Academic and Pre-Professional Advising at Stony Brook University

RESEARCH: OVERVIEW & LINKS

revised 02/20/2006

OVERVIEW

A good number of prehealth students, very often premeds, ask the question, "Do I need to do research to be a competitive applicant?" The answer is a qualified "no."

The bottom line is this:

If you want to have a career in medical (or dental, optometric, podiatric, veterinary) research, you absolutely, positively should do some research, and get letters of recommendation from your research supervisors.
If you want to be a practitioner, a healer, a clinician, and have no desire to do research, then research is not necessary.

Regardless of whether you want to be a dual degree (MD/PhD) medical researcher or a practitioner who takes care of patients and conducts no research at all, it is important to have health-related experience. Your volunteer work in the ER, or at a nursing home, or as an EMT crew chief is one thing that tells schools of the health professions you know what you are getting into--that you have some first-hand familiarity with the pressures and realities of the field of health care.

So, gaining health-related experience is a high priority. Further, there is a certain "chronological reasonableness" to having some health-related experience precede research work. We mean one thing here: it could be more likely for you to have the skills that would make you a good volunteer in your first semester freshman year. The skill set that you need to make a successful first foray into a research environment often comes with the experience you gain through taking rigorous college courses. Therefore, it might be less likely that you possess all the skills you need to make the most of research right at the start of your college career. With this in mind, you might have some health-related experience before you plunge into that complicated biochemistry research project--even if your ultimate goal is an MD/PhD program.

Remember that strong academics are a basic and first priority for which there is no substitute. You want to make the most of your education by studying hard, mastering your material, and learning the reasoning skills that you need to be a life-long learner and problem solver.

Up to this point, we have covered two main ideas:

In an absolute sense there is no need that you do research--unless you are thinking of a career in something like medical research.
In a large number of cases, gaining health-related experience can be something that is easier to begin working on first. It might even be preferable to begin gaining this experience first.

Another question has probably arisen in your mind, though. "Okay, I don't need to do research, but should I do research?"

The Association of American Medical Colleges discusses research in MSAR 2001-2002, Medical School Admissions Requirements:

"Honors courses and independent study or research are encouraged, because they permit the student to explore, in depth, an area of knowledge and provide a scholarly experience that will facilitate a lifelong habit of self-education." (page 27)

In the 2006-2007 MSAR, similar wording is used:

"Medical schools encourage honors, independent study, and research work by premedical students. These activities demonstrate in depth, sustained scholarly exploration, as well as the presence of life-long learning skills, that are essential to a career in the health professions. " (page 12)

In neither edition of MSAR do we see it said that a student must do research to get into medical school. Nonetheless, if you took a look at individual medical schools in MSAR 2006-2007 you might have noticed something that is at first glance rather surprising. At many medical schools, more than half of the accepted applicants listed that they had research experience. Does this mean that research is the golden key to getting into medical school? Probably not.

Even though more than half of a medical school's entering class might self-report that they have done research there are many different kinds of research. For example, if you assisted with clinical research at Stony Brook's ER you have research experience. Clinical research is not the same as bench research in a lab, but it is still research. So, don't think that every single person who gets into medical school is spending twenty hours a week in a laboratory.

You see more medical school applicants doing research and getting excellent health related experience because they are already strong academically, they are well-informed about opportunities, and they are willing to put in the semesters and years that it takes to stand out of the crowd. From 1996 through 2002 the numbers of applicants to medical school dropped, although the quality of applicants held steady or increased. Now, the number and quality of applications is increasing--you can say with no exaggeration that it is getting tougher to get into dental and medical school. So, what should you do?

If you are already on top of your course work, then, a good research experience could further your intellectual development. This could make you a more interesting, and therefore stronger, applicant. Remember that a research project is not a substitute for good grades, strong communication skills, or the ability to think and reason well--even under the pressure of the MCAT, DAT, OAT, or GRE.

Admissions committees look for excellence in their applicants. Research is one, but not the only, way to pursue your interests and show how good you are.