Upper Division Honors

Dear potential medical student,

If you’ve been interested in participating in some form of academic research, it’s quite likely that you did so because you thought you needed to for a medical school acceptance. Yes, it is true that if you read all the statistics, all the top medical schools accept candidates with ample research experience. This doesn’t mean you should do it because you feel like you have to—you should immerse yourself in it because it is truly an enriching experience. Taking information learned in the classrooms and applying it to new and real-life situations is important because that same thought process is used in relating the science you’ll learn in medical school into forming a clinical diagnosis for a patient. You’ll need to think outside of the box, and research is precisely what can teach you to do it. Spitting back statistics and heuristics for diagnosing a patient will not always work; it is the discerning and analytical doctor that will prevail and be a more effective healthcare provider.

Dr. Christopher Reed, a distinguished Professor of Chemistry here at the University of California, Riverside once told me, “A degree is more than information; it is learning how to think.” Truer words have rarely been spoken. Research simply forces students into situations they have never encountered; one will find that even the professors do not always have the answer because the cutting edge of science has so much that we do not yet understand. Research allows you to use the science you do know to reason a solution to these hurdles. Joining the Upper Division Honors program allows you to plunge headfirst into your research project and use it to its fullest abilities. What better way to show the world that you are passionate and dedicated about your important work in the laboratory than to write a thesis paper? Writing a publication such as this will ensure that you are, in fact, mastering the particular facet of science that you are pursuing. Not only will creating a thesis give you a broader understanding of your field, it will allow you to be more effective in the laboratory and help you learn lifelong analytical skills that will serve you in your future career as a healer.

Make the most of your education—be passionate about your work and you will be successful. A thesis written through the Upper Division Honors program serves as a testament to your dedication and mastery of your research.

I wish the best of luck to you and your future.

Ryan Pedigo
Undergraduate, University of California, Riverside

updated 1.25.08