I was wondering how big it is to present your abstract in front of a group of researchers, as a high school student. Is it a big deal? Or not that big of a deal? Would it be considered a tier 1 activity?
I doubt it’s a tier one, but I can say from my daughter’s experience, presenting research at an academic conference was a huge personal and professional growth opportunity, so very much worth doing. Does it significantly help with admissions? Probably not. It’s a great thing to do if you get the opportunity because you can learn a lot from the experience. But I don’t think it’s something that will substantially move the needle on a application, at least not in the way a tier 1 activity would. But hopefully impressing admissions officers isn’t your main reason for doing it anyway.
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Yeah, I was just wondering if it is a big deal or not, even if it wasn’t for college admissions. I just was curious if it is a big deal.
It won’t hurt of course, and can enhance an already strong application, but I don’t think it’s something that can move an application from the no/maybe pile to the yes pile.
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I don’t know of any admission officer who sits around classifying applicant’s ECs into tiers (aside from hooks like recruited athletes etc.). The whole idea of ECs is to do things that interest/excite you and work towards making meaningful contributions. If this opportunity does that for you then absolutely go for it! Any new experience like this provides a great chance to learn and grow.
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Is the student the first author on the abstract? Typically that is who does the “presenter” role at a conference. If so, that’s a pretty big deal. AGU is a large and very influential conference and it would be quite impressive for a high schooler to be first author on a poster there. If not the first author/presenter, it’s still a great opportunity if they get to attend.
But I only know that because I have tons of friends who go to AGU (it’s not my field of research so I don’t go). Admissions officers won’t know enough for it to make a big difference. But it will stand out and be impressive to professors and will be a great experience for the student. Very cool!
I should add that it is super rare for high schoolers to be 1st author/presenter for posters at big conferences. It is usually a PhD student or a postdoc. I’ve seen a few undergrads present too. But I think I’ve seen a high schooler as 1st author/presenter at a big conference maybe once in my life. I know that AGU abstracts are due soon, so it is safe to assume that your PI has plans for someone else to be 1st author. I don’t know your role in the research, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up and be disappointed if you are an author, but not a 1st author.
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I am working with a graduate student on the research.
Didn’t you apply to colleges in the last cycle (per you other posts)?
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When did you or will you graduate from high school?
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Are you currently a college student…or will you be this fall?
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I am not clear if you applied to colleges recently and are on a gap year…or what. Could you explain.
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How did you get involved in this research.
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I am guessing that the graduate student will be 1st author on the abstract, which means that they will make the poster, attend the conference, and present it at the poster session.
You would possibly be included as an author somewhere in the middle of the list, which is a great accomplishment for a high-schooler. Congrats!
If you live near San Francisco, you’ll likely be able to attend, which is a fantastic experience. If you don’t live in California, it’s less likely that they’ll have the budget to pay for you to travel and attend. But being an author is still cool. I don’t think the abstract alone will make a big difference for college admissions. But if you want to do research in college, your HS research experience and AGU abstract will catch the eye of professors.
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I would make the poster also actually, and attend the conference presenting the poster and the abstract. I also don’t live in san Fransico and they would fly me there.
I will graduate this Spring, and I got involved by emailing professors, and they allowed me to be part of the team.
Thank you. So you have never applied for college admissions before.
What is AGU…for those of us uninformed folks.
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Yeah, I never applied I am a senior in the fall. AGU is a massive conference and is being held in San Fransico this year. Many companies present their research there. AGU is primarily centered around Earth and space sciences.
What does AGU stand for.
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Hmmm, then you must either be 1st author, or the grad student you work under can’t present for some reason? Or they have other posters that they have to present? Regardless, it will be a great opportunity if you get to go. Making the poster is quite an ordeal, so be sure that you allow several weeks and get a draft to the grad student early in the process. Congrats and good luck.
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American Geophysical Union
Thank you.
As mentioned, it’s great you are getting to do this for personal reasons. If you are the first author (it doesn’t sound like you are) it would be more impressive.
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Thank a lot, yeah, i just searched up what a first author is thought there could be multiple first authors, but doesn’t look like it.
Yeah, thank you!