Summer Research Programs

[PreMedStudent55555]

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I'm currently a Sophomore who has been working in his PI's lab for about a year now and am wondering if I should so a summer research program over the summer? I will be volunteering but am considering doing a summer research program exploring biomedical sciences which is something not offered by my school, hence my interest. (My current PI focuses on biochemistry) So I'm interested in the program but my question is whether adcoms will even care about it as research is labeled at a medium priority extracurricular, according to AMCAS, and I already so a lot of it over the school year.

Also, side note this is something that's really been on my mind but does anyone know how health policy research is seen? I'm currently in the midst of applying for a research project to explore an interest I am very invested in but I want to know how adcoms will view it? (I don't even know if I'll get it but I applied regardless because I'm really interested in the field and I want to explore it. But I don't know how adcoms will view me doing research on something that isn't a science.)

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

@LizzyM @Goro @efle @Lucca

 

[efle]

The medium overall priority is a little misleading, since really it's a broad range with some schools not caring much at all and others loving research (and even requiring their med students to complete scholarly projects).

A lot of people do summer research programs and with a year of experience already you should be competitive for some of the well-known ones with great summer stipends (e.g. Amgen). It's a question of opportunity cost sometimes though - what else would you do with your summer if not research?

I have no clue at all about health policy opportunities

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

A lot of people do summer research programs and with a year of experience already you should be competitive for some of the well-known ones with great summer stipends (e.g. Amgen). It's a question of opportunity cost sometimes though - what else would you do with your summer if not research?

Thanks for feedback @efle . If I'm not doing the program then I guess I'd get a head start on MCAT prep, which I plan to fit in my schedule anyways if accepted, and I'd take summer classes and more volunteering. I don't need to take summer classes but I guess it can free up my schedule. I just submitted the app a few hours ago so fingers crossed but just wanted to know if it's worth being sad about if rejected or worth being happy about if accepted.

And yeah there doesn't seem to be much out there in regards to how medical schools view health policy research. I decided to pursue it while staying in my PI's lab because the topic I'm investigating is very interesting to me and also I wanted to get the experience of handling my very own independent research project and seeing how one is carried out.

 

[Goro]

How about taking the summer and , you know, actually having fun?

I'm currently a Sophomore who has been working in his PI's lab for about a year now and am wondering if I should so a summer research program over the summer? I will be volunteering but am considering doing a summer research program exploring biomedical sciences which is something not offered by my school, hence my interest. (My current PI focuses on biochemistry) So I'm interested in the program but my question is whether adcoms will even care about it as research is labeled at a medium priority extracurricular, according to AMCAS, and I already so a lot of it over the school year.

Also, side note this is something that's really been on my mind but does anyone know how health policy research is seen? I'm currently in the midst of applying for a research project to explore an interest I am very invested in but I want to know how adcoms will view it? (I don't even know if I'll get it but I applied regardless because I'm really interested in the field and I want to explore it. But I don't know how adcoms will view me doing research on something that isn't a science.)

 

[efle]

How about taking the summer and , you know, actually having fun?

Money tho. I'd rather do research on a stipend than work the kinds of jobs you can get for just a summer.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

How about taking the summer and , you know, actually having fun?

That moment when you realize that your perception of fun has become summer research programs, volunteering and MCAT prep. #whathaspremeddonetome

 

[Goro]

That's fine. But the op already has a research venue, and I was thinking that he was simply gilding the lily.

Money tho. I'd rather do research on a stipend than work the kinds of jobs you can get for just a summer.

 

[aldol16]

The top med schools generally like research much more than average. You'll have programs like Stanford's where the MD program is very research-oriented. So they definitely like research. But any school that values research is looking for depth of experience, not breadth. Being in one lab and getting something meaningful out of it is much better than doing different summer projects every summer without anything to show for it.

Health policy research varies. Some of it can be library research if you get into the more political aspect of it. You might be digging through law reviews and policy journals. And some health policy is data-driven so it's very statistical-oriented.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

The top med schools generally like research much more than average. You'll have programs like Stanford's where the MD program is very research-oriented. So they definitely like research. But any school that values research is looking for depth of experience, not breadth. Being in one lab and getting something meaningful out of it is much better than doing different summer projects every summer without anything to show for it.

Health policy research varies. Some of it can be library research if you get into the more political aspect of it. You might be digging through law reviews and policy journals. And some health policy is data-driven so it's very statistical-oriented.

I see your point. I take it's fine that I stick to my PI's and dedicate to it throughout my college career.

In regards to health policy? Do you know which would be better? Or are they seen as equals? I think the project I'm pursuing is a combination of both.

 

[aldol16]

In regards to health policy? Do you know which would be better? Or are they seen as equals? I think the project I'm pursuing is a combination of both.

I can't speak for adcoms, but library research generally isn't very hypothesis-driven. Some of my friends decided to go the policy route and what they write usually takes the form of policy memos or legal briefs, which require hours of research in the library but doesn't really involve hypothesis testing. Others are in more statistical roles where they might model vaccine efficacy, for instance. And those are more hypothesis-driven since they're running experiments and tests in the real world. The whole idea of research for pre-meds is to learn the scientific method and hypothesis-driven research.

 

[LizzyM]

Much to my dismay, the adcom members in general tend to value bench research more highly than health policy research but if you have both you can almost bet the health policy research will be the topic of conversation in your interviews because it is different and may be more easily understood by non-experts.

Health policy research can be hypothesis testing and data driven. There are a 1,000 questions being explored about the effect of the ACA on health care access and outcomes, for example.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

Much to my dismay, the adcom members in general tend to value bench research more highly than health policy research but if you have both you can almost bet the health policy research will be the topic of conversation in your interviews because it is different and may be more easily understood by non-experts.

Health policy research can be hypothesis testing and data driven. There are a 1,000 questions being explored about the effect of the ACA on health care access and outcomes, for example.

Thanks for the reply @LizzyM ! Do you think I should continue pursuing my project in it then? I already have a lot of benchwork in my PI's lab and will continue having it through my college career but do you think it'll help my application to do this project? I'm doing it, regardless, because I'm very invested in a particular topic in the field but what I'm asking is: If I possibly get a publication or poster out of it, how much will it help or possibly harm my application?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks for the reply @LizzyM ! Do you think I should continue pursuing my project in it then? I already have a lot of benchwork in my PI's lab and will continue having it through my college career but do you think it'll help my application to do this project? I'm doing it, regardless, because I'm very invested in a particular topic in the field but what I'm asking is: If I possibly get a publication or poster out of it, how much will it help or possibly harm my application?

It can only help. It is great to have bench research and it is fabulous to explore questions that really interest you whether in health policy or in another topic. It is that intellectual curiosity that makes some applicants so very attractive to adcoms.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

It can only help. It is great to have bench research and it is fabulous to explore questions that really interest you whether in health policy or in another topic. It is that intellectual curiosity that makes some applicants so very attractive to adcoms.

Thanks @LizzyM . I appreciate the responses.