undergraduate thesis premed

What Every Premed Should Know About Undergraduate Research

Investigate the below to gain a fundamental understanding of undergraduate research and some of its intricacies. Plus, gain clarity on the extent to which research should be a part of your journey into medicine.

Having research experience on your medical school application is an excellent way to make a contribution to medicine while also gaining extracurricular hours. Perhaps you’ve watched your fellow pre-meds scramble to find labs to work in and hustle to get publications to add to their CVs. Maybe you’ve stressed over sending cold emails to a few Principle Investigators yourself. Conducting research as an undergrad is a wonderful thing, but it’s not everything. Investigate the below to gain a fundamental understanding of undergraduate research and some of its intricacies. Plus, gain clarity on the extent to which research should be a part of your journey into medicine.

What Is Undergraduate Research?

According to the Council on Undergraduate Research, undergraduate research is “an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.” Through this research, students can enrich and advance society while also learning a tremendous amount of knowledge in their field. There is a crucial need to research in the field of medicine.

What Are The Advantages to Doing Research as an Undergraduate?

Doing research as a pre-med student will most certainly benefit your medical school application. It demonstrates your ability to work on a team and ask important scientific questions while exposing you to methods, protocols, analysis, and the process of scientific inquiry. Whether you are running PCR in a wet lab or doing data entry in a clinical research department, your roles can vary greatly depending on your skills and interests. Research is defined as the mechanism by which medical knowledge is advanced.

Getting involved in it has the potential to amplify your passion for medicine while also finding solutions to some of the biggest medical problems, and you get all of that for just participating. Even better, if you are in the right lab, at the right time, and with the right mentors, you can get a publication out of it too. All of these things will help your application stand out. However, the research comes with a price.

How Do You Get Research Experience Without Research Experience?

How can I get into a lab when the hiring managers prefer students with research experience (or even require it), and I don’t have any research experience yet? Where can I get my first experience from?

Trust me, you are not alone. It’s natural to have a lot of questions about how to land your first research position. Here’s are a few ways how to land a research position.

Three Ways to Be a Competitive Applicant to a Research Lab Despite No Previous Experience:

•   Meet with the Principle Investigator – Set up a meeting with the PI well before you’d like to start working there to discuss their work and your interest in it (you can do this with or without mentioning your upcoming search for a research position – planting the seed of your enthusiasm and dedication will go a long way when it comes time to formally express your interest in working with them).
• Customize your CV – Amplify your skills most relevant to each particular position. Applying to a clinical research lab with a lot of patient-facing work? Make sure that your interpersonal skills are standing out on your CV (community engagement, peer support roles like tutoring, etc.). Applying to a wet lab that requires a lot of technical skills?
• Showcase Your Related Accomplishments – Highlight the excellent work you did in the Chemistry Lab as you executed each experiment and report diligence. Leverage the connections you made with professors, mentors, and career center advisors. You most likely won’t need a letter of recommendation to apply to work in a lab. This is an application process dominated by cold emails and hopefully warmer conversations. However, if a professor or mentor can send a short email to a PI on your behalf, that would be a great supplement to your CV, especially if that professor or mentor has any connections to the labs/research that you are interested in.

Luckily there are tons of resources out there to help you with all of these tips and more. Check out Dr. Mehta’s article titled, “ Finding an Undergraduate Research Lab as a Pre-Med Student” for more information.

Factors To Consider Once You Land Your Undergraduate Research Position

Once you find a lab and start working, there is a lot to balance. You could be dedicating upwards of ten hours a week to lab work spread out across the week and the weekend. This will be a test of time management and organization for sure.

You may also realize that not all labs or departments have the infrastructure to support undergraduate students. From an administrative standpoint, having short-term research assistants can often be more disruptive than productive to the team, although this varies depending on the department/lab. This variability demonstrates the fact that the research experience a student receives is largely dependent on the team they are working with, not the research being conducted. This is the double-edged sword of undergraduate research.

You can complete an amazing research project, but if you leave that lab without having made any meaningful connections or valuable personal discoveries, you may not have gained much other than a bullet point on your CV. This levels the playing field for all students who didn’t get into the big-name labs doing the research that gets published in the biggest journals. At the end of the day, it’s all about the connections you made with your lab mates and mentors and the lessons that you learned about yourself, life, and medicine.

When it comes time to describe your activities that will go on your medical school application, you may not remember the exact time course of your PCR or the specific strain of mouse that you used. Yet, you will remember the day that the PhD student in the lab taught you a cool trick to help you analyze samples. You’ll recall the day that your PI sat with you and told you about all of their failed experiments to help you feel better about yours. Those are the stories that will resonate with medical school admissions committees during interviews.

Do You Need Research Experience to Get Into Medical School?

No, but it sure helps. Research experience is often seen by pre-med students and as a means to an end – that end being an acceptance to medical school. However, the best way to benefit from your research is to look at it as a means to a beginning. Use research to dive deeper into your passion for science and medicine and as a way to discover new reasons to choose the path of medicine you are passionate about

As you consider whether or not a traditional research experience is of interest to you, remember that it is not technically required in order to get accepted into medical school. If you can create an experience that provides the same outcomes, such as clarity in your pursuit of medicine and exposure to scientific inquiry, then I say go for it!

Don’t be afraid to create your own research project and bring in the mentors that you most connect with. By no means is there one way to get to medical school. With each application cycle, students are becoming more creative in their approach. Trust your gut, remember your “why medicine?”, and seek the advice of a great mentor.

The physician advisors at MedSchoolCoach have helped guide thousands of students down the right research path for them. Look them up if you need help with strategic planning for your medical school application to make your research extracurriculars stand out!

Have more questions about getting into med school or becoming a doctor ? MedSchoolCoach has a team of admissions advisors who’ve all served on admissions committees. They are available to help you better your med school application and boost your chances of getting into medical school . Look them up!

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• Medical School Application

How to Find Premed Research Opportunities

Featured Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Premed research opportunities help you develop essential skills and attitudes for becoming a doctor, whether you are applying to MD or DO programs , and especially if you are looking to pursue an MD-PhD program . But how to find the right research activity? And how do you know if it’s a quality experience? In this article, we will help you determine what research experience will bolster your medical school acceptance chances, and provide you with tips that will help you find the perfect premed research experience for you!

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

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Article Contents 10 min read

What to look for in premed research opportunities.

It’s important to learn what medical schools are looking for when they review research experiences in your application, whether it’s the AMCAS Work and Activities section or Experiences section of the AACOMAS application process . So, what should you look for in a premed research opportunity?

1. Quality vs Quantity

This is the golden rule for all your application components. It's not the number of words in your medical school personal statement that will impress the admissions committees, but the quality of thought and articulation. It’s not the quantity of medical school recommendation letters that will help your candidacy, but the quality of those references. And it's not the number of your research activities that will help you develop important research skills, but the quality of your experiences.

“During undergrad, I focused on activities that I enjoyed! I liked public health research, so that’s what I involved myself with. I was passionate about working with low-income patients, so I sought an opportunity to do that … Research is also becoming more important to schools, so I would prioritize inclusion/participation in a research activity.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“one of [my research experiences] is a continuation of my thesis honors project with the human performance lab at the uc and it's a project about muscle mechanics so we're just adding a little bit more onto that and turning it into a paper and for my thesis and then the second one is a community engagement project with immigrant and refugee youth.” – sherry, bemo student..

Focus on the program’s objectives and the kind of skills you will be able to develop during the project. Having only 1 good research experience which helped you hone key skills will be much more valuable than 20 projects where you do not get the opportunity for self-improvement.

Medical school admissions committees like to see dedication, responsibility, and commitment in their applicants’ applications. Your time commitment to a research experiences in undergrad can demonstrate these qualities. If you jump from one premed research project to the next without having much effect on the project itself, this myriad of experiences will not impress the committee members.

So how many hours of research do you need to impress the committee members? While the quality of your experience matters more, aim to have around 400-500 hours in total. MSAR can be a useful tool in determining which schools value research—and how many experiences you should have.

“MSAR was a great resource as I built a list … I noted the number of volunteer, work, and research experiences that accepted applicants had and focused on schools that had averages that matched my numbers … As you apply, activities that you are passionate about and can show longevity [in] are more important than one-off things that just check a box” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD.

This means that if you participate in a research project for a couple of academic semesters on a part-time basis or participate in a summer undergraduate research project , you will hit this number without any problems. This shows to the committee that you were really a part of this research project, that you were a part of the team, and that you dedicated your time and effort to working on this research. Summer research for premeds also means you can dedicate more hours to a project.

“I was able to essentially treat my research job as … a full 40-hour a week job … In undergrad I was maybe doing you know 10, 15, 20 hours a week of research but having [my] full time and effort committed to that allowed me to make a lot more progress without having to necessarily make like sacrifices in other areas of my life.” – Rishi, former BeMo student and current student at Carver College of Medicine.

3. research skills.

Whether you choose to get involved in clinical research or social science research, you must aim to develop certain skills. Research skills are easily transferable, and the field of your research project is not as important as the skill set it hones, such as gathering and analyzing data, verbal and written communication skills, analytical and critical thinking skills, and so on.

Getting involved in research that is directly related to your field of interest is a great feat, not only because this will impress the medical school committee but because you will certainly enjoy the experience!

Your research experience does not have to result in discovering the cure for cancer. A research opportunity can result in a publication or conference participation, or a great reference letter for medical school from your principal investigator.

A quality research experience should result in more than a mention on your medical school resume or CV. A research experience should leave you with new knowledge, new skills, new connections, and new opportunities! If you loved the research project you participated in, it might inspire you to pursue more research! If you develop good relationships with your teammates, you are more likely to have future network connections that can help you through medical school and residency. Basically, a research project should result in more than a check mark on your med school application.

“Through my undergrad just increasing my diversity of experience … gathering all the different aspects of what medicine is about including a lot of the social determinants and things like that I wasn't really aware of going in after high school. I just thought medicine was all about medical stuff and all the hard science but it's so much more than that and I'm glad I had my undergrad research to experience that and I just was able to be exposed to everything but still I'm focused on my interest through research.” – Sherry, BeMo student, on her undergraduate premed research experiences.

So now that you know what constitutes a good research experience, let’s go over some of the ways you can find top-quality premed research opportunities.

Reach Out to Professors, TAs, and Instructors at Your School

Approaching your instructors in a science class is the first and easiest step to take if you are looking for research opportunities, especially if you do not have any research experience at all. Your professors and teaching assistants might be personally involved in research projects or know colleagues who are participating in research. You can ask if any positions on the research team are available and if so, who you can send your research assistant cover letter and resume to. These projects are often looking for assistants, scribes, and other team members who can help in the research process.

Keep in mind that your chances to participate in this opportunity and any of the opportunities we list below depend on your academic standing, your skills, your references, and more. You must work hard, get good grades, and develop a relationship with the instructor before you can approach them for this opportunity. If you are a good and dedicated student looking for research opportunities and they are not participating in a research project personally, they can recommend you to their colleagues, which will help your chances of getting the position.

In addition to speaking with your instructors, pay attention to any job postings or volunteer postings on your school’s website and job boards. While research opportunities are rarely posted externally, it does happen. Then you can direct your resume and cover letter directly to the email address indicated in the posting.

If you're working on a research assistant cover letter and are looking for tips to make it stand out, check out this infographic:

Check Out Other Colleges

If you find that no research opportunities are currently available in your own school, check out colleges and universities near you to see if their science departments are looking for research assistants. Some departments openly post volunteer research positions on their website, so do make sure to check them out.

You can personally reach out to instructors in the departments that interest you the most and introduce yourself. Explain that you are a student at another school who is looking for research opportunities. Starting as a volunteer is the perfect opportunity for someone who does not have any research experience. Focus on self-improvement and development at first, and then demonstrate to your research team that you are a dedicated, responsible adult who they can trust and work with. You might move up the ranks if such an opportunity is available.

“If you're um interested in certain types of research it is helpful for the interdisciplinary nature of certain research to be fostered at some of these bigger academic institutions. For example, I did a summer research program here in the University of Iowa … and a lot of the work done with that would involve doctors in the hospital collaborating with people in bioengineering at the university … that's one thing to think about it's sometimes easier at these big undergraduate universities.” – Rishi Patel, BeMo student.

Use connections at premed clubs.

If you are involved in a premed club or society at your school, ask your peers about their research experiences. Older students might know which professors at your school always need research assistants, so even if these professors are not your direct instructors, you will know who to reach out to. Older students may also advise where to look for opportunities at your school and beyond. Perhaps they shadowed a physician who is always involved in research and can always use an assistant. Or they gained some clinical hours for medical school in a hospital that is currently involved in a research project. Do not be shy to ask for help from your older peers. They have been in your situation and know how frustrating this search can be. They also know if an experience will be of value to you, point you in the right direction, and give tips based on their own experiences.

Reach Out to Hospitals and Physicians

Your own extracurriculars for medical school can lead you to research opportunities! After spending much of your time and effort gaining quality shadowing hours and volunteer hours to learn new skills and build new relationships, these extracurricular activities can also be used to find research experiences. Reach out to the doctors you shadowed, especially if you managed to develop a friendly rapport, and these physicians would remember your work ethic and intelligence. Even if they are not participating in research personally, they may give you the names of their colleagues who are looking for assistants or know of research projects happening in their institution.

Additionally, check out the websites of local hospitals, medical facilities, and research facilities. They may advertise research jobs. You can even reach out to your family physician to ask if they know of any research projects happening in your town/city.

Find Summer Research Programs

Summer research programs are ideal for most premed students. While you may take a class during the summer, students tend to have a much lighter academic workload and can dedicate most of their attention to extracurriculars like research. A huge advantage of these programs is that you can focus on research only. After successfully completing a program like this, you may not need to gain any more research experience to bolster your application.

Finding and applying for summer research programs will take some time. You may be required to gather a multitude of documents such as transcripts and reference letters, prepare components like essays, and fill out lengthy application forms. Some programs come with scholarships and stipends, which will alleviate the need to keep a part-time job during the summer.

The potential downside of summer research opportunities is that many of them have a variety of fees. As some of these programs are designed specifically for students who have no or limited experience in research, they ask students for application and program fees instead of paying them for their research participation. Considering how much medical school costs , and other related costs, sit down and plan your budget before you send in applications to summer research programs.

If you are adventurous, you can look for premed research opportunities abroad. These can be great for exposing yourself to new cultures and learning a new language. However, if you want to be strategic, you must keep a couple of things in mind.

If you complete a research project outside of North America, this might look great on your resume and med school application, but you might not miss out on a quality recommendation from your supervisor. Furthermore, the admissions committee may wonder whether you pursued this opportunity because you were truly intrigued by the research project, or as an excuse to travel. Unless your application shows that taking up this opportunity was a genuine desire to participate in this kind of research experience, it may come off as a distraction rather than a serious endeavor.

Also remember that these opportunities can be pricy, as you will need to pay for the application fees, travel, accommodation, and living expenses while living abroad.

Enroll in SMPs & Post-Baccs

Special master’s programs (SMPs) and post-baccalaureate programs are also a great option for students who need more time and opportunity to enhance their application.

SMPs can be the ideal choice for students who want to conduct research in an academic setting. Just like with other master’s degrees, you are given an opportunity to develop your own research project under the supervision of a primary investigator. SMPs give you enough time and resources to develop skills necessary for scientific research, but keep in mind that these programs are not cheap and require your full attention as any other academic endeavor.

Post-bacc programs are designed with the purpose of helping students close gaps in their applications. Some offer more MCAT prep, some give you the chance to take necessary medical school prerequisites , while others may help you find quality research opportunities. You can find the programs that fit your needs via this AAMC directory . Make sure to check the programs’ websites if research opportunities are available via the post-bacc or related facilities.

While many MD and DO schools do not have strict research requirements, you should strive to participate in quality research experiences to be a competitive candidate. The skills you acquire via research are essential for medical school and the practice of medicine in general.

Research helps students improve critical thinking skills, analytical skills, communication skills, and other important abilities. It demonstrates your curiosity, dedication, and sense of responsibility.

All three types of experience are important in their own way for premeds. Research activities build important skill sets, and certain medical programs may value research experience more than shadowing hours.

