List paper-reading hobby as EC?

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Prometheus123

Prometheus123

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Can I list this as a hobby in my activities section? Any tips on how to (and how not to) present it? This is one of my strongest motivations for going into medicine and it's why I'm such a proponent of evidence-based medicine. However, I'll drop it if it's a red flag. I don't have much formal research experience; I just started volunteering in a circadian lab.

As a hobby, I've been reading scientific papers since 2012 and collecting and annotating them since 2015. I read about a wide variety of topics, but most of my reading centers on underlying mechanisms that drive the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases, especially mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic inflammation in neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders.

As an example, a paper I just started reading is
Obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis and chronic periodontitis: a shared pathology via oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction? I'm also very interested in promising approaches to reverse these pathologies for the purpose of slowing the progression of chronic diseases. For instance, Nrf2 inducers and membrane lipid replacement therapy to reverse acquired mitochondrial dysfunction to slow the progression of neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders.

For any skeptics in the audience, I'm happy to provide higher-quality evidence for these ideas than the reviews I've linked to.
 
I don't think its bad per se, but if you have deep interest in research I feel like formal research experience sometime since 2012 would be more convincing. I would probably leave it off because if I was an adcom I would wonder why you're hobby is reading research but not actively participating in any- it would seem strange. Not trying to sound mean or anything just my two cents and I feel like that's how an adcom would maybe interpret it/or at least I would
 
Can you fold this into the description for any of your prior research experiences?
 
I agree with the above poster that a skeptic may wonder why you have not sought out research opportunities if you have such an interest in primary research. I am not trying to question your motivation or interest, but playing devils advocate; I would be concerned that perhaps an Adcom would view this as an attempt at impressing them without substantially backing it up. Maybe this is something that could could weave into your PS as part of your motivation for pursuing medicine?

I would also throw out a caution to check the the caliber of the journal and also the date published before putting too much stock into a paper. For example, generally review articles that are more than a couple of years out of date are pretty irrelevant to what is actively going on in the field. Some reviews also misrepresent the original research and so it is always good to go back to the primary manuscript. There are a lot of really crappy journals out there - a rough way to gauge the reliability of a journal is to take a look at its impact factor.

I hope you don't take this as discouragement, I think its great that you are independently interested in primary research! I am in a slightly more basic research field that these papers, but feel free to PM if you want to discuss any of this further.
 
Noctámbulo said:
Can you fold this into the description for any of your prior research experiences?
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Maybe? I did data entry as a volunteer in a lab in 2010 for 3 months, which had nothing to do with my research interests.

I recently wrote the IRB documents for a protocol I designed, which has not been submitted to the IRB yet. As a result of that, I just started volunteering in a lab doing circadian research, which is related to my personal research hobby, but I've only accumulated 6 hours so far.
 
No judgement, but why didn't you seek out research? Do you go to a really small liberal arts school or transfer?
 
Seldon said:
No judgement, but why didn't you seek out research? Do you go to a really small liberal arts school or transfer?
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Yes, I went to a small liberal arts college for my first two years, then I took 4 years off, worked, and found my calling was medicine. Then I transferred and did my prerequisites.

To be honest, it was just never really a high priority for me. None of the researchers in my area are doing research within my core interests (I've checked). I wasn't aware until recently that people don't take you seriously unless everything you do is documented within the conventional system. My impression is that intrinsic motivation is so rare that everyone regards it with extreme suspicion. (To be fair, I'm sure many applicants have intrinsic motivation to pursue research, they were just better-informed and more strategic about providing conventional evidence for it).

If it helps, I've written some blog posts about what I've found.
 
Catalystik said:
I am relieved to see you weren't referring to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or a local newspaper, as I'd assumed from your title.
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Haha. To avoid making it sound like I was talking about formal research experience, I chose a title that downplays it as much as possible. Is this a good thing to do for my EC listing to, if I list it?

I believe it is my duty to learn for the rest of my life, not just from the USMLE curriculum about the current standard of care but also from the peer-reviewed literature about how to improve on the standard of care.
 
Prometheus123 said:
Yes, I went to a small liberal arts college for my first two years, then I took 4 years off, worked, and found my calling was medicine. Then I transferred and did my prerequisites.

To be honest, it was just never really a high priority for me. None of the researchers in my area are doing research within my core interests (I've checked). I wasn't aware until recently that people don't take you seriously unless everything you do is documented within the conventional system. My impression is that intrinsic motivation is so rare that everyone regards it with extreme suspicion. (To be fair, I'm sure many applicants have intrinsic motivation to pursue research, they were just better-informed and more strategic about providing conventional evidence for it).

