Can working in a lot of labs be a red flag?

[Gaian]

First, some background:

I'm currently a second year student. I'll be graduating in 3 years, and I will likely be taking a gap year after that. I don't plan to apply MD/PhD, but my app will definitely be research focused.

I worked in a research lab the summer before my freshman year, but the opportunity was only for the summer.

When my first semester of college started, I applied to a bunch of labs at a nearby medical school and I interviewed and was accepted to two of them. Each asked for a commitment of about 15 hours a week for the semester, which was doable. Both had interesting research focuses and both PIs were ok with me working in two labs as long as I put in satisfactory and consistent work, so I worked in two labs simultaneously throughout Spring 16, Summer 16, Fall 16, and Spring 17. These were both basic science labs in different fields, but which relied on similar techniques.

I had independent work in both labs, and I will be an author on one paper from one of the labs. However, my involvement is winding down in both labs. I've completed the projects I've been assigned and we haven't discussed new projects yet in either lab, I'm kind of in limbo right now. It will be a while before I get a new project in either. I've managed to secure good LORs from both PIs.

My coursework exposed me to a third field that I've developed a very strong interest in, and I was I accepted to an REU for this summer in that field. There is also a lab at my home university that studies the same thing, and they've asked me to work with them next year. Also, looking forward to my gap year, I'd really like to apply to an NIH postbac or something equivalent in this third field.

If I had to go back, I wouldn't have worked in so many different labs; I know it is better to show a consistent commitment to one. If I switch to the new lab next year and do a research postbac, I will have worked in 6 labs in 4 years. That being said, will the research on my app be looked down upon or produce red flags because it's so all over the place?


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[sat0ri]

Not at all. You were exploring your research interests, which is the whole point. This is actually pretty normal for pre-meds who are interested in research.

 

[DameJulie]

It's great that you were able to work in all these labs! And you had some progresses in some of them will draw some adcom attention.
What would be a problem is if you keep jumping in between labs (like getting fired for misconduct).

 

[aldol16]

What's more important are the skills and experiences you took away from these experiences and the productivity you showed in those positions. It doesn't matter if you have a 4 year single-lab experience but got nothing out of it. Someone else who was in 6 labs but learned something insightful and impactful from each of those labs will still have the better story to tell - and the application process is all about your story. The reason why being in a lab longitudinally is good is because it maximizes your chances of getting a publication. We usually don't publish summer students - they're there to learn and in that condensed time frame, learning takes up most of their time. If we do publish them, it's usually as an insignificant author since they usually won't have substantial input into the setup and design of the experiment. If you're in a lab for four years, you've built trust with the PI and lab members and usually we will be able to trust you to carry out your own project without killing all the other lab members in the process. But it sounds like you've been productive and learned a lot, which is the whole point of undergraduate research.