Pre-Med Research

[CuddlyKumquat]

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I was wondering how much research the average applicant actually have under their belt during application time. I have heard different things, from adcoms LOVING research to LOATHING it. So....how much research have you done?

 

[CHEEEZ]

how much research have you done?

 

[CoffeeCat]

The amount of research someone has done doesn't neccessarily relate to the number of publications they have.

 

[CuddlyKumquat]

how much research have you done?

4+ years. 3 submissions pending. 1 publication

 

[CHEEEZ]

0

 

[LabMonster]

0 😀

Lot's of people though, vomit, urine, code brown, codes, and a few people who have truly altered my vision of medicine.

Research is important, but it's not for me, I'm a clinical guy and my record reflects it. 🙂

 

[g3pro]

I wonder about those people who call dishwashing or cadaver preparing "research". I wonder about those who get fourth-authored in the worst journals of their fields. I wonder about those who do leg work for a grad student to get a fourth authorship.

How many premeds do truly outstanding research work, get first-authorship, at the most prestigious journal in their field? Zero.

Publishing is not something you should pursue. You should pursue your own research questions, doing your own research, and coming to your own conclusions. How many people do this? Very few, but those are the ones who are recognized at the top of their fields and who are accepted to the most selective med schools.


(not speaking about anyone here, so don't get your panties into a bunch.)

 

[DropkickMurphy]

About to start a research project that will probably last for at least two years (as is currently budgeted) and probably several publications. I was previously involved with a couple of prehospital treatment studies, but nothing of that much interest to anyone who isn't an EMT.

 

[laboholic]

3 + years of research
1 summer in undergrad research program
1 travel fellowship to nat research conf.
2 poster competitions
1 poster award
1 pub submitted/nth author
1 pub in progress/2nd author
2 pubs going out in next year/ 1st author

Yea!! 👍

 

[BooMed]

One six month research project resulting in one publication in JAMA as a co-author. 😍 It was an interesting topic too.

 

[_ian]

2 pubs going out in next year/ 1st author:

I love it when people say this, because it's totally meaningless. In the next year? Nothing matters until you're accepted, and even then, the quality of the journal is extremely important.

 

[dajimmers]

3+ years here,

All at the same lab, but under three different directors, on three different projects. Undergrad poster forum and award for that, but no real publications. May be getting a 2nd author this semester, but it doesn't really matter to me. I'm not MSTP, and I know the stuff well enough to prove it to the interviewers.

As for whether research matters or not, it depends on:
A. Who you are, and what your goals are.
B. What med school you're talking about.

For instance, I'm in Michigan. UofM will appreciate some research, while MSU's DO school will probably not care too much, and be more interested in primary care experience.

 

[maddscientist]

4 years undergrad
2 publications
4 years grad work
2 publications(one pending)
1 cover of Nature

Still no interviews...

 

[Anastasis]

0 😀

Lot's of people though, vomit, urine, code brown, codes, and a few people who have truly altered my vision of medicine.

Research is important, but it's not for me, I'm a clinical guy and my record reflects it. 🙂

Does anyone else find that slightly ironic considering his screen name?

 

[63768]

4 months in orthopedic research. 1 submission, 1 about to be submitted, many in the near future.

 

[BooMed]

4 years undergrad
2 publications
4 years grad work
2 publications(one pending)
1 cover of Nature

Still no interviews...

You really are a mad scientist! 😛

 

[Risa]

0 😀

Lot's of people though, vomit, urine, code brown, codes, and a few people who have truly altered my vision of medicine.

Research is important, but it's not for me, I'm a clinical guy and my record reflects it. 🙂

That's me exactly, Labmonster. Cool to see someone who's gone the same way 🙂

 

[laboholic]

I love it when people say this, because it's totally meaningless. In the next year? Nothing matters until you're accepted, and even then, the quality of the journal is extremely important.

ian, has it occurred to you that someone (me for example) might list this to indicate the number of primary research projects that they are involved in and how close to completion they are? If you haven’t noticed, SDN is not a CV or an application of any sort. Why do people like you feel the need to bash people? You are only a sophomore in college... give me a break. I listen to seminars all the time that are filled with people like you... Young grad students that think they know everything... They make themselves look like fools by trying to give advice to veteran researchers who have worked years on a project.

Most of this ranting is based on reading your posts where you give advice on how to attack the verbal reasoning section and whether paper MCAT is better than computer.. etc., etc. I highly doubt that you have extensive experience on this matter as a sophomore.
So, hopefully you will heed my advice and realize that you are still young and have much to learn.

By they way, Michigan’s football team sucks. Why are they overrated year after year after year?

 

[AznDoc]

research is always a good thing to have under your belt but it isn't a prerequisite for getting into med school. if you have the opportunity to do some research then by all means go ahead and do it. two guys on my hall got into med school last year with absolutely no research.

 

[45408]

well, I have lots, but it hasn't resulted in publication. The stuff I'm working on isn't conducive to wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am publication, but I've been in the lab for almost two years.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Zip zero. Uninterested 🙂

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

well, I have lots, but it hasn't resulted in publication. The stuff I'm working on isn't conducive to wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am publication, but I've been in the lab for almost two years.

Exactly. I worked 1.5 years, and what will be another year in clinical research, and I doubt anything will get published for several years, if that. It all depends on who you're working with and what kind of project you have. I know for a fact some people only take lab jobs they know will last a few months and result in a publication. And like people have said, where they are published counts, too. So 3 publications doesn't mean crap if you worked a month on each one and they get published in the Armenian Journal of Pseduo-Science.

 

[JustR]

2 semesters at Undergrade lab