Laboratory Methodology Classes on VMCAS

[NStarz]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This may seem like a random question, but I figure I'd ask anyway.

One of my classes is a molecular and cellular biology lab techniques class. We carried out experiments in southern and western blots, ELISA, restriction mapping, etc. I feel this is an asset to my application, as many people (at least according to the graduates of my university) don't have experience in this DNA laboratory technology. (This is in addition to the research I've carried out with my PI= principal investigator.)

Also, if I carried out research for more than one class, ie designed study, did original research, presented the findings (not at a conference, but in class). Could I add this somewhere? Or is it kind of not applicable to anything? I may be pulling straws on this one, but I'm not entirely sure. (This has happened in at least two classes of mine, so I would like to include it if I can, but I'm not sure that it would be an asset to my app in any way.)

Thanks all! I <3 it here.

 

[parietal]

I had an experimental surgical techniques class/lab where we each spayed two rats (so cool!) and analyzed the subsequent changes in their hormone levels. I called the VMCAS people last summer, and they said I could put it under vet experience as well as classwork.

I would think that might apply to your lab as well, but I really don't know where one would draw the line between stuff normally done in upper-level bio and chem labs and something that could count as experience as well. Probably best to call and be sure.

I'd be hesitant about counting class presentations as research experience though, although I'm not quite clear what kind of original research you did. Can't hurt to ask the VMCAS people though, I suppose.

 

[NStarz]

I had an experimental surgical techniques class/lab where we each spayed two rats (so cool!) and analyzed the subsequent changes in their hormone levels. I called the VMCAS people last summer, and they said I could put it under vet experience as well as classwork.

I would think that might apply to your lab as well, but I really don't know where one would draw the line between stuff normally done in upper-level bio and chem labs and something that could count as experience as well. Probably best to call and be sure.

I'd be hesitant about counting class presentations as research experience though, although I'm not quite clear what kind of original research you did. Can't hurt to ask the VMCAS people though, I suppose.

Thanks for your input! I'm not exactly sure what to do with those classes either 😕😕😕. It wasn't just a research paper or anything of that nature. Both classes I'm thinking about involved field research and statistical analyses, but neither was presented formally.

 

[clouds815]

Not that this answers your questions but I took a molecular lab (doing pretty much the same things that you listed) and did not list as anything extra. Just under coursework. Personally I don't feel like thats anything that should be listed as extra- everyone takes labs. If you worked in the area or did research or whatever outside of just taking the class, that may be another thing.
JMO, I'm sure others may feel differently

 

[sumstorm]

VMCAS told me 'no, that is course work, use explanation if you need.' but that was 2 years ago.

 

[GellaBella]

In my opinion the lab techniques class is not such a big deal, I think many undegrads have some experience/exposure to molecular bio techniques so I would list it as just a class.

On the other hand an independent research project could in my opinion count as research hours. Just be honest about the amount of time you actually put into it.

I had a neurobio class where we performed brain surgery on rats and designed our own research proj to assess changes in brain morphology that I put under vet experience.

 

[Minnerbelle]

This may seem like a random question, but I figure I'd ask anyway.

One of my classes is a molecular and cellular biology lab techniques class. We carried out experiments in southern and western blots, ELISA, restriction mapping, etc. I feel this is an asset to my application, as many people (at least according to the graduates of my university) don't have experience in this DNA laboratory technology. (This is in addition to the research I've carried out with my PI= principal investigator.)

Also, if I carried out research for more than one class, ie designed study, did original research, presented the findings (not at a conference, but in class). Could I add this somewhere? Or is it kind of not applicable to anything? I may be pulling straws on this one, but I'm not entirely sure. (This has happened in at least two classes of mine, so I would like to include it if I can, but I'm not sure that it would be an asset to my app in any way.)

Thanks all! I <3 it here.

If you put down in the course title that it was ______ w/lab, it's assumed that you performed lab techniques relevant to the course title so I was told not to. Same goes with designing your own experiments in a lab course, because it's still a part of a structured course, and it's more common than you think. If you were to have published the results or presented it in a conference, that would be a different story. But, presenting to your classmates is simply coursework. Independent research, on the other hand, I believe counts as research. So definitely count the work you did with your PI as research experience.

I had a similar situation in undergrad where I got to do a lot of really cool experiments in my lab courses. At the time, I felt like the experience I got from them were pretty special. I mean, how many people get to run MALDI-TOFs and 2D-NMR right? But then, once I actually went into research full time, I realized that just having a professor walk you through running a western once or twice is nothing like actual research. The real "research experience" part of it is in writing out the lab manual: working out the hypothesis, figuring out the right model system (transformed bacteria, transfected cell culture, tissue samples, etc...), titrating the correct antibody concentration, etc... even before you get novel results.

So given that most experimental kinks are already figured out for you by the department, and all you're doing is following the lab manual and going through the motions of an experiment, I think it's fair to get the recognition of taking a "lab" course over a non-lab course... but I wouldn't call it research.

Like a few people said above, depending on what you did, animal handling in lab could be considered vet experience. Had I known that when I applied, I probably would have included the intracellular/extracellular recordings of nerves, hearts, and skeletal muscle of frogs and aplysia that I performed in a few courses on my apps. oh wells.