How significant is doing research?

[Californian]

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im going to be a junior level this coming fall but i have not done any reserach yet.. my question is how signficant is doing research? I heard 1year of reserach is minimum, is it true? and do people do reserach during summer break?

 

[Gut Shot]

im going to be a junior level this coming fall but i have not done any reserach yet.. my question is how signficant is doing research? I heard 1year of reserach is minimum, is it true? and do people do reserach during summer break?

Wanna get into an MD/PhD program at Wash U? Your research is going to be rather important. Gunning for an M1 spot at University of North Dakota? Nobody gives a ****.

Research is generally looked at as a positive, but if you have the stats and the requisite non-academic creds, it certainly won't be a deal breaker. Many (probably most) people get into med school without any meaningful research.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

if some secondaries ask about my research, would it be worthy to mention the research methods course i took and then the senior research project i did?
it definitely wasnt an extracurricular, because ALL students in my major had to complete it.

 

[ZagDoc]

I got multiple acceptances without research. n=1.

I agree with the post that its all about the schools you are shooting for. Trying to get into a top 10 research institution. You probably want to research. Got a solid application and more concerned with simply getting into medical school? Don't kill yourself for research unless its really interesting to you.

 

[Californian]

thanks for replying!
i am working at a hospital(volunter) and assistant teacher(elementary) for church is that good enough extracurricular activities?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

thanks for replying!
i am working at a hospital(volunter) and assistant teacher(elementary) for church is that good enough extracurricular activities?

Seems pretty skimpy unless the job is 30+ hrs a week, but its probably adequate.

 

[Californian]

the hours varies every week... also im a member pre-health club member..
hospital work about 10to 15hours per week and teacher at church varies 5to 10hrs

 

[ChubbyChaser]

surely you have to do something other than those.

Sports?? Leadership??, etc.

Just realize some of the ppl you compete against are gonna have it all.....D1 jock, Publications, Clinical work, Leadership Exp, DABS, etc.

 

[Californian]

no sports... no D1 Jock; no publication; no clinical work but i work at hospital..
oh im in the UCLA honors program but not sure if i am able to finish it.. this really sucks lack of extracurricular.. im losing hope..

 

[stixx]

no sports... no D1 Jock; no publication; no clinical work but i work at hospital..
oh im in the UCLA honors program but not sure if i am able to finish it.. this really sucks lack of extracurricular.. im losing hope..

UCLA is a pretty huge school, I'm sure there are hundreds of student clubs/organizations desperate for members. At least some of them will catch your eye and have minimal time committment. They may not have prestigious sounding names, but you can probably work your way to a leadership position within a semester or so. Leadership will always sound better than participation.

 

[Californian]

leaderships such as? can u name an example?

 

[Bacchus]

leaderships such as? can u name an example?

Student government, resident advisor, orientation leader, president of a club, campaign volunteer.

 

[TarHeelEMT]

I did no research and got in everywhere I applied. Work on the things that interest you most about medicine. If you're passionate about medical research, then get involved in medical research. If you're more interested in the patient care aspect, delve into opportunities to get patient care experience prior to medical school.

The key his is that you're best bet is to have your application and experiences match your interests. Don't run yourself into the ground trying to develop a cookie cutter application; work hardest on the interests and abilities that are unique to you.

 

[CCLCMer]

im going to be a junior level this coming fall but i have not done any reserach yet.. my question is how signficant is doing research? I heard 1year of reserach is minimum, is it true? and do people do reserach during summer break?

The only med schools that require research are MD/PhD programs and research MD programs like mine. Most med schools don't expect you to have done research, although the research-oriented schools like to see scholarship of some kind (like an honors thesis or independent study). Why can't you finish your honors program? Whatever your school requires for an honors degree would probably qualify as scholarship of some kind.

thanks for replying!
i am working at a hospital(volunter) and assistant teacher(elementary) for church is that good enough extracurricular activities?

It's more important for you to have quality ECs rather than quantity. If working at the hospital and teaching for your church are things that matter a lot to you and that you devote a lot of time to, then they're significant ECs. Don't let some of the gunner premeds on SDN psych you out. You don't have to have dozens of ECs to be a competitive applicant. I think it's actually better to pick one or two ECs and really devote yourself to them for a significant period of time, which it sounds like you're doing.

 

[Begaster]

the hours varies every week... also im a member pre-health club member..
hospital work about 10to 15hours per week and teacher at church varies 5to 10hrs

This is absolutely excellent if you've done it consistently for more than a year. That's 20-30 hours per week of community volunteering. Far and away more than the grand majority of people do, and in a situation that's much more impressive than being part of the premed club. Chubbychaser is freaking you out over nothing.

 

[sully677]

Research intensive medical schools always like to see a good background in it if possible...for example Northwestern's 2007 fall class had research experience.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

This is absolutely excellent if you've done it consistently for more than a year. That's 20-30 hours per week of community volunteering. Far and away more than the grand majority of people do, and in a situation that's much more impressive than being part of the premed club. Chubbychaser is freaking you out over nothing.

10-20 hours/week of volunteering is more than the average premed....but theres plenty of ppl that volunteer 10 hours a week, research 10-15 a week, play club sports, and are president of x club.

 

[neuro1617]

10-20 hours/week of volunteer is more than the average premed....but theres plenty of ppl that volunteer 10 hours a week, research 10-15 a week, play club sports, and are president of x club.

Very true. Case in point: most of MDApps. But don't do research just b/c you think you have to...if you don't like it, that's not going to help you in interviews. They want to see that you are committed to a few activities which you excel at and enjoy, and thus can see the passion when you talk about them in interviews. Obviously some schools care more about research than others, but just fyi-if you check out the MSAR, for a lot of schools, ~85-95% of students have done some kind of it.