As an MD-PhD student, I arrived at MIT Biology after finishing my med school exams and was extremely excited to begin research. The department’s philosophy is all about understanding how to ask scientific questions. All first-years take a paper-reading class, which dissects classical and modern scientific papers to examine how best to approach problems. I learned that I really enjoy being in lab, coming up with questions, and designing experiments. It’s freeing; I can pour all of my energy into one thing.