What to get out of summer research

[bp32]

I've been offered two different positions to do research over the summer, one with a prof in a hospital and one on main campus and I'm having a problem deciding which to choose.

 

The one on main campus is with a very well respected prof who has tons of publications (his last one was in nature). The research that he's doing interests me more and I would probably learn a lot more lab techniques here since his research interests are so varied.

 

However, this lab is going to be far more strict in terms of work, inflexible with vacation and I'll be surrounded by mostly older people (over 40). The other position would be a lot more laid back, I'll be surrounded by a lot more students and the prof seems very understanding. The pay and hours are the same for both jobs.

 

So my question is what's more important to get out of summer research? Learning a lot of knowlege and techniques or is it better having a more social, less stressful job which will probably help while I learn all of the techniques and with potential for clinical interaction? Would a more well known professor look better as a reference (I haven't yet decided on research vs medicine for a career).

 

Thanks for your advice.

[apache]

I've worked in 3 labs now (just started a new one), and for me it was personal compatibility with your co-workers, if you fit in well you'll get chances at trying things and are likely to get good reference letters. If you want a publication and it's guaranteed at a more distasteful lab then I might go for it. For me, I got my ref letter in the lab that was chill in and which I got no pubs for, but I had a fun summer and made friends for life!

 

I've been offered two different positions to do research over the summer, one with a prof in a hospital and one on main campus and I'm having a problem deciding which to choose.

 

The one on main campus is with a very well respected prof who has tons of publications (his last one was in nature). The research that he's doing interests me more and I would probably learn a lot more lab techniques here since his research interests are so varied.

 

However, this lab is going to be far more strict in terms of work, inflexible with vacation and I'll be surrounded by mostly older people (over 40). The other position would be a lot more laid back, I'll be surrounded by a lot more students and the prof seems very understanding. The pay and hours are the same for both jobs.

 

So my question is what's more important to get out of summer research? Learning a lot of knowlege and techniques or is it better having a more social, less stressful job which will probably help while I learn all of the techniques and with potential for clinical interaction? Would a more well known professor look better as a reference (I haven't yet decided on research vs medicine for a career).

 

Thanks for your advice.

[Cerena]

I'd pick clinical research!! You kidding Then again, I'm so biased as I have been doing clinical research for a while, love it, and have been getting tons of PMs from other pm101 members who would likely strangle someone for a clinical research job. Also, I've tried being in a notoriously "strict" lab with a well known researcher... I lasted about 3 days (we didn't get along at all in the lab). Couldn't stand it at all.

 

I've been offered two different positions to do research over the summer, one with a prof in a hospital and one on main campus and I'm having a problem deciding which to choose.

 

The one on main campus is with a very well respected prof who has tons of publications (his last one was in nature). The research that he's doing interests me more and I would probably learn a lot more lab techniques here since his research interests are so varied.

 

However, this lab is going to be far more strict in terms of work, inflexible with vacation and I'll be surrounded by mostly older people (over 40). The other position would be a lot more laid back, I'll be surrounded by a lot more students and the prof seems very understanding. The pay and hours are the same for both jobs.

 

So my question is what's more important to get out of summer research? Learning a lot of knowlege and techniques or is it better having a more social, less stressful job which will probably help while I learn all of the techniques and with potential for clinical interaction? Would a more well known professor look better as a reference (I haven't yet decided on research vs medicine for a career).

 

Thanks for your advice.

[keepontruckin]

I've worked in 3 labs now (just started a new one), and for me it was personal compatibility with your co-workers, if you fit in well you'll get chances at trying things and are likely to get good reference letters. If you want a publication and it's guaranteed at a more distasteful lab then I might go for it. For me, I got my ref letter in the lab that was chill in and which I got no pubs for, but I had a fun summer and made friends for life!

 

I spent last summer doing research in a lab with an intense prof, and continued spending this year working in the same lab for my thesis project. I admit that it was painful and wished the entire time that I had a supervisor that I could relate to more (ie: more chill). Therefore, I would definitely agree that compatibility with coworkers and supervisors is #1 priority; however, you have to weigh pros/cons.

 

If you are able to publish with the more intense lab (as I was), it might be worth it at the expense of not getting along with anyone in the lab (for just 4 months). Then again, it's impossible to be guaranteed a publication, and it's very unlikely assuming that it's your first research experience and assuming that it's only a summer thing.

 

If I were you (I'm assuming that your goal is medicine and not research), I think that the more chill lab would be a better option; assuming you get no publication from either lab (a conservative assumption), the more chill lab will give you a better environment to learn in because you may not be so intimidated when asking questions. Also, it would be more enjoyable and chances are, you'll be able to develop a better relationship with your supervisor/coworkers. At the end of the day, this will translate into a good ref letter, and many more positive experiences in research you can talk about come interview day.

 

/If you haven't decided on research or medicine as a career (as you mentioned above), then that's even more reason to go with the chill lab that will give you more positive experiences.

[osteon]

Go for the lab that you think you will get a better experience out of, and I don't mean publications - chances of an undergrad publishing from a summer project are usually fairly slim. Choose the lab you think you will learn the most from and be able to willingly work hard at. Also, compatability with the professor is huge when it comes time for reference letters so that's a consideration as well. The fact that the one prof published in nature means nothing for a med school application, unless you get your name on his next nature paper of course, but I really doubt a prof would be so willing as to include a summer student on a nature manuscript. Nothing against the student, but to publish in Nature means you're a world expert in that area, and as a summer student you're definitely not that.

[summergirl]

Well, I think it really comes down to whether you need a good LOR or a good EC at this point. If you need one more good LOR, go for the laid back lab. If you want an impressive EC then go for the other one (can you be sure that you can get your name on something?). Personally I would pick the laid back lab, since I spent a year in a lab that had a kind of distant supervisor and very little social interactions went on in the lab. We would come in our separate shifts and do our work at our individual computers and I barely get to see the other people in the lab. And the research analyst (basically second-in-command) kind of annoyed me since he would go on and on and on about some little thing that doesn't even matter. So I don't think I'll be asking that supervisor for reference since I highly doubt he'll give me a good one...

[tooty]

If you're going to do research in premed, you need to have something to show for it on paper. You should explore the possibility of having your name as an author in a future publication. Ask past and current grad students, or even the prof if he's cool. Each prof treats their summer students differently.

 

You don't need to publish in Nature, but having a few publications as mid-tier author will definitely add value to your application. You also need to consider how he writes his reference letters. Another thing to ask past and current grad students about. If he's bad to work with or prone to screw you over, you should hear about it from them. Don't expect your name on any papers this summer. If you work hard and dedicate yourself, you stand to earn a spot next year. But you need to know if the prof is open to that.