What exactly is "research"?

[DDS4tehwin]

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I've done a lot of graphic design/data entry for several people, and done an independent project for my class which required research and a formal presentation. Would any of this count as research?

 

[jackbauer!]

I've done a lot of graphic design/data entry for several people, and done an independent project for my class which required research and a formal presentation. Would any of this count as research?

unfortunately not. research is something you do in addition to your coursework. you join a professor's lab for at least 2 semesters and carry out experiments in an effort to fill in the missing pieces of a puzzle in a specific area of science.

data entry and a project you did for a course would not count as "research experience" as far as your AADSAS application is concerned.

many people get in without research, so it's not an application killer.

jb!🙂

 

[tooth decay]

I've done a lot of graphic design/data entry for several people, and done an independent project for my class which required research and a formal presentation. Would any of this count as research?

I believe that the term "research" asked for on a dental (or medical) school application would be some type of basic science or clinical investigation with an applicability to a health issue (medical, dental, etc.).

 

[pmantz]

I believe that the term "research" asked for on a dental (or medical) school application would be some type of basic science or clinical investigation with an applicability to a health issue (medical, dental, etc.).

It doesn't have to be a health issue, just science...

 

[tooth decay]

It doesn't have to be a health issue, just science...

While that may be true, my point was that research which is health related can be more relevant on your application as an indication of your interest in pursing a medical/dental career. Though I could be wrong, I am not sure how relevant doing research in physics or geology, for example, would be indicative of an interest in going to dental school.

 

[DDS4tehwin]

i havent specifically done any research per say, but I have taken my prof's work and created diagrams and illustrations. he published my work in the new text book! i havent been specifically trapped in a lab with a microscope, but i have taken his findings and rewritten them

 

[tooth decay]

It is certainly worth mentioning in your statement/application. I would put it in a context where it reflects your analytical, organizational skills, inclination for perfection in your work, artistic skills, and also try to make some connection between your work and how you developed an interest in the dental science.

 

[jackbauer!]

i havent specifically done any research per say, but I have taken my prof's work and created diagrams and illustrations. he published my work in the new text book! i havent been specifically trapped in a lab with a microscope, but i have taken his findings and rewritten them

that makes you a writer, not a researcher.

def. worth mentioning though.

jb!🙂

 

[SugarNaCl]

Yeah, quality research to put on a dental school application would = already (or data potentially able to be) submitted to one of hundreds of scientific journals found on www.pubmed.com, for instance. They have biomed, ecology, chemistry, physics. Take a look. I'm not so sure it matters what type of research you have done as long as you understand the principle behind research, but I know in my interviews, they stressed the fact that my research was biomedical...so it may have helped. They even further stressed the first author aspect.