Research in Personal Statement

[Dbate]

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Does research have to be mentioned in the personal statement?

I worked for two years in an endocrinology lab studying tumor metabolism, but I hated pretty much all of it.

I did it solely because med schools require it (I know you shouldn't, but you have to play the game.) Long story short, I spent most of that time optimizing a protocol and got no publications or any significant awards from it. I do have a letter of recommendation from my PI, though.

My personal statement is mostly about the work I've done in low-income communities including my shadowing in impoverished areas, working with the prison inmate population, and my internship with the health department working to coordinate the distribution of medicine to the elderly in poor areas.

My research has nothing to do with that and it seems odd to include it. But I know that many medical schools (especially the top ones) are very keen on research.

Would not mentioning my research be a bad move?

And since I spent 10 hours/week for two years working on it, should I definitely list it as one of my "top 3" experiences on the AMCAS application?


Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[dsoz]

Your personal statement should answer the question "Why do you want to be a doctor?"

It is you chance to communicate to the adcom reading it whatever you want. Also, you don't repeat things elsewhere in your application.

If the research is in you activities list, then use your PS for something else.

Only make it one of your top three if it really is your top three. People can tell when you talk about things how you really feel about them. If you make it a top three, then the interview will ask about it. If you hated it that much, then you want to avoid it if you can.

dsoz

 

[Meihua]

No. I did quite a bit of research because 1. I enjoy the research process and 2. I went through three majors and did research in one lab per major. Even though I'm pretty sure research was a big part of why my applications were considered (and I'm going to matriculate at a research-heavy school), I mentioned it only incidentally in my personal statement, and only one of those research experiences was one of my "top 3" activities.

LOR + activities description for research is sufficient. If it didn't change your life, fine. You'll probably get asked about it in interviews, but not everyone has to sell themselves as a physician-researcher in the making.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Does research have to be mentioned in the personal statement?

I worked for two years in an endocrinology lab studying tumor metabolism, but I hated pretty much all of it.

I did it solely because med schools require it (I know you shouldn't, but you have to play the game.) Long story short, I spent most of that time optimizing a protocol and got no publications or any significant awards from it. I do have a letter of recommendation from my PI, though.

My personal statement is mostly about the work I've done in low-income communities including my shadowing in impoverished areas, working with the prison inmate population, and my internship with the health department working to coordinate the distribution of medicine to the elderly in poor areas.

My research has nothing to do with that and it seems odd to include it. But I know that many medical schools (especially the top ones) are very keen on research.

Would not mentioning my research be a bad move?

And since I spent 10 hours/week for two years working on it, should I definitely list it as one of my "top 3" experiences on the AMCAS application?


Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

No, there are other areas to write about all your ECs. The PS should be about why you want to be a physician.