Are your chances at a top med school severely hindered without research productivity?

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Psyched*Out

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I've been in a research lab since freshman year and the only productivity I have to show for it is a $4000 research grant. No pubs, no poster presentations, no abstracts, etc. I have a good amount of hours but it feels like there's nothing to show for it. I'll have a completed honors thesis too in a years time but nothing else.

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I've been in a research lab since freshman year and the only productivity I have to show for it is a $4000 research grant. No pubs, no poster presentations, no abstracts, etc. I have a good amount of hours but it feels like there's nothing to show for it. I'll have a completed honors thesis too in a years time but nothing else.
Even at "top" research schools, many accepted students do not have any publications. A Honors thesis is an example of research productivity, so you will have something to show for it even if it's not a peer-reviewed publication. A strong LOR from your PI will also help offset the lack of a publication.

I think that for basic science labs, many of us recognize that publications are often dependent on factors outside of a student's control: the lab's productivity, how generous the PI is with authorships, etc. Every so often, someone who knows of the PI will also jump in to provide some context during deliberations. Just my thoughts and best of luck.
 
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Even at "top" research schools, many accepted students do not have any publications. A Honors thesis is an example of research productivity, so you will have something to show for it even if it's not a peer-reviewed publication. A strong LOR from your PI will also help offset the lack of a publication.

I think that for basic science labs, many of us recognize that publications are often dependent on factors outside of a student's control: the lab's productivity, how generous the PI is with authorships, etc. Every so often, someone who knows of the PI will also jump in to provide some context during deliberations. Just my thoughts and best of luck.
Do you think the grant is worth mentioning at all?
 
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