Is 100 hours of undergraduate research enough for medical school?

[deleted947805]

My school has a very poor premed advising team, therefore not allowing students to have an extensive research experience. The only students I know who did research only did it for 5 weeks, which is approximately 120 hours. If I will follow their footsteps and only get 100 hours of research experience with no publication or poster, will I still be qualified to apply top-tier medical schools, or should I just give up on applying to top medical schools because of my lack of extensive research experience?


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[eaglebaseball4]

I think I can give you a decent answer to this... if 100 hours research is all you have, your chances at T20 schools are lowered even more. Not impossible, I’m sure someone knows someone who got in with less, but it decreases your chances even more than the low percentage it is in general. With that said, there are plenty of ways to get more experience such as summer programs, and most of these include free housing and food to go along with a stipend. I would suggest one of these if your goal is T20 and need more research experiences.

 

[Catalystik]

My school has a very poor premed advising team, therefore not allowing students to have an extensive research experience. The only students I know who did research only did it for 5 weeks, which is approximately 120 hours. If I will follow their footsteps and only get 100 hours of research experience with no publication or poster, will I still be qualified to apply top-tier medical schools, or should I just give up on applying to top medical schools because of my lack of extensive research experience?

Sparse research experience might be compensated for by having particularly strong achievement in some other field of endeavor valued by the school, like leadership or service (or Olympic Gold equivalent).

 

[deleted947805]

I think I can give you a decent answer to this... if 100 hours research is all you have, your chances at T20 schools are lowered even more. Not impossible, I’m sure someone knows someone who got in with less, but it decreases your chances even more than the low percentage it is in general. With that said, there are plenty of ways to get more experience such as summer programs, and most of these include free housing and food to go along with a stipend. I would suggest one of these if your goal is T20 and need more research experiences.

How many hours, on minimum, do you think I need to be a competitive applicant?


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[gsimitian]

It sounds like your school is not a "research" university since most people that you know only have <200 hours of research. At my university it is not uncommon for every "premed" student to have >1000 hours by the time of graduation since it is a large research university. If that's true, then imo adcoms will be more lenient in your situation since you can only do so much given your circumstances.

In terms of being a competitive applicant, different schools look at different parameters to determine how well you'd "fit" with their culture. Due to your weak research background, a research-oriented medical school may pass you up because they value that experience in their students. But if you have a strong service background, consider applying to schools that value that more such as those associated with a public health program like UWSMPH or Miami Miller.

 

[Lucca]

The question "how many hours do I need" is precisely the wrong question to be asking. The real question is: If you don't want to do research, why do you want to go to a research-oriented medical school?

If you have some other ambition that could be aided by going to a school in particular then the best thing you can do is to start nursing that passion as soon as possible and find every opportunity to highlight your personal strengths and interests through achievement. Research is not an absolute necessity and can be anything from library-oriented humanities research to running linear regressions and simulations to basic bench science.

 

[eaglebaseball4]

How many hours, on minimum, do you think I need to be a competitive applicant?


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Let me preface this with I’m just an applicant.... I do not believe a certain number should be aimed for, what’s the difference in 600 hours vs 700 hours? From what I have read, it’s your ability to speak on your research and talk about/ show what you learned from the experience. This can be done in the app by your words, listing poster presentations, publications, or even letters of rec. from your PI. I had about 800 hours of research over about 13 months and one poster that I presented at 2 conferences. I have only had one II and it wasn’t even mentioned in my interview, but I was accepted. n=1, and my II was not at a T-20.

 

[deleted947805]

The question "how many hours do I need" is precisely the wrong question to be asking. The real question is: If you don't want to do research, why do you want to go to a research-oriented medical school?

If you have some other ambition that could be aided by going to a school in particular then the best thing you can do is to start nursing that passion as soon as possible and find every opportunity to highlight your personal strengths and interests through achievement. Research is not an absolute necessity and can be anything from library-oriented humanities research to running linear regressions and simulations to basic bench science.

I am not asking for a specific number. I just wanted to see a range of hours that a lot of competitive applicant had in the past. But thanks.


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[gsimitian]

I am not asking for a specific number. I just wanted to see a range of hours that a lot of competitive applicant had in the past. But thanks.


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Competitive is a relative term. It means different things at different schools. Some schools don't care if you do research since they don't prioritize that in their applicants, and others care a lot since it is the main goal of their institution. There is no specific number.

In general, if you're counting the hours in your activity rather than actually enjoying it and doing it because it imparts something in you, then you are in it for the wrong reasons and people will be able to pick up on it in your app/interviews.

 

[ciestar]

The question "how many hours do I need" is precisely the wrong question to be asking. The real question is: If you don't want to do research, why do you want to go to a research-oriented medical school?

If you have some other ambition that could be aided by going to a school in particular then the best thing you can do is to start nursing that passion as soon as possible and find every opportunity to highlight your personal strengths and interests through achievement. Research is not an absolute necessity and can be anything from library-oriented humanities research to running linear regressions and simulations to basic bench science.

Easy. “Prestige” or “Top 20” lol

 

[deleted947805]

Competitive is a relative term. It means different things at different schools. Some schools don't care if you do research since they don't prioritize that in their applicants, and others care a lot since it is the main goal of their institution. There is no specific number.

In general, if you're counting the hours in your activity rather than actually enjoying it and doing it because it imparts something in you, then you are in it for the wrong reasons and people will be able to pick up on it in your app/interviews.

I’m not counting hours for my other activities, it’s just research that I am concerned about. Plus, I just wanted to have a research experience that will help me show medical schools that I am interested in research but haven’t had the chance to do so because of lack of resources.

Thanks for the input.

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[Lucca]

I’m not counting hours for my other activities, it’s just research that I am concerned about. Plus, I just wanted to have a research experience that will help me show medical schools that I am interested in research but haven’t had the chance to do so because of lack of resources.

Thanks for the input.

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If you want to beef up your research hours, the answer is to do a research postbacc at the NIH during 1-2 gap years, full-time (google NIH IRTA). Alternatively, do an NIH funded PREP program somewhere if you are from a disadvantaged background (SES or minority). If you are still in school, do an 8-10 wk full-time summer internship, there are literally dozens of these you can apply for and some have pref for ppl with little to no UG research XP.

 

[deleted947805]

If you want to beef up your research hours, the answer is to do a research postbacc at the NIH during 1-2 gap years, full-time (google NIH IRTA). Alternatively, do an NIH funded PREP program somewhere if you are from a disadvantaged background (SES or minority). If you are still in school, do an 8-10 wk full-time summer internship, there are literally dozens of these you can apply for and some have pref for ppl with little to no UG research XP.

Thank you so much for putting my concern to rest! Merry Christmas!


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[MyOdyssey]

AAMC lists a number of summer research programs:
Summer Undergraduate Research Programs - Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Group - Member Center - AAMC

NSF REU funds a number of summer research experiences - most of which are geared towards the low SES/community college/URM/etc:
REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation

A number of medical schools have programs designed specifically for URM if that applies.
URM Student Opportunities | Research & Fellowship Opportunities for Penn Med Students | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Summer Internship Program
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/diversity/home/programs-and-initiatives/summer-internships/

There are many, many others if you search specific medical schools - particularly those you have an interest in or are close to you.

These typically require letters of recommendation so I'd start applying NOW as your recommenders will need a few weeks (especially around now) to write on your behalf.

 

[pikachoo]

I had a little less than that but got a 1st auth pub. Do the hours really matter much more than the quality of it?

 

[Lucca]

I had a little less than that but got a 1st auth pub. Do the hours really matter much more than the quality of it?

Quality > hours.