If you are one of the passionate medical school prospects, you can take your undergraduate years as a great opportunity to get into medical school. Keep in mind that performing outstandingly during your undergraduate years can set you apart from other medical school applicants. One of the proven ways to strengthen your medical school application is to actively participate in research during your undergraduate years. Trust me, you will learn more knowledge and skills in a research lab or clinical setting than a classroom. In addition, the skills and knowledge you will gain by doing research projects is the most important factor that help you decide whether the career in medicine is the right fit for you.
Research is not about the repetitive processes or test tubes. As a matter of fact, research is directly connected with critical and independent thinking, creativity and teaches students how to complete a project with consistent determination. Having a comprehensive undergraduate experience has now become a critical component of a medical school admission process.
Here are many valuable benefits of performing undergraduate medical research and a few reasons why it is important and how it can make you a competitive candidate for Windsor University School of Medicine.
Gives You an Opportunity to Contribute to Medical Advancement
If truth be told, every single advancement, treatment, diagnostic technique and medication in a medical field is a result of a challenging and innovative research. Without dedicated researchers, there is no other way to develop effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat serious diseases and chronic illnesses. Undergraduate research, no matter how small, can provide you with an opportunity to discover something new that was not previously known. Remember, the contribution you make can contribute to the medical advancement and help patients all over the globe.
Makes You a Strong Medical School Candidate
Although participating in extracurricular activities is a great idea but doing an undergraduate research provides you with an opportunity to develop critical thinking, writing and presentation skills that are needed to become a medical doctor. You will learn how to take ownership of a project that can contribute to a great scientific discovery. Research projects are a great way to stand out as a medical school applicant. As it truly depicts that you are passionate about the project. Being published in a research journal is a great accomplishment for an undergraduate student that will definitely impress the medical school admissions committees.
Helps You Decide Your Career
Your active participation in research projects can help you decide your career interests and goals. Determine carefully what kind of research you want to do and what you are passionate about. Do you want to learn about pharmacology, hematology, physiology, molecular biology, cardiology or any other field? As you involved more deeply in your research, it will become easier for you to figure out what interests you more, choose the medical specialty for your future career.
Gives You Advantage in Class
Getting involved in different research projects provide you with the knowledge necessary to excel in your academic career. Without any practical involvement, the concepts you learn in class remain ambiguous. By working in a research lab, you will be able to gain practical experience under the supervision of a researcher or professor. You can perform better in many science courses that you will take in medical school as a result of what you have learned while doing research projects. In short, students with an established research track record can secure an impressive GPA as they can better understand the class material and perform better in their classes.
Helps You Build Your Professional Resume
Believe it or not, undergraduate research can provide you with an amazing opportunity for you to build your professional resume by different research positions, awards, certifications, publications and more. Therefore, it is strongly suggested to look for research opportunities early, so that you can perform more advanced research in medical school, giving you a competitive edge over other students. Furthermore, as an undergraduate researcher, you will find an opportunity to work with a research team that will definitely hone your skill set and prepares you for a career in the field of medicine.
You will Understand Primary Literature
Since doing research projects helps undergraduate students to learn how to think critically and creatively. You will learn how to challenge the status quo and extract information instead of simply regurgitating it.
Build a Professional Network
Obtaining an undergraduate research position allows you to network and build professional relationships with researchers, scholars, academics, professors, and doctors in your field. This will help you build a strong network that can provide strong letters of recommendation that will surely set your medical school application apart from other candidates who decided to spend their undergraduate years in fun activities rather than doing a research project.
Concluding Thoughts
If you are an undergraduate student and considering applying to a top university of medicine in Caribbean, it is the right time to start searching for research opportunities. The practical experience and skills set you gain as a researcher will set you apart from those who stick to their textbooks.
