<p>I the option this summer of doing paid research or working a minimum wage job. </p>
<p>The problem is that the paid research only pays 2k, while the minimum wage job I will be working at a fast food restaurant and I will make 5k. My dad, who is the sole provider for my family, recently lost his job. We could really use the extra 3k. My parents are fine with me doing the paid research since I will be learning a lot and I will be making some money.</p>
<p>I don't think I need the extra research opportunity, since I will be getting published in high impact medical journal that has an impact factor of 30. I don't think my application would be "enhanced" any more by doing the summer research gig. </p>
<p>The other thing is working a minimum wage job will really teach me humility. I never had to work a minimum wage job, and I probably won't have to in the future because I plan on entering medical school right after undergrad. After medical school its residency, etc so I will never be in that position again unless i get sued and lose my license. </p>
<p>Most of you already know my "resume" so if you think the research gig will make it significantly better, then I will go through with it. I would prefer to do research over the job, but it would be nice to help out my family with the extra 3k that I will earn from the minimum wage job.</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d take the job! You’ve clearly justified it with this post.</p>
<p>I would take the job. You already have a lot of research experience. Adding a job seems to benefit you the most - a whole new perspective.</p>
<p>Do both, then you can have 7k. Why not? Most kids do both during school year anyway.</p>
<p>^I doubt a full-time research position and a full-time job are feasible for this kid–they might even be in totally different geographic areas. I bet if that were an option, OP would have already gone with it. </p>
<p>Although I agree–$7k would be awesome, and if it’s at all possible managing both positions would be a great experience. But I think there’s something to be said for having time to relax during the summer too (just my opinion though).</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the help guys. I can’t do both Miami, the job would be an all day thing, and full time research would a full thing as well. If I could do both I would have, but I can’t. =(
Just have to make do with the best of a crummy situation that my family’s been put in.</p>
<p>^consider yourself very very extremely lucky. D. could not obtain neither of these summer opportunities despite of top nothc qualifications and incredible LORs and perfect college GPA. Believe me, she has tried. She even had hardest time obtaining volunteering positions during summer. She eventually got some but only because of her persistant pursuit. D. had to do everything during school year, UNPAID internship, job, additional volunteering, all were several year commitments as you cannot do it full time while having 18-19 hrs and working hard on your college GPA.
You are in awesome position to have choices. Many cannot get anything at all in a summer…but on the flip side, they can take it easy, relax, spend time with friends after pushing yourself to the edge during school year.
Best wishes! Choose whatever, either is much better than nothing. And nothing is what most pre-meds have in a summer, at least in places like ours that has been economically depressed well before anybody mentioned bad economy. Volunteering have waiting lists, believe it or not!</p>
<p>I figured out how to do it all this summer. I got accepted to do research in clinical trials with a group of radiologists at BCM, a group of cardiologists at BCM, and a group of dermatologists at BCM. I don’t know which group I will choose to work with this summer. They want me to work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week on their projects. The other 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, I can work my minimum wage job and help support my family. I will do this for 4 months this summer. </p>
<p>Screw the summer research programs that accepted me. They make undergrads do research in benchwork research. Clinical studies are more likely to get published than benchwork research because benchwork research takes so god damn long. Clinical studies have tons of authors and are “cranked out” really quickly, so I should get my name on another publication this summer. Also, if the people I am working with allow me to write abstracts for other studies and publish those abstracts, then I can also get abstract publications.</p>