Should I leave my Research Lab or Stay?

[deleted915763]

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For starters, I love my lab and my PI, and I like the work I do, but it seems unlikely I will get a publication out of it, I may not even get a poster presentation as this project is taking much longer than expected. I have just started my 3rd year of undergraduate, and I have been in this lab for 3 quarters (just finished my third, but I only started this project a quarter and a half ago). I have applied for some scholarships, but I am awaiting results for that.

The reason I think this, is that none of the undergraduates in his lab have ever had a poster or a publication... I want to stay in the lab, but I am worried that I will spend two years there and thousands of hours and the adcoms will question why I have nothing to show for it. Am I making this into a big deal when it doesn't need to be? I go to a research school in California.

So it boils down to 1. staying in the lab, 2. leaving the lab and finding a different one, or 3. abandoning research altogether and pursue more volunteering.

Thanks,
Isopropylhexene

 

[jarednogeek]

It may be too late to switch to a lab and get a publication in time for your application. I think it comes down to did you enjoy the research you’re conducting if you continue to enjoy it then continue doing it if not then don’t do it. I don’t think publications will be essential unless you want to go to a T20 school. I actually received 10 II’s 1(one in t20 that is research intensive) and I only have 1 semester of basic research that produced a poster freshman year. Anytime they asked about research it was more about what did I do and what did I learn from it, not really about posters or publications. Of course some high ranking schools may want to see pubs