If it helps, I've written some blog posts about what I've found.
Click to expand...
Intrinsic motivation is one thing, but actual experience is another. Science is totally different from inside the lab. You find that a lot of the time, papers are poorly written and often completely wrong. Without experience in the lab or in clinical research, you honestly can't properly evaluate a paper.
 
If I were you (looking for a good way to channel that interest into a better EC) I'd try starting a journal club. It wouldn't have to be anything big or overly formal...even if it's just you and a bunch of coworkers and friends getting together to read and discuss papers. I think it would be a great way to share your passion with others and make a better item for your application.

If there's already a journal club at your school, join it!

Given your level of interest I'd recommend this even if you weren't going to use this on an application.
 
BtmoreRavens18 said:
I agree with the above poster that a skeptic may wonder why you have not sought out research opportunities if you have such an interest in primary research. I am not trying to question your motivation or interest, but playing devils advocate; I would be concerned that perhaps an Adcom would view this as an attempt at impressing them without substantially backing it up. Maybe this is something that could could weave into your PS as part of your motivation for pursuing medicine?

I would also throw out a caution to check the the caliber of the journal and also the date published before putting too much stock into a paper. For example, generally review articles that are more than a couple of years out of date are pretty irrelevant to what is actively going on in the field. Some reviews also misrepresent the original research and so it is always good to go back to the primary manuscript. There are a lot of really crappy journals out there - a rough way to gauge the reliability of a journal is to take a look at its impact factor.

I hope you don't take this as discouragement, I think its great that you are independently interested in primary research! I am in a slightly more basic research field that these papers, but feel free to PM if you want to discuss any of this further.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right, which is why I mentioned that I could provide higher-quality references if anyone was interested. I linked to review articles and commentaries just so they would be a digestible intro to the topics I mentioned. I don't agree about the importance of the impact factor--many low impact factor journals publish excellent research, and pre-judging the validity of research by the impact factor of the journal is logically fallacious--but I realize I am in the minority in this opinion.

I tried putting it into my PS, but it didn't work.
 
CCresearcher said:
If I were you (looking for a good way to channel that interest into a better EC) I'd try starting a journal club. It wouldn't have to be anything big or overly formal...even if it's just you and a bunch of coworkers and friends getting together to read and discuss papers. I think it would be a great way to share your passion with others and make a better item for your application.

If there's already a journal club at your school, join it!

Given your level of interest I'd recommend this even if you weren't going to use this on an application.
Click to expand...

The lab I just started volunteering at just started a journal club, and that is exactly my plan. Glad to hear it's a viable strategy for the future. As of now though, the club has never met, and I need to submit my AMCAS ASAP.
 
Seldon said:
Intrinsic motivation is one thing, but actual experience is another. Science is totally different from inside the lab. You find that a lot of the time, papers are poorly written and often completely wrong. Without experience in the lab or in clinical research, you honestly can't properly evaluate a paper.
Click to expand...

I agree that the experience is invaluable for that reason, which is part of why I've started volunteering formally. That being said, even with the little I know, I often do find inaccuracies, inconsistencies, improperly analyzed data, misrepresentations of primary sources, etc. I'm sure I will find more though once I have more experience.
 
I think you could list it as a hobby. Just not as research experience. I think that you sound very enthusiastic about this but you may want to condense the topic into more of a soundbite if you get asked about it. Just my 2 cents. I do think it is worthwhile and interesting. Just don't forget to get your expected ecs.


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Some adcoms may see it as a positive attribute. You mentioned that it was your duty to learn for the rest of your life; welcome to the life of a physician. Some adcoms may view it as a neutral hobby. Its hard for me to imagine anyone with the academic credentials to be on a MD/DO admissions committee finding fault in it. Unless of course you don't have the other required elements to an application (Clinical volunteering, for example).
 
Prometheus123 said:
I chose a title that downplays it as much as possible. Is this a good thing to do for my EC listing to, if I list it?
Click to expand...
Hobbies would be a reasonable category to select, since you only have 6 hours of research experience and the journal club hasn't met yet. But the name you give the space should be less open to misinterpretation than what you've used here. Be prepared for an interviewer to ask about a recent research article you've read and to comment on its interpretation.

As it's a strong motivation for you to go into medicine, I'd hope it appears in the PS as well.
 
ChymeofPassion said:
Some adcoms may see it as a positive attribute. You mentioned that it was your duty to learn for the rest of your life; welcome to the life of a physician. Some adcoms may view it as a neutral hobby. Its hard for me to imagine anyone with the academic credentials to be on a MD/DO admissions committee finding fault in it. Unless of course you don't have the other required elements to an application (Clinical volunteering, for example).
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Thanks. I've got a little over 200 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact and around 10 hours of shadowing.
 
