Do DO schools care about research publications?

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applicant42

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I've researched this question on this and so far I haven't found an answer. So, my question is how much do DO schools care if you have a research publication.

I have two publications in inorganic chemistry (I am first author in one of them). I am wondering how much will that help me.
 
This is just me, but I do keep an eye out for people who have their lab hands. Let's just say that your publications can't possibly hurt. However, they won't make up for a poor GPA or MCAT.



applicant42 said:
I've researched this question on this and so far I haven't found an answer. So, my question is how much do DO schools care if you have a research publication.

I have two publications in inorganic chemistry (I am first author in one of them). I am wondering how much will that help me.
Click to expand...
 
applicant42 said:
I've researched this question on this and so far I haven't found an answer. So, my question is how much do DO schools care if you have a research publication.

I have two publications in inorganic chemistry (I am first author in one of them). I am wondering how much will that help me.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by "care". Is not having research a deal breaker? No. Will some schools view it favorably? Possibly.
 
This is just my own personal experience, but I extensively talked about my research experiences and publications during my DO interviews. It was definitely the the most talked about component of the interview.

As Goro stated, I won't make up for any glaring deficits but I think it's a huge plus to an application. It certainly helped me out and will continue to do so in the future.
 
Goro said:
This is just me, but I do keep an eye out for people who have their lab hands. Let's just say that your publications can't possibly hurt. However, they won't make up for a poor GPA or MCAT.
Click to expand...

What if our research isn't lab bench research? (I did one involving a survey in nutrition for example) Is this viewed any less favorably?
 
I have never set foot in a lab, never will. I have never written a scientific paper. It never came up in my interviews. I didn't even know my DO school had a research dept until end of second year. If you enjoy it - fine. If you hate it - don't force yourself.
 
O Grady said:
What if our research isn't lab bench research? (I did one involving a survey in nutrition for example) Is this viewed any less favorably?
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I would like to hear the answer to this too since I am trying to publish a review article (it was with a lab that did bench research though but again a review article).
 
O Grady said:
What if our research isn't lab bench research? (I did one involving a survey in nutrition for example) Is this viewed any less favorably?
Click to expand...

IslandStyle808 said:
I would like to hear the answer to this too since I am trying to publish a review article (it was with a lab that did bench research though but again a review article).
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I believe Goro's response is applicable here, as well. It can't hurt. It's still scholarly activity, and even better if published in a journal.
 
applicant42 said:
I've researched this question on this and so far I haven't found an answer. So, my question is how much do DO schools care if you have a research publication.

I have two publications in inorganic chemistry (I am first author in one of them). I am wondering how much will that help me.
Click to expand...

It came up during about half of my interviews. The questions I was asked were:
1) What was the research about?
2) Were you published/where?
 
Goro said:
This is just me, but I do keep an eye out for people who have their lab hands. Let's just say that your publications can't possibly hurt. However, they won't make up for a poor GPA or MCAT.
Click to expand...

I certainly don't think having publications can hurt!
One tip: If you're putting on your application that you're published, make sure you can talk about the research, somewhat extensively. Adcoms know when you're just reciting an abstract vs actually understanding the research. I had a few interviewers ask me questions that you would only know if you did the research yourself. (Which I did!) And if you were someone who worked in a lab, didn't really do any sort of research, but got your name on a publication... this could bite you in the butt. 😉
 
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