Guidelines for Mentors of Students Considering Year of Scholarship Status for Research

An increasing number of students are interested in spending a year doing full-time research, usually after their second or third years. The school is supportive of this. The following may be helpful if you have been asked to serve as someone's research mentor.

1. If the student’s scholarly leave is independent, and not part of an external funded program, e.g., Howard Hughes or Doris Duke, students are required to submit a brief research proposal, e.g., three to five pages, outlining their planned projects. Students must write this themselves, but will obviously depend upon you for help. The role of the student on the project must be well defined, especially if they are working with others on a larger project. Once the project is approved, students are granted Year of Scholarship Status.
2. The proposal or application must be accompanied by a letter from you. This letter should include the name of the project, a statement that you have read the application, that you support the student taking a Year of Scholarship to work on the project, that the student will have a chance to provide some of his/her own input to the project, and that the student's personal goals as stated on their Year of Scholarship data form, are achievable. It should also state what the student's specific role on the project will be, if it is part of a larger effort involving other people.
3. In order to stimulate students' interest in research, as well as provide them with a selective advantage when it comes to time for interviews, they should work on a focused project. It is rarely in their interest to work on highly speculative projects. While it is ideal if they are able to co-author a paper, at the very least they should understand the long-term goal of the project they are working on and contribute something to the effort they are able to discuss.
4. To complete this year, the student will be required to submit a paper, approximately five pages, on the work he/she has done. The paper should follow the general format of a manuscript prepared for journal submission, e.g., abstract, introduction/background, materials and methods, results, discussion, and references. If a manuscript has been prepared for publication, this may be submitted instead.
5. If one of the student's goals in considering a year of research is to make him/her a more competitive candidate for a residency position, please advise them on whether you think this is a realistic outcome based upon their academic record to date and the availability of training positions in the field. The student can provide you with his/her transcript and clerkship evaluations for this purpose.
6. Many students who do a year of full-time research graduate with Distinction in Research (DIR). To apply for admission to the Distinction in Research Program, students must submit a research proposal, three to five pages, prepared as described in the DIR "Program Guidelines for Students," available in the Medical School Research Office, and a letter of support from you. Successful completion of the program requires publication of a manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal, with the student as first author. Since getting to this point usually takes two to three years, starting early puts them in the strongest position. If you think your student is an appropriate candidate, please suggest that they apply to the program.
7. The student has chosen you as his/her mentor. You will help him/her enormously by providing them with guidance. Maybe he/she is thinking about a career path similar to the one you followed or is interested in your area of research. You can help greatly if you know why he/she has chosen to work with you. Most importantly, please follow their progress. You can help them to get the most possible out of this year.

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