I
iralex801
In your opinion, how big of a factor do you think research plays in admission into dental school. Thanks in advance.
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I think it won't hurt you if you don't have it. If you do, it's a plus. I didn't have any research and got in a few places. Check predents and see who gets accepted at the schools you're interested in. Check those applicants to see if they had any research. regardless, if you have an opportunity to participate in research then you should take it... it'll only improve your application.
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It really depends on the school. I've heard that for schools like UCSF, which are totally research based, it is incredibly helpful to have research under your belt. Nearly every school SAYS that research is part of their mission statement, so it will definitely be a plus and every school, but there are other schools that might not be as research oriented, and it won't matter as much. Don't worry, good luck!
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By no means is it a prereq for D school admissions (like it somewhat is for med school), but if you're gunning for those top (most competitive) schools, it'll definitely make you stand out, especially if you're able to get your work published.
That said, though, having strong research is NOT a substitute for a good GPA and good DAT scores. Just like all other ECs, they give adcoms an indication of how well-rounded you are, and more importantly, that you were able to get that stellar GPA without having your face stuck in a book 24/7. Your EC list could be pages long but they would care less if you have a sh*tty GPA.
Don't spread yourself too thin and try to do everything... quality over quantity. If you had to pick a few, I would go with research, volunteering, and 1 club (sports or some other special interest you have), and try to assume as many leadership roles as you can in those chosen few.
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It was brought up in several of my interviews. Don't do research just to do research. If you personally gain something from the experience, it will be extremely beneficial. And, you never know, you may land a project that you really enjoy..l
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It's good for anyone. In my case, I wanted to add more to my ECs and I love chemistry. So, I did it. Mine is a LOT of work (15hrs+/wk). But if you talk to the professor, you might get less hrs/week.
It really puts good applicants over the edge. It also gives you something to be remembered by. For instance, when talking in your interview..if you have something really interesting to talk about..this is good.
It really puts good applicants over the edge. It also gives you something to be remembered by. For instance, when talking in your interview..if you have something really interesting to talk about..this is good.
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How can you comment without experiencing a dental interview? Research will be distinguish if you have a publication. However, many candidates have research. The quality if research (and yes, sometimes that's pure luck) trumphs quantity any day.
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I became involved in undergrad research as a junior after taking Neuro. We continued summers and through senior year, finishing with a real primary publication and seminar in-front of the school of science. No, it was not a pre-req specifically for dental school, but it was a great rewarding experience. If you have a chance I would def. get involved with it. It won't hurt you for sure. Plus if you go far enough, you'll apply the scientific method and your own research from start to finish, which is nice to see before starting d-school.
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I did research and published it in a major scientific journal and presented it at a major scientific conference. I gave a copy of my research to my interviewer at every interview to include in my file and I always made sure to bring research up when they asked if I had any questions or what can I bring to the school. Some interviews I spent 20 minutes discussing my research so I definitely think it helps. It definitely makes you stand out and gives you a leg up, not to mention that it always makes your interview fuller and easier. Research always helps and often times I think is the difference between an acceptance or rejection or rejection and waitlist.
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ugh..common sense. It's an interview, I've experience having conversations before. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to distinguish what will be brought up in an interview.
how can you say it WILL be distinguished if you have a publication? Are you kidding me. So they won't bring it up because you didn't get published. Wow
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I never questioned that you never had a conversation before. But you never experienced a dental interview.
Maybe you should reread what I wrote. I said a publiciation would help distinguish someone since not everyone has a publication. Moreover, I commented on the quality (i.e. publication, mentor relationships, etc.) of the research.
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This actually brings up an important point... don't just do research so that you can "pad" your resume or EC list because: 1) you'll be pretty miserable (lets face it... benchtop research, or any research-driven discipline, isn't for everyone), and 2) your lack of enthusiasm/interest, despite the "good" acting skills you think you might have, will be completely transparent to the interviewer(s).
And I agree with DrReo... with so many undergrads doing research these days in the sciences, just having any research experience on your resume isn't going to "put you over the top"... you're applying to a dental program, not a biomedical sciences PhD program. Without a publication, it's just "another EC" to most interviewer(s)... even to the occasional PhD faculty who might interview you. So don't think that just b/c you have research experience, you'll be a "stand-out" among all the other candidates applying to the competitive programs.
Speaking from experience, I think adcoms are much more impressed with an awesome personality and great conversational/interaction skills (combined with strong numbers) than Nobel-worthy research. Case in point: The head of student research at Penn dental interviewed me, and despite my extensive research experience, I think we talked about my research for no more than 2 min during my 30+ min interview (completely the opposite of what I thought was going to happen).
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If you read my post, I said I love chemistry hence the reason I do research. These responses are sounding pretentious and I do not feel like debating whether or not my research is worthy or distinguished by your standards.
No one really knows either way and these points are meaningless.
No one really knows either way and these points are meaningless.
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That first paragraph wasn't meant for you... just some general advice for other predents who are still early on in their undergrad careers. Quoting you prob lead you to believe that I was attacking you personally, so I'm sorry that you were mislead.
And no one was questioning the "worthiness" of your research... you haven't yet mentioned what the focus of your research is, and quite frankly, I don't care.
I posted in this thread to provide some insight from someone who's actually gone through the process. SDN is a phenomenal resource, but a lot of misinformation can be posted, and people often draw incorrect conclusions. Allowing pre-dents to believe that they'll "stand out above all" just because they have research experience on their application is stretching the truth. That's why I made the whole point of making sure that people are doing research b/c they're truly interested in it... as opposed to just going through the motions so it'll help them get into D school.
We (DrReo and I) have actually gone through the application process and have been accepted, so if you think our "points" are meaningless (compared to yours)... so be it, everyone's entitled to their opinion.
My opinion? You need to relax a little bit...
I
iralex801
Thanks for the advice everybody. I don't really know if I will be interested in research yet because I've never experienced it. So I think I will do it this summer to see how appealing it is to me.
