Anyone with no reserach experience...

[freaker]

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I'm coming from a very non-traditional background as an English and Art History major and haven't had a bit of research experience. Is this something I'm going to be able to pick up in medical school, or is it going to be tough to make that initial breakthrough. I did well in my pre-med pre-reqs, but that's all I took.

I guess I'm just a bit apprehensive about starting out in a lab. How tolerant are researchers going to be of a med student who may need a fresher-up on lab techniques? Or is this something that they go over with everyone (I would think so, given that a whole lot of data could get screwed up over a procedural error)?

Anyone else in this same boat? I look at secondary questions that give you the option of speaking about your research experience and just wince a bit.

EDIT: I'm not really interested in becoming an academic, but as I understand it, for certain specialties, having some research experience is almost a must (ENT, for instance).

 

[nina512]

I'm coming from a very non-traditional background as an English and Art History major and haven't had a bit of research experience. Is this something I'm going to be able to pick up in medical school, or is it going to be tough to make that initial breakthrough. I did well in my pre-med pre-reqs, but that's all I took.

I guess I'm just a bit apprehensive about starting out in a lab. How tolerant are researchers going to be of a med student who may need a fresher-up on lab techniques? Or is this something that they go over with everyone (I would think so, given that a whole lot of data could get screwed up over a procedural error)?

Anyone else in this same boat? I look at secondary questions that give you the option of speaking about your research experience and just wince a bit.

Yes you can learn a lot about science/medicine while doing research but it isn't something that is typically required of med student. If after taking all your pre-reqs you find yourself extremely curious about research, then by all means go for it. There are many entry level positions that don't require extensive research experience.

 

[choocoman]

I'm coming from a very non-traditional background as an English and Art History major and haven't had a bit of research experience. Is this something I'm going to be able to pick up in medical school, or is it going to be tough to make that initial breakthrough. I did well in my pre-med pre-reqs, but that's all I took.

I guess I'm just a bit apprehensive about starting out in a lab. How tolerant are researchers going to be of a med student who may need a fresher-up on lab techniques? Or is this something that they go over with everyone (I would think so, given that a whole lot of data could get screwed up over a procedural error)?

Anyone else in this same boat? I look at secondary questions that give you the option of speaking about your research experience and just wince a bit.

EDIT: I'm not really interested in becoming an academic, but as I understand it, for certain specialties, having some research experience is almost a must (ENT, for instance).

I dont know if youre an applicant or a entering MS1, but the top 10 research schools - as u might guess - place a priority on research experience/interest. However, they take (a few) art history majors, too. I hope your PS score is high. Non Top 10 research schools dont give as big of a hoot...

While in school, you can spend the 3 months after MS1 to build basic research skills and hopefully find a lenient professor who jots your name on a few publications, to boot. Personally, I'd rather volunteer overseas or something more cool. but hey, if plastic surgery is your thing...

 

[dr.rick]

yeah I'm in the same situation. Where does one find these research positions that dont require much lab experience? Within school or outside? where does one start?

 

[jlee9531]

i am an ms1 that has no scientific lab research experience.
its nice to have but not required.

 

[jlee9531]

yeah I'm in the same situation. Where does one find these research positions that dont require much lab experience? Within school or outside? where does one start?

you can try within school.
my school had a program to set up undergrads in research positions. usually you start off low but prolly ample opportunity to move up and be a significant part of the research involved.

 

[TexPre-Med]

Yeah if you aren't applying to a top 20 school, research is just like any other EC. Don't worry about it.

 

[i77ac]

Yeah if you aren't applying to a top 20 school, research is just like any other EC. Don't worry about it.

i'm applying to top 20 right now. actually a lot of them. and even though i have no research experience (clinical, that is, but i do research as a grant writer), i feel comfortable with my background and experience. we shall see by next year if i get into top 20 schools, but personally, i think that research is terribly overrated.

 

[freaker]

Guys, I appreciate it.

The only top 20s I'm applying to are Vandy and Emory. My gpa is right at their means, my MCAT a few points above. I'll just keep my fingers crossed, I guess. I don't really care about top 10s. At this point, a medical school in a nice location with adequate facilities works for me.

And why is PS score such a priority? It was my highest score, but it's more important that Bio and Verbal?

I think I would like to get some research experience under my belt, if nothing else, for the experience of it.

Gotta run.

 

[Code Brown]

And why is PS score such a priority? It was my highest score, but it's more important that Bio and Verbal?
Gotta run.

Because it's the only one that really tests your analytical thinking, which is extrememly hard to teach. The other two do to a point, but verbal is reasoning (interpreting which often stinks for people who have it as their second language and think in the other language with different cultural values and norms) and bio is a lot of knowledge based stuff. Both of these two are a lot easier to improve upon that the PS.

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this answer, but that's my opinion. And to any of you who plan on arguing, PS was not my highest score, so it's not like I'm trying to justify anything.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

Because it's the only one that really tests your analytical thinking, which is extrememly hard to teach. The other two do to a point, but verbal is reasoning (interpreting which often stinks for people who have it as their second language and think in the other language with different cultural values and norms) and bio is a lot of knowledge based stuff. Both of these two are a lot easier to improve upon that the PS.

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this answer, but that's my opinion. And to any of you who plan on arguing, PS was not my highest score, so it's not like I'm trying to justify anything.

well, i'm going to call ya on this code, nothing personal tho, and no flaming (not my thing ) anyway...
i see where you're coming from, but i've heard it far more often the other way around, with verbal being the most important by far. bio is definitely 'easy' to improve and i doubt that many people would object with it being labeled 'knowledge-based,' i certainly wouldn't balk at that call. but physical science is quite similar in my opinion and to many others both at this forum and among the ranks of princeton review and adcoms. there's a statistical analysis on this site somewhere that analyzes the importance placed on different scores and such (mcats, gpa, ec's...somewhat on that) and it 'found' sci gpa and verbal among the most important.
anyway, i'd say that pretty much all the mcat scores are important...except the writing score...and they test different things.
wow, i just wrote way too much on something this trivial... 😴

best of luck to the OP, you sound like you'll be fine with gpa at the mean and mcat above...not many worries there!

 

[neoncandle]

Yeah, I am a non-trad, too, with limited exposure to research. What drew me to medicine was healing people.. I am just not your traditional bio-major egg-head. Different schools care about different parts of the MCAT more.. PS was my worst section, but I still did ok. I am still going to get in somewhere despite my disliking of math and physics.