<p>Hello, I am currently taking 18 units this semester and will be volunteering 4-8 hours at a local hospital. I am just curious -- when would be a good time for me to start getting involved in research? I have done two summer internships (paid, full-time jobs pretty much) before and so this time, I want to be able to do something substantial. I feel like I wouldn't have enough time this semester to do that, but I also feel like everybody else is doing research already and I'm falling behind.</p>
<p>So my questions are: when is the best time to get involved with research for premed? I know getting a paper published is substantial, but do I need to start getting research now in order to have a decent shot at publishing? If this case is true, should I opt for research instead of volunteering at the hospital?</p>
<p>its important that you are realistic about your time management and study skills. Keep your GPA up and volunteer in clinical settings. Participating in summer research is sufficient for a premed. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about publishing. That is not what your application is being judged on.</p>
<p>You don’t have to do research just because a lot of other pre-meds do. People get into school without research, it’s obviously helpful but if you have other substantial ECs it’s not super essential. It also isn’t usually that fun… I’m all about bench work but it gets tedious and it’s not for everyone. If you don’t love it, it’s not worth it.</p>
<p>But, it’s nice to start early in case it ends up being something you really like doing. It takes time to pay your dues (washing dishes woot woot) and get the experience you need to do real research, so if you get it over with freshman year you’ll have 3 more years to get in solid work. You may or may not get published (likely you won’t) but it’s not really the point of undergrad research.</p>
<p>I mean, people also get in with MCAT scores of 29. It’s definitely possible, but I wouldn’t recommend trying it if you’re looking for a research-oriented medical school. For example, I believe that all California medical schools (besides Loma Linda) have student bodies with 85%+ doing reseach as undergrads.</p>
<p>You should start whenever you have a significant amount of time to dedicate to your research without it pulling down your GPA.</p>
<p>Research takes a lot of time, and publication even more so. Expect to be in the lab 20+ hours during the term if you want a shot at publication, and even maybe dedicate a summer or so to it. You’re just a froshie, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore and plan things out. I know premeds that only start working in labs their junior year, so you’re already way ahead of the game, whenever you decide to commit. But again, you need to be certain that you can dedicate a significant portion of time to your lab work - this is key to establishing a favorable reputation with your PI, which is essential down the road.</p>
<p>My biggest advice is to really “shop” for labs and not just commit to the first lab that offers you a position. It’s not worth your time and energy dreading going to lab and working on things that don’t interest you.</p>