Research interests in AMCAS schools section

[Celeritus]

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Hey guys - quick question about specifying research interest in the 'schools' section of the AMCAS primary:
When specifying research interest(s), is it better to specify one area that you are primarily interested (so as to indicate that you have a well-developed plan), or is it just as acceptable to specify multiple areas (perhaps those 2-3 that you would consider doing rotations in, for example) that one still may be deciding between.

This bleed into another question I have about how specific one should be when articulating professional goals in secondary statements. While it's obviously necessary to have some coherent story of why/how MD/PhD will feed into a career goal, a large part of the training is still figuring this overall plan out. How does one strike this balance? How much detail is necessary?

Thanks in advance for any comments - especially from those who've been down this road already.

 

[Maebea]

I recommend that you list all that interest you. We do not expect that most applicants' research interests will be completely focused. In fact, there is a feeling among some programs that the research interests item on the AMCAS should be made very general: Biomedical, Clinical/Translational, Engineering, Humanities, or Other. Not sure when/if the AMCAS will change to this simple classification.

Likewise, we do not expect that you can be spot-on accurate about your career goals. Just tell us what you feel your motivations are for pursuing the MD-PhD pathway. I would recommend that if your motivation for the MD-PhD is to enhance your chances of getting into the radiology residency program at Harvard so you can make a million bucks a year in private practice, you might want to reconsider applying MD-PhD or at least find a less crass way to express your goals.