You want to go to vet school, you want to maximize your chances, and doing research may help your application. It isn’t the research, per se, which will help. It is the relationships- mostly with your mentor- and the demonstration of grit that doing research highlights. So what do you get?
Participating in research while an undergrad is a wonderful activity. You get exposed to the process of scientific inquiry, and maybe that becomes exciting for you. You get to work one-on-one with a faculty member who can write an excellent letter of recommendation. And you get to demonstrate your willingness to stick to a project to the end- an essential characteristic of any vet student. Let’s break them down.
1) You get exposed to research. Hey, you know what? Vet school isn’t for everyone. Maybe you would be equally fulfilled doing a PhD in biochemistry, and avoiding the mountain of student debt that awaits veterinarians. Maybe you enjoy doing research but still want to be a vet- so maybe academia would be a good fit for you. Maybe you have a bad experience and decide research sucks. In any event, getting exposure to this essential domain of veterinary medicine will benefit you.
2) Develop relationships. I have written countless letters of recommendation for my research students. Some of them said, “Yeah, this person is fine” and some of them said, “OMG you must take this person they are the best thing since sliced bread!” Obviously you want to be in the latter group, and working closely with a faculty member can set you up for an excellent letter of recommendation. When you decide to pursue research, make sure you aren’t working for a postdoc; you want the faculty to write you an excellent letter of recommendation.
3) Grit. Completing a research project- even if you are a cog in the wheel of some post-doc’s 5-year project- demonstrates some level of grit. I have had students who flamed out after a semester, having never started data collection. I have had others who have two peer-reviewed journal publications to their name. Which do you think is a better vet school candidate? Finishing a project demonstrates that you can see a project through, which is incredibly important in vet school.
Not everyone should do research during their undergrad years. If you are struggling academically, you need to double down on your core courses and not get sucked into a 15-hour-a-week research project. If you’re not intellectually curious, or just want to do the bare minimum, avoid research, because your mentors will expect you to be curious and perform. If you just want a line on your CV but don’t care about the work, please don’t burden some beleaguered faculty with your poor attitude.
If you can do research during your undergrad time, do so. You will find out important things about yourself and maybe buff up your application. You may develop relationships with mentors who will propel your career. Most of all, you will find out if something academic or research-oriented is a path in which you are interested. And from there the sky’s the limit.