Research

[DrRaqueezy]

Hi!

I am currently a junior, double-majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience. I have plans of going to medical school. I just started volunteering at a hospital in the Emergency Room.

I am very curious about research and how important it is. At the university I attend, the research studies they have just do not interest me. So for right now, I have no research experience and I wanted to know if that is truly an essential piece for applying to medical schools. I am looking for different research studies, some revolving around cancer, or HIV. I'm just lost and would like some guidance.

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[liquidcrawler]

You will be fine applying without research. It is a nice thing to have to round out an app, but it won't hurt you necessarily. You may be at a disadvantage at top 20 schools where research matters more.

 

[chemdoctor]

As mentioned above, some MD schools put a heavy influence on research. You don't necessarily NEED it, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Don't do it just for the heck of it, do it if you find something that you are genuinely interested in. Not a bad thing to have, but not a complete failure if you don't.

 

[Styrene]

Hi!

I am currently a junior, double-majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience. I have plans of going to medical school. I just started volunteering at a hospital in the Emergency Room.

I am very curious about research and how important it is. At the university I attend, the research studies they have just do not interest me. So for right now, I have no research experience and I wanted to know if that is truly an essential piece for applying to medical schools. I am looking for different research studies, some revolving around cancer, or HIV. I'm just lost and would like some guidance.

If research participation helps you justify part of the reason why you are pursuing a career in medicine, then it definitely gives you something to talk about on the app and at interviews—the first thing I was asked about at all my interviews was my research experience. However, I know a lot of people in medical school who never did any research in undergrad!

 

[pewpew95]

Most schools that do have HIV/cancer research labs are difficult to get a position as an undergrad. If you want to learn about similar techniques used in those fields, you can branch out to labs doing virology/microbiology/biochemistry studies. You'll be lucky to get a spot in those labs too. If you're not sure about whether or not you actually want to do long-term research, there are a lot of summer research programs that you can apply for. But like others said above, research isn't needed to be a better applicant at non-top20s but it can be helpful for the B/B section of MCAT.