Doing research during the semester

[DendWrite]

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If I hope to gain acceptance to MSTP programs (assuming GPA/MCAT are good enough), is it expected that I'll do research during the semesters and during the summers, or is it acceptable to just do research over the summer? With my current schedule it will be hard to do more than 20 hrs/week of research (nowhere near enough for an independent project) during the semester.

Will it hurt me to spend this time doing clinical volunteeiring so long as I do research extensively over the summers, or is semester research important as well?

 

[cardinalsrock]

With that mindset, are you sure you want to apply to MSTP programs? Research is just as important for those programs as a high GPA and MCAT score

Research >>> clinical volunteering for MSTP applicants. You still need some kind of clinical experience though

 

[JJsMom]

i had the same kind of problem my junior year. i was taking 24 units and TAing a class (about 20 hours a week of work with teaching recitations) i spent a little less time in the lab that semester and scheduled it like a 4 credit class. the next semester i worked for pay and bumped the hours. if you want to do md phd you really have to research during the year because usually they consider 3 summers as one year (given the lack of continuity) and 2 semesters as one year.
best of luck.

 

[cardinalsrock]

i had the same kind of problem my junior year. i was taking 24 units and TAing a class (about 20 hours a week of work with teaching recitations) i spent a little less time in the lab that semester and scheduled it like a 4 credit class. the next semester i worked for pay and bumped the hours. if you want to do md phd you really have to research during the year because usually they consider 3 summers as one year (given the lack of continuity) and 2 semesters as one year.
best of luck.

3 summers may technically count as a year, but I doubt MSTP programs will look at a person with 3 disjointed research sessions only during the summers as a serious applicant. All the successful MSTP applicants I know have extensive research experience. One of them had just 1 year of research by the time he started applying, but the guy was in lab 30+ hrs a week his junior year and got 2 publications out of that time span.

 

[URHere]

I agree that summer-only research probably won't be enough if you are applying to MD/PhD programs (especially the MSTPs).

If you work only over the summer, I doubt you would have the time to design a project and see it through from start to finish. Until you've had experience with every aspect of research (design, lab work, presentation, write-up, troubleshooting, etc) how can you be sure it's something you will like?

If you don't have time to work in a lab during the semester, why not take a year off before applying to schools and work in a lab full time? You need to remember that you'll be competing with people who have been in lab for YEARS...and that research trumps all when it comes to MD/PhD admissions (yes, MCAT and GPA are important...but without the research even perfect stats won't get you in). If you don't have a solid and extensive research background, those other applicants will blow you out of the water.

 

[CoolWhipp]

If I hope to gain acceptance to MSTP programs (assuming GPA/MCAT are good enough), is it expected that I'll do research during the semesters and during the summers, or is it acceptable to just do research over the summer?...

1 year of research looks way better than 3 summer research sessions. I don't recommend only doing summer research, plus it won't be enough.