Should I Look Into Finding a Research Opportunity After Already Graduating?

[Lo&Behold]

I know having research experience isn't completely necessary to be a successful applicant, however, I think it would help my case, quite a bit. Throughout undergrad, I looked for research opportunities but wasn't successful in landing any. I emailed a bunch of professors about my interest in their research lab, but I wasn't successful. Covid hitting made everything harder, too. So, I was wondering if anyone has had success finding a research lab to work for after graduating and how I could go about it now that I'm no longer a student. My plan is to apply this coming cycle, so I'm currently just spending my time volunteering and studying for the MCAT. Also, if I were to find a position at a lab, do I have enough time to accrue a decent amount of hours to help with my application, or do I need to be spending a minimum of a year working there for it to be an impactful experience?

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[LizzyM]

You plan to apply in 2023, right? Therefore you will not matriculate until 2024 at the earliest. Do you have any desire to work in a lab between when you take the MCAT and when med school begins in mid-2024? That's at least a year, maybe more, and your ongoing employment would be something to talk about in a pre-med interview.
Do you live close enough to an academic medical center and/or research university that might hire an entry level lab worker? Do you have any skills acquired in the lab courses you took in college?
Do you have the grades and scores that would make you a strong candidate for a T20 school (scoring 518+ on your practice tests, GPA > 3.90)? If so, the need for research on your application is a bit more important than if you are seeking to be admitted to a school that has the goal of producing primary care providers for a specific geographic area.

You need to answer these questions for yourself, not for me. That should tell you whether or not pursuing some research in the coming months is a good choice for you or if you should seek some other type of employment.

 

[Lo&Behold]

You plan to apply in 2023, right? Therefore you will not matriculate until 2024 at the earliest. Do you have any desire to work in a lab between when you take the MCAT and when med school begins in mid-2024? That's at least a year, maybe more, and your ongoing employment would be something to talk about in a pre-med interview.
Do you live close enough to an academic medical center and/or research university that might hire an entry level lab worker? Do you have any skills acquired in the lab courses you took in college?
Do you have the grades and scores that would make you a strong candidate for a T20 school (scoring 518+ on your practice tests, GPA > 3.90)? If so, the need for research on your application is a bit more important than if you are seeking to be admitted to a school that has the goal of producing primary care providers for a specific geographic area.

You need to answer these questions for yourself, not for me. That should tell you whether or not pursuing some research in the coming months is a good choice for you or if you should seek some other type of employment.

Appreciate the answer. My current stats aren't going to get me into a T20 school and I didn't have a ton of academic EC's to add to my application, which is why I'm seeking to make up for it a bit with research. I will definitely try applying again to a position like a clinical research coordinator or a lab tech then and see where it goes.

 

[LizzyM]

Appreciate the answer. My current stats aren't going to get me into a T20 school and I didn't have a ton of academic EC's to add to my application, which is why I'm seeking to make up for it a bit with research. I will definitely try applying again to a position like a clinical research coordinator or a lab tech then and see where it goes.

Research is less of a priority for you than it would be for someone who *needed* research to get into a T20. Get the best paying job you can enjoy doing during the gap year. If that is patient care, great. If it is tutoring or substitute teaching, fine too. You'll need to be able to break things down and explain them to people in all walks of life so those skills are good to have, too.

 

[Lo&Behold]

Research is less of a priority for you than it would be for someone who *needed* research to get into a T20. Get the best paying job you can enjoy doing during the gap year. If that is patient care, great. If it is tutoring or substitute teaching, fine too. You'll need to be able to break things down and explain them to people in all walks of life so those skills are good to have, too.

Makes sense. If that's the case, I will likely look into scribing to get more experience and extra clinical hours. For the time being, I'm prioritizing the mcat prep over anything.