Not necessarily. If you would like to experience scientific research, participate in lab-based research. However, you can also participate in social science or humanities research projects.

There is no set requirement for the number of research credits. Most importantly, your research activity should be of high quality and dedicated time commitment.

Start by searching for opportunities in your own school. You can also reach out to other local colleges and universities, medical facilities, and your premed peers. You can also search for summer research opportunities and international programs.

You can choose to take a gap year before medical school if you want to give yourself enough time to participate in a quality research experience. During your gap year, you can focus on bolstering your application with extracurriculars like research and clinical hours and prepare your medical school application.

Non-traditional applicants can use all of the same methods we’ve outlined to find research opportunities. If you have been out of school for a long time, you might consider enrolling in an SMP or a post-baccalaureate program to gain all the necessary premed experiences.

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3 Types of Research Publications Premeds Can Work On

There are pros and cons of hypothesis-based research papers, review articles and case reports.

Research Pubs Premeds Can Work On

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Writing a published article is a major achievement, but take the time to research the different kinds of academic publications before getting started.

Having a publication under your belt is a powerful tool in your medical school application arsenal. It is tangible evidence of your contribution to furthering scientific progress and your ability to take on and complete difficult tasks.

After getting into medical school, you will be able to include your publications on your residency applications and fellowship applications. Therefore, a published article is a lifelong achievement that you can be proud of.

[Read: Premeds: Maximize Your Research Publication Chances .] However, not all academic publications are equal. There are many types of publications in science and in medicine. In this article, we describe three types of academic publications, outline the pros and cons of each and discuss how to find opportunities to work on these papers.

Terrible Advice Given to Premed Students

Renee Marinelli, M.D. Sept. 13, 2021

Hypothesis-based research papers. An original research paper is the holy grail of research. It typically involves a hypothesis, experimentation, analysis of results and a discussion of what the researchers found and how the finding fits into the existing trove of knowledge in the field.

In biology and the medical sciences, there are many types of research papers, including basic sciences, translational sciences and clinical trials, to name a few. To work on a research paper, you will need to join a laboratory or a research group.

[Read: 4 Ways to Make Premedical Research Experience Count .]

However, the disadvantage of working on a hypothesis-driven research project is that a research project faces many hurdles, including whether the experiments work, whether valid conclusions can be drawn, and whether other scientists accept the resulting manuscript for publication. There is never a guarantee that a science research project will come to fruition in the form of a research paper.

Review paper. A review paper is an in-depth summary of the existing publications in the field. It provides a detailed overview of the essential concepts and findings in a given research specialty. Working on a review paper requires working under an expert on a topic – typically your research adviser – and sorting, annotating and analyzing many different articles to reach a conclusion.

Based on her personal experience, Maria Filsinger Interrante, a third-year M.D.-Ph.D. student at Stanford University , says, “Writing an excellent review article requires that you sift through hundreds of papers, and from that enormous collection curate the most novel and significant. Having the confidence to read a paper and try to make a determination of ‘this really matters for the field’ versus ‘I don't think I need to include this one’ as an undergraduate doesn’t come naturally, and that’s where it’s essential to get feedback and revisions from your (principal investigator), who is an expert in the field.”

[Read: How to Find Balance as a Premed Student .] “While I was by no means already a topic expert, I understood that writing a review would be an excellent way to greatly expand my knowledge in that area while having a tangible product to show for it,” she says. “I would encourage undergraduates to have the confidence to seek those opportunities, knowing that they can count on guidance and feedback from their (principal investigator) and ultimately deliver a strong, well-crafted review that they can take pride in.”

Case report. A case report is a type of publication that is unique to the field of medicine. It is an article that describes one or a few patients with unusual medical symptoms, signs, diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of a case report is to explain very rare medical cases in detail so that other physicians can refer to it if they end up encountering a similar incident in their practice.

Case reports are straightforward to write, given their limited scope. Moreover, you will be able to expose yourself to clinical language and interesting presentations of human diseases. However, finding physicians who have seen novel patients and are interested in co-authoring a case report can be a challenge. Additionally, admission committee members and physicians are typically aware of the fact that case reports are much easier to write than a hypothesis-based research paper or a review paper.

Research doesn’t just stop as a pre-med. After school, medical students work on publication manuscripts for residency, and residents conduct research to be competitive for fellowship positions and many physicians share their knowledge and findings with others through research publications. Regardless of whether your project ends up being published, working toward a scientific goal is an invaluable investment for your future career in medicine.

10 Med Schools for Nonscience Majors

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About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., 6 ways for pre-meds to gain research experience.

Many med school applicants share  strong GPAs and impressive MCAT scores . So admissions officers look to other measures to make comparisons among candidates. Lab and research experience is one way to set yourself apart.

How Important is Research Experience to Med Schools?

While research experience is not a requirement for admission to med school (unless you are a MD-PHD candidate), it can definitely be an advantage on your application. An interest in research shows off your curiosity, maturity, and work ethic—all qualities of students who are prepared to handle the challenges of med school.

If you are considering a career in academic medicine, you should try to get involved in research projects early in your undergraduate career. Bonus: Your research mentors are terrific people to ask for letters of recommendation !

Where to Find Research Opportunities

1. sit down with your professor..

Treat a professor to coffee and ask about research and special project opportunities for undergraduates in her lab or department. Touch base with any teaching and research assistants you work with through your pre-med courses , as well.

2. Check out various science department websites at your university.

Department websites usually list information on current research projects or can direct you to your school's offerings for funded or volunteer research. E-mail principal investigators (the lead researcher for a grant project administered by a university) at your school and ask how you can get involved with their study.

Read More: How To Make Your Med School Application Stand Out

3. Investigate summer programs.

Medical centers host summer research programs for undergraduates and even sometimes high school students. The National Science Foundation sponsors its Research Experience for Undergraduates program at many college campuses throughout the summer. Check out the AAMC database for summer undergraduate research programs geared toward students interested in scientific research.

4. Talk to your pre-med advisor or your college advisor.

These counselors are extremely knowledgeable about academic opportunities on campus and can point you in the right direction. You can also make an appointment to talk with a staff member at your college's career center.

5. Check out study abroad and internship programs.

Consider programs conducting research in the field. Internships at national laboratories and research facilities are also great options.  

6.  Consider taking a year off to participate in full-time research.

Applying to med school the summer before you senior year of college, essentially means you only have three years to pack in pre-req and extracurriculars. A gap year gives you time to devote to something you missed out—like conducting research— and strengthen your application.

What Types of Research Experiences Do Med Schools Look For?

Med schools typically find value in a wide range of experiences covering basic and social sciences, clinical, and humanities research. But a full year of research, preferably in lab setting, makes your research background stand out.

What if I don’t have Research Experience?

Med schools care about the sum of your experience. If you haven't had the opportunity or don't want to partake in research, dedicate your time to raising your MCAT scores or investing in your extracurriculars.  Our med school admission experts can help you position your accomplishments and experiences on your application.

That being said, research-oriented medical schools are also more likely to prioritize lab research experience during the admissions process. MD-PhD candidates will write an essay for their AMCAS application that highlights their research background.

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January 21, 2021

Predoc & Premed Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

Often, top medical schools in the U.S. offer predoc and premed summer undergraduate research programs. We’ve compiled an all-you-need-to-know chart that includes school name, deadlines, and links to the specific predoc/premed programs for more information.

Why do these undergraduate research programs exist?

The purpose of these programs is to expose ambitious, talented college students to graduate-level medical or doctoral research , usually over the course of 6-12 weeks over the summer. These programs generally provide generous stipends, as well as free housing and compensation for travel expenses (unless the programs are online due to COVID). Students work closely with faculty members on research, usually resulting in a large, final project that’s presented at the end of the summer term.

Below are some of the top undergraduate premed/predoc research programs in the U.S. But first, a few notes:

• Most programs provide some financial compensation. (Click through to the program for all of this information.)
• Each program requires applicants to submit an online application. See the specific applications for details as the number of essays/personal statements differ per program (generally ranging from one to three essays).
• While none of these programs require students to have a minority or disadvantaged background , nearly all of the programs explain that this background is a plus in the admissions process.

Summer research program highlights

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify application deadlines.***

Want more information about predoc and premed summer research programs, including program eligibility and application requirements? Download our chart to get all the details!

Tips for finding additional research opportunities

Attending a summer research program isn’t your only option when looking to bulk up your research experience . Here are four additional tips on securing the best research opportunity for you.

• Start early. Ideally, it would be great to have 1-2 years of research experience under your belt before you apply to med school – so the earlier in your undergrad career you identify promising opportunities, the better.
• Find an area that interests you. For example, if you’re more interested in Psychology or Anthropology than you are in Chemistry, look into the possibility of assisting a professor in one of those fields.
• See if your professors need research assistants/laboratory volunteers. If your university has a research office or a central list of undergraduate research opportunities, check there first. If the system is less formal, do some research into professors’ current work (through department websites, professors’ CVs, etc.). Then email them and ask if you can speak to them about the possibility of volunteering in their lab. Let them know what background you have in the field (especially any prior research experience). If they don’t need research assistants at the moment, don’t be discouraged- talk to someone else.
• Think about doing a thesis. Depending on where you’re studying (and what field), this might allow you to design your own experiment.

Bottom line

Gaining research experience – in a summer research program or any of the other options above – won’t just make you a more competitive school applicant; it will also help you sharpen your critical thinking skills and give you training you can draw on as a student and in your future career.

For personalized guidance for your admissions journey, check out our Medical School Consulting Services or Grad School Consulting Services . Whether you were rejected and looking to reapply or you’re still in college and just getting started, we’re here to help. Choose the service that best fits your needs and connect with an advisor who will take you through the admissions process step-by-step.

Related Resources:

• Med School Action Plan: 6 Steps to Acceptance , a free guide
• 5 Tips For Aspiring Premed Researchers
• How to Write About Your Research Interests

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Research for medical school admissions: what do you need to know.

Reviewed by:

Jonathan Preminger

Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine

Reviewed: 4/25/24

There are several ways in which you can make your application for medical school more attractive to the eyes of admissions committees.

While research experience is not a requirement for most schools, having a research background that is sound, aligns with your major and interests, is fundamentally strong, and overall complements your application’s theme is a perfect way to be a competitive candidate and enhance your possibilities of getting into medical school.

This guide will teach you all that you need to know about research for medical school, ensuring you’ll gain successful and meaningful experiences.

Get The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Unforgettable Personal Statement

Importance of Research for Medical School‍

Your MCAT , GPA, extracurriculars, and clinical experience all play a role in your admissions chances. But research is also key! Most but not all students accepted to medical school have research experience.

According to a survey of incoming medical students conducted by the AAMC , 60% of students participated in some kind of laboratory research for college students. Experts in the field have made their ideas about it very clear; Dr. Petrella, a Stanford University Ph.D. and mentor, states: 

“Our belief is that an exercise science curriculum provides students the opportunity to become responsible professionals of competence and integrity in the area of health and human performance.” 

Today, we’ll talk about how to prepare for and strategically use research to enhance your application and make it more interesting and rich in the eyes of the admissions committee. But first, take a quick look at why you should gain research experience in your undergraduate career. 

What Counts as Research for Medical School?‍

While most research is good research, some things should be taken into consideration before jumping into the next opportunity available: 

• Clinical research is great but research in the humanities or social sciences also counts
• Good research experience develops your writing skills, critical thinking skills, professionalism, integrity, and ability to analyze data
• It’s important to contribute to the research for a long period of time—several months rather than a couple weeks
• You can participate in research part-time or full-time; both count
• You should get involved in research related to your major, desired career, and interests
• Be committed and deeply involved in the research—you’ll be asked about it in interviews!
• Being published as a top contributor of any related research papers looks the best 

Overall, there isn’t really “bad” research experience, so long as you’re committed, make clear contributions, and are genuinely passionate about the subject! 

How to Gain Research Experience as a Pre Med

There are several ways to become involved in research and find research opportunities during your undergraduate years. Research opportunities will be available through the university you’re attending, so make sure to maintain a good relationship and communication with your professors.

One of the best ways to secure a research position is to have a conversation with your professors. They may be looking for a student to help them with an upcoming project, and even if they don’t have any opportunities to offer you, they can easily refer to other staff members who might. 

Try navigating through your university’s website as well; many schools will have a student job board that may host research opportunities. For example, if you were a premed student at the University of Washington , you’d be able to check the Undergraduate Research Program (URP) database in order to filter and find research opportunities.

How Many Hours of Research Do You Need For Medical School? ‍

Since research is not a requirement at most medical schools, there’s no minimum number of hours you should be spending at the lab. Some students report entering medical school with over 2,000 hours of research experience, while others had no more than 400. 

This may seem like a lot but bear in mind that a semester or summer of research involvement sums up to around 500-800 hours. This can be more than enough to show your abilities, commitment, and critical thinking skills.

The hours you should dedicate to research widely depend on your personal circumstances and other aspects of your application. If you have the bandwidth to dedicate more hours to research, you should, but never compromise your grades for it. 

6 Types of Medical Research

There are six main types of research that pre-med students commonly participate in: 

Basic Science Research

Basic science research involves delving into the intricacies of biology in laboratory settings. It's one of the most common pre-med research opportunities and typically entails studying genes, cellular communication, or molecular processes.

Clinical Research

Clinical research is all about working with real patients to learn about health and illness. It's hands-on and great for getting a feel for healthcare. 

Public Health Research

Public health research focuses on analyzing population health trends and developing strategies for disease prevention and health promotion. It's a great area for pre-med students interested in community health, although it is a little harder to get involved in. 

Health Public Policy Research

Health public policy research examines the impact of healthcare regulations and policies on access to care and health outcomes. Although less common among pre-med students, it offers insights into the broader healthcare system, involving analyses of policy effectiveness and healthcare disparities.

Narrative Medicine Research

Narrative medicine research explores the role of storytelling and patient experiences in healthcare delivery. It's a more human side of medicine, focusing on empathy and connection. 

Artificial Intelligence Research

Artificial intelligence research can be difficult for pre-meds to get involved in, but it offers innovative solutions to complex medical problems, such as developing AI algorithms for disease diagnosis and treatment planning.

Tips to Make the Best out of Research Hours 

Now that we've covered the importance of research experience for med school application, we'll go over some tips to help you make the most of your research experience!

Have Noteworthy Research Experience

Having noteworthy research experience is a plus in your application, but it doesn’t end here. The ultimate goal of research is to actually become involved in the most recent projects, discoveries, and questions in your field of study, and prepare you for potential research later in your graduate career.

Use Research as an Opportunity to Gain Skills

Make your best effort to see research experience not only as a way to make your resume and application look better, but also as an opportunity to gain skills and face challenges that will help you become a dedicated professional, and will help you succeed in any your future endeavors. 

Be Clear With Your Goals

Before getting started with your research hours, make sure the research question is perfectly clear to you, and that you’re familiar and interested in what the research is aiming to find or prove. By doing this, you’ll be off to a great start, and your research experience will be valuable from the beginning.

Understand the Project and Be Engaged

Once you’re involved in research, make sure you try your best to perfectly understand every part of it. Shallow and meaningless research experiences won’t get you very far.

During your interview you'll be asked about the research project – regardless of your level of contribution, it’s important for you to be clear, confident, and perfectly articulate to make yourself a competitive candidate.

Take Your Experience Seriously

Also, take your time at the lab very seriously. Try approaching your research contribution as a job; show up in time just like you would show up in time for work, put your best effort in it, and above all, be professional. 

Build Relationships With Your Supervisors

Another tip for maximizing your research experience is to make a connection and form a relationship with the mentor or the professor that will, or is already working with you. By forming strong bonds and relationships, you’ll have the opportunity to ask your mentor for a letter of recommendation.

So, do take every hour spent seriously and work hard to make a good impression. This way, you’ll kill two birds with one stone: you’ll gain research experience while obtaining strong recommendations.

What Kind of Research do Medical Schools Prefer? (Science vs Non-Science)‍

That is a somewhat tricky question. The simple answer is that any research that can show your involvement and commitment and aligns with the theme of your application is beneficial. However, there are a lot of layers to it. 

