Does the field of research matter for medical schools?

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I'm a second-year undergrad and I'm in the process of applying for a research position at my school. I'm interested in labs in a variety of fields, from Genetics to Biochemistry to even Atmospheric Sciences. I was wondering if medical schools care which field premeds carry out research? In other words, is there a preference for "medically-related" fields like Biology or Biochemistry, or is research in Environmental Science or Atmospheric Science okay?

Thanks!

Well, I certainly wouldn't want to steer you away from the research interest of your choice, but at least for your own benefit, you may want to explore something closer to the field in which you are planning to make a career. This would be a good time to reinforce for yourself your interest in the sciences that form the foundation of medical education. If you hate studying biologic processes, it may be a sign that you shouldn't be going into medicine.

From a pragmatic standpoint, it seems reasonable that an admissions committee would value a letter of recommendation from a prominent geneticist with a medical school affilliation over a letter of recommendation from a meteorologist. It just translates more easily for them.

That being said, if you want to study the stratosphere, then study the stratosphere. Atmospheric research is better than no research any day of the week.

Originally Posted by Lifehouse

I'm a second-year undergrad and I'm in the process of applying for a research position at my school. I'm interested in labs in a variety of fields, from Genetics to Biochemistry to even Atmospheric Sciences. I was wondering if medical schools care which field premeds carry out research? In other words, is there a preference for "medically-related" fields like Biology or Biochemistry, or is research in Environmental Science or Atmospheric Science okay?

Thanks!

Premeds? No. No school would care what your research is in. If anyone asks, you could just say a great opportunity opened up and you took it. But nobody would ask.

If it helps, I've been told the type of research you do in med school doesn't matter for residency.

The only obvious exception would be an M.D.\ Ph.D.....though only a handful of people go this route.

-t

Originally Posted by RxnMan

Premeds? No. No school would care what your research is in. If anyone asks, you could just say a great opportunity opened up and you took it. But nobody would ask.

If it helps, I've been told the type of research you do in med school doesn't matter for residency.

Agree with you... And it's sad...