I’m trying I swear
So I am a current sophmore at a non-research institution who fell in love with research during one of my lab coursework after I had assumed I was going to med school, hence maybe why I ended up at a non-research institution. I am a first gen student so I feel like I did not think deeply about my interests when applying to college so here I am, actively seeking out research experience my institution does not have. Also I am an international student so I cannot seek opportunities off campus unless it’s for the summer which I am working on but even I know that summer research is really not enough to make me a competitive MD/PhD candidate. I will probably end up taking a couple of gap years but atp being an international is tricky and hopefully I can get a work permit for that. What are my other options ? A masters research program so I can stay on my F-1 visa ? I am low income and don’t have that kind of money. Also I don’t think it’s advisable trying to incur more debt before med school at least. Feeling very frustrated rn and thinking of switching to an MD only path because it seems there are too many odds stacked against me for the research component and it does not help that my peers interested in the same path are at research universities publishing papers and there is no professor in my department embarking on research I could undertake during my school year, believe me I have emailed everyone . Is there anyone who was interested in an MD/PhD but did not attend a research institution and how did you navigate that. Also are there any international students in a similar boat? How are we getting research experience without working off campus during the school year? Is it more independent project focused ?