Probably the most common type of research among applicants –which is also highly valued by medical schools – is science and lab research. If you’re a science major in college, this is probably the way you’d want to go; laboratory-based research. 

With that said, if your major is in the social sciences or humanities, getting involved in research related to your major and your interests is something that medical schools will find attractive.

After all, the majority of schools use a holistic approach to admissions and want their potential candidates to be widely and well-educated individuals.

1. Is Research Experience More Important Than Clinical Experience For Medical School?‍

The short answer to this is no. Even though the majority of applicants have research experience, for many deans of admissions, clinical experience is equally and sometimes even more valuable. The clinical experience involves patient interaction, which is undoubtedly crucial preparation for a life-long career as a physician.

However, getting your first research experience as early as possible in your undergraduate years will help you determine if research is something you’d like to pursue in the future. Plus, it will make it easier for you to secure more research positions in your graduate years, so you should definitely go for it if it's of your interest. 

2. Is Research Experience More Important Than Physician Shadowing?

While both experiences are relevant, research has the added benefit of allowing you to gain hands-on experience. However, don’t forget that doctor shadowing also adds a lot of value to your application, since it serves the purpose of actually seeing what being a physician is, and such experience could determine your interest in moving forward. 

You should also take into account what your medical school of choice expects. For example, for research-focused schools like the Mayo Clinic , research experience will definitely be more important and you should plan on putting most of your energy there. ‍

3. Should I Take A Gap Year Before Medical School To Gain Research Hours?‍

Taking a gap year gives you the opportunity to refine your application and fully focus on what you want to improve. Whether it’s worth it or not depends on your personal and academic circumstances. Remember, it’s not necessarily about how many hours you complete, but the level of contribution you make and your interest in it!

4. Should I Participate In Many, Short-Lived Research Experiences Or In A Few Long Ones?‍

Always choose quality over quantity when it comes to research experience. One long research experience will impress the admissions committee far more than several short ones! More time spent on a project often means greater contributions made, and it demonstrates interest, persistence, and resilience.

5. Should I Look For Research Opportunities Even If My GPA Is A Bit Low?‍

If you’ve gone through a hard time and your GPA is suffering a little bit, definitely focus your energy on that before committing to long hours in the lab. Your GPA and MCAT scores are the non-arguable parts of your application; make sure these are as impeccable as possible, and as soon as there’s an improvement, move on to research.

That doesn’t mean that you should completely forget about the “extras” of your application; as long as you keep a balance between a good GPA, scores, work, and extracurriculars, you’ll be on the right path to creating a competitive application. ‍

6. What Does It Mean To Be Published In Research? Is It Important To Medical Schools?‍

Being published means that your name appears on written documents about research, and it is, indeed, important, but not necessary. We’re not talking about being the first author in a publication, since this is almost impossible for an undergraduate student. 

However, appearing as a co-author on any presentation, publication, or poster will help you build a reputation.

7. What Should I Do If I Don’t Have Research Experience?‍

Ultimately, if you don’t have any research experience and do not have time or do not plan on being part of any research, focus and invest time in your clinical experience as well as volunteering and community service. Also, work on maintaining a good GPA and improving your MCAT score.

Keep in mind, though, that MD-PhD candidates do need to get involved in research before applying, and a big emphasis should be placed on research in these cases. 

8. Does Clinical Research Count Also As Clinical Experience?

Clinical research can count as both clinical experience and research experience in your AMCAS application.

9. Is Research Required For Medical School?

Research experience is not required for most medical schools. However, having research experience will help you stand out and present yourself as a more competitive candidate during the application process.

Final Thoughts‍

Participating in research for medical school can play an important role in the quality of your application. For this reason, knowing how to make your experiences as valuable and rich as possible will play a key role in ensuring the research complements your application and overall profile. 

Research is the perfect way to build a strong skill set that will aid you as a medical student and make you a better physician! 

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Pre‑med students research health and science topics in summer

By Bev Makhani

Tapping their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and building their resumes, four Washington State University Honors College pre-med students are spending their summer researching topics ranging from a female gynecological disorder to U.S. minority mortality rates, and from cannabis use to infectious diseases.

They are the first participants in Honors’ new Medical Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (MedSURE) held in conjunction with the Honors Pathway Program. That is a partnership with the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

To support their summer work, the students each received funding from a $50,000 grant awarded to Honors through WSU’s inaugural Cougar Cage competition in spring.

“Ultimately, we will use the grant funding to support 10 Honors Pathway, or pre-Pathway, students who wish to conduct research in biomedical fields,” said Robin Bond, assistant dean.

“Research is a remarkable way for our undergraduate pre-med students to understand how scientists work on problems, learn to integrate theory and practice, and clarify their career path, among many other benefits,” said Dean M. Grant Norton.

“The overall impact this grant will have on these future medical professionals will be tremendous. It will extend beyond WSU to our state, nation, and world.”

The 2021 MedSURE scholarship recipients, their mentors, and project summaries are:

Madeleine Harvey

Christine pham, abigail rossi, evelyn rowe.

About this series The Cougar Cage competition is a new way for WSU students, faculty and staff to secure private donor support through the Palouse Club for worthwhile projects that can help build the continued success of the University. This series explores the first six projects to survive the competition and win funding from the group. Modeled after the popular TV show Shark Tank, the first Cougar Cage match concluded in March. Future rounds are being planned.

Having the award allows them to focus fully on their research while still furthering their academic pursuits and keeping an eye toward their future. The researchers spend around 40 hours each week devoted to their projects.

Harvey said, “The award allowed me to cover living expenses and stay in Pullman to continue the research I began with Dr. Hayashi nearly a year ago. Because I’m considering becoming a family physician focused on obstetrics and gynecology, I find the topic of endometriosis very interesting. I also plan to use the information for my required Honors thesis.”

Pham, a new graduate and member of Pathway, is taking a gap year before medical school. Research she conducted in 2019 with Amiri was on sexually transmitted infections in Yakima County and led to a co-authorship on a paper published in an academic journal. Pham was excited to work with her mentor again this year thanks to the Honors award.

She said, “I’m interested in becoming a public health physician, and this summer research is very valuable. It’s important for doctors to understand the data side of the profession as well as the people side.”

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What is Pre-Med? Exploring the Path from College to Medical School

As you may have heard, demand for healthcare workers is at an all-time high in the U.S. This trend is expected to continue for the next decade .

A recent study from the American Association of Medical Colleges highlighted the specific need for new doctors to enter the field in the coming years. The study found that “the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034. This includes shortfalls in both primary and specialty care providers.” 

Students graduating from medical school will find an abundance of quality job prospects. Knowing this, you may wish to attend medical school and pursue an M.D. degree. But for many students, the path from high school to medical school isn’t always clear. Traditionally, taking pre-medical studies as an undergraduate student is the straightest line from high school to graduate-level physician training. But what exactly are “pre-medical studies”? What does “pre-med” look like in college and what can you expect from this course of study?

We’re here to answer these questions so you can decide if pre-med is right for you.

Is Pre-Med a Major?

Pre-medicine (often shortened to “pre-med”) is the common name for a series of undergraduate courses and extracurriculars designed to prepare students to enter medical school after graduation. It is not a major. As a pre-med student, you’ll attend classroom lectures, complete laboratory hours and participate in resume-building activities like doing scientific research, shadowing professionals and getting hands-on experience in the healthcare field. These courses and experiences provide the baseline understanding you’ll call upon to complete the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and the application process.  There’s a lot to pack into four years, so it’s to your advantage to attend an institution with an engaged pre-health advisor who will guide you step-by-step through each semester.

If you follow the traditional route, you may major in biochemistry, chemistry or biology. Although challenging, double majoring in STEM and humanities can set you apart. Whatever your major, make sure it’s a subject you really care about. Want to know the top majors future physicians consider? We’ve got a blog post for that — and it may surprise you.

Pre-med studies also benefit students interested in becoming pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants or physical therapists. In fact, some students who enter college focused on becoming physicians change their career track on learning about other healthcare professions. Getting an overview of healthcare professions through an introductory course allows you to meet with visiting care providers such as physicians, therapists, dentists, pharmacists and medical students. Their presentations provide an insider perspective on possible career paths. It is a good idea to use this opportunity to ask questions and learn all you can about the jobs you are considering. Interacting with these professionals also helps you build an invaluable network of mentors who can aid you on your journey.

Pre-Med Coursework: What to Expect

You may be wondering about specific courses included on the pre-med track. Most graduate-level healthcare programs will expect you to have taken the following classes:

• One year of biology with lab
• One year of general chemistry with lab
• One year of organic chemistry with lab
• One year of physics with lab
• At least one semester of biochemistry
• A math requirement (calculus, statistics or both)
• One year of English

Of course, these are just the foundational courses graduate schools require you to master before you apply. You may also explore related courses in cellular biology, immunology, genetics and biochemistry (to name just a few). The Princeton Review publishes a helpful checklist of courses, application requirements and test prep tips for students hoping to complete their pre-med studies and apply to medical school in four years.

Preparing for Medical School

Medical schools want to see that you have a foundational understanding of biology, chemistry and math. But admission officers are looking at more than just your transcript . Here are some outside-the-lecture-hall must-dos when preparing for medical school.

Laboratory Training

Lab training is an essential part of any pre-med track. You’ll find that hands-on laboratory work comes packaged with the coursework in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry and physics. New to lab work? Don’t worry. Like any skill, laboratory techniques are learned through hands-on experience under the guidance of professionals. Something to consider: If you attend a small liberal arts college, you’ll receive coaching from science faculty from day one as opposed to graduate assistants at large state universities.

Undergraduate Research

A strong pre-med program will give you the opportunity to assist in scientific research. Hands-on research experience is an important part of undergraduate training. It’s advisable to consider programs where you can do side-by-side research with faculty — as early as your first year. Experiences like these can lead to internships in medical research plus opportunities to co-author studies and present findings at industry and academic conferences.

Outside-the-Classroom Experience

There are many specializations you may consider as you move toward medical school. And it is never too early to think about what kind of doctor you’d like to become. That’s why it is important to observe physicians of all kinds applying their skills in the field. Work-study programs are a feature of many pre-med programs. These opportunities provide you with a close-up view of the day-to-day work being done by doctors in various areas of medicine. You might want to shadow a general practitioner, assist with medical research or inquire about observing surgery (to make sure you have the stomach to become a surgeon!).

Test Prep and Application Assistance

For better or worse, getting into medical school comes down to your performance on the MCAT and your program application. Part of your pre-med workload will be dedicated to preparing for the MCAT (test taking is a skill!) and making sure your application materials are in order. Research pre-med programs to see where you’ll receive guidance on crafting your personal statement and answering essay questions. Requirements vary among medical schools. If you’re asked to interview, you’ll want to access a network of pre-med mentors (pre-health advisor, pre-health committee and peer advisors) to help you cross the finish line.

A Liberal Arts Education Can Give You a Competitive Edge

A pre-med course of study focuses on nuts-and-bolts science training. This knowledge is necessary for any student hoping to enter medical school (you’ll need it to pass the MCAT, after all). But it takes more than a grounding in the sciences to be a great physician. In fact, a biology major is not the only path for undergraduate students to take to get into medical school. Majoring or minoring in liberal arts areas like philosophy, sociology and religion can prepare you for the all-important human side of medicine. Balancing science requirements with readings for your philosophy major might require careful planning, but medical school admissions officers are always interested in well- rounded students .

What’s Next?

Still interested in a pre-med course of study? PrepScholar shares several ways that you can prepare for pre-med undergraduate work while still in high school . If you’re interested in a career in healthcare, but not sure you want to be a physician, read our blog post 15 Types of Allied Health Professionals and What They Do .

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Health Sciences : Pre-Medicine

UC College of Allied Health Sciences » Academic Programs » Undergraduate Programs » Health Sciences » Pre-Medicine

Why study Health Sciences : Pre-Medicine?

The University of Cincinnati offers a Pre-Medicine track within the Health Sciences major that specifically prepares you for entry into graduate-level medicine, pharmacy, chiropractic, podiatry, dental, and optometry programs. 

At the University of Cincinnati, we understand the importance of a well-rounded education to prepare you for the challenges of medical school. Our program is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a career in medicine, with a focus on health sciences, exercise science, kinesiology, and essential pre-medical concepts.

Unlike other pre-med options, the Health Sciences track option gives you a hands-on undergraduate experience where you can gain direct patient care experiences through service learning and research opportunities in some of the top health care facilities, learn alongside other allied health professions, and develop a strong foundational understanding of the human body through active labs.

Our comprehensive curriculum integrates key elements of health sciences, exercise science, kinesiology, and pre-med coursework, providing a solid foundation for aspiring medical professionals. The curriculum both meets and exceeds undergraduate prerequisite requirements for medical school to ensure you are prepared for the rigor of any future professional program.

A background in the basic sciences combined with applied studies in exercise physiology, biomechanics and kinesiology, biochemistry, cell biology and microbiology puts you in an excellent position to be a competitive candidate.

Admission Requirements

The University of Cincinnati has established academic success criteria for first-year applicants to bachelor's degree programs. All students are encouraged to apply. Please visit  High School Student Admissions  for more information about first-year student admission requirements

Medical school is the most common career goal for students in the Health Sciences – Pre-Med track. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the job outlook for physicians and surgeons is expected to grow 3% by 2032 and the current median pay is $229,300 per year.

Physicians and surgeons work with people across the lifespans and generally work in:

• Physicians’ offices

If you decide not to pursue a medical degree, you will be prepared for a variety of other graduate programs, certifications and employment opportunities.

Graduate Education Opportunities

• Medical school (MD)
• Osteopathic medical school (DO)
• Physician assistant school (PA-C)
• Chiropractic school (DC)
• Optometry school (OD)
• Pharmacy school
• Dental school (DDS or DMD)
• Doctor of Physical therapy programs
• Athletic Training programs
• Occupational Therapy programs
• Orthotics and Prosthetics programs (CO or CP)
• Public Health programs (MA, MS, or PhD)
• Exercise Physiology or Biomechanics programs (MS or PhD)
• Nutrition programs and more.

Professional Certification Opportunities

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Certified personal trainer - Many professionals who hold this certification work in public or medical facilities that offer organized programs for healthy people or for people with mild, controlled health conditions such as arthritis.

• Health/fitness instructor - Most professionals who hold this certification work in programs offered through medical facilities with people with low-risk medical conditions or controlled disease such as outpatient cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation or diabetes programs.

National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

• Certified personal trainer (NSCA-CPT)- Many professionals who hold this certification work in or start small businesses in fitness and health
• Certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) -Most professionals who hold this certification work in high school, collegiate or professional athletics. Some professionals work in public/retail fitness and health as facility managers responsible for the design and implementation of the facility's programs

Career Opportunities

• Advanced coaching opportunities
• Activities director/fitness director at recreation facilities or camps
• Medical or biomedical equipment representative/sales
• Exercise equipment representative/sales
• Pharmaceutical product representative/sales

Advisors will be there to help you at every step of your academic journey. If you have advising related questions, please visit the College of Allied Health Sciences’ Academic Advising.

Students who have earned a high school diploma or GED and have attended a college or university other than the University of Cincinnati since earning their high school credentials are considered transfer students. Please visit UC Admissions for information about applying to the university as a Transfer Student. 

If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at the University of Cincinnati (including UC Blue Ash and UC Clermont), but want to change your major to one in the College of Allied Health Sciences, please visit Transition Students for more information.

• Guide: Health Sciences: Pre-Medicine (BS) - Fall 2024

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Application deadlines can be found at Admissions Deadlines .

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Program Code: 35BAC-HLSC-BSHS-HLSC-PM

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Berkeley Berkeley Academic Guide: Academic Guide 2023-24

Pre-med/pre-health information.

About the Program

Pre-Med/pre-health is not a major or minor at UC Berkeley, but rather a pre-professional path that students choose when preparing for a career in graduate-level health professions. Our pre-med/pre-health students come from a variety of backgrounds and majors — from biology to English — and should ultimately choose an academic path that they will enjoy and one in which they will excel. Although the majority of medical school applicants have majored in the biological sciences, there is no preference or competitive advantage for any majors over others in the admissions process. Regardless of major, all students are expected to complete the prerequisite courses required by their chosen health profession.

