could my 1 credit independent study be my research experience

[wsc2879]

I have taken one credit independent study to participate in some research lab. Could I use it as my research credential?

Also I will work on a bioengineering lab next semsester to finish my honor thesise. could I use that as my research experience too?

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[Catalystik]

I have taken one credit independent study to participate in some research lab. Could I use it as my research credential?

Also I will work on a bioengineering lab next semsester to finish my honor thesise. could I use that as my research experience too?

Any research activity, whether for pay, class credit, or volunteer can and should be listed under "Research."

 

[ThaliaNox]

Does it count as research? Of course. However, from the way you described it, it probably isn't very strong research. Try not to think of your med school application as a giant check-list. Schools don't like it when all of your activities are short term or shallow. It doesn't have to be research, but make sure that you have at least a couple long term (at least a year or two) activities about which you can talk convincingly.

When rating applications, I was trained to toss applications like this one in the bucket: Once a week hospital volunteering for four months, soup kitchen volunteering weekly for three months, an overseas volunteer trip (2 weeks), treasurer of a pre-med club, a summer research internship (8 weeks), shadowing three doctors for 10 hours each, and participated in various fundraising activities for medical causes. They call them check-list applications, and my school at least really hates them.

 

[rxnfiend]

Does it count as research? Of course. However, from the way you described it, it probably isn't very strong research. Try not to think of your med school application as a giant check-list. Schools don't like it when all of your activities are short term or shallow. It doesn't have to be research, but make sure that you have at least a couple long term (at least a year or two) activities about which you can talk convincingly.

When rating applications, I was trained to toss applications like this one in the bucket: Once a week hospital volunteering for four months, soup kitchen volunteering weekly for three months, an overseas volunteer trip (2 weeks), treasurer of a pre-med club, a summer research internship (8 weeks), shadowing three doctors for 10 hours each, and participated in various fundraising activities for medical causes. They call them check-list applications, and my school at least really hates them.

So you throw someone away who has tried to cover all of their bases under the presumption that it is a check-list?

I bet if you saw an application with more like a year of volunteering, weekly random volunteering for 6 months, summer research plus a semester or two of other research, 50 hours of shadowing, overseas volunteer trip, and one or two leadership activities to go along with a good GPA/MCAT you would give it more of a second look. It is the same exact things listed about just with more hours/a little longer involvement. Does having a longer involvement in different activities move it to a person worth getting a second look from the check-list applicant?

 

[ThaliaNox]

So you throw someone away who has tried to cover all of their bases under the presumption that it is a check-list?

I bet if you saw an application with more like a year of volunteering, weekly random volunteering for 6 months, summer research plus a semester or two of other research, 50 hours of shadowing, overseas volunteer trip, and one or two leadership activities to go along with a good GPA/MCAT you would give it more of a second look. It is the same exact things listed about just with more hours/a little longer involvement. Does having a longer involvement in different activities move it to a person worth getting a second look from the check-list applicant?

I didn't say that at all. Covering all your bases is great. The thing is that the coverage has to be meaningful! You extended all the things I listed to meaningful level. Checklisting is an eight week summer research experience. Period. A meaningful experience is that and a couple more semesters, like you said. So yes, having longer involvement does move a person out of checklist territory. A true checklist applicant has nearly ALL their activities being short term. It's okay to try one or two things and not continue them forever. Just not everything!

 

[jgauger]

I didn't say that at all. Covering all your bases is great. The thing is that the coverage has to be meaningful! You extended all the things I listed to meaningful level. Checklisting is an eight week summer research experience. Period. A meaningful experience is that and a couple more semesters, like you said. So yes, having longer involvement does move a person out of checklist territory. A true checklist applicant has nearly ALL their activities being short term. It's okay to try one or two things and not continue them forever. Just not everything!

Good info. Thanks a lot.