•••quote:•••Originally posted by JJ4:
•To my fellow mudphuds:
Does the research that you do in any way impact on your residency/post-doc options? •••••What you suggest JJ4, is a totally reasonable approach. I think you'll get a sense of what lab you would like to work in based on your laboratory rotations. You may decide to rotate through a particular lab to learn techniques that you could bring into a different lab to tackle a question of interest in a novel way. I think the others gave good advice in choosing a lab--look for an environment where you'll fit, and a PI with whom you can interact and develop a good relationship. The particular field in which you do your thesis work is less important than the quality of the work and your ability to conduct independent research. The downside to doing a thesis in a field outside your main area of interest:
1) After a few years you may have found it difficult to keep up with the research simultaneously in two different fields.
2) You may not make the same professional connections/collaborations, nor have interactions with as many people in the field of your main interest
3) Your insight into the important questions in your main field may be limited by delving into a different one.
4) If you have research in your field to bring to the table during residency interviews, this could be advantageous. If you had done research in another field, then it would not necessarily be directly applicable.
5) You may find that you wish to carry projects from your thesis lab into postdoctoral fellowship or even in your own lab later on.
6) The thesis research you do may influence which medical specialty you apply for (if you go that route). It may be easier to combine research and clinical medicine in certain fields as compared to others.
For these reasons and others, I think it is best to decide early on what you are interested in. You will have time during your first two years to test the waters. Try to find a question that excites you and develop methods for answering it in a lab which will facilitate that goal. A good PI will guide you in developing your own goals and should be flexible enough to let you explore your interests. While this approach as a student requires a certain degree of independence, I think it is probably the best way to ensure that you'll become an independent investigator and make it through the program in a reasonable number of years.
