH .. I know what I want to do and what I should do.</p>
<p>Not to mention, a biochemistry major/music minor who likes science but doesn't really like lab doesn't seem like a serious med student on paper.</p>