*Volunteering

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Paul

Date:***9/6/2000 3:49 pm*PST

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I was wondering if if research or something with the professor is that important when getting a recommendation, and if I can get the other 2 from a 1 or 2 doctors/and or people at a hospital where I would volunteer at? Also Ian what do you recommend as the best thing for a male to do in volunteering at a hospital to get recommendations from doctors and others and to interact with doctors and something that is worthwhile and hopefully enjoyable to a certain extent?

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Ian Wong, MS2

Date:***9/7/2000 9:30 pm*PST

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I don't really understand why, but research seems to be a definite plus when applying to medical school. If nothing else, it's distinctive if no one else has it, and it keeps you even with the rest of the pack if they do.

 

If you can get some quality research in with a prof, that really facilitates getting a good reference letter. It'll certainly be better than a reference letter that you would receive if you've never spent one-on-one time with your prof. Finally, who knows, you might discover you really like research, and want to do that instead of medicine.

 

As for the hospital thing, I answered that in the other topic.

 

Ian

Can, MS2

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Simon Chiu, UG3

Date:***9/8/2000 10:21 pm*PST

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I'm finding that more and more premeds have "research experience," taken on the advice that this will make them look more "dinstinctive." Of the many people I know here at Queen's, I find that the majority of us 3rd years have done some research in some lab at some time in the past 2 years.

 

I don't really think it makes any of us look distinctive unless we can really say what we learned from it. I think most importantly, the research thing on your CV will show that you enjoy science.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Author:*Ian Wong, MS2

Date:***9/9/2000 1:24 am*PST

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Hmm. I've done quite a bit of thinking about this question, and I've pretty much boiled it down to this: It's one of those things that you probably should do because it keeps you on track with the rest of the crowd, and helps you to know your professor so you can easily get a good reference letter.

 

I think the gold standard is to try to find something interesting, with a prof and lab techs that you enjoy working with, and that has enough money to keep the lab from fighting for equipment time. This is often difficult to accomplish. In fact, I think what I got most out of research was a complete distaste at the way university research is funded. It simply strikes me as a huge waste of talent to put post-docs (people who have PhD's) in front of computers for hours a day writing grant proposals asking for money so their near minimum-wage lab techs/summer students can conduct the work.

 

Research in Canada simply is more important than that. As a result, I'd have to conclude that doing some research doesn't really show an interest in science. *Staying* in research does! (You'd figure that just because you are applying, med schools would realise you are interested in the subject...)

 

Ian

Can, MS2