i have the opportunity to do an internship during the school year but i can only fit in one. im not sure if i should try to intern at a prestigious lab or shadow a surgeon at a prestigious hospital? i currently do 2 research programs at school but idt im going to get any awards for it (like isef) so would having a research internship at a rlly good lab makeup for that? im also an emt so i do have some clinical experience but idk if i should shadow a doctor to balance out the clinical vs research ec’s. i also know for t10 med schools they are more research oriented and like it but idk if that’s the same for just undergrad.
Which one would you rather do?
1 Like
I’m rlly interested in both which is why I’m torn and I want to know which one would be more beneficial since I’m fine with doing either one
Shadowing a doctor is common and seems like a pretty passive activity. Would you have any responsibilities? Are there any measurable deliverables? If not and the research offers a more active role, I would take it.
1 Like
I’m just an alumni interviewer at a T10, but shadowing a doctor never impresses me. Learn how to think critically - that’s much more useful and a skill many doctors I know lack. Take the research opportunity.
3 Likes
I am confused by your post. Are you looking to apply to “top 10” medical schools? Are you aware that getting into any medical school is a long, competitive process? Many don’t get in at all, and you need to apply wisely.
I would choose what you like, but personally I would choose the research (you will still need to shadow at some point). Would you be shadowing a surgeon for an entire semester? Is there an opportunity to shadow other types of doctors as well- pediatrician, family medicine, etc?
1 Like
The research sounds interesting and an active thing. You will need to plan to shadow a doctor at some point as well if you intend to apply to medical school.
@DadSays do you interview for medical schools? Shadowing usually is expected of medical school applicants.
Note that that the OP appears to be a high school student who would like to attend a “t10” undergraduate college as part of a longer-term interest in attending medical school.
1 Like
Shadowing is irrelevant for applying to undergrad, maybe with the exception of a BS/MD program. Go for the research opportunity.
The only way that clinical experience would be relevant for applying to undergrad is if you were doing something that in and of itself showed something about you - for instance, if you’d gotten a CNA or MA certificate as part of your high school program, and were working in that capacity in a field that you were passionate about. An example might be having an ultimate goal of becoming a geriatrician because of having grown to love caring for the elderly while visiting your grandparent in a nursing home, gotten the CNA/MA in a high school course, and started working in a nursing home part time during the school year, and full time this coming summer, because you loved working with that population. THAT would be a relevant experience for college applications, because it would show focused drive and determination towards exploring your passion, your intended life’s work. Not that being a CNA is a path towards becoming a physician, but it would demonstrate that you are serious about becoming a geriatrician, have some experience working with that population.
All that shadowing a surgeon as a high school student says about you is that you had a connection that would allow you such access. Go with the research opportunity. It should at least produce a letter of recommendation that says something about your contribution to the research project.
1 Like
No. I thought the OP was in HS applying to college with an eye toward med school. Perhaps I misunderstood.
Very confusing writing style. Are you applying to college? Or are you a premed college student applying to med school? Very different answers depending on your situation.
1 Like
I think you are in high school but can’t completely tell from your post. Honestly, I think both of these say nepotism might be involved. How did you get the internship and shadowing a doctor? Family connections? IF not, then I would explain how you made the connection. Otherwise, I think they’d work against you. Just my humble opinion but I think AO’s look for ECs which are parent driven/helped and then discount them.
2 Likes
What could a HS kid learn shadowing a surgeon at a prestigious hospital? I had surgery at a “prestigious” teaching hospital, and the attending ALWAYS asked, “can we bring third year med students into your room and do you have privacy concerns?” They don’t ask for residents and fellows- they are already MD’s so the presumption is there that they have a “need to know”.
Who wants to be examined with a HS kid in the room?
So if the shadowing doesn’t involve patient contact- what would it involve- writing up clinical notes? Going for coffee? Sitting in on an administrative meeting to learn the new procedure for assigning parking spaces?
IDK- what has the surgeon told you you’d be doing???
1 Like
I had a family member do a summer program as a rising high school student with a hand surgeon in the northeast. This surgeon and the clinic partnered with the school and they choose one student every summer to participate (very competitive). She got to do morning rounds, observe surgeries inside the OR, sit in on clinic visits, practiced tying knots with med students, and worked on a research paper. Seemed like a pretty meaningful experience.
2 Likes
Ok…form this posters other thread:
Hey I am currently a junior and trying to find the best college for pre-med. I have looked into bs/md programs but in case that doesn’t work out I need a list of regular 4 year colleges for my interests.
So I will say…you can do high school research if you want to do it.
Agree with @Blossom. What exactly will you be doing with this surgeon.
@WayOutWestMom would medical regular medical schools consider shadowing done during high school? I’m guessing BS/MD would.
1 Like
no you’re right! I am looking at undergrad rn but I do plan on applying pre-med at these schools and ik for med schools they lean more towards research ec’s so I wanted to see what we be more impressive/advantagous for just trying to do pre-med at college.
hs student applying to college on the pre-med track. I’m already pre-med since my high school has a special program where we could focus our classes and academics in a specific “field”
What does this mean? Only a very small handful of colleges actually have “pre-med” as a major.
You can major in anything in college as long as you take the courses required for medical school admissions. This can be done from almost every four year college in this country (arts conservatories excluded).
2 Likes
This may not be uncommon in HSers who have these opportunities (and why wouldn’t one use their network to get an opportunity? This is what we tell students to do for internships and jobs), but nepotism/networks aren’t the sole way these students get research gigs.
Some HSs have programs with local universities for select students to do research, other HSers email local profs until they find one who will take them on, while others pay $$ for a uni research experience with a prof at one of the handful of companies that provide this service.
Interestingly Penn chose to highlight that 30% of Class of 2026 admits had academic research experience in high school. Most of these students are privileged to have been able to do research during a pandemic, but I have seen plenty of HSers hustle for the opportunity.
Research, shadowing and other clinical experiences are required for HS students who want to apply to combined/accelerated BSMD/DO/dental/PT programs.
1 Like
If you are shadowing surgeons at a “prestigious” hospital because this is of interest to you, or if you are planning to apply to BS/MD programs, go ahead. I would not do it for the purpose of impressing medical schools several years down the road because that won’t happen. Every applicant will have shadowing hours, you will need to shadow other types of physicians as well, and I can’t imagine that shadowing at a “prestigious” hospital will somehow be more “impressive” than shadowing elsewhere. I would think about the experience and what you learned, and not about the “prestige” of the facility.
Our HS has a research program and students have the opportunity to get published. It’s possible that this student has a similar opportunity.
I would still do the research, as every applicant will have shadowing hours. The exception would be if you are applying to BS/MD, where I think you need shadowing hours (?).
I would also be careful about using terms such as “prestigious” in your interviews and applications.
1 Like