Applicants from UC Berkeley have a strong track record of entry into medical schools and other health professional schools, including dental, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and veterinary programs. Successful pre-med/pre-health students at UC Berkeley maintain strong GPAs while balancing a rigorous course load with activities such as community service and research. Health professional schools seek well-rounded applicants who demonstrate an investigation of their chosen profession and an interest in helping others across a variety of settings. Students are advised to follow their passions and maintain their interests and hobbies while pursuing pre-med/pre-health at Berkeley. 

UC Berkeley has a large and active pre-med/pre-health student community. The campus offers broad learning and research opportunities (both clinical and wet lab) to take courses and conduct research with faculty at the top of their fields, as well as ample opportunity to gain clinical, service, and leadership experience through over 50 health-related student organizations and a diverse range of health care settings near campus.

Visit the Career Center

Requirements

General guidelines.

Requirements for entry vary by health profession, and often by individual institution. Students pursuing a pre-med/pre-health path at UC Berkeley are advised to consult the prerequisite coursework recommended for their health profession(s) of interest . All health professional graduate programs require some lower-division coursework in math and science, including biology and chemistry. Some programs require some upper-division science coursework, as well as some coursework in the humanities and/or social sciences. Students entering UC Berkeley with an interest in a pre-med/pre-health path are encouraged to complete their prerequisites at UC Berkeley, while also maintaining progress toward their degree.

Students are encouraged to focus on developing a strong academic foundation from their first semester at UC Berkeley, including through the use of educational support resources such as the Student Learning Center , Educational Opportunity Program , and student organizations .

Pre-Med Prerequisites

The following list indicates courses commonly required by medical schools, as well as UC Berkeley courses commonly used to satisfy these requirements:

Chemistry (4 semesters with lab): CHEM 1A & CHEM 1AL , CHEM 3A & CHEM 3AL , CHEM 3B & CHEM 3BL , MCELLBI 102

Biology: BIOLOGY 1A / BIOLOGY 1AL, Biology 1B, One upper-division biology course (recommended) 

Physics (2 semesters with lab): PHYSICS 7A & PHYSICS 7B or  PHYSICS 8A & PHYSICS 8B

Mathematics & Statistics (2 semesters): Most often fulfilled by the two-semester series of MATH 10A & MATH 10B , or by one semester of calculus ( MATH 1A , MATH 1B , MATH 16A , MATH 16B ) and one semester of statistics ( PB HLTH 142 , STAT 2 , STAT 20 , STAT 131A ).

English (2 semesters): Reading and Composition (R&C) courses recommended, regardless of AP credit. May also consider coursework in departments such as English, Comparative Literature, Rhetoric, or upper-division College Writing Program.

Social & Behavioral Sciences: Although not required, recommended primarily for MCAT preparation; may include General Psychology and/or Intro to Sociology, or other coursework in the social and behavioral sciences .

For more detailed information about pre-med prerequisites at UC Berkeley, please visit the Career Center web page on Medical School Prerequisites .

Pre-Health Prerequisites

Health professional schools require  two semesters of general chemistry instead of the one required for most medical schools. Outside of medical school, other health professional schools often require additional prerequisites, such as anatomy, physiology, and microbiology with their associated labs.

For detailed information about prerequisites for other pre-health areas, please visit the Career Center web page on Health Professional Schools .

Experiences

Clinical experience.

Medical/health professional schools look for evidence that applicants have investigated their chosen field, which can be demonstrated through a range of experiences such as volunteering in a clinical setting or community service work. Shadowing is also helpful.  Experiences like these can also assist students in making a more informed decision about entering a field.

Pre-med/pre-health students at UC Berkeley are engaged in a wide range of clinical and volunteer opportunities, including through nearby free clinics, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and student organizations dedicated to service and outreach in the local community. Students may also explore their interests through a diverse range of student-facilitated courses ( DeCals ). For more information, including a listing of common clinical experiences among UC Berkeley pre-med/pre-health students, please visit the Career Center web page on Clinical Experience .

Although medical schools do not require a minimum number of hours or specific types of experiences, other health professions, such as dentistry and optometry, often require documentation of shadowing. Physician’s Assistant Programs require Patient Care Experience hours (PCE).  The amount of hours required vary depending on the school.  PCE required hours can range from 500-2500. Veterinary medicine requires a certain amount of volunteer hours; it varies by school.  The volunteer hours have to be supervised by a Veterinarian. Bear in mind also that medical/health professional schools value altruistic work of any kind, not solely in a clinical setting. Students are advised to consult with pre-health advisors to identify opportunities aligned with their backgrounds, interests, and goals.

Research Experience

As a top research institution, UC Berkeley offers many opportunities to get involved in research as an undergraduate. Although medical/health professional schools do not explicitly require research, a large majority of UC Berkeley applicants accepted to medical/health professional schools have been engaged at some level in research before applying. In particular, students considering applying to more research-intensive medical schools or to MD/PhD programs are strongly advised to consider research early in their undergraduate careers.

Students may participate in research through structured programs (such as URAP and SPUR ), through their major (such as a capstone project or Honors Thesis), and/or through other independent study options and research in faculty laboratories/research groups. To learn more about getting started in research at UC Berkeley, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships (OURS) , which offers online resources as well as in-person workshops.

UC Berkeley’s location also offers proximity to other research opportunities, including through the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) and UCSF, where both basic science and clinical research are conducted. Medical/health professional schools value research of any kind, not only basic science and clinical research but also interdisciplinary and social science research. Undergraduate research is an opportunity to demonstrate your intellectual curiosity and learn skills to equip you to be an informed consumer of research as a future healthcare professional.

Admissions Tests

Entry to health professional school requires completion of a standardized admissions test, including the MCAT for medical school and podiatric medical school, DAT for dental school, and OAT for optometry school, and the GRE for many other programs, including veterinary, physician assistant, physical therapy, and nursing. (Pharmacy schools in California do not require the PCAT; outside of California that may differ.) Because these tests play a significant role in the admissions process, students are strongly advised to plan to take the test once, when they are most prepared to do their best.

It is important to understand which prerequisite coursework is required as preparation for the appropriate admissions test. For the MCAT, students should have completed their lower division prerequisites in biology, chemistry, and physics, in addition to their upper-division course in biochemistry, the subject which accounts for a significant portion of questions on the MCAT.

Students should also consider when they will be able to devote a substantial amount of time and energy to studying for the MCAT, given their other commitments and the times of year the MCAT is administered. Students are encouraged to consult with pre-health advisors to discuss their MCAT timeline, which will be dependent upon a variety of individual factors and considerations, including when they plan to apply.

Application Process

Applicants submit their medical/health professional school application over a year in advance of when they would matriculate. For example, those who submit a medical school application in June 2022 are applying to start medical school in Fall 2023. The timeline for applying to medical/health professional school is very different from applying to college. Depending on the health profession, applications can be submitted starting in late spring or early summer, and are processed and reviewed on a rolling basis. For this reason, admissions data support that it is critical to apply early in the application cycle.

Students who wish to enter medical school directly after graduating from UC Berkeley apply around June 1, immediately following their junior year. Nationally, and at UC Berkeley, most applicants now apply to medical school at the end of their senior year, having completed their prerequisites, taken the MCAT, gained meaningful experience, and developed relationships (for letters of recommendation) over their full four years at UC Berkeley. Because of the application timeline, these applicants have one "application year" between graduating from UC Berkeley in May and starting medical school the following fall. Some medical school applicants will take more than one year. Often, these applicants have accepted a research position that sought a two-year commitment or have participated in other meaningful educational or employment opportunities, such as Teach for America, Peace Corp, or fellowship programs. The average age of a first year medical student is 26, as of 2023.

Medical/health professional school admissions are competitive, and the application process is both cost and time-intensive. Students (and alumni) are advised to apply when their application is at its strongest. Pre-health advisors are available to meet with students throughout their undergraduate career at UC Berkeley (and one year beyond), to explore future application timing, assess readiness for an upcoming application cycle, and seek feedback on application materials.

Pre-Health Advisors

UC Berkeley has two dedicated pre-health advisors who are located within the Career Center on campus. Pre-health advisors offer one-on-one professional advising through 30-minute advising appointments and weekly drop-in advising hours. In addition to one-on-one advising, they coordinate programming throughout the year, including advisor-led workshops, panels of successful students and alumni, visits from medical schools, and an annual ‘bootcamp’ for students getting ready to apply to medical school.

Pre-health advisors at the Career Center  do not meet with freshmen except during drop-in hours. Advisors also meet with alumni, to address questions and engage in discussion around a career in the health professions. Students are encouraged to meet with advisors at any stage of the process, from exploration to preparation to application. Topics may range from how to explore different career paths and find research or clinical experience, to how to select schools to apply to and prepare for interviews.

Pre-health advisors invite students to email their questions ( [email protected]) and to follow the Pre-Health Advising Instagram ( @calprehealth ).

To learn more about Pre-Health Advising at UC Berkeley, visit the Career Center web page on Pre-Health Advising .

College/Major Advisors

In addition to Pre-Health Advisors, students may consult with advisors in other offices on campus, such as the Letters and Science Advising , Rausser College of Natural Resources , Berkeley Public Health , and other departments as they plan their pre-health studies.

Contact Information

2440 bancroft way.

Career Center

Phone: 510-642-1716

https://career.berkeley.edu

[email protected]

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What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

Pre-Med Requirements: Courses You Need for Medical School

What’s covered:.

• What Does Pre-Med Mean and How Long Is It?
• What Are the Pre-Med Course Requirements?

Recommended Pre-Med Courses

Popular majors for pre-med students.

• What Are the Other Med School Requirements?
• What is the Best Pre-Med School For You?
• Best Schools For Pre-Med

Dreaming of becoming a physician? It’s a very popular career choice, as well as a highly competitive one. In addition to contending with rigorous course requirements as an undergraduate, to become a physician you must attend medical school and complete a residency, which usually takes at least 11 years in total.

While the process to become a physician is arduous, it’s also highly lucrative and rewarding. If you’re just starting on the road to medicine, you might not know exactly where to begin. Keep reading to find out how you can prepare for the challenges that accompany medical school.

What Does Pre-Med Mean and How Long Is It? 

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the concept of pre-med , with many people thinking that they can declare it as a major. Pre-med is not a major but a track. You can major in anything you wish, as long as your medical school requirements and your major requirements are completed by graduation.

The pre-med track typically lasts four years, as you’ll need a bachelor’s degree to apply to medical school. That being said, some students choose to enroll in accelerated BS/MD combined degree programs that allow them to finish their pre-med courses in three years. CollegeVine has a whole blog section devoted to BS/MD programs for any interested students. We also have detailed information on navigating the pre-med track available to prospective students.

What Are the Pre-Med Course Requirements? 

Undergraduate course requirements vary from one medical school to the next, but generally include the following:

• Biology – 2 semesters with lab
• Physics – 2 semesters with lab
• General chemistry – 2 semesters with lab
• Organic chemistry – 2 semesters with lab
• Biochemistry – 1 semester
• English – 2 semesters
• Math – 2 semesters

Many schools also require statistics, psychology, and writing.

Your undergraduate university will likely have advisors who will help make sure that you complete your pre-med requirements on time. You may also want to review the requirements at various medical schools so that you know what you are up against. For example, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine M.D. Program requires the following:

• College biology with laboratory, one year (8 semester hours)
• General college chemistry with laboratory, one year (8 semester hours)
• Organic chemistry with laboratory, one semester (4 semester hours)
• Biochemistry, three or four semester hours (Lab is not required.)
• 24 semester hours in areas of humanities (English, History, Classics, Foreign Language, Philosophy, Arts, etc.), social science (Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Anthropology, etc.), and behavioral science (Psychology, etc.). Must include two writing-intensive courses.
• Calculus and/or statistics, one year (6-8 semester hours)
• General college physics with laboratory, one year (8 semester hours)

Many courses are not requirements for applying to medical school, but are valuable for pre-med students to take. Students who take these recommended pre-med courses will be more appealing to medical schools and will likely have an easier time in medical school (in the long term, these courses also make for more well-rounded physicians). 

For example, in addition to the requirements above, Hopkins recommends taking four semester hours in the principles of genetics and at least one semester of statistics or epidemiology. Generally, recommended courses for pre-med students include:

• Public Health
• Human Anatomy and Physiology

Like we said earlier, pre-med is not a major . So then, you might be wondering, what majors do pre-med students typically declare? Here is the rundown of popular majors for pre-meds:

Biological Sciences and Human Biology

More than half of med-school applicants study biological sciences during their undergraduate years. Majoring in biology means that your major requirements and pre-med requirements will overlap significantly. That being said, studying science exclusively can be intense and exhausting. If you major in biology on the pre-med track, you may want to carefully select a unique minor or interesting elective courses to avoid burnout. 

Physics, Chemistry, and Other Physical Sciences

Just like the natural sciences, the physical science major courses typically overlap with the pre-med requirements. Though the coursework will differ slightly, the risks and benefits of physics and chemistry are about the same as those of biology.

Psychology, Economics, and Social Sciences

Social science applicants make up about 10% of medical school admissions. The requirements for these majors have some overlap with the pre-med requirements, but students will need to spend most of their elective units completing pre-med courses.

Philosophy and the Humanities

Humanities majors are less popular for pre-med students because they leave all pre-med requirements to be completed with electives. This will take planning on your part and will require clear communication with your advisors. That being said, humanities graduates who pursue medicine may be more personable and well-rounded than students who exclusively focus on the sciences. Philosophy is a popular major for pre-med students in the humanities.

Math, Statistics, and Related Majors

While math majors are not actually a popular major for pre-med students, they have the highest MCAT scores and GPAs of all applicants and thus, typically have favorable positioning in medical school admissions.

What Are the Other Med School Requirements? 

When you’re applying to medical school, you’ll complete a primary application, usually administered by the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). After submitting the primary application, the school will send you a secondary application (or reject you, in some cases). For one or both of these applications, in addition to your transcript, you’ll need to submit: 

Your MCAT Score  

Some schools have a minimum MCAT score and GPA requirements and will filter out applicants who don’t meet them.

Personal Statements

Usually, you’ll need to respond to prompts on both the primary and secondary applications. The topics vary, but typically you’ll be asked to explore the reasons you want to pursue medicine, the events that have shaped you, and your passions, experiences, achievements, and interests.

Letters of Recommendation

Most medical schools require three letters of recommendation, usually two letters from science faculty members and one from a non-science discipline, although this varies from school to school. If your undergraduate college has a formal pre-med committee, a committee letter is usually required to present an overview and evaluation of your undergraduate performance and candidacy. 

Most medical schools will want to see relevant extracurricular activities, including research, clinical experience, and volunteering or community service. You can gain exposure to the profession by shadowing physicians, working as a scribe, or contributing to the medical community by assisting practicing professionals with research.

Medical schools also want to know what kind of person you are, so your application will also ask for non-medical extracurriculars. It’s kind of like the Common App all over again, though the activities section for medical school is more extensive, and you’ll be asked to write approximately 500 words about each of your three most important extracurriculars.

Keep in mind that individual medical schools may have additional requirements or recommendations. Most schools also conduct interviews, extending invitations to a small percentage of candidates after reviewing their applications.

What Is the Best Pre-Med School For You?

Choosing the right college can change your pre-med path for better or worse. It’s not only important to look for schools with strong pre-med advising; you also want to be sure that your college is a good fit in other ways, including size, location, extracurriculars, and other factors. 

Using our free school search tool , you can search for colleges based on preferences like majors, finances, your personal chances of acceptance, and more.

It’s important to remember that outstanding pre-med programs come in all shapes and sizes. There are great pre-med programs at technical schools and ‘party’ schools, large schools and small schools, and research universities and liberal arts schools. Consider all of the relevant factors when picking the right pre-med program for you.

Best Schools for Pre-Meds

Here are CollegeVine’s picks for overall best schools for pre-meds:

See the full list of best pre-med schools for more rankings.

