Research Question

[ChrisPaul3]

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Here's another research question for all you SDNers:

I worked in a microbiology research lab for about 3 months, and I was really just a sidekick to one of the PhD candidates. I performed a lot of experiments, and spent about 15 hrs/wk there, but I really wasn't performing an independent research project like I thought I would be. On top of that, the PI for the lab was a condescending d*ck, and I ended up leaving the lab. Anyway, I was wondering whether or not I should list this on the AMCAS, despite not being very familiar with the specifics of the research that was going on.

Thank you!

 

[getdown]

Here's another research question for all you SDNers:

I worked in a microbiology research lab for about 3 months, and I was really just a sidekick to one of the PhD candidates. I performed a lot of experiments, and spent about 15 hrs/wk there, but I really wasn't performing an independent research project like I thought I would be. On top of that, the PI for the lab was a condescending d*ck, and I ended up leaving the lab. Anyway, I was wondering whether or not I should list this on the AMCAS, despite not being very familiar with the specifics of the research that was going on.

Thank you!

If that's your only research experience go ahead and list it. It may or may not come up during the interviews but if you're still in good terms with the PhD candidate you can ask for a paper that summarizes main idea behind his research. Obviously during interviews they're not going to require you to talk in depth about the research especially if it's not published yet b/c of intellectual property rights etc. But being able to hit the background for the research and what you were trying to accomplish should be more than adequate.

 

[pfaction]

So what would you tell them if you got nothing published even after working there for a year? I was signed on from a professor just to build up my techniques and perform some adjunctive experiments / repeat already performed to get our n# up. No paper was ever intended for 2 labs I work in.

Edited for raltima's post below:
I knew what was going on, but was never intended to start own project or doing anything really on my own. I read their papers and sat in for lab meetings and know what the other students are doing.

 

[raltima07]

Here's another research question for all you SDNers:

I worked in a microbiology research lab for about 3 months, and I was really just a sidekick to one of the PhD candidates. I performed a lot of experiments, and spent about 15 hrs/wk there, but I really wasn't performing an independent research project like I thought I would be. On top of that, the PI for the lab was a condescending d*ck, and I ended up leaving the lab. Anyway, I was wondering whether or not I should list this on the AMCAS, despite not being very familiar with the specifics of the research that was going on.

Thank you!

You did experiments but you didn't know what was going on? Were you just a mindless drone?

 

[getdown]

So what would you tell them if you got nothing published even after working there for a year? I was signed on from a professor just to build up my techniques and perform some adjunctive experiments / repeat already performed to get our n# up. No paper was ever intended for 2 labs I work in.

Edited for raltima's post below:
I knew what was going on, but was never intended to start own project or doing anything really on my own. I read their papers and sat in for lab meetings and know what the other students are doing.

So what? I worked in a lab for 4 years and got nothing published. That didn't hurt my chances of getting in. When they asked about my research I told them what I did, the reasoning behind it and basically was knowledgeable about the process. Anyone who's ever done research understands that a bulk of what you do will never get published anyway (though 4 years does seem somewhat unproductive 🙄). Having pubs is nice and a plus but not a requirement for acceptance.

 

[PanRoasted]

Pre-meds can be kind of greedy for pubs, I feel. Your PhD candidates that you are working under need the pubs to get a job....you just want to pad your med school app. calm down. research experience in itself is good, right?

 

[NKChemEng]

Pre-meds can be kind of greedy for pubs, I feel. Your PhD candidates that you are working under need the pubs to get a job....you just want to pad your med school app. calm down. research experience in itself is good, right?

It's not like you're stealing pubs. Most have multiple authors.

 

[PanRoasted]

Being first author is usually what counts, though...

 

[MDOnlyWillDo]

So what? I worked in a lab for 4 years and got nothing published. That didn't hurt my chances of getting in. When they asked about my research I told them what I did, the reasoning behind it and basically was knowledgeable about the process. Anyone who's ever done research understands that a bulk of what you do will never get published anyway (though 4 years does seem somewhat unproductive 🙄). Having pubs is nice and a plus but not a requirement for acceptance.

👍

To PanRoasted, being first author only counts if that's what's important to you. Being second, third, or even last author doesn't diminsh the fact that you contributed to a published a paper.

I've been a researcher for over a dozen years and have 3 papers to my name. Getting a manuscript published with only a year of work can be seen three ways-

you rode someone's coat-tails and eeked in under the wire (common)
your lab values paper quantity over quality and publishes every little project, regardless of scientific value (common)
you got a lucky publishable research project that only needed a year to complete (rare)

And whether any of those reasons matter to the adcoms, I don't know. For pfaction, just remember that getting a manuscript within a year is not a common and realistic goal. As long as you can describe the research that the lab is involved in and what you did while you were there, you're good.