So I've been admitted to a dental school, and I think I might want to specialize once I graduate. I want to give myself the best chance of having that option open for the future. I know it's all about GPA, board score, and rec letters, but my question is how important would having research experience be? Will it even help at all? and if so, how much would it help?
How important is Research for specializing?
- Thread starter zthang
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And the individual program philosophy to to a certain extent... e.g. You do tons of research in dental school but your number one desired program for specialty training isnt really big on research, during the application process you might find yourself downplaying all the research you've done in dental school. If a program hasnt traditionally had a heavy research component, then your creditials may make it seem that your might be happier at another more research laden program. On the other hand if you do research (even though you detest it) just to increase your chances of getting into a certain program , dont be surprised if when you get into that program they expect you to publish like mad. Then again no research experience could also bite you in the budd... I feel that the "to research/no to research" dilemma can be a double edged sword. Hence it pays to adhere to the adage..." to thine ownself be tru..." and be prepared to know what you are getting yourself into...
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Research will not hurt you and will likely help you a lot no matter what field you choose. All programs like to see that you are published somewhere. Nobody is going to say "that guy did research, he must suck". If you want to strengthen an application with good boards and class rank, do research.
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Grades and boards come first. Don't let time spent on research compromise your grades.
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I agree with the aforementioned, research will in no way hurt you when applying for a specialty. I know I'm stating the obvious, but you should shoot to be as well-rounded as possible. At some point you will be submitting a CV to a program and you should try to paint a picture of someone who has thoroughly investigated the field that he/she has chosen. When you decide which specialty is for you, I would certainly put some thought into undertaking a research project. In most cases, if you express interest to faculty in that department, they will find something for you (even if it is collecting water samples from the air/water sprays in the student clinic and testing them for microbes
). My gruntwork on earlier projects earned me a great deal of trust with the faculty and provided stepping stones to bigger and better things. The way I look at it, research in your specialty will most likely lead to these results:1. A stronger and more personal letter of rec from the PD/Chair of your (insert specialty here) department
2. A possible publication on your CV (programs really hate this
)3. Evidence of investigation into that field
4. All expenses paid vacation...er national meetings (spent 3 days in Orlando for AADR/ADEA and maybe an hour of that was spent next to my poster). Also, took a side trip down to the Miami area for a day and caught a music festival which was off the hook (timing really is everything)
.But seriously, try to keep everything balanced. Don't sacrifice grades and boards for research. My advice would be to find a faculty mentor, talk with him/her about what research is going on in the department, and determine how involved you wish to be. You never know. There could be a project out that takes little time to complete and can reap major dividends.
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Only do research if you truly enjoy it. Just to pad your CV does not justify spending all that time when you could focus on things you really enjoy. Besides, I agree with everyone before that research is not required for all specialties or programs.
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I did 3 yrs of full time (it was my job) biochem research before D-school...completely unrelated to OMS or dentistry for that matter. I didn't do a lick of research in D-school (went to a new school without a good research infrastructure...but that is another story).
This is just my opinion and I am certainly not an expert so take it for what it is worth...
Programs aren't going to expect that you solved the world's most illusive problems while doing 4 hrs of research a week for three months on a dental school project. They aren't going to look at you and say, "Man, this guy/girl is the research god and we HAVE to have them." All they want to see is that you have been exposed to reasearch and the methodologies empolyed to tackle a problem. Research is likely going to be a component, whether big or small, of any residency program. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll be conducting research...but at a minimum, you will be evaluating research on a very regular basis. They want to know that you know what to look for in sound research technique.
I liken this to the externship issue. No program expects that you learn a tremendous amount by doing several externships. It is rediculous to even consider that the pissant amount of info you may gleem from an externship can even remotely compare to a residency. They only care that you do them so that you may make as much of an informed decision as possible before you commit to the extra years of education and training...and so they can see if you are a tool or not
This is totally just my opinion...but my mom tells me eveyone loves to hear my opinion
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Its not that important if you are strong everywhere else. Make sure you do some extracurriculars, though. Research, Student Government, Tutoring, Community Service (Dental Health Fairs), etc. Choose something you like doing, and do it well. Don't go around half-ass*ng a bunch of things to try to pad the CV. PG's can usually see right through this when they interview.
Good luck.
Good luck.
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i disagree. if a certain specialty requires research experience, are you NOT going to do research just because you don't enjoy it?
i don't enjoy studying, but i do it because admissions committees like high GPA's.
i don't enjoy studying, but i do it because admissions committees like high GPA's.
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my experience regarding research in omfs interviews --
very secondary when compared to grades/boards, and truthfully, may only help you stand out in a tiny number of programs. lastly, in those programs that do care about research, be sure to really know your stuff... since they care, they will ask the right questions.
lastly, still very much agree that do research only if you really enjoy the project and the people you're working with. after all, for many, this will be the last research project pursued.
very secondary when compared to grades/boards, and truthfully, may only help you stand out in a tiny number of programs. lastly, in those programs that do care about research, be sure to really know your stuff... since they care, they will ask the right questions.
lastly, still very much agree that do research only if you really enjoy the project and the people you're working with. after all, for many, this will be the last research project pursued.
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No, but you can participate in other things and really have a good experience doing it. Like stated earlier, you can do many other things besides to put together a very well-rounded application other than doing hard core research. SGA, Volunteering, externships, etc. I haven't met anyone who enjoyed studying yet either.
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i would have gladly joined every single organization in dental school, in lieu of doing hardcore research, but my impression was that research pulls a little more weight. i hope i was right, but i guess time will only tell...
No, but you can participate in other things and really have a good experience doing it. Like stated earlier, you can do many other things besides to put together a very well-rounded application other than doing hard core research. SGA, Volunteering, externships, etc. I haven't met anyone who enjoyed studying yet either.
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