While each of these colleges has a different average acceptance rate, they are all very competitive and are ‘reach’ schools for everyone. You may also want to look into CollegeVine’s lists for the Best Non-Ivy League Schools for Pre-Med and the Most Underrated Pre-Med Colleges .

It is great to be interested in selective schools, but it is also important to remember to create a balanced college list. If possible, a student should apply to 8-10 schools, with about 25% being safety schools, 40% target schools, and 35% reach schools. These categories—safety, target, and reach—are determined by your chances of acceptance at the schools you are applying to.

Because your personal chances of acceptance at these schools may differ from the average acceptance rate, we’ve made it easy to figure out which schools fall into which categories with our free Admissions Chances Calculator . By taking into account your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance at different schools and give you tips on improving your profile.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

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Home > STUDENTWORK > HONORS-THESIS > 327

Honors Thesis

Comparison of Perceived Stress in First-Year Pre-Med Students and First-Year Medical Students at USD

Maggie Derner Follow

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Department/major, first advisor.

Jamie Turgeon-Drake

Second Advisor

Dr. Craig Uthe

Third Advisor

Dr. Carole South-Winter

stress, pre-med students, medical students, medical school

Subject Categories

Medical Education | Mental and Social Health | Public Health

Stress can be caused by many factors, including money, relationships, promotions, grades, and responsibilities. In college, these stressors can be exacerbated. This research dives into stress in both undergraduate students as well as medical students. Previous literature has indicated that high levels of stress are present in students, and it is likely to have negative effects on the students, whether that is their mental or physical well-being. Schools have put interventions in place to help combat the stress levels present in their students. At the University of South Dakota (USD) and USD Sanford School of Medicine (USD SSOM), perceived stress levels are relatively high. Perceived stress surveys are sent out to detect the levels of stress in both pre-med undergraduate freshmen and first-year medical students. After analyzing the results, the paper investigates the current interventions both USD undergraduate and USD SSOM have in place to encourage the well-being of their students.

Recommended Citation

Derner, Maggie, "Comparison of Perceived Stress in First-Year Pre-Med Students and First-Year Medical Students at USD" (2024). Honors Thesis . 327. https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/327

Since May 02, 2024

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Undergraduate STEM Majors on and off the Pre-Med/Health Track: A STEM Identity Perspective

• Valentina Espinosa-Suarez

*Address correspondence to: Remy Dou ( E-mail Address: [email protected] ).

Department of Teaching and Learning, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33155

STEM Transformation Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33155

Search for more papers by this author

Despite the wealth of research exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity and career goals in both formal and informal settings, existing literature does not consider STEM identity for undergraduate students pursuing health and medical careers through STEM pathways. We address this gap by examining the STEM identity of undergraduate STEM majors on pre-med/health tracks as it compares with that of other STEM majors, thus focusing on a population that is chronically understudied in STEM education research. We surveyed 440 undergraduate STEM students enrolled in entry-level STEM courses to assess their STEM identities and three identity precursors: interest, performance–competence, and recognition. Through regression analyses accounting for gender, major, and perceived home support around STEM, we found that pre-med/health students were more likely to have higher STEM identity and recognition scores than their peers; we did not detect a significant difference for performance–competence or interest in STEM. Although there is little tracking of pre-med/health students’ ultimate career attainment, the implications of our findings support a potential for sustaining pre-med/health students while simultaneously creating pathways to other STEM pursuits for the nearly 60% of those who do not enter medical school by offering participation in experiences that affirm their STEM identities.

INTRODUCTION

Recent trends in STEM 1 education research signal an increase in the use of identity frameworks to explore undergraduate student outcomes. Identity frameworks have been applied to research on undergraduate student learning (e.g., Mraz-Craig et al. , 2018 ; Seyranian et al. , 2018 ; Robinson et al. , 2019 ), STEM career choice (e.g., Hernandez et al. , 2017 ; Stets et al. , 2017 ; Estrada et al. , 2018 ), and persistence to STEM degree completion (e.g., Estrada et al. , 2016 ; Taheri et al. , 2018 ; Robinson et al. , 2019 ). For example, the work of Dou et al. (2019) highlights a strong association between undergraduate students’ STEM identities (i.e., the degree to which they see themselves as a “STEM person”) and their intentions to continue pursuing STEM careers. Similar to Dou and colleagues’ work, much undergraduate STEM identity research has focused on populations of students pursuing STEM degrees (e.g., Nadelson et al. , 2017 ; Morton and Parsons, 2018 ; Rodriguez et al. , 2019 ), but the phenomenon of STEM identity within a population defined by medical and health career pursuits has not been well explored ( Larson et al. , 2012 ). Given the different perspectives around STEM and STEM education, understanding what counts as “STEM” and who count as “STEM people” in relation to those pursuing health or medical careers has far-reaching implications relevant to the undergraduate student experience, including access to career funding support (e.g., scholarships, grants, fellowships) and research opportunities (e.g., employment in STEM labs funded by STEM agencies), as well as implications relevant to education researchers who work with STEM students.

Understanding the identity perspectives of STEM majors on a pre-med/health 2 track is of particular importance due to 1) the relative few who actually go to medical school, which implies that many do not enter their intended careers; 2) the general omission of the population from conversations about supporting STEM education and retention; and 3) stereotypes of the profile of pre-med/health students—each of which we discuss in more detail later. Given the many career-related phenomena associated with identity, developing this understanding of the STEM identity of pre-med/health students is important both for supporting their success using identity-based interventions and addressing issues of persistence and retention in STEM fields in general ( National Research Council [NRC], 2012 ; National Science Board, 2020 ).

Here, we present a quantitative comparative study that explores the relationship between undergraduate students’ ( N = 440) interest in STEM fields, their sense that their teachers recognize them as STEM people, their confidence to succeed on STEM-related exams, and their overall self-perceptions as STEM people. Specifically, we explore differences between STEM majors on a pre-med/health track and STEM majors not pursuing medical careers. Although “pre-med” and “pre-health” are unique categorizations—with “pre-med” referring to students who intend to enroll in medical school and “pre-health” to students who aspire to related careers in health fields (e.g., physician assistant, nurse)—these students share identity-related experiences in their aim to acquire specialized, postbaccalaureate training. This sets them apart from their peers majoring in STEM who aspire to join nonmedical professions. In addition, we account for relevant factors, including 1) participants’ self-reported gender, which consistently demonstrates a contribution to self-perception in STEM (e.g., Archer et al. , 2013 ; Kim et al. , 2018 ; Seyranian et al. , 2018 ; Starr, 2018 ; Witherspoon et al. , 2019 ); 2) home support, drawing from literature noting the influence of parental activity on STEM identity construction (e.g., Gokpinar and Reiss, 2016 ; Dou et al. , 2019 ; Pattison and Dierking, 2019 ); and 3) whether or not a student is a biology major, acknowledging the substantial representativeness of this major within groups of students on a pre-med/health track ( Cotner et al. , 2017 ). In the following sections, we summarize and synthesize relevant research exploring the undergraduate pre-med/health experience, provide a brief overview of our identity framework, situate the purpose of our study in light of existing literature, describe our methods and results, and discuss the implications of our findings.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Pre-med/health students and stem majors.

In 2015, the great majority of physicians surveyed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported having started off their careers as STEM majors at undergraduate institutions with nearly half enrolled as biological sciences majors and approximately 15% as physical sciences majors (e.g., chemistry, physics; Chen, 2017 ). Other STEM-related majors included engineering, mathematics, and social sciences. However, national reports and research studies that address the success of STEM majors often fail to include or address pre-med/health students specifically, either by intentionally excluding them or neglecting to account for them as a distinct demographic population. The National Science Board, for example, whose primary role is to “serve as an independent body of advisors to both the President and the Congress on policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering” ( National Science Board, 2020 , p. 1), does not count healthcare professionals as part of the science and engineering workforce ( National Science Foundation [NSF], 2020 ). More surprising might be the National Research Council’s publication on discipline-based education research ( NRC, 2012 ), which, despite its focus on research in undergraduate science and engineering, does not address or allude to any studies that focus on pre-med/health students or their classroom experiences. Even the iconic NRC report, BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists ( 2003 ), explicitly describes its exclusion of this population of students while highlighting the tremendous pressure that medical school requirements place on the course offerings and curricula of biology and other STEM departments, all in the same paragraph. Similarly, while some attention is given to biomedical research in the White House’s strategic plan for STEM education, no attention is given to the healthcare enterprise as a whole, despite the participation of 15 federal agencies, including the NSF, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Energy ( Committee on STEM Education, 2018 ). Absent from this report were representatives from the National Institutes of Health, which focuses on health-related research and fields. The level of attention given by federal agencies to programs that support STEM majors, particularly those who intend to pursue health and medical careers, matters, given its effect on funding, directions taken up by the STEM education research community, and programmatic development.

Understanding the experiences of pre-med/health majors and their identification with STEM is critical in supporting their success and addressing needs of health fields broadly, including issues of underrepresentation (e.g., National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM], 2020 ). For instance, Emery et al. (2018) propose interventions in STEM identity could increase participation of underrepresented minorities in health professions. Understanding the extent to which pre-med/health students identify with STEM broadly is important, given that most physicians begin undergraduate education as STEM majors but fewer than half of medical school applicants (e.g., 41% in 2019; Association of American Medical Colleges, 2020 ) are accepted and enrolled in a U.S.-based medical school each year. The obvious implication is that more than half of the students who intend to enter medical school in the United States do not, and therefore they must make new educational and career plans late in their undergraduate careers, or, for the many who defer applying until after graduation, once they no longer have access to university career support resources. Despite the large number of students who experience this imperative to rethink their medical career aspirations, what happens to those applicants, and perhaps more importantly, whether or not they can be retained in STEM fields, is not well understood.

Villarejo et al. (2008) offers one of the few studies that obliquely considers where some of these premed STEM majors who do not become physicians or other healthcare professionals end up. They surveyed 322 alumni of an undergraduate intervention program for underrepresented minorities majoring in biology about their subsequent careers and the elements of their experience that contributed to their career choices. Of those who at the time of the survey were pursuing PhD degrees in biomedicine ( n = 24), “nearly half” ( n = 11) had originally intended to become doctors, and some of those attributed this career change to undergraduate research experiences that “revealed career options they had not previously considered” (p. 403). Though the authors acknowledged that other studies suggest that research experiences solidify career intentions but do not change them, they point to weaknesses in these studies regarding their lack of accounting for the relative privilege of their participants (e.g., they may be more aware of careers in research) and assessments of the research experiences late in the students’ college careers (e.g., the summer before senior year). In this way, they suggest that these experiences may be particularly valuable for revealing career opportunities for underrepresented minority students early in their college careers. Still, even though this work provides a glimmer of insight on the phenomenon of attrition in the medical career pathway, the small sample and bounded context of the study is difficult to interpret more broadly.

Despite calls to address the pre-med/health experience, little research exists in this area, with much of what is available published before 1990 ( Lin et al. , 2013 ), and even fewer studies have explored how STEM majors on a pre-med/health track differ from those not seeking health-related careers ( Larson et al. , 2012 ). In some cases, it is simply assumed that these students differ from other STEM students in terms of STEM identity, which has implications for how findings from these studies can be interpreted and applied. For instance, McDonald et al. (2019) surveyed college and university students across the state of Alabama and divided the students into comparison groups of “Non-STEM,” “Soft-STEM,” “Hard-STEM,” and “Health” categories as part of their construct validity analysis of a proposed STEM identity measure (drawing from definitions of “hard” and “soft” STEM by Biglan, 1973 ). This was done to determine whether their instrument “would detect differences in identification with STEM between students majoring in a STEM field vs. those in non-STEM fields” ( McDonald et al. , 2019 , p. 6), though it is not clear whether they considered the “Health” students as STEM or non-STEM. In any case, this decision to differentiate “Health” students from other STEM students in their grouping implies some expectation of differences between the groups on their STEM identity construct, yet they did not address from where this expectation arose. Understanding the extent to which pre-med/health students can, in fact, be expected to differ from other STEM students has implications for how STEM identity researchers should construct their study populations (i.e., whether pre-med/health students should or should not be included) and the types of recommendations and generalizations they may be able to make from their work (e.g., whether findings may be expected to apply to pre-med/health populations).

Perceptions of Pre-Med/Health Students

Undergraduate faculty’s perceptions of students pursuing medical or health-related careers have also been shown to have far-reaching implications for students’ undergraduate experiences ( Sade et al. , 1984 ). Often these students are “perceived differently from Non-Pre-Medical students in being excessively competitive, academically overspecialized, overachieving, more highly motivated, more highly self-disciplined, goal-oriented, and proud of their career choice” ( Sade et al. , 1984 , p. 1). However, a synthesis of available literature published from the mid-1980s to 2010 on the pre-medical student experience in the United States revealed that the “Pre-Medical stereotype was more perception than an observed reality” ( Lin et al. , 2013 , p. 34). Throughout the literature reviewed by Lin et al. (2013) , Pre-Medical students were observed to be similar to their non–Pre-Medical peers in terms of concern about grades and competitiveness, despite stereotypes suggesting the contrary. The reviewed research also suggested that Pre-Medical students were more interested in taking a variety of courses—both STEM and non-STEM—even if those courses were perceived to be challenging (i.e., not just a grade point average boost).

Also exploring the attitudinal similarities and differences between STEM majors pursuing or not pursuing medical or health occupations, Larson et al. (2012) compared undergraduate students ( N = 165, all but four in science majors) based on their educational and postgraduate intentions: careers in medicine (i.e., identified as “Pre-Med” and defined to include a broad group of health-related careers), a graduate degree, or a bachelor’s degree. The authors found that the undergraduate Pre-Med group had higher science and math self-efficacy, interest, and goals (e.g., intention to enter a science career, willingness to take more than the required science courses) than those in the bachelor’s degree group and significantly higher goals than the students who intended to pursue graduate degrees. Horowitz’s (2009) work on motivations of male pre-med students aligns well with these findings. Her qualitative work found that very few students (four out of 31) were primarily motivated by external rewards such as grades; in contrast, a third of the students stated that their main purpose in college was learning and “that they typically sought courses across all subject areas that would challenge them intellectually” (p. 225), with one student commenting, “[I] wouldn’t think twice” (p. 226) about taking an interesting course even if a good grade was not guaranteed.

These findings stand in contrast to widely recognized (though anecdotal) perceptions of pre-med/health students held by STEM faculty, such as that they are only interested in getting good grades (e.g., Conrad, 1986 ; Liang, 2012 ; Moss, 2018 ). Particularly, the finding that compares science and math goals suggests that pre-med/health students see value in learning more science and math than may be required of them. Though this finding could be explained as a willingness to have more experiences so that they are better prepared to succeed on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or in their medical school studies, it is still suggestive of a willingness to get more out of their undergraduate experience than good grades. Still, these stereotypes continue to persist, and their persistence has potentially far-reaching consequences. For example, given that faculty exercise discretion in selecting undergraduate research assistants, stereotypes about pre-med/health students could remove them from consideration for these types of opportunities.

