Bad Research Experience

[SilentSoldier]

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Okay so here's my situation

I've been in a research lab for a year now and I've done almost everything that would be considered good for using research experience in an app:

Sent in a proposal for funding
Actually received funding
And I'm actually going to be giving a presentation next month for my findings.

The problem is, that there really haven't been any findings. My research has turned up very little favorable results and my PI is actually thinking about stopping the project altogether. The research was a brand new thing that she and I started together and it's just been me and her in a lab. I'm still going to present next month, but I don't think we're going to continue with it afterwards despite me still going to be in school next year.

The question is, should I really talk about this experience in my PS even though it wasn't a good experience? I have learned a lot but boy do I hate research.

Sorry for the essay, but I think I could get the most help if all the facts are laid out.😛

 

[JJMrK]

Does your PI have another project you could work on?

 

[franniemeow07]

Okay so here's my situation

I've been in a research lab for a year now and I've done almost everything that would be considered good for using research experience in an app:

Sent in a proposal for funding
Actually received funding
And I'm actually going to be giving a presentation next month for my findings.

The problem is, that there really haven't been any findings. My research has turned up very little favorable results and my PI is actually thinking about stopping the project altogether. The research was a brand new thing that she and I started together and it's just been me and her in a lab. I'm still going to present next month, but I don't think we're going to continue with it afterwards despite me still going to be in school next year.

The question is, should I really talk about this experience in my PS even though it wasn't a good experience? I have learned a lot but boy do I hate research.

Sorry for the essay, but I think I could get the most help if all the facts are laid out.😛

The act of doing research, for most premeds, is not about the results, but about the process. 90% of the time spent doing research, even for real-life PhD's and beyond, does not result in favorable results. Med schools know this.

In your PS, I would not focus on whether you got good data, anyway. I would focus on what you learned through the process. Have you built critical thinking skills? (say yes). Have you learned what it's like to be on the ground and the time/effort/blood that goes into discovering what goes on in the natural world? (say yes). Talk about these kinds of things. The fact that you 1.) wrote a proposal, and 2.) actually received funding, is already evidence that you know what it's like to critically present something and defend your science. You could also leverage your presentation in the same way. Good luck!

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

The question is, should I really talk about this experience in my PS even though it wasn't a good experience? I have learned a lot but boy do I hate research.

i don't think you should be too worried. realizing that a project, or the particular way you approach solving a particular problem, doesn't work is part of the nature of research. your experience wasn't bad, futile, or horrible; it was challenging and difficult, but you got funding on your own and will be able to present your own work. it just so happens that instead of finding what you wanted, you learned that the approach had problems. and now you and the PI know to try something else.

if you are interested in continuing to work for your PI, then ask if there are other opportunities for you. if you truly hate research now, then, yes, go do something else.

as for your question: i would say this is a significant experience for you, and you could write about it in the PS if you feel so inclined. but think about it: was it really not a good experience? or was it just challenging and maybe not what you expected? i really would only go into depth about your research if you can keep a positive and mature attitude about it, even while saying "i would never do this again."

 

[austinap]

At least 95% of all research is a failure. If you knew what was going to work and what wasn't, it would take a couple of weeks to do all of the experiments necessary to get a Cell, Science, or Nature paper. In practice, almost nothing you do will work. It's unfortunate, and it's depressing, but that's kind of the name of the game. Medschools know this.

 

[nick_carraway]

The act of doing research, for most premeds, is not about the results, but about the process. 90% of the time spent doing research, even for real-life PhD's and beyond, does not result in favorable results. Med schools know this.

In your PS, I would not focus on whether you got good data, anyway. I would focus on what you learned through the process. Have you built critical thinking skills? (say yes). Have you learned what it's like to be on the ground and the time/effort/blood that goes into discovering what goes on in the natural world? (say yes). Talk about these kinds of things. The fact that you 1.) wrote a proposal, and 2.) actually received funding, is already evidence that you know what it's like to critically present something and defend your science. You could also leverage your presentation in the same way. Good luck!

Agreed. My PI was fond of paraphrasing Einstein by saying "if we knew what we were looking for, it wouldn't be called REsearch."

Sometimes the PI just bets on the wrong horse and has to start over again. It doesn't make the experience any less valuable for you to see how the field functions in the real world. In fact, you might be able to draw even more lessons from it.

 

[SilentSoldier]

Does your PI have another project you could work on?

her other project involved listening to crickets and things like measuring their antennae and something like that. That project sounded really boring, so I opted to go for the new project that she was starting. In hindsight, I probably should've went with the established project, but the prospect of starting something new was too good to deny.

 

[Lauren87]

At least 95% of all research is a failure. If you knew what was going to work and what wasn't, it would take a couple of weeks to do all of the experiments necessary to get a Cell, Science, or Nature paper. In practice, almost nothing you do will work. It's unfortunate, and it's depressing, but that's kind of the name of the game. Medschools know this.

^^^they are exactly right. Failed research is so common, it's totally understandable and nothing to be ashamed of! Go ahead and put it on your app 👍

 

[SilentSoldier]

At least 95% of all research is a failure. If you knew what was going to work and what wasn't, it would take a couple of weeks to do all of the experiments necessary to get a Cell, Science, or Nature paper. In practice, almost nothing you do will work. It's unfortunate, and it's depressing, but that's kind of the name of the game. Medschools know this.

Yeah, I guess I've taken it a bit too hard after a year of being stuck in a lab and behind a computer with nothing really substantial to show for it. Its weird though; I know the nature of research is frustrating, and yet I can't seem to still feel so bummed about how my experience turned out

 

[nick_carraway]

Yeah, I guess I've taken it a bit too hard after a year of being stuck in a lab and behind a computer with nothing really substantial to show for it. Its weird though; I know the nature of research is frustrating, and yet I can't seem to still feel so bummed about how my experience turned out

Just imagine how your PI feels 🙂

 

[SilentSoldier]

Just imagine how your PI feels 🙂

Well if she's bummed, she sure doesn't show it. She's probably the most optimistic person I've met. One of the reasons why I decided to take on her project, I love her attitude. Hoping to get a letter of rec from her

 

[GoSpursGo]

If it wasn't a huge contributing factor to why you wanna be a doctor, there's no need to waste space in your PS on it. However, definitely still include it in the activities section.