Research requirments for research-based medical schools.

[Planet Earth]

How much time do research-oriented schools (top 20)expect you to work in a lab to consider you a strong candidate? I was unable to get into a lab (immunology) till the 2nd semester of my sophomore year. I really enjoy what I'm doing and would like to go to a med school with a strong microbio/immuno research program. I am planning on applying at the end of my junior year and am afraid that my late start working in a lab will hurt me in the admissions process.

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[NotSur]

How much time do research-oriented schools (top 20)expect you to work in a lab to consider you a strong candidate? I was unable to get into a lab (immunology) till the 2nd semester of my sophomore year. I really enjoy what I'm doing and would like to go to a med school with a strong microbio/immuno research program. I am planning on applying at the end of my junior year and am afraid that my late start working in a lab will hurt me in the admissions process.

i think u'll be ok

 

[Jolt21]

How much time do research-oriented schools (top 20)expect you to work in a lab to consider you a strong candidate? I was unable to get into a lab (immunology) till the 2nd semester of my sophomore year. I really enjoy what I'm doing and would like to go to a med school with a strong microbio/immuno research program. I am planning on applying at the end of my junior year and am afraid that my late start working in a lab will hurt me in the admissions process.

length doesn't matter at all. (unless it's like 1 month)

passion, interest, dedication, and the ability to convey your research in layman's terms and/or in a scientific setting all mean so much more.

 

[Jolt21]

passion, interest, dedication, and the ability to convey your research in layman's terms and/or in a scientific setting all mean so much more.

the tricky part is being able to show this on your AMCAS/secondaries.

 

[Planet Earth]

Does anyone have any ideas of which med schools have good microbio/immunology research programs for med students? Particularly vaccine research?

 

[TraderDoc]

I did my immunology research at UCSF this summer and my PI told me that Washington university in St. Louis, Columbia, and Stanford were the other top immunology programs where medical school students are actively involved with the research. Yes these are elite schools, but they have the very best immunology and translational research programs.

 

[JJMrK]

A lot of people say around 1 year is a good thing. LizzyM has said that at least one school rates you based on your level of involvement. IIRC, in that system publishing a paper put you in the highest category, while giving a presentation was the second highest. I believe there were 5 categories. Keep in mind that's just one school, but it does go to show that at least one school is more interested in quality than quantity.

 

[IHeartNerds]

There is more than one student at my institution who never darkened the door of a research lab before coming here. Don't worry about it.

NYU has great parasitology research.

Here at Penn we discovered NK cells and the HIV co-receptors. Also, across the street at CHOP they brought the rotavirus oral vaccine to market.

That's about the extent of my immuno/micro knowledge.

 

[hqt331]

How about working in an animal psychology lab? I'm not sure whether that's viewed as favorably as, say, immunology. I'm doing animal-based drug abuse research.

 

[CCLCMer]

How much time do research-oriented schools (top 20)expect you to work in a lab to consider you a strong candidate? I was unable to get into a lab (immunology) till the 2nd semester of my sophomore year. I really enjoy what I'm doing and would like to go to a med school with a strong microbio/immuno research program. I am planning on applying at the end of my junior year and am afraid that my late start working in a lab will hurt me in the admissions process.

My school is the most research-oriented med school out there except for MD/PhD programs, and I don't think the middle of sophomore year is too late to start working in a lab. Actually, it would probably be hard to start much earlier in a lot of cases because you wouldn't have enough science courses and background yet to be able to participate in a meaningful way. I was a junior when I started research.