Research

No. While we cannot predict the preference for every admissions committee, in general, health professional schools value applicants who have engaged in research and scholarly endeavors outside of the classroom. They especially value seeing applicants pursue activities about which they are truly passionate.

Attend a “Finding a Lab” workshop hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR); review OUR website and newsletter for opportunities, connect with OUR advisors, talk with friends who are already engaged in research, talk with faculty in classes about their research interests, use the Northwestern Scholars database to identify faculty engaging in research that appeals to your interests.

You do not have to do any, but since we have so many research opportunities/resources at NU, we encourage you to try research.  Health professions programs value the experience. Some students engage in research for a summer or an academic year and then decide that they would rather focus on other things, which is acceptable.  However, if students are truly interested in an MD/PhD pathway, we advise that they are active in research over multiple years and can show growth in their research skill set.