What are Adcom views on social science research

[Temporary Tempest]

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I was hoping SDN could enlighten me as to whether adcoms strictly want hard science research or would be open to research in a discipline like economics. I will most likely have the opportunity to pursue either, though I would consider abandoning my preference (undetermined econ research) if it won't help my application nearly as much as bio, chem, etc. Thanks for any insight and opinions!

 

[LizzyM]

I was hoping SDN could enlighten me as to whether adcoms strictly want hard science research or would be open to research in a discipline like economics. I will most likely have the opportunity to pursue either, though I would consider abandoning my preference (undetermined econ research) if it won't help my application nearly as much as bio, chem, etc. Thanks for any insight and opinions!

We are not monolithic. Some of us have an appreciation for econ research, particularly if it is in some way related to personal decisionmaking or health (i.e. not international monetary policies). Others may not be as open-minded. Bottom line, will you be learning skills that you might use in research projects in medical school? Some schools have health economists on faculty and produce a fair amount of scholarship; those schools might be more open to applicants who did this work as undergrads.

 

[moop]

I was hoping SDN could enlighten me as to whether adcoms strictly want hard science research or would be open to research in a discipline like economics. I will most likely have the opportunity to pursue either, though I would consider abandoning my preference (undetermined econ research) if it won't help my application nearly as much as bio, chem, etc. Thanks for any insight and opinions!

Yay social science and econ! I'm a fellow econ nerd. Don't abandon it. This will make you stand out like nothing else in the process (or so I've been told lol).

General stuff you'll get on SDN is like the above: it'll depend. Depends on the school, the committee, down to the very people who review your app specifically. Some won't view it as highly, some will see it as equal, others will appreciate it a bit more.

Look into health econ if you haven't already. Great way to get in touch with the policy issues of the medical field early on so you can be one of the few in med school with any idea of this stuff, and if you're really worried about adcom perspective, it has more chance to get people into it.

My research and topic of interest in has been developing/analyzing econometric/cliometric financial time series data, with a focus on economic crises and inequality; I also dabble in OR and financial innovation techniques. Hardly anything to do with med school.

Last resort is to emphasize the statistical and quant training you've gained from econ research. Big asset and more schools are emphasizing quant skills for premeds.

 

[Temporary Tempest]

Thank you both for your insight. I suppose I just needed a little affirmation to follow through with what I thought was the best idea--doing econ research in a medically relevant topic.

 

[gyngyn]

Research experience: good in any field.
Getting involved in an area of personal interest: priceless!