- How can I best accommodate attending a low-tier state school with limited research opportunities? How many gap years can I be expected to take? During these gap years, should I continue gaining clinical experience?
- I have 1,000+ hours of clinical experience working as a medical assistant and I am currently a sophomore. Would it be beneficial to stop working as a medical assistant (and discontinue other non-clinical volunteering gigs) and focus solely on research during my late junior/senior year?
- How important is the prestige of one's institution?
- I will likely pursue a PhD in neuroscience. Should my research be related to neuroscience? Would it be disadvantageous if I am researching unrelated topics (in the field of organic chemistry)?
- How important are publications for MD/PhD applications? Should I be able to intelligently discuss my research, or should I work in a productive lab?
- I know neuroscience (and various fields in fact) desire researchers with computational skills, knowledge in programming/computer science. What are some good resources for self-teaching myself programming/computer science? What exactly is useful for neuroscience?
- Any advice in general?
1. There are summer research programs aimed at students with limited research opportunities at their home institute. I don't know many off the top of my head but I'd look into those. Maybe no gap years, depending on how you spend your summers and letters you are able to acquire. If you're set on gap years, I'd consider the NIH IRTA program, which I've heard great things about.
2. You have enough clinical experience. I've heard too much can be a red flag, so I'd cool it. Given that the program is looking for people interested in research careers - yes, you need to really focus on gaining that experience and developing your skills and interest in research in demonstrable ways.
3. It matters, but it isn't the end all be all. I came from a state school, but I'm also URM and got a good MCAT score. You should aim for a school with opportunities, and capitalize on them. If you can do that best at a big state school, then go for it.
4. admins say they don't care, but I recall from my own app cycle a real internal pressure to develop a coherent narrative. I didn't feel comfortable describing my research doing vaguely immuno related stuff and saying "But now I want to do neuroscience". I'm in a Neuro lab now, so once you're in they don't care. Do research which allows you to take ownership of your work, to push a project forward, and get a good letter from a PI. Presenting abstracts or publishing is also good. I wouldn't worry too much about the field.
5. They matter, but plenty of people get in without them. "Intelligently discuss" - yes, of course. Imagine if you were interviewing a kid who couldn't. You'd assume they functioned as technicians and were just in the right place at the right time to end up with something to show for it. "Productive lab"... both? If possible. If you must choose one, the former.
6. lol you shouldn't be asking this here. I'm also "developing computational skills". I learned to program during a rotation. take Harvard's CS50 on EdX or "Learn Python the hard way". MATLAB for Neuroscientists is good up until chapter 10. Andrew Ng's "Intro to Machine Learning" on Coursera is awesome, but maybe a little tough if you have 0 programming experience. "Neuroscience" is a hopelessly vague term. If you want to do Computational/Systems Neuro - learn probability, Linear algebra, and Calc 1/2 Well. Don't major in Neuroscience, I regret doing that lol. Do computer science and you'll be more skilled when you approach your actual problem.
7. Outside of the above - Kill the MCAT, have a good GPA, teach if you get a chance, it helps you understand things deeply, and maybe take a philosophy course. Make something you're proud to show to people, whether its a program, a 3D printed device, or an essay. Be an interesting and agreeable person and you'll have more success in general.