I do understand what you are saying about impact factors, you are absolutely right that there are excellent papers in lower tier journals. Often I find this happens in fields with some prominent research groups pushing the same narrative, someone who argues against this narrative may find it difficult to get published in a good journal. As a result, some really important paradigm shifting papers are published in lower journals. However, this is unusual and there is a ton of crap out there. I am also not a fan of impact factors, but they do give you a rough idea and I just wanted to stress this importance of questioning the literature you read. If you polled PI's at a good research institute, very few of them would put any stock in old review articles in low tier journals.

Intrinsic motivation is obviously important and I can understand your frustration that you feel like you have to demonstrate it in more formal ways for your application but unfortunately, thats the nature of a written application. Which is why I feel this is something best mentioned in an essay and brought up during an interview where you have the opportunity to convince the Adcom of your interest. As @CCresearcher mentioned, starting or joining a journal club would be an excellent way to convince someone of your interest. I also feel that physically participating in research and discussing it with others in a journal club will give you a better lens through which to critically read literature.
 
I would list it as a hobby. Honestly, my first thought was that you were trying to puff your app up, but after reading your posts I can tell you actually just enjoy reading papers. I do as well. I frequently read things in Nature or Science that have nothing to do with medicine. I think it's good to show adcoms you enjoy learning and already have an interest in keeping up with journals, because you'll be doing a lot of that.
 
Ok, I'm dying to know if reading that many scientific papers really helped with the MCAT. What do you think? Did it help? You'll be reading a lot more as a physician, so I can't imagine it would hurt it any way.


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DBC03 said:
Ok, I'm dying to know if reading that many scientific papers really helped with the MCAT. What do you think? Did it help? You'll be reading a lot more as a physician, so I can't imagine it would hurt it any way.


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Click to expand...
For me, it's really helped with CARS. Besides that though, I don't think it's really applicable. Most of the time, the papers have too narrow a focus to ever use on anything else. That's just my 2 cents though.
 
Catalystik said:
Hobbies would be a reasonable category to select, since you only have 6 hours of research experience and the journal club hasn't met yet. But the name you give the space should be less open to misinterpretation than what you've used here. Be prepared for an interviewer to ask about a recent research article you've read and to comment on its interpretation.

As it's a strong motivation for you to go into medicine, I'd hope it appears in the PS as well.
Click to expand...

OK, hobbies it is. Yes, I'm using this as an excuse to really deep dive on any papers I manage to mention in my application. I am a bit lost on the title. What about: "Independent secondary research hobby". I think that's a technically accurate description of what I do. However, I'm worried that may be just as misleading.

By the way, could any of this be folded into this to provide some concrete evidence? I wrote an essay about biofield physiology that got awarded an all-expenses paid scholarship to attend a fringe science conference. To respect the evidence, I spent much of my time at the conference asking skeptical questions. A physicist I befriended there recommended me to an editor, who asked me to review and write questions for a manuscript in a low impact factor journal. I wrote skeptical questions and cited my sources, and my questions were published along with the manuscript.

Based on feedback here, I scrapped my old PS (which focused on my research interests) and rewrote it along more conventional lines. The current draft does still have a one sentence mention at the end though.

*Shameless plug*: If anyone would be willing, I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on my new PS!
 
Endoxifen said:
For me, it's really helped with CARS. Besides that though, I don't think it's really applicable. Most of the time, the papers have too narrow a focus to ever use on anything else. That's just my 2 cents though.
Click to expand...

Same, I felt I had a huge unfair advantage on CARS and B/B because of my experience deciphering papers. The B/B in particular just seemed like gamified paper interpretation to me. This may be the main reason I scored in the 97 percentile even though I only got two hours of sleep the night before.

About the focus being too narrow to be practical, I'd say it depends on the papers you're reading. I'd suggest asking yourself what you care about, truly and deeply, and searching for papers about that. The literature is full of treasures, you just have to use the right keywords. You could try searching for "Nrf2 sulforaphane OR curcumin clinical applications". I think you'll find some tools are surprisingly broad in their applicability.
 
Prometheus123 said:
Same, I felt I had a huge unfair advantage on CARS and B/B because of my experience deciphering papers. The B/B in particular just seemed like gamified paper interpretation to me. This may be the main reason I scored in the 97 percentile even though I only got two hours of sleep the night before.
Click to expand...
Congratulations! I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but from the practice that I've done, I feel the same way.
 
