<p>Do medical schools care what kind of research you do? What if I'm more into public policy research or historical research (humanities and social sciences) rather than the typical biological research that most premeds engage in? Do they favor scientific (relating to biology, chemistry, physics, etc - natural science subjects) research over, say, research in a psychology lab, etc?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Basic consensus here is that any research is better than no research, and basic (hard) science research is ever so marginally better than research in non-health related social science or other disciplines. Most likely, schools probably fall into one of 3 categories - don't care what the research is in so long as you have it, prefer hard sciences, or prefer health related. The exact degree of these preferences is impossible to ascertain.</p>
<p>All that said, the running theme for the most part is to never do something purely because you think med schools want you to. The best research project is one that you're interested in. Since you can't know what schools prefer, you want to choose the project that you're going to get the most out of, the one you're going to be able to get excited about and relate that passion to interviewers.</p>
<p>I worked on a project as part of a paid undergrad summer research program this past summer. Initially, my PI just gave me the project without asking about my interest, probably because I didn't have any research background then and I was new to the field. The project was about identifying and characterizing a gene that caused a mutant phenotype in C. elegans. It was not very exciting. I doubt anyone can talk passionately about a project like this.</p>
<p>Anyway, I have the choice of going back to the lab and continuing the project by volunteering. But would it be appropriate for me to ask for a different project, especially when I'm only a volunteer (not a paid summer student now)? I can decide not to go back to the lab, but look for a new lab. In that case, what are some efficient ways of searching for the project/lab you will thrive in?</p>
<p>YSK1, C elegans has become a favored species for basic science research. This is primarily due to its low cost and ability to reproduce in petri dishes in a lab. There are many many TOP science labs using C elegans these days. </p>
<p>What matters is what do you take away from doing such a project and what do its applications mean for humans or for diseases? Identifying and characterizing a gene and its properties would be considered highly important work by any Physician IMO. </p>
<p>If you do not like working in C elegans model however, next best models are disease models in rats or mice or monkeys. There are still many labs that work with various rat models. Monkeys and dogs are utilized far less these days.</p>
<p>As a med school admission committee member, I must strongly echo the post by Bigredmed! The experimental model is not important at the level of undergrad research. What is important is your ability to understand and succinctly articulate what you did and the relative importance of the larger research project. Specifically, you need to demonstrate that you weren't simply a pair of mindless "hands". You don't need to be driving the project at this stage of your education, but you do need to have a strong understanding of your portion of the research project and the overall research goals of the lab.</p>
I am personally studying to be a marine biologist, but I have friends who want to go into medical school. I know that the answer is always “it depends…”, but how would you consider medical experience (whether paid or volunteer) compared to research or a good standardized test score? This might be out of left field, but would you say that being EMT-B certified would give a boost in the admissions process?
All three are important, but test scores and clinical experiences are vital. You cannot get admitted without a good standardized test score (MCAT) and substantial clinical experience. You can get into medical school without any research experience if you apply to the right schools (service oriented schools whose primary mission is to provide PCPs for certain target regions or groups).
Not at all. EMT-Bs are a dime a dozen among pre-med hopefuls. Also simply having the certification is completely useless. You need to actually work/volunteer as a EMT–which gives you one type of clinical experience, which is useful but not the be-all-end-all as far a clinical experiences go. It’s still recommended to get other types of clinical exposure beside being an EMT.
Please start a new thread with your questions rather than resurrecting old ones.