Meraki

I think it's good to get the experience of doing it in the beginning, but I don't think the transcription process is necessary to become immersed in the data. You should read the transcriptions or listen to the recordings numerous times throughout the coding process anyway. Different researchers will have different preferences, but to me, spending weeks or months transcribing dozens (or more) of interviews could be better spent. So yes, it's probably good for students to do it themselves as they're learning the process, but if you do a lot of qualitative work in your career, it will really slow down your productivity.

Yes, this is common practice. There are professional services for this as well. It is a very time consuming process, and typing it all out yourself doesn’t add value to the project, although I would spot check the quality of the transcriptions. I should add that one should take care to ensure confidentiality of the informants, which is why a reputable, professional service may be preferred, but RAs assisting with the process should be held to these expectations as well. Be aware of the information in the interviews and who you’re trusting to transcribe them. I wouldn’t hire a random student to transcribe my interviews, but I can’t say it’s unethical without knowing what’s in the interviews and the details of the transaction.

The answer depends on a few things. First, how well known is your PI in the field to which you're applying? A recommendation from a well-known or well-respected researcher can go a long way, especially if they know someone at the program you're applying to and they reach out on your behalf. It also depends on the tier of the program you're applying to; top programs may have a harder time overlooking your GPA unless you get very high GRE scores, but even then, these programs are super competitive and receive applications from students with near-perfect scores on everything (though I'm not saying you'd have no chance; it just means the rest of your application needs to be very strong). Lower tier programs may be more forgiving, but you still want to consider if they'll help you reach your goals (what are their placement records, and where do they place? Are students generally happy and healthy, or miserable? Attrition rate?). Also keep in mind that you can take graduate-level courses as a non-degree-seeking student. So if you stay in your research lab next year, you could still take a few grad classes relevant to your field, be sure to do well in them, and use that to try and offset concerns if you want to go directly into a PhD program without doing a full masters degree first. If you do apply this fall, apply broadly to different tier programs that are a strong fit for your research interests. Also get feedback from your PI on your application list and see what insights they have as to whether you'll be a strong applicant or if they know anyone in the program. Just be sure that you're only applying to programs you'd be happy to attend if they're your only choice.

I'm relatively new to it all myself, but reading the literature is a great start. Jot down questions you have as you're reading, such as limitations to the study, gaps in the theory that are not addressed, assumptions being made that may or may not be true, etc. This will help you pinpoint areas of opportunity. I also recommend getting out of the office and just taking a walk after doing some reading. Some of my best ideas have come from casual observations on the street, thinking about my prior work experience, or other situations outside of reading the literature. I can then integrate my own observations, thoughts, and current research to see if the idea's been done before, or how I might extend upon the idea with my own research. I also recommend keeping a journal where you jot down your research ideas any time they pop into your head. If one or both of the areas you mentioned have a large literature and you don't know where to start, you can look for recent literature reviews to quickly fill in some gaps and identify specific areas of interest, then dig deeper within those areas. You don't need to find a massive gap with an idea that's never been done before - even looking at a currently discussed problem in a different way using different theory or methods, or finding boundary conditions to current theories, etc. can make a big contribution.

What was your GPA? On one hand, if your goal is a PhD, then the summer fellowship will be a positive addition to your resume, especially if they keep you on as a research assistant afterward (I'm not sure what the chances of that would be, but you could discuss that with them and see if it's an option if the summer fellowship goes well). On the other hand, if your GPA is really low (<3.0), then you may need to take some masters-level courses to prove that you can in fact do graduate-level work before a PhD program would consider you. You could do the masters degree in global health and gain research experience there, as well. Since it is a one-year degree, I assume there is no thesis option? It may be a little more difficult to gain meaningful research experience in a one-year program. You need to do more of your own research on both the masters degree (research experience?) and fellowship (chance to stay on? Paid or unpaid?) before making a decision.

I appreciate your insights and am not expecting anyone to tell me what to do. I'm mostly interested in how I'd be perceived on the job market as you stated, and what might happen if a department hires me thinking I'm an X researcher and then I start doing Y research before I'm tenured. I know sometimes hires are made based on research area in order to diversify the department in a certain way, or to maintain a specialty area. So far I am leaning toward the "promising' topic for a thesis/dissertation, but not ready to completely let go of the one I most enjoy. I was hoping to hear others' stories who have found themselves in a similar situation, and how it turned out. I like what you said about "saving" some work for your post-PhD position. I've not heard that advice before, but it's definitely a great plan to assist in one's early career.

PhD. The thesis is part of the comprehensive evaluation, and most often becomes the dissertation topic, at least they strongly suggest that in my department.

I did a project last semester that came out great, but wasn't in my primary area of interest. Although I enjoyed aspects of it, I wasn't in love with the project, and I find another area of research more interesting. However, my project gained attention from faculty who are now encouraging me to continue with it for my thesis topic because it seems promising (publishable). I'm torn - should I forget about my primary research interest (which is not as well-developed yet as the project I did last semester, although I have time to work on it) and pursue this other topic that is somewhat interesting, but not something I want to do long-term? I realize it may be a wise career decision since I am getting such positive feedback and results. But if I were to do that and then change my area of research after graduating, how might that be perceived? It is all within the same field, just different topics of focus. My goal is to work in academia. I guess I'm looking for insights from others who may have pursued research that was not in your area of initial interest, and how that turned out for you. Did you make a switch after graduating? Did you burn out on the less desirable topic?