Research. Option and Necessity

[wanderingstudent10.10]

Hey all,
I was wondering how important research is in the med school applications process. Long story short I am non-trad and have fairly extensive clinical experience and volunteering but I live 2 hours away from my college campus which makes getting involved with activities on campus very challenging.

I have attempted to get involved with research projects but no professors want to take me on with my time/travel restrictions.

I am interested in research but I am not as passionate about pursuing it as I am passionate about my community service projects. I'm planning on taking a gap year after I graduate in the winter next year. I'm wondering whether I should continue trying to pursue research while I'm in school (if it is that important), or whether it would be possible for me to try and do research at another institution after I graduate. We are likely going to have to move immediately after I graduate (my husbands contract is up with the Navy, new duty station for reenlistment)... hopefully the next one will be closer to a college.

I'm feeling very conflicted about this and could use some guidance.

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[efle]

The schools that are the most research-oriented also are very big on stats. Do you have an MCAT score or a ballpark GPA?

Many med schools with accessible stats are much more interested in people with a lot of service!

Overall it's rated moderate importance by private MD schools and low importance by public MD schools

 

[wanderingstudent10.10]

Thanks for your reply. No MCAT yet, planning to take it in a year. 3.61 cGPA, around the same sGPA. Strong upward trend so it will likely increase a bit before I graduate.

I don't care much for a school's name and I am open to DO. However I would like to avoid disqualifying myself for any programs by not pursuing research. My ideal program would have a strong community service mission and have opportunities for community outreach.

 

[aldol16]

You won't disqualify yourself from any programs by not performing research. What's most important, even at the top schools, is your narrative. If your narrative is centered on community service and ambitions to become a primary care doctor in an underserved area, then research doesn't necessarily fit into that narrative. Pursue your passions and let them shine through in your application. If you really want to do something like what I mentioned above, then there are many ways to demonstrate that via your ECs that don't involve basic science research. You might also consider public health research as an option if that's available.

Now, if your narrative is centered on research and how much you want to be an academic physician/physician-scientist, then your lack of research experience will stand out. It's kind of like interviewing for a job. If you apply to job A which requires skill A, they're much more likely to hire you if you have demonstrated skill A rather than just talking about how much you would like to learn skill A on the job. Much better to apply to job B that does not require skill A.