How necessary is research?

[Perseverance13]

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Hey everyone. So I had a question regarding the necessity of research of applying. I currently have a 3.72 cGPA and 3.68sGPA as well as a 511 MCAT. I have a fairly decent app with clinical experience, nonclinical volunteering, leadership, etc. I'm a NY resident.
Tier doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to get accepted to a medical school. Will I be looked down upon for not having research?

Also, side question. I have a B- in both bio lab 1 and 2. Is that a problem? Thanks!

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to preallo

 

[aldol16]

Tier doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to get accepted to a medical school. Will I be looked down upon for not having research?

Instead of asking for blanket answers here, your best bet is to look at the MSAR and see what percentage of each med school's entering class has research experience. If 90% of the incoming class has it, it's probably likely that they view research as important.

 

[jtd2081]

Research is always good and likely cannot hurt, but I don't think you will be significantly at an advantage for not having it. I could be wrong though. And like aldol said, it is school dependent as well. Some schools are "research powerhouses" while others are not.

 

[eteshoe]

Ultimately it will depend on what type of med school you're aiming at

 

[Red_Jay]

If you're not aiming for WashU/Stanford/Harvard/JHU or MD/PhD I'd say not necessary? It won't hurt you to have it though.

 

[Perseverance13]

Got it! Thanks so much for your replies. Much appreciated!

 

[nwts]

This is totally n=1, but I got a good number of interviews and acceptances with no research experience, and nobody ever asked me why I didn't do any research. I can't comment on why they didn't ask about it, though. Maybe there were other things in my application that made my lack of research experience seem like no big deal to them, but if that was the case, I don't know what those factors were.

 

[Perseverance13]

This is totally n=1, but I got a good number of interviews and acceptances with no research experience, and nobody ever asked me why I didn't do any research. I can't comment on why they didn't ask about it, though. Maybe there were other things in my application that made my lack of research experience seem like no big deal to them, but if that was the case, I don't know what those factors were.

How were your stats if you don't mind me asking? (Congrats on your acceptances)

 

[nwts]

How were your stats if you don't mind me asking? (Congrats on your acceptances)

LizzyM 71 with a kind of high MCAT and a kind of low GPA.

Thank you for your congratulations!

 

[aldol16]

This is totally n=1, but I got a good number of interviews and acceptances with no research experience, and nobody ever asked me why I didn't do any research. I can't comment on why they didn't ask about it, though. Maybe there were other things in my application that made my lack of research experience seem like no big deal to them, but if that was the case, I don't know what those factors were.

Did you apply mostly to schools that focus on primary care or did you apply to the research powerhouses?

 

[nwts]

Did you apply mostly to schools that focus on primary care or did you apply to the research powerhouses?

I applied to a few with a primary care focus, and I didn't apply to any huge research powerhouses. However, a lot of the schools that I applied to weren't really either of the above.