Revisiting the myths surrounding pre-med/health majors from the perspective of STEM identity could also provide new avenues for addressing deficits in the nonmedical STEM workforce (e.g., National Science Board, 2015 ; Xue and Larson, 2015 ; NASEM, 2016 ; Dou et al. , 2019 ) and persistent challenges to retain minorities in nonmedical STEM fields (e.g., Chang et al. , 2014 ; Wong, 2015 ; Estrada et al. , 2016 ). This would apply to issues of underrepresentation in disciplinary areas like physics ( Lock and Hazari, 2016 ) and chemistry ( Fink et al. , 2020 ), while simultaneously addressing similar issues in medical fields ( Emery et al. , 2018 ; Lett et al. , 2018 ; NASEM, 2020 ). For example, undergraduate research experiences in basic science that explicitly invite the participation of pre-med/health students could serve to align students “with a research scientist identity by pursuing work in a research laboratory early on in [their] undergraduate career[s]” ( Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ). In seeing themselves and feeling recognized as valuable participants in the STEM enterprise, these students are more likely to achieve their STEM-related career goals, be they in medical or nonmedical careers ( Estrada et al. , 2018 ; Dou et al. , 2019 ).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The construct of identity, or how individuals perceive themselves and engage others as a particular “kind of person” ( Gee, 2000 , p. 99), has been implicated in research of academic performance, engagement, career choice, and persistence in STEM-related contexts in both formal and informal learning settings (e.g., Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ; Hazari et al. , 2010 ; Dou et al. , 2019 ; Morris et al. , 2019 ; Avraamidou, 2020 ; Goff et al. ; 2020 ). Identity researchers focusing on undergraduate STEM career choice and persistence have generally explored these factors without accounting for students’ post–bachelor degree intentions, instead tending to study students enrolled in particular majors, such as physics ( Hazari et al. , 2010 ; Seyranian et al. , 2018 ) or engineering ( Godwin et al. , 2016 ), or those pursuing STEM majors in general ( Dou and Cian, 2020 ; Goff et al. , 2020 ). Though this type of research is valuable in understanding students’ self-perception within STEM broadly or within specific STEM disciplines, tendencies to define STEM populations by college major restrict the implications and utility of research beyond the major-specific context. Students who intend postgraduate education may enter their professional careers from a variety of majors; for instance, those who ultimately go to medical school may major in STEM or even non-STEM subjects, just as those who decide to enroll in law school may major in any number of fields. Given the implications of identity on factors of interest to educators and education researchers, as noted earlier, extending STEM identity research to a population as defined by career intentions is a necessary pursuit, particularly regarding efforts to address needs of the STEM workforce and especially with a population such as pre-med/health students in which so many do not end up in their choice of profession. Our research focuses on this gap in the literature and is guided by a general desire to better understand the motivators and support structures of undergraduate STEM majors pursuing pre-med/health careers.

In general, STEM identity researchers posit that individuals engage in activities and with communities in ways that both construct and reflect the various facets of their being ( Gee, 2000 ; Urrieta, 2007 ; Avraamidou, 2020 ). Given this link between how individuals identify and the activities they engage in, research on identity is particularly valuable in contexts related to career choice and career persistence. Nevertheless, the way individuals identify is neither static nor singular, but rather an overlapping product of both performative and cognitive processes that are shaped by historical, political, social, and contextual variables ( Avraamidou, 2020 ). In other words, the specific contexts individuals find themselves in and their experiences in those contexts create a “push-and-pull” effect on their identity development over time as they negotiate the extent to which they participate along with their perception of how others react to their participation ( Calabrese Barton et al. , 2013 ). Research in STEM identity consistently documents this effect on girls, for example, highlighting the effects of masculine stereotypes of STEM engagement as an impediment to their capacity to see themselves in STEM (e.g., Archer et al. , 2013 ; Heybach and Pickup, 2017 ; Ong, 2005 ). For instance, Archer et al. (2013) studied the perceptions of 10- to 11-year-old girls and their parents, noting a clear divergence in their perceptions of femininity and stereotypes of scientists as “brainy” or “geeky” (p. 188), which contributed to impediments in their self-perceptions as actors within the scientific enterprise. Our exploration of STEM identity builds specifically off the work of Carlone and Johnson (2007) and Hazari et al. (2010) . Both of these research teams employ a personal identity framework that focuses on measuring the extent to which a person identifies with and has affinity toward a general (or particular) field of study (e.g., Luhtanen and Crocker, 1992 ). While personal identity frameworks focus on the perceptions of the individual, they also account for social and contextual factors that contribute to how individuals see themselves. Both Carlone and Johnson (2007) , who address conceptions of science identity in general (e.g., “I see myself as a science person”), and Hazari et al. (2010) , who address conceptions of discipline-based identity (e.g., “I see myself as a physics person”), posit three primary factors as contributing to the development of one’s STEM identity: recognition, interest, and performance–competence (see Figure 1 ).

FIGURE 1. Conceptual framework for understanding the relationships between STEM identity, interest, recognition, performance–competence, and career choice. Although performance–competence is not usually directly predictive of STEM identity, its indirect effects are typically larger than the direct effects of STEM interest, while STEM interest and recognition are often significantly correlated with one another. Adapted from Godwin et al. , 2016 .

Recognition, Interest, and Performance–Competence in STEM

Of the three primary STEM identity precursors, “recognition” stands out as the most critical both conceptually and in terms of effect size. Gee (2000) puts it this way: “at root, human beings must see each other in certain ways and not others if there are to be identities of any sort” (p. 109). Recognition in STEM contexts is particularly salient in light of racial, ethnic, and gender-based biases that favor the dominant archetype of the scientist as white and male (e.g., Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ; Diekman et al. , 2011 ; Hazari and Cass, 2018 ; Avraamidou, 2020 ). Following Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) identity framework, we specifically define STEM “recognition” as an individual’s belief or perception that significant others consider them to be a STEM person. In our work we focus exclusively on the role of teachers, given the academic setting our participants find themselves in and the career-focused context of our work. However, we do acknowledge the powerful role that alternative significant others may exert on STEM identity, particularly parents. For instance, much research supports the suggestion that home support factors influence individuals’ STEM dispositions, sense of recognition in STEM, and STEM identity ( Archer et al. , 2015 ; Dou and Cian, 2020 ; Gokpinar and Reiss, 2016 ; Pattison and Dierking, 2019 ). Gokpinar and Reiss (2016) position this support, for instance, in the form of visiting science centers or providing science toys or reading materials as conversion factors existing at the intersection of social and cultural factors and identity-related outcomes, such as aspiration to science careers.

Historically, interest in STEM topics and concepts has been seen as a primary motivator of young people’s STEM-related career choices, as well as their identity development (e.g., Archer et al. , 2010 ; Taskinen et al. , 2013 ; Wong, 2015 ). Lent et al. ’s (1994) social cognitive career theory, which builds off Bandura’s social cognitive theory ( 1989 , 2001 ), posits “interest” development as an essential precursor to career-related goal setting and behavior. Grounded in this work, we define interest as a desire to learn more about STEM. While identity frameworks used in STEM contexts recognize an association between sense of recognition and interest in STEM, these are generally operationalized as unique contributors.

On the other hand, quantitative models in various STEM contexts have found that performance–competence, that is, individuals’ sense of both their ability to perform STEM tasks, as well as understand STEM concepts ( Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ; Hazari et al. , 2010 ), does not act directly on individuals’ STEM identities but rather as mediated through their interest and recognition in STEM ( Cass et al. , 2011 ; Cribbs et al. , 2015 , 2016 ; Godwin et al. , 2016 ). In some cases, studies have shown that the indirect effect of college students’ performance–competence in STEM on their STEM identities is greater than the direct effect of their interest in STEM ( Godwin et al. , 2016 ), underscoring the significance of this variable in light of the attention given to STEM interest. While individuals may participate in STEM in many contexts and thus have varying degrees of confidence in their performance across these contexts, in this research, we measure performance in a particular context familiar to our college student population, that is, performance on tests or exams in STEM subjects.

PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To what extent does the STEM identity of STEM majors on a pre-med/health track differ from that of STEM majors not on a pre-med/health track?

How do factors contributing to STEM identity (i.e., interest, performance–competence, recognition) differ for STEM majors on a pre-med/health track from those of STEM majors not on a pre-med/health track?

How do gender, home science support, and biological sciences major contribute to variances across identity related variables?

METHODS AND METHODOLOGY

This research is part of a broader study exploring young people’s STEM identity development across formal and informal learning environments. Data collection took place at a large, Research I, Hispanic-serving institution located in the southeastern region of the United States. We sampled undergraduate students by securing email addresses from all those enrolled in entry-level STEM courses at the time of data collection (i.e., Fall semester of 2019). To generate this sample, we accessed course enrollments for the following lower-division courses present in the programs of studies for STEM majors at the institution: Calculus I, Chemistry & Society, General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, General Biology I, General Biology II, Introductory Physics I and II (both with and without calculus), and Statistics I. We removed duplicates (e.g., students enrolled in both General Chemistry and Calculus I) and emailed students a link to a digital survey. The survey went out to 5678 students of whom 522 responded—a response rate of roughly 9.2%. Because our research purpose is to compare the STEM identity of STEM majors in pre-med/health tracks with those not in pre-med/health tracks, we removed respondents who did not indicate pursuit of a STEM major ( n = 26) and those who did not provide their majors ( n = 56). The remaining 440 students indicated that they were enrolled in STEM majors by selecting one of the following options: physics, biological sciences, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, earth science/geoscience, computer science, and “other STEM major.” We included this last category to capture respondents who did not affiliate with the above but still considered their majors to be “STEM.” Among the respondents, 53% were biology majors. We also asked participants to self-identify as being a “pre-med” or “pre-health” student (single item; binary response). Although the institution where this work took place offered an official “health sciences” track, at the time of the study, this track only existed for a few years and it was offered as an exploratory major to students unsure of their undergraduate career goals. The institution did not offer a specific major for students pursuing postgraduate medical or health-related studies, despite our use of the phrase “pre-med/health track.” Respondents who identified as pre-med/health students composed 61% of our respondent sample.

Identity-Related Items

Identity-related items were drawn and modified from Hazari et al. ’s (2010) discipline-based identity framework to measure STEM identity broadly, as well as the identity precursors. Students were presented with statements relevant to these four variables and asked to rate their level of agreement using a five-point Likert scale anchored only at the poles: “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” We measured STEM identity as the dependent variable using the statement “I see myself as a STEM person.” This approach follows Shanahan’s (2008) operationalization of identity in survey instruments as the degree to which individuals perceive themselves as a “type of person.” Our other three variables of interest were also measured using single items and included STEM interest (“I am interested in learning more about STEM”), recognition (“My teachers see me as a STEM person”), and performance–competence (“I can do well on tests and exams in STEM”). We achieved a Cronbach’s alpha measure of reliability for our four identity-related items of 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.78–0.83). For correlations across these four items, please see Supplemental Table 1.

In selecting the item statements listed, we sought to account for the fact that they represent complex constructs and can therefore be difficult to measure with sufficient validity using single items (although constructs as complex as self-efficacy have been measured adequately using single items; e.g., Hoeppner et al. , 2011 ). Our choice to use single-item measures is predicated on our intention to highlight specific attributes of the constructs and their relation to identity and pre-med/health status rather than the constructs broadly, while also relying on measures that will be applicable to all students in our population. For instance, not all students, particularly those enrolled in introductory STEM courses early in their undergraduate careers, have had experience designing STEM experiments in a laboratory, such that measuring performance in this way would have little meaning. In light of this, single items can be used with adequate predictive validity ( Bergkvist and Rossiter, 2007 ; Bergkvist, 2015 ), provided, as in any case of validity, that the implications and conclusions are appropriately bounded by the chosen measures ( Kane, 1992 ). In our Discussion , we are careful to articulate the utility of this work given the way we define and measure the constructs.

Control Variables

We also solicited self-reported information for a variety of demographic variables, including gender and home support. We chose to control for student gender and home science support in light of their persistent effects on STEM identity regardless of the student population sampled (e.g., undergraduate STEM majors broadly, Rodriguez et al. , 2019 ; undergraduate STEM majors in an introductory physics course, Seyranian et al. , 2018 ; undergraduate students in an introductory psychology course, Starr et al. , 2018). Although much research suggests that Hispanic ethnicity is associated with challenges developing STEM identity and STEM career aspirations (e.g., Aschbacher et al. , 2010 ; Grossman and Porche, 2014 ; Rodriguez et al. , 2019 ), the ethnicity variable was not significant in any of our models and decreased the statistical validity of the models, so it was not included. This lack of significance is likely a feature of the context of our study, where Hispanic students constitute the majority of the student population (i.e., over 64%) and where the county in which this study took place includes a predominantly Hispanic population. We return to this point in the Discussion , where we address the transferability of our results.

Seventy-five percent of our respondents self-identified as “female” and 77% indicated having home environments supportive of science (i.e., “Was your home environment supportive of science, for example, did you often visit science museums, or zoos?”). We also chose to test for the effects of whether or not respondents indicated pursuit of a biological sciences major in particular due to the preponderance of pre-med/health students that typically enroll in this disciplinary track, which may or may not have a particular effect on their self-perceptions as STEM people ( Cotner et al. , 2017 ). We created this variable as a binary based on respondents’ selection of “biological sciences” as their major versus any of the other STEM majors listed.

Data Analyses

We tested four linear multiple regression models to examine the relationships between these variables. All models included the following independent, categorical variables: pre-med/health student (binary), gender (binary), and home support of science (categorical: “yes,” “no,” “not sure”). Students’ self-reported gender and level of home support of science were included as control variables, given their predictive power in various STEM identity models (e.g., Crisp et al. , 2009 ; Cribbs et al. , 2015 ; Godwin et al. , 2016 ). Before running our regression models, we tested for potential random effects present in our binary “biological sciences major” variable, that is, we examined whether variance in our outcome variables could be explained by both between- and within-group differences ( Theobald, 2018 ). This decision was based on the fact that pre-med/health respondents were more likely to be pursuing a biological sciences major. We found no between- or within-group differences, suggesting that students’ pursuit of a biological sciences major was not associated with their responses to our STEM identity items. As such, we removed pursuit of a biological sciences major as a control variable from our models; Akaike information criterion values confirmed in all cases that the models without this variable presented a better “fit.”

The four regression models differed in terms of their outcome variables, which were treated as continuous. Model 1 explored the relationship between our independent variables and STEM identity as our outcome. We took a similar approach with models 2, 3, and 4, looking at the relationships between our independent variables and performance–competence, recognition, and interest in STEM, respectively. Although we found only a small number of instances of missingness across our data (3%), we ran a single expectation-maximization imputation ( Honaker et al. , 2011 ; Rubin, 1996 ). All analyses were run using R software.

Model 1 was statistically significant, F (4,483) = 2.56, p < 0.05, R 2 = 0.02, in predicting STEM identity (M = 4.51; SE = 0.03). Specifically, while controlling for gender and home support, we found that pre-med/health students were more likely to see themselves as STEM people than those who did not indicate pursuing a pre-med/health track (β = −0.10; p < 0.05). Participant gender and home science support were not significant predictors.

Model 2 was statistically significant, F (4,483) = 4.56, p = 0.001, R 2 = 0.04, in predicting STEM performance–competence (M = 4.13; SE = 0.04). Among demographic factors, students who identified as male were more likely to score higher on this item than those who identified as female (β = −0.11; p < 0.05). Those who indicated having home support around science were significantly more likely to score higher on our STEM performance–competence item compared with those who did not indicate home science support (β = −0.16; p < 0.001). Students’ pursuit of pre-med/health careers was not significantly associated with their STEM performance–competence measures.

Model 3 was significant, F (4, 483) = 5.39, p < 0.001, R 2 = 0.04, in predicting students’ perceptions that their teachers see them as STEM people (i.e., recognition; M = 4.15, SE = 0.04). Those pursuing a pre-med/health track were more likely to perceive that recognition than those not on a pre-med/health track (β = −0.12 ; p = 0.01). On the other hand, women were less likely to have that perception than men (β = −0.10 ; p < 0.05). Model outcomes indicated that those who were not sure that they had a home supportive of science (β = −0.14 ; p < 0.01) were also less likely to believe their teachers see them as STEM people than those students who indicated having that support. Not having home support was not a significant predictor, although our p value approaches our cutoff (β = −0.09; p = 0.06).

Model 4 was not significant, F (4, 483) = 0.88, p = 0.48, R 2 = 0.01, meaning that we found no relationship between our variables and interest in learning more about STEM. See Table 1 for a summary of model outcomes.

! p value = 0.06.

*Value is significant, p < 0.05.

