Question on research

[TurkSurg]

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Is clinical research an important factor for top med schools ? I have been doing research in biochemistry since my freshman year...

 

[Red Leader]

Any research is fine. Research on tomato genetics is fine. Just have something to show for it if you've been at it for 3+ years.

Most clinical research people (undergrads) do is more like data collection and surveys of populations anyways.

 

[TurkSurg]

Any research is fine. Research on tomato genetics is fine. Just have something to show for it if you've been at it for 3+ years.

Its actually sad that i've been working on a project for 1.5 years and someone just published a paper thats better than my project so I had to stop at this point and now I'm waiting for my professor to give me a new project ... 🙁

 

[0Complications]

Any research is fine. Research on tomato genetics is fine. Just have something to show for it if you've been at it for 3+ years.

You mean like:

 

[0Complications]

Its actually sad that i've been working on a project for 1.5 years and someone just published a paper thats better than my project so I had to stop at this point and now I'm waiting for my professor to give me a new project ... 🙁

Don't sweat it, man. It happens to the best of us.

 

[Red Leader]

Its actually sad that i've been working on a project for 1.5 years and someone just published a paper thats better than my project so I had to stop at this point and now I'm waiting for my professor to give me a new project ... 🙁

hmm you got scooped. No worries, that's a constant threat but it actually happened to you. Get a new project, try to spin off the old data into something you can use for undergrad research grants within your school, or maybe take the project one step further.

For example, my research deals with chemotherapeutics and let's say I made a drug, but some guy came out and published his stuff like a week before I submitted my stuff.

Sounds bad right, sounds close even. But remember that guy probably started the research before I did and it might take months for review/acceptance/publication so he really had several months on me.

At this point I will probably look at my drug and read the guy's paper and be like "ok maybe I can salvage this and find a new use for this drug, a new target or something." Of course I will run this through with my PI and discuss with her what feasible alternatives are.

Maybe for biochem you solved some protein structure...in that case, eh I dunno man, ask your PI haha. Hope that helps!

EDIT:

By the way as long as you can talk/write about your research well you are fine. If you have 500 papers and can't communicate worth a damn you are worthless during the interviews. So all is not lost even if the alternative project doesn't pan out for you.

 

[TurkSurg]

hmm you got scooped. No worries, that's a constant threat but it actually happened to you. Get a new project, try to spin off the old data into something you can use for undergrad research grants within your school, or maybe take the project one step further.

For example, my research deals with chemotherapeutics and let's say I made a drug, but some guy came out and published his stuff like a week before I submitted my stuff.

Sounds bad right, sounds close even. But remember that guy probably started the research before I did and it might take months for review/acceptance/publication so he really had several months on me.

At this point I will probably look at my drug and read the guy's paper and be like "ok maybe I can salvage this and find a new use for this drug, a new target or something." Of course I will run this through with my PI and discuss with her what feasible alternatives are.

Maybe for biochem you solved some protein structure...in that case, eh I dunno man, ask your PI haha. Hope that helps!

EDIT:

By the way as long as you can talk/write about your research well you are fine. If you have 500 papers and can't communicate worth a damn you are worthless during the interviews. So all is not lost even if the alternative project doesn't pan out for you.

yeah you're right. but should i mention in my interviews that i had to stop my 1.5 yr research project cuz some1 published something better?

 

[Red Leader]

yeah you're right. but should i mention in my interviews that i had to stop my 1.5 yr research project cuz some1 published something better?

Eh I dunno man, might sound whiny. I would just talk about what you did research on.

Unless they really press you on "where the hell is the paper?!!" (they won't) you can say something diplomatic like "a paper came out during the end of my research and the PI thought it was best for us to pursue a different route instead."

Of course you should really have the "other route" which will be this new project your PI gives you. But really, try to salvage that 1.5 years man. I was nearly scooped this month, high stress, but now it's safe. I would definitely not let 1.5 years just go by like that without a fight.

 

[0Complications]

yeah you're right. but should i mention in my interviews that i had to stop my 1.5 yr research project cuz some1 published something better?

Not like that you shouldn't. If it comes up talk about it, if it doesn't don't. I would talk about the similarities to your research and theirs and how they just beat you to the punch, not how theirs was "Better" than yours. But I would mention it in passing. If they ask you about your research then describe it and add, unfortunately X lab beat me to the punch, but I was still able to salvage a lot of my data and apply it towards, blah blah.😉

 

[TurkSurg]

.

 

[Red Leader]

Yeah true. Well more than just getting it published, I was excited that my publication would help lead me for an acceptance to a summer research program at a top school... oh well.....

Hmm, I would still apply if I were you. You never know what will happen. Plus I'm pretty sure not many going to those programs have publications.

 

[TurkSurg]

Hmm, I would still apply if I were you. You never know what will happen. Plus I'm pretty sure not many going to those programs have publications.

Yeah, oh well we'll see 😳

 

[watergirl1202]

hmm you got scooped. No worries, that's a constant threat but it actually happened to you. Get a new project, try to spin off the old data into something you can use for undergrad research grants within your school, or maybe take the project one step further.

For example, my research deals with chemotherapeutics and let's say I made a drug, but some guy came out and published his stuff like a week before I submitted my stuff.

Sounds bad right, sounds close even. But remember that guy probably started the research before I did and it might take months for review/acceptance/publication so he really had several months on me.

At this point I will probably look at my drug and read the guy's paper and be like "ok maybe I can salvage this and find a new use for this drug, a new target or something." Of course I will run this through with my PI and discuss with her what feasible alternatives are.

Maybe for biochem you solved some protein structure...in that case, eh I dunno man, ask your PI haha. Hope that helps!

EDIT:

By the way as long as you can talk/write about your research well you are fine. If you have 500 papers and can't communicate worth a damn you are worthless during the interviews. So all is not lost even if the alternative project doesn't pan out for you.

I have been working in research for about 3 years now. Most of the stuff I did were pretty much collecting and analyzing data. I will start to work on using these data to write a paper and submit it for publication, but all this will all be AFTER the deadline to submit my AMCAS. What do you think I should do in terms of talking about my research and such? Do I even mention the fact that I am working on a paper? or should I just do that in my secondaries?

Thanks=)

 

[Red Leader]

I have been working in research for about 3 years now. Most of the stuff I did were pretty much collecting and analyzing data. I will start to work on using these data to write a paper and submit it for publication, but all this will all be AFTER the deadline to submit my AMCAS. What do you think I should do in terms of talking about my research and such? Do I even mention the fact that I am working on a paper? or should I just do that in my secondaries?

Thanks=)

You should mention your research, no doubt about that. Mention you are working on a paper.

Trust me, I know people who've done less than "collecting/analyzing data" who try to play it off as some kind of research. You actually did research (maybe clinical or bioinformatics)! Definitely talk about it and your future plans to publish. 👍

However, let me just quote this from LizzyM's signature:

To those of you wondering about listing things in the experience section that haven't happened yet: it looks as silly as a Kleenex padded training bra on an eleven year old.

So listing a publication that hasn't happened yet is probably over doing it, but listing your 3+ years of research is a definite.