Opinions?

[med_dream]

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[Bambi]

I do not know if this will be helpful to you in your med application. I understand the intellectual fulfillment part. I recommend you look over the strengths and weaknesses of your application and that you focus on the weaknesses. Are you well rounded, are you an active citizen in your community, have you demonstrated altruism and CanMEDS competencies through your life experiences? Being a brain in a box does not do it. Make an objective assessment. If there are no holes or gaps in your application, then it would be safe to proceed as you suggest; otherwise, if I were you, I would use my time to maximum advantage to make me a great candidate across a range of medical schools. You do not know where lighting will strike. 

[stickynote]

If your school is okay with it, and you're willing to commit to the time commitment and risk of having that many credits tied up in thesis courses then I say go for it! I completely understand what you mean how research can be more fulfilling then traditional courses etc. 

 

I doubt adcoms will care or will even notice if you did two theses IMO. It could help your app due to more research pub opportunities, but I dont think it could hinder it 

[shikimate]

Bottom line, if you can get higher marks in these research courses instead of lecture courses, go for it. Also any time you can get credit or money for doing lab work, it's usually better than just being a volunteer. I doubt this will make or break your application, assuming everything else is strong.

[freewheeler]

Do it if you would do it even if med school wasn't on your mind. Undergrad research won't make or break an application.

[Borborygmi]

I would be worried about time commitment with two thesis projects. I found my thesis project to be quite an involved time commitment (~25 hours per week and even more hours in the final weeks) and I probably would have chosen not to have done it in hindsight as a result. Plus, you have a major write-up of 30+ pages at the end of term for each project in addition to a presentation for each on top of your 3 final exams and other coursework. If you feel you can balance two in addition to 3 courses and you're passionate about research, then sure. I would be pretty hesitant, however. A second thesis project does little to help you, even if you choose to pursue a research path following undergrad. For all of these reasons, I would suggest doing a single thesis and using the freed up time to pursue other interests.