**Value is significant, p < 0.01.

***Value is significant, p < 0.001.

In light of the many relationships that researchers have noted between STEM identity and the experiences of undergraduate STEM students, the purpose of our study was to explore the extent to which STEM majors with the intent to pursue medical or health careers identify as STEM people relative to STEM majors not pursuing those occupations. Given that the majority of pre-med/health students do not ultimately go to medical school ( Association of American Medical Colleges, 2021 ), we see this work as an important step in understanding the opportunities that may be theoretically accessible to this population but underrealized due to an absence of research that assesses the STEM identity of this population. We couch this aim in both prior research on pre-med/health students that identifies large gaps in studies of the undergraduate pre-med/health experience ( Lin et al. , 2013 ), as well as national reports and initiatives that overlook this large portion of the STEM population (e.g., Committee on STEM Education, 2018 ). These gaps are made more obvious when compared with the large body of research on undergraduate STEM majors pursuing fields like physics ( NRC, 2013 ), engineering ( NRC, 2012 ), or computer science ( NASEM, 2018 ). Thus, we position our research as an initial step in understanding a population that, despite its large size, is rarely studied as a unit, even though they share identity-related experiences that are likely to be of interest to educators and researchers. For instance, this population of students share aspirations to highly competitive postbaccalaureate education (e.g., medical school) and, consequently, often must decide on new career directions late in their undergraduate education experience. Thus, we conjecture that this understanding could particularly be of interest to educators and researchers concerned with retaining students in STEM careers in cases in which they have been redirected from their “first choice” aspiration.

Our models indicated that STEM majors on a pre-med/health track were more likely to have a greater sense of STEM identity and perceive that their teachers see them as STEM people, whereas interest in learning more about STEM and sense of performance–competence on tests and exams in STEM were not associated with pre-med/health status. Collectively, these findings suggest that, in some ways, pre-med/health students associate themselves with STEM more so than other STEM majors. These findings run counter to stereotypes of pre-med/health students as caring only about their grades or as seeking only the extension of their STEM degree (i.e., qualifying for medical school) rather than having an inherent affinity toward STEM subjects ( Sade et al. , 1984 ). On the other hand, our work complements more recent findings, like those of Pacifici and Thomson (2011) , that posit pre-med/health students as equally interested in and motivated to engage in authentic, laboratory-based learning experiences as their non–pre-med/health counterparts, as well as those of Larson et al. (2012) showing pre-med/health students as having higher science and math interest and self-efficacy in addition to career-related goals. Larson et al. ’s (2012) study is particularly relevant given its juxtaposition with our study in terms of outcomes and student populations, which we address later.

Despite research that suggests that instructors may hold unfavorable stereotypes about their pre-med/health students ( Sade et al. , 1984 ), our results indicate that these students feel more strongly than their peers that their instructors recognize them as STEM people. Given that our pre-med/health respondents were more likely to see themselves as STEM persons, their perceptions of how instructors see them are not surprising, as research using the identity frameworks of Carlone and Johnson (2007) and Hazari et al. (2010) consistently argues that being recognized as a STEM person has the highest effect on STEM identity (e.g., Dou et al. , 2019 ). There are several possible implications of this outcome that warrant further exploration. First, this suggests the plausibility that faculty behaviors toward and interactions with pre-med/health students can be encouraging and affirming of their identification with STEM. Although we did not seek to confirm students’ perceptions from the perspectives of faculty, identity negotiation and renegotiation occur as a result of, rather than in spite of, interactions with members of the in-group ( Kim et al. , 2018 ), which in our case would consist of faculty. In other words, the influence of being recognized as a kind of person, from an identity perspective, is more related to how it is perceived by the individual rather than how it was intended by the person giving (or withholding) recognition. Again, this approach lies in contrast to the work of Sade et al. (1984) , which, not adopting a personal identity framework, did not survey the perspectives of pre-med/health students. Working with life science undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty, Aikens et al. (2016) provide complementary evidence supporting the important role of faculty, finding that undergraduate students who worked closely with faculty and postgraduates on academic research reported higher scientific identity and intentions to enroll in PhD programs than students who worked with postgraduates alone.

Larson et al. (2012) present equally favorable views of pre-med/health students pursuing STEM majors using a similar approach to our own, though on the surface our findings appear contradictory. While we did not find significant relationships between our participants’ interest in learning more about STEM and academic performance–competence with regard to their pre-med/health status, Larson et al. (2012) found that students pursuing medical careers were more likely to report higher science and math interest and self-efficacy (a construct conceptually related to performance–competence). This apparent contradiction should be interpreted in light of differences in our contexts. Their study involved mostly male students (61.9%) at a large midwestern university with respondents who primarily identified as White (non-Hispanic), while our study involved mostly female students at a large southeastern university where the majority identifies as Hispanic. Moreover, their study included primarily “science” majors (as opposed to “STEM” majors) recruited from introductory science courses that did not include math courses. Their final models also do not account for the variance explained by participant gender and home support. Moreover, when comparing undergraduate science majors seeking medical careers with those pursuing graduate school, Larson et al. (2012) find no differences in math and science interest and self-efficacy. When considering those findings in light of those of our study, we find they affirm that, in particular academic contexts, students pursuing medical degrees are, at worst, just as interested and confident in science and mathematics as science majors not pursuing medical degrees, and, at best, more interested and feel more competent. Collectively, the juxtaposition of our work and that of Larson and colleagues further implies the need to understand the pre-med/health experiences of students within unique contexts that account for the intersection of gender and racial identities, as well as the need to explore these constructs with different comparison groups to understand the vagaries of the pre-med/health experience across contexts.

While we aim to shine a positive light on undergraduate pre-med/health students and their career intentions, the more than 50% that will not enter medical school due to overwhelming challenges ( Association of American Medical Colleges, 2021 ) may consist of a population of students who already identify with STEM and can be inspired and motivated to pursue equally fulfilling graduate and professional STEM careers rather than abandon STEM altogether. Although Villarejo et al. (2008) included data from a wider variety of participants, their data from doctoral students pursuing biomedicine PhDs indicated that half reported starting their undergraduate careers seeking to become medical doctors, having “discovered their interest in science research after entering college” (p. 402). In this way, Villarejo et al. (2008) specifically drew attention to pre-med students as a population that can be spurred to pursue nonmedical STEM careers through undergraduate research experiences—particularly those who are underrepresented in science. This suggestion is consistent with a broader notion that engagement in authentic science that invites students to engage in scientific practices can enhance science attitudes and lead to commitments in pursuing science careers ( Syed et al. , 2018 ). Given that students who intend to enter medical school may be in a position to rethink their aspirations during or after graduation (e.g., those who defer applying to medical school), research is needed to determine the extent to which such opportunities may sustain students’ interest in pursuing STEM careers, even when removed from the university experience for a semester or more.

In our models, gender played a role in the degree to which students felt recognized by their teachers as STEM persons and their performance–competence on tests and exams—with female students tending to report slightly lower positive perceptions of both teacher recognition and test performance–competence. Nevertheless, association with gender did not extend to STEM interest or identity as a whole. However, these results should not be taken to mean that gender is not a significant factor in STEM identity, especially given the corpus of research suggesting the contrary in different contexts (e.g., Archer et al. , 2013 ; Kim et al. , 2018 ; Seyranian et al. , 2018 ; Starr, 2018 ; Witherspoon et al. , 2019 ). For instance, Witherspoon et al. (2019) investigated why women are far less likely to continue pursuing medical school than are men in spite of their interest in obtaining medical degrees. While they found that this phenomenon could not be attributed to how well the students performed academically, it did seem to be rooted in their sense of their capabilities in the subject, or competency beliefs. Instead, our results do provide some nuance in our understanding of what aspects of identity may be affected by gender and with what populations—it is important to note that our work was done with students in introductory STEM courses, whereas Witherspoon and colleagues studied student trends across their college careers.

It is also important to recognize that our study involved the participation of students who had exhibited some success in STEM fields, given their enrollment in introductory STEM courses and intent to pursue careers in those fields; they are therefore more likely to have higher levels of STEM interest, performance–competence, and identity than a general population might. In this way, the typically observed gender influence may be mitigated. This suggestion is supported by McDonald et al. ’s (2019) analysis, which observed higher STEM identity in men than women in their sample as a whole (i.e., STEM and non-STEM majors) but statistically insignificant differences when the sample was restricted to those in the sample who were in “hard-STEM” majors. Additionally, the academic lean of our items, discussed previously, may not account for gendered differences that might be more distinct, for instance, if participants were asked whether they felt they would be seen as STEM persons by employees of a large technology company. That said, our female respondents were slightly less likely to perceive their teachers as recognizing them as STEM persons, plausibly aligning with sociocultural perceptions of STEM people as traditionally masculine.

LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH

In interpreting these findings, it is important to keep in mind how these constructs were operationalized in order to make clear the extent to which our results may be interpreted and the areas where further research is needed. Identity and identity-related items were articulated in such a way as to allow a more granular examination of how pre-med/health students see themselves in undergraduate, academic contexts where they most saliently practice and author their STEM identities. This enables more specific recommendations for the higher education community, for example, regarding the design of academic opportunities (e.g., research) and other activities (e.g., advising) in ways that support STEM identity development. Other ways of measuring these identity precursors could offer additional insights into how pre-med/health students perceive themselves within the STEM enterprise beyond the classroom setting. For example, our items do not address the role that parents or peers play in contributing to students’ sense of recognition as a STEM person ( Kim et al. , 2018 ), nor do they address students’ performance–competence relevant to STEM-related skills, such as designing experiments or using evidence to build a logical argument. Further, the selection of survey methods allowed us to quantitatively identify the relationships between pre-med/health status, STEM identity, and identity precursors. While we see this as an important first step in exploring the experiences of these students, we acknowledge the limitations of quantitative methods in explaining the pre-med/health experience in richer detail, as could be achieved with qualitative data. Interviews that we have done with 20 of our surveyed students support the results presented in this work, and we are currently engaged in more in-depth interview analysis that will further address the research questions explored in this paper.

As noted earlier, we also highlight that our study refers to these constructs from the perspective of the student . This delimitation is particularly noteworthy for the item “My teachers see me as a STEM person,” which requires respondents to make judgments that may not accurately reflect their teachers’ perceptions. We emphasize here that, in terms of STEM identity development, what is important are students’ perceptions of their instructors’ beliefs ( Gee, 2000 ). Similarly, our lack of knowledge regarding students’ perceptions of the term “STEM” limits our ability to generalize across different conceptions of STEM (e.g., as an integrated discipline, as problem-solving skills, as a philosophical paradigm, as a collection of related disciplines).

In our Discussion , we advocate for providing equivalent experiences to pre-med/health students and their non-pre-med/health peers that support STEM identity development (e.g., research experiences in non-medical STEM fields). However, in making these recommendations we must acknowledge the dearth of information on pre-med/health undergraduate experiences (e.g., participation in STEM research) and career outcomes (e.g., where they go if they do not get into medical school) in aggregate. Lin et al. (2013) note that the pre-med/health student population is particularly challenging to identify and sample. Their review found the following:

Studies used a variety of definitions of a Pre-Medical student to identify their samples of interest. Some studies used the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) data on the MCAT to identify their samples. Others used enrollment in pre medical-required courses as indicators. Those authors with connections to the Pre-Medical advising structure used email lists and social networks to recruit participants and the most common sampling method was self-identification by the student. Each of these methods yielded slightly different samples of Pre-Medical students, which, in turn, can influence the conclusions drawn. (p. 35)

This inconsistency in classification across research and programs and rudimentary ways of tracking this population within institutions precludes a better understanding of the identity-related experiences of pre-med/health students. Our own literature review revealed myriad ways that researchers employ the terms “pre-med” or “pre-medical” careers, with some referring exclusively to those with intentions to attend a medical school (e.g., Liang, 2012 ); some using the terms to refer to students with intentions to attend postbaccalaureate training encompassing a broader set of health careers that include medicine, nursing, and even veterinary careers (e.g., Larson et al. , 2012 ); some using the terms “premedicine” and “prehealth” interchangeably (e.g., NRC, 2003 ); and still others who did not define their terminology (e.g., Fink et al. , 2020 ). Thus, efforts to understand and improve the experiences of pre-med/health students must contend with this messy approach to tracking and studying recruitment of the pre-med/health student population.

Complicating this tracking further are the relatively high failure rates in STEM courses ( Seymour and Hewitt, 1997 ; Webb et al. , 2014 ) and frequent change out of STEM courses, particularly for marginalized groups ( Seymour and Hewitt, 1997 ; Crisp et al. , 2009 ; Riegle-Crumb et al. , 2019 ). In our research, we surveyed students in introductory STEM courses—a point in their college careers when they may not have yet encountered such challenges to their STEM identities, performance in STEM, or recognition by teachers in STEM. Thus, it is possible that the same students we surveyed would report differently if they were to be questioned later in their undergraduate careers—a valuable avenue for future, longitudinal research. However, when positioning our work identifying the high degree of STEM identity of pre-med/health students alongside this vulnerability, we see a greater imperative to create opportunities for students to experience identity-supportive experiences that could retain STEM aspirations in the face of setbacks, whether they occur early in their college careers, such as by failing an introductory course, or later, such as when experiencing rejection from medical school.

Though STEM identity frameworks have been used to understand the experiences of college students pursuing a variety of STEM subfields, like undergraduate mathematics ( Cribbs et al. , 2015 , 2016 ) and engineering ( Godwin et al. , 2016 ), a specific focus on pre-med/health students has gone largely absent. Neglecting to address this population in studies of STEM identity, academic performance, and career choice, could continue to limit funding and programmatic prioritization at both local (e.g., university) and national (e.g., federal priorities) levels. This is particularly noteworthy, given the large proportion of pre-med/health students who do not attend medical school and therefore may be at greater risk of leaving STEM professions altogether compared with other college STEM students.

In our research, we compared STEM majors pursuing medical or health careers with those who did not indicate this intent. Our findings contribute to contemporary evidence dispelling outdated depictions of pre-med/health students as not authentic in their engagement with STEM fields. However, we note that our results are an assessment of how pre-med/health students see themselves —not how others see them. This is an important distinction, particularly in contexts in which negative stereotypes of pre-med/health students preclude important others, such as faculty, from recognizing their authentic engagement. This mismatch could contribute to disappointment or disenchantment with STEM, which could have further implications for students’ persistence in STEM, particularly for those who do not enter medical school. This implication warrants broader investigation across contexts, but such studies will continue to face obstacles for lack of structured systems that track the experiences and successes of pre-med/health students. We hope our findings and those referenced in this study draw attention to these challenges in ways that support others seeking to enhance the undergraduate pre-med/health student experience and STEM career journey.

1 Here we use the term “STEM” as a catchall term referring to a broad spectrum of subfields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including health and medicine.

2 Here and throughout the rest of this article, we use the term “pre-med/health” to refer broadly to students who aspire to careers in health-related fields, including those intending to become physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and/or physical therapists, all of which require additional academic preparation beyond an undergraduate degree. When referencing particular studies, we adopt their terminology.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was in part supported by the NSF CAREER Award AISL-1846167. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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Submitted: 9 December 2020 Revised: 9 February 2021 Accepted: 3 March 2021

© 2021 R. Dou et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2021 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

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What is pre-med? When people say that they're pre-med, what does that actually mean? If you're planning to attend med school and become a doctor, it's important that you understand the definition of pre-med and what you should be doing as a pre-med student.

Read on to learn what it really means to be a pre-med, what you should be focusing on to get into med school, and what the best majors for pre-meds are and why.

What Does Pre-Med Mean?

"Pre-med" is the term people use to show that they want to go to med school and are taking the classes they need to get there. It's primarily used by college students. There isn't actually "pre-med" major; pre-med is just a term to let people know you have plans to be a doctor. You can be a biology major and pre-med, a Spanish major and pre-med, etc.

Students say that they're pre-med to let others know about their career goals and to make sure they're taking the correct classes to get into med school. If you tell your advisor that you're a biology major, she'll focus on making sure you get all the requirements for that major completed, but if you let her know that you're a biology major and also pre-med, she'll work with you to also ensure you take all the classes needed to apply to med school.

Similarly, if you're applying to jobs or volunteer positions and state that you're pre-med, the people looking at applications will know that you plan on becoming a doctor, and they may be more likely to offer you a position that's related to the medical field.

What Do You Need to Get Into Med School?

Once you've decided to be pre-med, your main focus will be preparing yourself to get into med school. Med schools are infamous for being competitive and only accepting the best, so you'll want to be well prepared. In this section we'll discuss all key things you need to get into med school.

