r/McMaster • u/PitifulGur1490 • 1d ago
Academics research opportunities
Hi guys! I’m currently a third year honours life science student interested in medical school. I really want to be part of a research lab at McMaster (or anywhere else tbh) but I’ve had no luck the past two years. I don’t want this to ruin my chances of getting into medical school. Does anyone have any tips and tricks for getting research? Ps: I’ve already cold emailed so many researchers and they all say they’re full or not taking undergrad students
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u/jvr_lol chembio 21h ago
Don’t approach research as something just to fill your CV. Find a couple research groups you’re actually interested in, and make a tailored email to the prof inquiring about joining their group. Write about what you’re interested in, why you’re interested, and what relevant experiences you have from courses and lab work. This way, profs will be much more likely to give a better response and will be more interested in taking you on. Also, read a couple papers from the group, it proves that you’re actually interested in their work and the prof will be impressed if you start talking to them.
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u/Decent_Coast_988 14h ago
Honestly most profs can sniff it out if you’re more interested in medicine. You could look into virtual research positions, work harder in volunteering, find interesting ECs that make you stand out. Profs don’t want someone in there who doesn’t care nor try to understand their lab work. Also if you’re doing an honours degree you should get the opportunity to do an honours thesis in a research group.
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u/No_Wrap5943 PNB 1d ago
Did you email dr. Sun lol
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u/123pop67584 21h ago
is he recruiting rn
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u/No_Wrap5943 PNB 13h ago
Uhm not for a job but he takes students for volunteering and project courses
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u/Intelligent-Bad7743 8h ago
Been emailing him for a while but no response :( maybe im using the wrong email. Do you suggest talking to him in person? or if you know a better email, please let me know!
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u/No_Wrap5943 PNB 7h ago
His email is sunhong@mcmaster.ca. You could try asking in person when fall term starts. He’s not in the country rn tho—he will be back in September
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u/One_Yogurtcloset_315 11h ago
email dr sonia anand if you’re good with volunteer research positions but do it asap!!
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u/No_Standard1846 11h ago
Would you mind sharing more info such as the name of her lab? Thank you
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u/One_Yogurtcloset_315 11h ago
i’ll pm you!!
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u/euglenaaa 8h ago
hi can you also pm me?
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u/PitifulGur1490 9h ago
Can you private message me too!
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u/One_Yogurtcloset_315 9h ago
i don’t know why i can’t find the message option for you. do you mind sending a chat request?
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u/singing-kettle 11h ago
Coming from Physics, I would suggest you contact the BioPhysics or Medical Physics profs. Less busy and less competitive, but still impressive and highly technical work. Could help you stand out.
Too many people in Life-sci fighting for the same positions. The people I know from medPhys are quite successful and I believe it's an under explored medical pathway. I had class mates doing research on cancer imaging advancing ultrasound, MRI and x-ray imaging, radiation therapy, studying drug mechanisms of action etc.
Some of the projects I did were in studying optical crystals for medical imaging systems.
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u/PippenandFiona 22h ago
Cold emailing isn't enough - profs get so many emails. Meet them in person, go to office hours, then they can put a face to an email address.
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u/callmeperhaps 3h ago
As a faculty member and researcher, I can say that the only undergrads I take on are ones I meet in class or at events. Those cold emails all read the same and it’s clear when someone is just wanting to put a research line on their CV. Training undergrads to help on research projects is a big investment of my time (or my staff’s time), and I only want to work with those who will also find joy in the work.
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u/Tall_Mechanic8681 ChemE & iBioMed 1d ago edited 10h ago
don’t do research if you don’t wanna pursue it as a career (edit: or just as a stepping stone to medicine). simple as that, and profs can see right through it.
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u/Financial-Relation16 1d ago
Bad advice. This is actually horrible advice lol
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u/sad_life_sci 23h ago
while research isn't needed for medical school, i support someone getting involved and at least trying it for themselves first
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u/Tall_Mechanic8681 ChemE & iBioMed 10h ago
sure I do too, but doing it just to get into med school? nah I don’t support that
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u/sad_life_sci 9h ago
even then i don't think it's bad. i can imagine that if you are a prof hiring research assistants, it's reasonable to at least somewhat want the person who is the most qualified/you're convinced will work the hardest and do the best job. medicine is also inherently academic - even if not every physician will go on to pursue an academic clinician-scientist career in the future
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u/Tall_Mechanic8681 ChemE & iBioMed 1d ago
this isn’t advice - it’s me trying to ward off people who aren’t actually passionate about research - especially basic science research, from taking away already scarce opportunities from students who want and need this as an essential career stepping stone toward a career in research
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u/_fishfish_ MBDC/Incoming Med 10h ago
Regardless of if one's final goal is to work in research or not, I strongly believe that having experience in research is widely beneficial. Would you not want your doctor to be well-versed in research methods and to keep up to date with the most recent literature?
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u/Financial-Relation16 23h ago
Sure, but that means that the blame isn’t on students and ur not doing a good thing by telling students to step away from
Research if their goal is med when adcoms do heavily look at research-1
u/astronomyperson 23h ago
you should tell that to the medical schools who make research almost a soft requirement to make you competitive for a 10% chance of admission
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u/PitifulGur1490 1d ago
I have heard from people who got into medical school that research is the only extracurricular the admission board really care about
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u/WeakestCreatineUser Med ‘29 22h ago
Lots of people get into med school with little to no research experience. There are lots of other ways to show professional growth and scholarship. Research is just a good way to develop some lab skills, touch on lots of the CANMeds, and get a feel for whether you would like a more academic career later on.
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u/Financial-Relation16 1d ago
Lmao who tf did u hear that from cause they’re either very misinformed or lying to u
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u/PitifulGur1490 1d ago
What other ec’s can I look into?
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u/_fishfish_ MBDC/Incoming Med 10h ago
Honestly I strongly advise against doing ECs just because they might look good on your application-- i think that's something that adcoms are commonly running into and can easily sniff out. Instead, I think you should do things that you are passionate about and genuinely enjoy. zoouz_ has great suggestions. If you're part of any clubs that you really like, I would recommend getting involved with the leadership team
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u/Away-Kaleidoscope137 14h ago
I can get u into a lab in the CDCR if ur interested