Type of research?..

[every1cheer]

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Hello pre-dentals! 🙂 I have been reading threads posted on this forum for a while, and I'm glad I finally have a reason to make my first post.

Next year will be my junior year of undergrad and I definitely plan to do some research. My major is nutrition with a focus on pre-health, so basically it consists of a bunch of courses that are pre-requisites for health professions as well as some upper level science classes and a few upper level nutrition courses that incorporate biochemistry, physiology, etc.

I am in the honors program at my school and this program requires that I do research in my major field of study, which is nutrition. I really enjoy my nutrition major and am quite interested in the subject matter (that is the reason I chose it), however my priorities and ultimate goal lies in dentistry. I know that dental schools like to see that an applicant has done research, but what kind of research specifically? Is research in my major beneficial or are they only interested in seeing research in the dental field?

I fully intend to do research with my college's dental school because I really think I would enjoy it, but because I have to do nutrition research and write a thesis on it to remain in my honors program, I was going to focus on that next year and do the dental research my senior year (which wouldn't be reported on my AADSAS). However I am beginning to rethink that and considering finding a way to fit in both. What are some of your opinions on what I should do and what types of research dental schools like to see? I would really appreciate any input.

Oh, and sorry for the lengthy post I just wanted to make sure I presented all of the pertinent background information as well as introduce myself to SDN! 😀

 

[every1cheer]

bump

 

[sfrice80]

I think they like to see scientific research period. Im guessing the majority of people's research is not dental oriented, it would be almost impossible for most people to even have access to dental research as an undergrad, so I think any research would be great but if you have access to dental research, thats good too.

 

[nze82]

Hello pre-dentals! 🙂 I have been reading threads posted on this forum for a while, and I'm glad I finally have a reason to make my first post.

Next year will be my junior year of undergrad and I definitely plan to do some research. My major is nutrition with a focus on pre-health, so basically it consists of a bunch of courses that are pre-requisites for health professions as well as some upper level science classes and a few upper level nutrition courses that incorporate biochemistry, physiology, etc.

I am in the honors program at my school and this program requires that I do research in my major field of study, which is nutrition. I really enjoy my nutrition major and am quite interested in the subject matter (that is the reason I chose it), however my priorities and ultimate goal lies in dentistry. I know that SOME dental schools like to see that an applicant has done research, but what kind of research specifically? Is research in my major beneficial or are they only interested in seeing research in the dental field?

I fully intend to do research with my college's dental school because I really think I would enjoy it, but because I have to do nutrition research and write a thesis on it to remain in my honors program, I was going to focus on that next year and do the dental research my senior year (which wouldn't be reported on my AADSAS). However I am beginning to rethink that and considering finding a way to fit in both. What are some of your opinions on what I should do and what types of research dental schools like to see? I would really appreciate any input.

Oh, and sorry for the lengthy post I just wanted to make sure I presented all of the pertinent background information as well as introduce myself to SDN! 😀

Not all dental schools are interested in research. As you may or may not know, dental schools can be divided into two general categories: Clinical-based schools and Research-based schools. As the names suggest, clinical-based schools are more focused on clinical work; whereas, research based schools (Most UC schools for example) are historically more focused on research. So, what all this means is that doing research will significantly strengthen your application only if you're interested in some research-based schools. Otherwise, it's not really that big of a deal. I mean it's good to have the experience, but it's not like it's gonna make it or break it for you.

Ideally, you want to be involved in some sort of a dental-oriented research. But good luck finding a position in dental LABs. I go to UCLA, and our school is know for its research opportunities. Yet, I did not manage to find a position in any of our dental LABs. However, if you really think you want to have some research experience in your application, any health-related field would do. For example, I was working on a project that was focused on human breast cancer cells.

Hope this helped!

 

[Vicviper]

Yeah, any type of research works, with some exceptions, in talking with an Adcom from UCSF when he came to speak to my undergrad ASDA chapter, he said that any type works, as long as it uses scientific method, so not art, literature, that kinda thing.

And yeah, dental research is a bit difficult to find for undergrad, I was one of the lucky ones who got into a dental research lab at UCI, but the main difference is they might be a bit more interested in it when you're talking about it during your interview, compared to say my friend who does research on bird's feet.

 

[every1cheer]

Thanks for your responses! They definitely helped!!