Which research opportunity should I take?

[plexwriter5]

I applied to med school in 2003 and didn't get in due to my low mcat score:25. (gpa 3.8) I've been working part time and I retook mcat in April. I really can't tell how I did on it. I am planning to reapply this summer. This time I am planning to apply to US and Carribean MD programs and US dental programs. I have been looking for research opportunities and found one at UCI and one at CalTech. Both deal with med sci but obviously CalTech sounds better namewise. One problem is that at UCI, it is a fully paid position so I wil be able to support myself, but at CalTech, it is not a paid position. The advisor at Caltech was really nice during the interview and he offered me a chance to publish paper and a fabulous recommendation letter to make my application look really good. I have to decide fast and can anyone give me any advice?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Archimedes]

If the professor has promised you all this, it would be the way to go. I got stuck in one research position myself that was a great lab, name-brand, etc, and they totally screwed me over - there was a fight between the post-docs and one used me against the other, then dropped me and didn't bother helping me in my research. Nasty story. Basically, in the end, my LOR was crap from them, and I had to leave the lab due to the fact that the post-docs were actually not only not helping me with my work, but they were blocking me from doing it.

You want to go where you've talked to the professor, flat-out told them what your plans and interests are. If the guy/lady is telling you they'll give you a good rec in return for good work, then go for it. But make sure to tell them that you'll take it only on the condition that you'll do work for so many hours so that you can have a night job or something to help you pay for living, since they're not willing to do that for you.

see what they say then. just dont become someone's slave. its not worth it.

 

[ntmed]

I applied to med school in 2003 and didn't get in due to my low mcat score:25. (gpa 3.8) I've been working part time and I retook mcat in April. I really can't tell how I did on it. I am planning to reapply this summer.... I have been looking for research opportunities....

Are you looking to do research to strengthen your application? If so, you might want to consider other options. The single best way to improve your application might be to improve your MCAT score, and possibly also to improve your science GPA.

If you commit yourself to a year of research, you may not have the time to retake the MCAT (if you didn't do well on it this time) or to take additional science courses (which maybe you should do, regardless of your MCAT scores this time).

Research can strengthen your medical school application, but not as much as demonstrating that you have the academic background for medical school (MCAT and science GPA), and, IMHO, only if your research is meaningful (you publish something worthwhile).

You may want to talk to your premed advisor or a trusted member of your school's premed committee for advice. Ask this person to give their advice on doing research versus a year of graduate biology courses plus intense studying for the MCAT (if needed).