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You can't change your past, parents, SOS, ethnicity, etc. If the HS research was what key you into a career as a clinician-scientist, express that in your application. Clearly, it would not have the same weight as an undergraduate or postbac experience. You don't need to defend the experience, just describe it. It will not hurt you...
Describe your passion for science, everything else will align well. You don't seem to need a post-bac year.
Does rank of a program correlate with its quality? A well-structured program (experienced administration, a strong support system for students, curriculum integrating clinical and research years, support for students going back to clinic, etc.) is more important to me than the numerical rank.If rank/prestige is important to you, I would take a gap year.
The research I did in high school was actually a program for underrepresented minorities in science. The place where I did this research is actually now one of my top choice programs. In this case, the HS research should help my app, shouldn't it?the admissions director from Columbia said that it doesn't hurt to put HS research on since it shows early interest; however, the AD from Sinai said that HS research basically depends on who your parents know, so she doesn't really care.
Is it advisable that I have letters of recommendation from my high school PIs (even though I already have 3 from undergrad classes and research)? Getting letters from my high school PIs won't be a problem, but that was four years ago so I'm uncertain of the weight that will hold in the admissions process.If the HS research was what key you into a career as a clinician-scientist, express that in your application. Clearly, it would not have the same weight as an undergraduate or postbac experience. You don't need to defend the experience, just describe it.
Sorry to derail, but can they significantly hurt an application? I've been reaching out to professors and most have basically been AWOL with regards to responding, while the one science prof that gave me one (after I scrambled a bit) pretty explicitly told me that I didn't rank the highest in the class and some outside factors have made me a little wary. Should I wait it out and get it from someone else? I do have 2 LoRs from PIs for independent research courses that gave me credit; 1, I've only been with for a term but am going to be there for the rest of my time in UG and the other I was there for 1.5ish years.Undergrad classes LORs are useless. Research advisors are critical.
This is a super helpful perspective, thanks!!If a school has $500,000 to offer you to train as an MDPhD, it's cause they know how to train you well. Programs don't casually stumble into huge funding. They get it in response to proving themselves so it's hard to go wrong unless you're picking places that are a bad fit.
On that note... I don't think I'll get a really strong letter out of one of my PIs (I was only there 1 summer and we didn't interact much since he was traveling most of the time). Will it hurt worse if I don't submit a letter from him at all?LORs from undergrad course professors are almost useless. You got a grade already for the course in the transcript. Research mentor letters are more important...
On the other side of the coin, a bad letter from an undergrad course professor might hurt, but a bad letter from a research mentor will hurt badly.
If you do a summer program every summer and applied as a junior, is it a red flag sign if I don't have a letter from freshmen summer PI.If the PI wasn't there during the summer that you were, get the person who supervise you to write the letter and ask that person to provide it to the PI. Most often, they will recognize their absence, and quote portions of that letter.
We expect letters from research PI for experiences longer than 8-10 weeks.