ucsf- is research necessary?

[stillpremed]

UCSFgirl,
Can you tell me if doing research activities is necessary in the admissions process? I am much more interested in "clinical" aspect so I volunteer and do activities that are more people oriented.
Thanks! for taking so much time in helping other hopefuls

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[Dr. Dodger Dog]

i am not ucsfgirl but i have been admitted to several places including UCSF.
I do not have EXTENSIVE research experience (no papers, etc) but I do have experience working in a lab for about 2 years. I think that research can really help you gain admission to the top schools. And if you haven't tried it, how do you know it's not for u? So I say give it a shot, even if it's only for a semester or whatnot.

so to answer your question, it is not necessary but i would highly recommend it.

 

[Trix]

Also in at UCSF and have two years of lab experience, but I wasn't asked about it by either of my interviewers.

During my interview, I had the process they used to determine who gets secondaries/interviews explained to me. They separate your application into three parts-Your personal statement, your EC's and your numbers. The three parts are quantified individually by different people and you are assigned a total number, which is the primary factor in determining whether your app moves forward.

It sounds like you have other things going on which you are really interested in, so I wouldn't do it unless the desire is there. Just my 2 cents.

 

[UCSBMed1]

I agree with Trix.

I don't think research is necessary, especially if you don't really want to do it.

I interviewed at UCSF, and am awaiting a final decision. I didn't do any research before I applied, and I hope its not going to affect my chances of an acceptance. I'd hope medical schools wouldn't punish people who want to be Clinicians, and not MD/PhDs.

 

[lll505]

I also am not UCSF girl, but do know 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year, and JMP students. I know of three students who had zero research experience, including 1 out-of-state student, that are now students at UCSF so I don't think it is necessary.

I do know, however, that they do encourage research (either clinical or basic science).

Good luck!

 

[jtheater]

In my interview at UCSF this year, both of my interviewers brought up research, one much more so than the other and both were clinicians. It certainly is not required to gain acceptance, but can help to make your application stand apart from someone else if your experience is meaningful and substantial. The same way that most people will have volunteer activities in their extracurrics, but something that makes you stand apart I think is really important.

Also, research is important for any doctor in my opinion
(whether science, clinical, policy, etc). Research teaches you critical thinking skills that you can't learn through classes. You will be reading research papers for the rest of your life to learn about new drugs, techniques, treatments. To be a really good physician, it will be important to critically question those papers to decide if what they say has merit or is totally bogus. Also, for a good line in an interview that anyone is welcome to use is that research has the ability to improve the quality of care for a vast number of patients.

Anyone out there in their 2nd or 3rd year of college (or has a job between college and med school), I would try it... I did it because I thought I needed to and ended up loving it. And I did clinical research, so it gave me a lot of exposure to the hospital. Much more interaction than I would have had as a volunteer as I was essentially part of the medical team for any patient enrolled in my study.

 

[LoneCoyote]

One of my best friends went through the admission process last year and had amazing GPA out of Berkeley, MCAT above 40, extensive clinical volunteering and other ECs and no research. He got into every UC except UCSF and several other top tier schools. His opinion is the lack of research might have hurt him there, though he did get into other schools that are research-oriented.

A doctor I worked with this past summer who was on the admissions committee for several years said that they do look highly upon it, though it is not totally necessary.

 

[KyleLuman]

The main thing to keep in mind when trying to get into any med school and UCSF in particular is to be unique. Schools do not want cookie cutter applicants. If you speak Hmong and want to go work with that population in the central valley of CA when you are done, you might get into UCSF regardless of your numbers.

Some of our classmates were pilots, marine researchers, mountain climbing guides, community clinic volunteers, etc. Many of us have done some sort of research as well, but that is not necessary.

Research can be one of those things that makes you unique though, but do not do it just to check something off on your list.

One of the things that was told me during my interview was this. "We (the adcom at UCSF) take applicants with mounds of research experience and no volunteer work and put them into the same class as someone like Mother Theresa." The point being, they want diversity and a class that can challenge and grow each other outside of the class as well as inside the class. They want people to work at the homeless clinic and other activities as well as a journal club.

I hope this helps a little.

 

[souljah1]

Originally posted by stillpremed
Can you tell me if doing research activities is necessary in the admissions process?

