Should I explicitly mention my lack of research experience in secondaries?

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Should I bring up my lack of research experience in a secondary?

  • Yes, do it for all schools

    Votes: 2 5.6%
  • Yes, do it only for research-focused schools

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • No, do not do it at all

    Votes: 32 88.9%
  • It likely will not matter

    Votes: 1 2.8%

  • Total voters
    36

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If I lack research experience, it is likely to come up when admission committees review my application.

So, especially for schools that may be well-known for their research focus, should I mention my lack of research experience and what I have done with my time instead of research?

I do not want to ignore this potential weakness in my application, but I also do not want to bring it up explicitly and sound like I am making an excuse.

Thank you for the input everyone.

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don't bring it up...you're trying to sell yourself...justifying a lack of research isn't gonna make them forget about it...lol, it will just reinforce that you lack research.
 
No. There is no reason for you to bring up negatives about yourself in your essay unless it is explicitly asked of you. You should talk about what you have done with your time, but don't do it as an apology for not doing research. If the school is going to reject you for a lack of research, then there is nothing you can really do about it in the secondary. However, if a school thinks that you don't feel that you are qualified for their school (by bringing up your lackings in the essay) then why should they even bother to offer you an interview? Stick to your positives in essays unless they specifically want something else from you.
 
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I'd avoid it unless you get a question like on the Case Western secondary (CCLCM) where they explicitly ask about it. You're likely up a creek sans paddle for most of the top schools because, according to the MSAR, something like >90% (and I'm sure >95% for the top top schools) of students have done research before applying. What you can (and should) do is play up the things you've done that others may not have when they were cooped up in a lab. That is likely your best option
 
If you are trying to sell a car, would you tell the customer all of the stuff it doesn't have?
 
I would not bring it up. Your application will show what you've been doing with your time instead of research, and if the school is ok with that, then they'll overlook your lack of research. If they're not ok with you replacing research with other activities, I can't think of a way to explain it to convince them otherwise
 
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Thanks for the replies.

I gather the consensus from everyone's posts and appreciate the replies.

I really appreciate the idea that if a school is bothered enough by my lack of research, there is not much I can say in a secondary essay that will convince them otherwise.

Any addition responses are appreciated.
 
This is isn't nearly of a big deal as SDN makes it out to be. If you do not intend to do research then you do not need it. I have had three friends get into a med school with no research experience whatsoever.
 
Look at dem poll results. Unanimous decision much?

Edit: Someone would add another vote just as I post that....
 
Unless it is brought up in an interview, you should just write and talk about what you did spend time doing.
 
This is isn't nearly of a big deal as SDN makes it out to be. If you do not intend to do research then you do not need it. I have had three friends get into a med school with no research experience whatsoever.

I agree that it's far from impossible to get in without research experience but I think that it's kind of a big deal...and I say this as someone with no research experience. You can apply to schools that aren't research-heavy but it's hard to draw a definitive line because nearly every allopathic school conducts research. In fact, about 80% of the matriculants to the low and mid-tier schools I'm looking at have research experience.
 
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