Bad luck with research opportunities

[MD Rapper]

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Quick question:

I have submitted my AMCAS and in short.. things are okay... I'm doing georgetown smp this upcoming year.

My extracurriculars are fine but I've recently had doubts of what my research will mean to adcoms...

I've done 3 different projects over my undergrad years but I always had bad luck finding an excellent opportunity when I wanted one. Check it out.

1) Did research with an MD at a nationally-renown medical center... but I never got help on it.. it was totally left up to me. It was about the medical practice environment and how doctors should fight back against the lawyers, insurance companies etc. It advocated physicians into action.. in any case.. this was difficult to write up because it had no clear scope.. it was just something this doctor wanted to do. I learned a lot and wrote a 6000 word draft paper but its sort of disorganized even though its written well. I got discouraged and his lack of guidance drove me away from pursuing it any further. I listed it as an experience nonetheless because i put a lot of time into it.

2) Did a sociology research for class credit one semester.. it was really nice.. about tobacco advertising on the internet.. i will be acknowledged in the publication... so that was about 4 months. I helped the professor find certain books and searched for relevant sections. I also helped her with content analysis on websites.

3) I am now finishing up a hardcore science research I've done this summer (from end of may till 1st week of august). We have good results and I have a lot to talk about... but hasn't materialized into a paper either because I just do not have time to complete it.. (we could have more data). I need to move across the country for graduate school otherwise I would've loved to do more. Too little too late?

So as you can see.. I have a lot to talk about in interviews and I did a good job of describing each of these in my AMCAS.. but I'm just not sure if these experiences are really good or not.

what do you guys think?

 

[Crystal Meth]

I think this post is ridiculous. Some graduate students do research for 4 years and only get one publication, what makes you think as a ugrad in 3 months you can do the same? A lab I worked in had graduate students get publications usually at the end of their 2nd year.

Medical schools know things don't always work out, especially research. The publication is a nice feather in your hat, but it's about the experience. I personally listed a publication that fell through, but nobody cared because I explained why it fell through and the fact that I spent 3 summers and 4 independent studies in the lab. It's the time you spend that matters!

Anyway, it sound slike you have plenty of good stuff and ecclectic at that.

 

[mr. sparkle]

I think this post is ridiculous.

agreed.
most pre-meds don't even get the opportunity to perform meaningful research let alone publish.
so quit whining.

 

[chinkemon]

it really does depend on luck in some cases. this is my 3rd consecutive summer researching in an M.D.'s lab (who recently became chief of his division): first summer as full-time research assistant, and the last two summers as undergraduate fellow funded by AHA. thus far, i have two publications (biotechniques and FASEB). i think i was one of the few lucky ones. don't get discouraged though. your other assets will surely set you apart. i like research, but it doesn't define who i am. treat what you have now as what you've worked hard for - it's important that adcoms see that.

 

[uclabruin2003]

getting published is all luck. i got 5 and it was all in undergrad. i had a great mentor who believed in me and allowed me to get into the thick of it all. good luck to everyone else on finding their research mentor.

 

[adamj61]

it all depends on your mentor....west coast profs tend to allow undergrads to write...where my beotch of a prof just took my good results and gave me no credit. 👎

 

[kiwie07]

it all depends on your mentor....west coast profs tend to allow undergrads to write...where my beotch of a prof just took my good results and gave me no credit. 👎

haha, yup ditto. it's sad when you read the article and think..hey, those are my results...and what i spent two years on..but then no credit. oh well, it's all for science anyways right? 😛