And the answer is...No.

Kyle said it well. Do what you are interested in. Develop a strong sense of self. Don't do things to complete a checklist that was crafted after reading some lame princeton review manual on how to be the best premed student you can be. If you truly like research and are interested in it..do it. If you like volunteering at the clinic...dive in. If you want to travel during the summer to gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity that we call humanity...cast off. I have to say that if your personal statement conveys a really strong sense of self it will work in your favor. Yes, you need to do well in school. Yes, you need to do relatively well on the mcat. Yes, you need to write a very articulate personal statement and have strong letters of recommendation. Yes, you have to interview well. But , no, you don't need to do research if you aren't interested. I personally think pipetting sp? is one of the most boring things that I have ever done. There are classmates here that have done tons of research and it definitely contributed to who they are as a medical student. There are others who haven't done any research at all, and they aren't worse off b/c of it. The most important are not your endeavours and activities, but are your qualities and your acheivements. Represent yourself.

Peace.

Souljah

 

[koolkao]

Originally posted by Trix
Also in at UCSF and have two years of lab experience, but I wasn't asked about it by either of my interviewers.

During my interview, I had the process they used to determine who gets secondaries/interviews explained to me. They separate your application into three parts-Your personal statement, your EC's and your numbers. The three parts are quantified individually by different people and you are assigned a total number, which is the primary factor in determining whether your app moves forward.

That's interesting... is this method also used for post-interview selection?

 

[Trix]

For post-interview everything on your app is quantified...LOR's, EC's, interview write-ups, where you went to undergrad, if you are a resident. etc. -at least that is what the interviewer told me.

After that, I think it goes through a couple of committees and a decision is made. My interviewer did tell me that the final decision is not based purely on your quantified total.

I think souljah knows more about the details of the process.

 

[UCSFgirl]

Hi hi hi!!

Souljah and Kyle did a wonderful job with this question (on another thread--I think it's called UCSF--is research necessary). UCSF as an institution is very research oriented, but as a medical school, is very clinically oriented so your desire to focus on clinical experiences is well-warrented in that respect. My classmates in ggneral were big clinical and international experiences buffs (I think most people are going abroad this summer in fact!), but the research program here is always trying to seduce us to join them!

Aside from that little tidbit, developing a strong sense of "self" is most important. As Souljah said, decent MCATs, decent grades, strong letters, intriguing personal statements are critical... that will get you by many cuts off and grant you an interview in most cases.. but what makes you stand out to the admissions committee is "who you really are." In a way, focusing all your efforts on research might make you seem run of the mill... especially if you're not passionate about it... Now people really pick up on how excited you get on things. I did a lot of research, personally, because I really enjoyed it, and one of my interviewers told me she'd never seem anyone so so excited by T-cells--and even tho she thought T-cells were a drag, I got her truly interested. That made my day!

Always participate in things that you love, even if they don't seem "med school oriented." There are a feq things people ook for like some volunteer work and clinical work, but if you love ice-skating, submerse yourself in it!!

UCSF is such a diverse place. They pick people to fit every niche. Develop yours!!

Best of luck,
Bien

 

[Suey]

I'm interested in doing some research, but how would I go about finding one? I know there are some jobs on campus you can try to apply for, but you just assist in basic lab stuff...like cleaning and entering data, not really in assisting with research. Even those require a resume and since I've never had any research experience before, would it be hard for me to even attain a job like that? Also, clinical research seems interesting. How would I try to go about finding that?

 

[paean]

Suey,

Many students doing undergrad research start in unpaid positions, and only are able to get paid research positions after they have experience. I did know a few students who went the paid route: wash test tubes and eventually get to participate in pipetting and other bench work, but most started by asking their professors if they would be willing to take another undergrad into their lab. Its a faster route to more interesting work, although it's time consuming. Many schools will give you credit for research hours.

As for clinical research, you should know what kind of problems you are interested in helping to investigate. Either pick a disease, or a research approach, and start looking at the work done by people at your university that fits within your interest. Once you have a decent idea what they are working on (read everything they've published on it, at the least), contact them and ask if they would be willing to let you work with them. Often it helps to have specific ideas of what you could do for them, but it's important to remain flexible, in case they can take you into the project, but in a different role than you envisioned.