<p>I'm a Pre-med Biochemistry Major going into my second year. I am currently shadowing a surgeon and I am looking at research opportunities. Would it be better to do research with a researcher at my university or would it be just as fine to do research with a doctor at a hospital? I am thinking about doing research at Cedars Sinai Hospital if there is a general consensus that it would be just as fine</p>
<p>Depends on what kind of research you can do where. If you can be more involved with it at Cedars Sinai, I would say go there for sure.</p>
<p>Could you continue both of them into the school year? If not, I’d choose the one that you can continue.</p>
<p>Are you eager to primarily learn about the content of research? If you are, I’d choose the one that seems more interesting (but it might be hard to tell at this point).</p>
<p>Are you eager to build a relationship with your PI/learn about research as a process/don’t care much about the specific content of your work? I’d choose the “better” PI then, which is probably the one that seems to be a better teacher (but it might be hard to tell at this point).</p>
<p>Does it matter for med school admissions if you do traditional bench research at your university or if you do something through a teaching hospital? I have many friends who have been accepted to medical school, myself included, and we have a wide range of research backgrounds. I can’t imagine it would make or break you to have one or the other.</p>
<p>All in all, I’d just choose the one that you think will be the best experience. You’ll probably put more work and effort into that one anyway, making the experience all the better. If they both seem similar to you right now, just pick one and give it a try. If it totally sucks, you can probably switch after a summer or a semester or a year or whatever. Good luck!</p>