As a pre-med, one of your most important responsibilities will be making sure you take all the prerequisite coursework required for med school. Each med school has slightly different requirements, so you should absolutely make sure you research each med school you're interested in early on as a college student to make sure you're on track to meet all their requirements. In general though, most med schools expect you to have taken the following classes:

• One year of biology with lab
• One year of general chemistry with lab
• One year of organic chemistry with lab
• One year of physics with lab
• At least one semester of biochemistry
• A math requirement (some schools require calculus, some require statistics, some require both)
• One year of English

Remember, these are just the bare minimum of classes you need to meet basic requirements for med schools. You'll likely need to take significantly more classes to meet the requirements for your major and fulfill the requirements/recommendations of all the med schools you're applying to.

Also remember that because med schools are so competitive, you never want to stop at just the bare minimum. You want to show med schools that you're motivated to learn as much about the health field as you can and that you'll be entering med school with a strong knowledge in a variety of subjects.

Expect to take several science classes each semester in order to be fully prepared for med school. Examples of other classes you might take include genetics, public health, ethics, microbiology, human physiology, psychology, sociology, writing classes, and foreign language classes, to name a few.

Test Scores

The MCAT is the exam pre-med students take. Much like you did with the SAT/ACT, you'll send your MCAT scores to med schools to show them your mastery of different subject areas. The MCAT is a 7.5 hour test that includes four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior; and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.

The average score on the MCAT is 500 (out of a total of 528 points), and the average score for students accepted into med school is around a 509, so you should aim for at least that.

Health-Related Extracurriculars

Almost every med school will expect you to have some sort of scientific research experience and/or experience volunteering at a hospital or other medical setting. This shows them you're committed to becoming a doctor and have the skills it takes to succeed as one.

Letters of Recommendation

You may have needed letters of recommendation when you applied to college, and they're important for med school too. You'll likely need at least three letters of rec when you apply, often two from science teachers and one from a non-science teacher.

What Are the Best Pre-Med Majors?

There are a small number of colleges who offer actual pre-med majors, but those programs tend to not be very strong (no major university offers an actual major called "pre-med"), and med schools aren't particularly impressed by these degrees since, as mentioned above, any major can be pre-med as long as you take the classes required to go to med school.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges , just a little over half of all students applying to med school majored in the biological sciences. The others majored in a variety of areas, including humanities, math, social sciences, and physical sciences.

Additionally, med school applicants who majored in biological sciences, on average, didn't score any higher on the MCAT than students who majored in other areas. So what you major in doesn't necessarily determine how well you'll do on the MCAT.

So if you're pre-med and wondering what to major in, the best advice is to choose a major that you're interested in and think you can do well in while completing all the pre-med requirements. However, there are some majors that are much more popular among pre-med students than others. Below are five of the best pre-med majors. Each of them will help give you the skills needed to succeed in med school and as a doctor.

We consider these the best because they match the closest with pre-med requirements. This makes it easier for you to meet all your pre-med requirements and ensures you get a solid background in subjects doctors need to be masters in. Majoring in a different area, say, Russian Literature, isn't necessarily a bad idea, but you may find it difficult to complete both your Russian Literature major requirements and pre-med requirements in four years.

Human Biology

If there was one major that you'd call the unofficial pre-med major, it'd be human biology. At many schools it's the most common major for pre-meds to take because it focuses heavily on many of the subjects you'll study as a med student.

You'll take classes in a variety of subjects, but the focus will be on the human body and human health. You may take classes in genetics, human physiology, and neurobiology, among other areas.

Biology is another solid choice for pre-meds, especially if your school doesn't offer a Human Biology major and/or you want more a general biology background rather than focusing more specifically on human bodies. You'll learn plenty about human health as a biology major, but you'll also likely take classes in other areas such as ecology, evolution and/or microbiology.

Many pre-meds major in psychology, especially those planning on becoming psychiatrists. However, psychology is a useful major regardless of what type of doctor you want to be since every medical professional can benefit from studying how humans think, make decisions, and react to different situations.

Chemistry/Biochemistry

The biological sciences are most popular with pre-meds, but you'll also need to know a lot of chemistry as a pre-med and a med student. There's an entire chemistry section on the MCAT, so it's definitely an important subject to know.

Although it's not a hard science, a strong knowledge of philosophy can be very helpful to pre-meds. You'll learn about ethics and how to think critically, both of which are important for people in the medical field. Philosophy is a good choice if you want to be prepared for medical school but also get more of a liberal arts education.

What is pre-med? "Pre-med" is a term college students use to show that they plan on attending med school and are taking the right classes to do that. There are no official pre-med majors; instead students who are pre-med can major in whatever subject they want and just take the classes needed to apply to med school.

There are multiple pre-med requirements needed to get into med school. The most important of these are the classes you take. Each med school has its own requirements, but you can expect to take at least one year of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics (all with labs), along with biochemistry, math, and English classes.

There is really no "best" pre-med majors, but there are some majors that are more popular with pre-med students and make it easier for you to reach pre-med requirements. These include human biology, psychology, biology, and chemistry.

What's Next?

Want to know what you should be doing right now to prepare for pre-med programs? Check out our complete guide on how to prepare for pre-med in high school . We also recommend the 7 books every pre-med student should read in this article .

Worried about the extra years of school being a doctor requires? Get tips on how to finish college early so you can start med school early.

If you're still figuring out whether a career as a physician is right for you, think about getting some hands-on experience. You may not think there's much you can do as a high school student, but there is! Start by shadowing a physician , and check out our guide to 59 great med programs for students in high school.

What's after med school? Check out our guide on the seven steps to becoming a doctor to see what you'll need to do once you're pre-med.

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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So Much to Do, So Little Time: Make it Manageable with Smart Planning!

Posted on May 3, 2024 by kla1

Effective planning is essential throughout your thesis journey, and some of the key areas to plan are as follows:

1. Plan Regular Meetings with Your Advisor:

Central to my thesis success was the structured, regular feedback and guidance I received from my advisor. To ensure continuous progress and clear communication, it is crucial to plan regular meetings with your advisor as early in the semester as possible. I scheduled weekly meetings with my advisor, during which we established working objectives, addressed any concerns I had, refined aspects of my work needing improvement, and covered everything in between. These meetings were indispensable – they kept my thesis on track, gave me small milestones to meet, and made the complex overall process much more manageable. While weekly meetings might seem demanding due to tight schedules, I strongly recommend planning some sort of regular appointment schedule. Even if it’s not weekly, planned frequent check-ins will significantly enhance your thesis progress.

2. Plan Dedicated Writing Times:

The most challenging part of the entire thesis process is actually writing it! To tackle this, it’s crucial to plan specific times each week just for writing. Even if you occasionally fall short of your writing goals during these sessions or miss a session completely, simply having them scheduled helps immensely to not only break up the work, but also hold you accountable on your progress. Trust me, planning these chunks of writing time throughout the semester not only makes it easier to balance your academic schedule, but it also helps keep the thesis workload manageable and meet deadlines. This approach allows you to focus incrementally on your thesis and really helps push it across the finish line without feeling overwhelmed or rushed.

3. Plan to Embrace the Chaos:

While meticulous planning is crucial, remember that it alone won’t complete your thesis. No amount of planning in the world can substitute for the actual writing and work required to complete your honors thesis. Planning isn’t just about scheduling tasks; it’s about preparing for the emotional highs and lows as well. Plan to feel overwhelmed and anxious at times – these feelings are a natural part of the thesis journey. Anticipate stress and embrace it as a sign of the significant progress and effort you are putting in. Plan not only for the challenges but also for the triumphs. Envision presenting your work and the ultimate satisfaction of saying, “I did it!” Through planning, you’re not just organizing your time, you’re also setting the stage for personal resilience and success.

Overall, as you embark on this challenging yet rewarding journey of writing your undergraduate honors thesis, remember that your ability to plan effectively is your greatest ally. You are fully equipped to handle whatever this thesis throws your way – just keep pushing forward, one planned step at a time. Remember to embrace the process, celebrate every small victory, and look forward to the immense pride and satisfaction that will come when you can finally say, “I did it!”

Kelly Anderson is a junior studying Healthcare Management and Policy at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Kelly is passionate about all things health policy, and aims to address healthcare disparities and enhance access to quality care for underserved communities in her future career. At O’Neill, she serves as a Representative on the O’Neill Student Council, an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Statistics and Health Finance, and a Research Assistant for Professor John Graham.

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The annual Undergraduate Thesis Symposium was a resounding success

Last week (04/24) we hosted the annual Undergraduate Thesis Symposium, where 39 of our senior concentrators presented their research to peers, faculty, and junior concentrators interested in writing a dissertation.

Held at CGIS Fisher Family Commons, the well-attended event saw a wide range of topics and presentations, from contemporary American politics – such as “Teach Me Why and How to Vote, Then I’ll Vote! The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drive on Youth Voter Participation” by June Park – to the intersection of political theory, race, and gender – such as Ebony Smith’s thesis “Consuming Chocolate and Blackness: Reparative Imagery to Address the Triple Oppression of Black Women in the Cocoa and Chocolate Industry”.

Three of our senior concentrators told us more about their thesis research.

James René Jolin: “A Tale of Two Pandemics: The Differential Effects of COVID-19 Infection and Death on Voter Opinions in the United States”

What is your thesis about?

My focus was on discovering the effect COVID-19 infection and death had on Americans’ attitudes towards their political leaders.

What conclusions did you draw?

Using two nationally representative surveys, I found that, on average, knowing someone who died from COVID-19 reduces Americans’ support for Trump and lower-level Republican candidates but increases support for Biden and Democrats. Conversely, individuals who contract COVID-19, recover, and do not know anyone who died show significantly higher support for Republicans and lower support for Democrats. These effects hold across Democrat- and Republican-identifying survey respondents but are most pronounced among Independents.

These effects are likely explained by how these distinct COVID-19 experiences alter individuals’ perception of the pandemic’s severity. Those who contract COVID-19 but do not know anyone who died show significantly less concern over the coronavirus and strongly oppose pandemic economic restrictions such as business closures, corresponding to increased support for Republicans. The reverse is true for those who experience a COVID-19 death.

These novel findings improve existing theories of crisis politics, which heretofore have neglected to explore how distinct crisis experiences reshape voters’ perceptions of a crisis itself. More broadly, my findings suggest personal crisis experiences can meaningfully alter Americans’ attitudes toward their political leaders, even in an era of acute partisan polarization.

Why did you choose this topic for your thesis?

My interest initially sparked in a Gov50 class in my Sophomore year – the crisis politics literature is replete with theories but has, by and large, neglected the heterogeneity of crisis outcomes. I therefore felt there were some interesting data gaps that I wanted to explore, specifically investigating the impact of diverse crisis experiences on voter attitudes and behavior.

What are your next steps following graduation?

I will be going on to do a Masters at Cambridge University in England.

Alexander E. Chan: “To Regret or Not To Regret: Understanding the Nature of Brexit Regret in the United Kingdom”

My thesis asks what factors cause people to regret their vote for Brexit and why. I argue that motivations for voting for Brexit were led not by economic reasons or policy preferences, but by cultural and values-based differences between political elites and voters. As a result, the absence of significant documented Brexit regret in light of clear evidence of policy failure is unsurprising.

To evaluate the argument, my project employs data from ethnographic interviews conducted in two English towns in addition to a novel survey experiment that exposes respondents to different sources of information on the effects of Brexit both culturally and economically.

The key takeaways were:

• Evidence against my first and second hypotheses (which were: 1. Voters’ pro-Brexit stances will not be changed by information that shows Brexit has failed along policy dimensions. 2. Voters’ pro-Brexit stances will be changed by information that shows that changes to political culture have not occurred.)
• More pro-Brexit views after treatment in groups that had ‘cultural failure’ treatment versus those that did not
• Evidence that ‘cultural success’ does have an impact, but seems to be less strong than policy factors
• Overall, policy factors seem to have more weight in this survey than cultural factors

What are the next steps?

To move this research on, the next steps would be to run a larger survey for more statistical significance as well as multiple surveys over time to understand how public opinion will continue to evolve. The piece would also benefit from research regarding populism and referendums in other countries.

Brandon L. Kingdollar: “A Sleeping Watchdog? Examining the Impact of Declining Local News on Coverage of Corruption”

My thesis examines the decline of local journalism in the U.S. and its impact on news coverage of corruption cases. I examined data on newspaper closures and employment in the newspaper publishing industry and found a sharp contraction in newspaper publication and staffing across the country.

Taking a closer look at seven states, I identified pairs of comparable corruption cases for each and found a decline in local coverage for all but two of the case pairs. This evidence suggests that local coverage of corruption has suffered from the decline of the newspaper industry.

The newspaper industry has shrunk considerably in the last two decades, and my findings suggest that coverage of corruption has declined as a result. This analysis must begin with the newspaper industry already amid its contraction —and some of the absences in coverage for even the earlier cases in my dataset show major shortcomings by local outlets.

Generally, states that lost more newspaper employees between the times of each case also saw sharper declines in local coverage and vice versa. My findings do not definitively show that local journalism’s decline caused this reduction in coverage, but they are suggestive of that dynamic.

I will be doing an internship at the Tampa Bay Times, looking specifically at investigative politics – so I look forward to bringing my studies and thesis research to this role.

Well done to all our senior thesis writers! Find out more about the undergraduate course at gov.harvard.edu/undergraduate

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UD’s non-thesis M.S. in Animal Science prepares Kayla Pettiford for veterinary school

May 02, 2024 Written by Molly Schafer | Photos by Jeremy Wayman

Growing up with guinea pigs, hamsters, parakeets, turtles, and fish, University of Delaware alumna Kayla Pettiford planned a career in veterinary medicine from a young age. 

"It's always been what I wanted to do,” said Pettiford, an alumna of UD’s non-thesis master’s in Animal Science . “And I can't see myself doing anything else." 

Veterinary school acceptance is notoriously competitive, and the rigorous training can make for a stressful experience. 

“I know many students feel overwhelmed and stressed in veterinary school, and I didn't want to feel that way,” said Pettiford. “Everybody's journey to vet school can look a little different. I knew I needed more technical understanding and background.” 

Pettiford graduated with an undergraduate degree in pre-veterinary science from Delaware State University in 2021. Pettiford took her time researching master’s programs. UD's concentration in Veterinary Biosciences, Biotechnology, and One Health (VBBOH) stood out.

“I wanted to put myself at a university where I would gain the most experience,” explained Pettiford.

At UD, Pettiford worked closely with Behnam Abasht , professor of animal genetics, on his research into wooden breast, a muscle disorder in commercial broiler chickens.

“We hatched the eggs, cared for the chicks, performed necropsies, looked through the microscope,” Pettiford remarked. “Seeing the research from beginning to end was eye-opening. And Prof. Abasht walked me through the process.”

Pettiford found the study of histopathology, the microscopic examination of tissue and cells to diagnose disease, exciting.

“Histopathology wasn't even on my radar before the non-thesis master’s program,” she emphasized. “Now, it will become my focus; my lab and research experience at UD gave me that direction.”

After finishing her UD graduate program, Pettiford is ready for veterinary school. She is thankful to Prof. Tanya Gressley, associate dean of graduate programs, who answered Pettiford's many questions from the application process through graduation.

“She helped prepare me,” acknowledged Pettiford. “I feel confident that when I go to vet school, I will have a solid background to help me. That is the most important thing: having a solid foundation.”

Pettiford believes good communication skills are essential to succeed as a veterinarian. Her role as a teaching assistant for Prof. Gressley’s Animal Handling (ANFS 112 ) course helped her grow these skills. Communication is vital in her current role as a veterinary technician at Animal Haven Veterinary Center in Bear, Delaware. 

“I just love meeting new pet parents,” said Pettiford. “It's always a good experience to teach them new things and answer questions that they might have.”

Working with small animals and cancer patients as a veterinary technician broadened her animal handling experience. 

“I love what I do as a technician: making sure the pet is comfortable, doing the best I can for their care,” attested Pettiford “That's something I take pride in doing.”

Pettiford prepares her veterinary school applications with an eye to the future. She plans to focus on exotic animals and wildlife along with histopathology. 

“I want every day I show up to work to be unique and spontaneous!”

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