Research Abroad or Research in the U.S.?

[premedwannaB]

Dear all pre-med friends,

I have a decision to make regarding research, and I wanted to open the floor to some opinions... I was recently accepted into two research programs for summer 2020, and, assuming they will both still happen (thx COVID-19), I do not know which one would look better on a medical school application.

My first option is research abroad in Europe with a mentor for 10 weeks, where I will work on a medical research team and may even be able to shadow in the city as well. My mentor likely will not have published many scientific papers, given the list of possible mentors that they will assign to me. Thus, I think the chances of publication for this are low.  Nonetheless, I think it would be an excellent opportunity to experience medicine abroad.

My second option is a 10-week research position in the States, where I will work directly with a research mentor in a hospital. The program is set up so that I will also be able to observe many surgeries and form valuable relationships with physicians. Based on the previous successes of students, it is more likely that I would produce a publication-worthy paper.

Based on these two options, which do you think is more attractive to medical schools?

[gangliocytoma]

A publication will help with your OMSAS application, but it is not mandatory. Unless anything has changed since I've gone through, only completed research deliverables (conference abstracts, publications) are counted on OMSAS, work in progress is not. The value of the experience should be what it does for you (i.e. allow you to travel, see the world, complete research with esteemed faculty, network) not what you think will be attractive to med schools. This sounds like a really cool opportunity and you should make the most of it.

Exploring medicine through shadowing is a great way for you to personally learn more about the field and decide whether it is something you'd like to do. Shadowing does not increase your chances of getting into a Canadian med school. If you apply to US schools then things are different.

I anticipate the lockdowns pertaining to COVID to last well into the summer. I'd have a back-up plan in case things fall through.