Endoxifen said:
Congratulations! I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but from the practice that I've done, I feel the same way.
Click to expand...

For sure. That's something I loved about the new MCAT, they're clearly selecting for people like us who read the literature. I even found several questions on my real MCAT that I could easily answer because they were related to my personal research interests, so I think their priorities in terms of what's relevant research are similar to mine.
 
YESSS!! You should absolutely mention this! This is 1. impressive and 2. provides support for your interest in primary literature.

Prometheus123 said:
OK, hobbies it is. Yes, I'm using this as an excuse to really deep dive on any papers I manage to mention in my application. I am a bit lost on the title. What about: "Independent secondary research hobby". I think that's a technically accurate description of what I do. However, I'm worried that may be just as misleading.

By the way, could any of this be folded into this to provide some concrete evidence? I wrote an essay about biofield physiology that got awarded an all-expenses paid scholarship to attend a fringe science conference. To respect the evidence, I spent much of my time at the conference asking skeptical questions. A physicist I befriended there recommended me to an editor, who asked me to review and write questions for a manuscript in a low impact factor journal. I wrote skeptical questions and cited my sources, and my questions were published along with the manuscript.

Based on feedback here, I scrapped my old PS (which focused on my research interests) and rewrote it along more conventional lines. The current draft does still have a one sentence mention at the end though.

*Shameless plug*: If anyone would be willing, I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on my new PS!
Click to expand...
 
Also, I can take a quick look at your PS if you would like. Disclaimer, I have absolutely no experience with admissions, but I am currently finishing up a PhD and may be able to help you communicate your research interests.
 
BtmoreRavens18 said:
YESSS!! You should absolutely mention this! This is 1. impressive and 2. provides support for your interest in primary literature.
Click to expand...

Fantastic, I'm so glad I remembered this!

BtmoreRavens18 said:
Also, I can take a quick look at your PS if you would like. Disclaimer, I have absolutely no experience with admissions, but I am currently finishing up a PhD and may be able to help you communicate your research interests.
Click to expand...

That would be wonderful, thank you! I'll PM you a link. FYI, the only mentions of research are in the last two paragraphs. I'm certainly appreciative of feedback on whatever strikes you though.
 
Endoxifen said:
Congratulations! I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but from the practice that I've done, I feel the same way.
Click to expand...

To get the most out of your research experience on the MCAT, I recommend meditating beforehand, on breaks, and every day leading up the test, starting today. Don't let the intimidation factor hold you back; trying to meditate and failing is meditation. Just try again. Start with 10 minutes a day. If you build a habit of this, on the test day you'll get the most out of your skills. You'll find that things you don't even consciously remember reading will come to your aid when you need it the most.

My other major MCAT hack is nap on your 30 minute break. It doesn't matter if you fall asleep. Just lie down vertical in the waiting room for 15-20 minutes, close your eyes, and breathe as deeply and slowly as you possibly can into the bottom of your belly. I got 2 hours of sleep the night before, so my first two sections were 86th and 90th percentiles. After a nap like this on my 30 minute break, I scored in the 99th and then the 100th percentile.
 
Prometheus123 said:
To get the most out of your research experience on the MCAT, I recommend meditating beforehand, on breaks, and every day leading up the test, starting today. Don't let the intimidation factor hold you back; trying to meditate and failing is meditation. Just try again. Start with 10 minutes a day. If you build a habit of this, on the test day you'll get the most out of your skills. You'll find that things you don't even consciously remember reading will come to your aid when you need it the most.

My other major MCAT hack is nap on your 30 minute break. It doesn't matter if you fall asleep. Just lie down vertical in the waiting room for 15-20 minutes, close your eyes, and breathe as deeply and slowly as you possibly can into the bottom of your belly. I got 2 hours of sleep the night before, so my first two sections were 86th and 90th percentiles. After a nap like this on my 30 minute break, I scored in the 99th and then the 100th percentile.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. Sleep seems to be the major deciding factor for my success. I'll go to bed after a long day studying, totally unable to remember anything. Then, after a good night's sleep, I'll wake up with total recall of everything I did the day before. It's really an amazing feeling.
 
Endoxifen said:
Thanks for the advice. Sleep seems to be the major deciding factor for my success. I'll go to bed after a long day studying, totally unable to remember anything. Then, after a good night's sleep, I'll wake up with total recall of everything I did the day before. It's really an amazing feeling.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more. Yes, good sleep hygiene and avoiding anything that causes insomnia the day before are super key.
 
