Confidential Research and Interviews

[Pharaoh95]

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Up until this point I have only had MMI's, so the opportunity to speak in depth about my research hasn't come up. However, my next three interviews are all traditional and my upcoming one is at a research heavy school, so I expect to be asked about my gap year research. The problem with discussing my gap year research is that my PI has specifically informed me that it is of utmost importance to keep the research I am doing confidential at the moment. I intend to honor that, but I don't know how interviewers will react to my vague descriptions of the research. I plan on speaking about the purpose of the research and my role in it, but I don't want to delve into specific details about the methodologies.

Anyone with admissions experience care to provide some input? Has anyone run into this situation and how have you dealt with it? Thanks in advance.

 

[Osteosaur]

A PI is a businessman. If his research and talents aren't sold ("hire me as facutly!", "Fund my grant!") he's going to be driving for uber, or quibbling with premeds at some third tier college. Ask him how he would be comfortable explaining his research to an outsider in a way that's compelling.

 

[LizzyM]

Ask your PI what you can talk about without giving too much away. If you can speak to a specific technique and what you physically do within that lab technique or the animal model that you use and your role in caring for the animals or setting up the experiments with the animals. You can be relatively vague in saying "we are interested in protein folding, we use techinique x. We hope knowing more about protein folding will eventually make it possible to develop better xyz."