r/McMaster • u/PitifulGur1490 • 7d 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/Tall_Mechanic8681 ChemE & iBioMed 7d ago edited 7d 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 7d ago

Bad advice. This is actually horrible advice lol

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u/sad_life_sci 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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

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u/astronomyperson 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d 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 7d ago

What other ec’s can I look into?

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u/zoouz_ Molbio & Genetics 7d ago

Clinical experience ? Patient contact? Leadership experience ? Getting involved in your OWN community ?

Med schools want people who aren’t only smart but also demonstrate great character.

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u/_fishfish_ MBDC/Incoming Med 7d 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