Prometheus123 said:
OK, hobbies it is.
1) I am a bit lost on the title. What about: "Independent secondary research hobby". I think that's a technically accurate description of what I do. However, I'm worried that may be just as misleading.

2) By the way, could any of this be folded into this to provide some concrete evidence? I wrote an essay about biofield physiology that got awarded an all-expenses paid scholarship to attend a fringe science conference. To respect the evidence, I spent much of my time at the conference asking skeptical questions. A physicist I befriended there recommended me to an editor, who asked me to review and write questions for a manuscript in a low impact factor journal. I wrote skeptical questions and cited my sources, and my questions were published along with the manuscript.
Click to expand...
1) How about incorporating the words, "Independent Scientific Literature Review" in the name of the space?

2) If you can tighten up the story considerably, it would be an excellent inclusion to show a productive outcome from your interest.
 
Endoxifen said:
Thanks for the advice. Sleep seems to be the major deciding factor for my success. I'll go to bed after a long day studying, totally unable to remember anything. Then, after a good night's sleep, I'll wake up with total recall of everything I did the day before. It's really an amazing feeling.
Click to expand...

I took the entire day off before the MCAT and that was very helpful. I honestly wish I had another two or three weeks of study and could have put one week of complete rest somewhere in the middle. I found that helped tremendously when I was studying for the Professional Engineering Licensing exam.
 
DBC03 said:
I took the entire day off before the MCAT and that was very helpful. I honestly wish I had another two or three weeks of study and could have put one week of complete rest somewhere in the middle. I found that helped tremendously when I was studying for the Professional Engineering Licensing exam.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'll pry take a little break before hand. I doubt I'll get to this point, but right before an exam at college, if I've totally mastered the material and I find myself in a mental loop, I'll take the day and do nothing but walk and listen to music. If I've prepared well enough to be able to take that time, I'm sure I'll crush the exam.
 
Catalystik said:
1) How about incorporating the words, "Independent Scientific Literature Review" in the name of the space?

2) If you can tighten up the story considerably, it would be an excellent inclusion to show a productive outcome from your interest.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Independent Scientific Literature Review it is. I love that it's clearer but still accurate.

Endoxifen said:
Yeah, I'll pry take a little break before hand. I doubt I'll get to this point, but right before an exam at college, if I've totally mastered the material and I find myself in a mental loop, I'll take the day and do nothing but walk and listen to music. If I've prepared well enough to be able to take that time, I'm sure I'll crush the exam.
Click to expand...

That's a great feeling. Not sure if you'll get to that point before the MCAT (I didn't, and most don't), but getting close is more than good enough.
 
Prometheus123 said:
That's a great feeling. Not sure if you'll get to that point before the MCAT (I didn't, and most don't), but getting close is more than good enough.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but the info's going down smoothly so far. We'll see where I land. Thanks for the help!
 
Catalystik said:
1) How about incorporating the words, "Independent Scientific Literature Review" in the name of the space?

2) If you can tighten up the story considerably, it would be an excellent inclusion to show a productive outcome from your interest.
Click to expand...

That doesn't seem a bit misleading or puffing to you? I mean, unless I misunderstood, he's just reading papers on his own for his own edification. I mean I guess he's technically reviewing scientific literature independently, but it seems like calling a janitor a custodial engineer.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
That doesn't seem a bit misleading or puffing to you? I mean, unless I misunderstood, he's just reading papers on his own for his own edification. I mean I guess he's technically reviewing scientific literature independently, but it seems like calling a janitor a custodial engineer.
Click to expand...

I can see how "review" leaves room for misinterpretation. What about Independent Scientific Literature Reading Hobby?
 
Endoxifen said:
If you were published though, be sure to say that. That will be a whole other entry
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Not yet, sadly. I tried-designed a protocol, wrote the protocol and filled out the documentation with the help of an IRB analyst, and tried to recruit a PI so I could submit it to the IRB. The PI liked my protocol, and it didn't require any additional funding or resources, but he rightly pointed out that I should get more experience before jumping to that level. That attitude seems ingrained in the culture, and the experience would benefit me greatly, so I started volunteering in his lab (only 6 hours so far though).
 
Prometheus123 said:
Not yet, sadly. I tried-designed a protocol, wrote the protocol and filled out the documentation with the help of an IRB analyst, and tried to recruit a PI so I could submit it to the IRB. The PI liked my protocol, and it didn't require any additional funding or resources, but he rightly pointed out that I should get more experience before jumping to that level. That attitude seems ingrained in the culture, and the experience would benefit me greatly, so I started volunteering in his lab (only 6 hours so far though).
Click to expand...
You said that you got questions published. Was that in a paper?
 
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