<p>I've been working at a fluids physics lab since my freshman year of college. It's been three years, and for the last two, the professors have been promising me my own publishable research "soon". But funding is scarce, and they have to support their grad students, so often I get pushed aside to help out by cleaning the lab or doing nothing at all. I've been waiting patiently for these grad students to graduate, only to find out that they've just accepted a new set of graduate students, most of whom will graduate well after I'm done with undergrad.</p>
<p>Initially, I was too young and enthusiastic to see anything wrong. And I thought I had to pay my dues and build my skills in order to be useful. But no one in the department is doing any publishing, and since there's not enough funding, the students compete for work, and I can't keep up with the grad students. My EE friends are all working on their own cool projects, designing their own parts for cool projects and actually seeing them made. I'm jealous. </p>
<p>I guess I've come to the realization that they don't intend to ever offer me my own research or let me publish.</p>
<p>I don't know what options I have. I dedicated my life to this lab, often working 50 hour work weeks during the school year, with mornings starting as early as six. I've sat in on every meeting, taken notes on every project, gone home at nights and run the calculations myself to make sure I understand what's going on with the research. And the worst part is they keep training me and leading me on, running me through the test procedures and asking me what I'd do if I were leading the project. I'm going to be too old to transfer, but if I stick around, I'm going to graduate with little more than some janitorial experience.</p>
<p>What options do I have? I have a 3.85 major GPA from a lower ranked state school, and all I've ever wanted to do was to go to grad school and do research. I've worked in industry, but only as a resume builder. Filling out the paperwork required for industry research at a big company interests me about as much as emptying trash cans at my lab. As for REU experience, I've looked into it, and not only is there nothing offered in my field, but I doubt I'll get publication experience from research lasting only about a semester. </p>
<p>Thoughts? Maybe this research thing wasn't meant to work out for me.</p>
<p>Is this a work study position? Are there for free? Fifty hours a week is more than most WS awards would fund. How do you have a life outside class, studying and lab work? If you are undergrad and have been there 3 years w/o research you will leave w/o research. Begin to assemble your letters of rec for application to graduate school. I am inclined to say your expectations were too high......not realistic. Funding being short and nobody publishing sounds like departmental weakness to me. I am confused about your statement re: lower ranked undergrad. What exactly are you doing in this lab other than being a hired hand?</p>
<p>I'm usually paid for my work ($9/hr), but the school won't let you clock over 35, so sometimes I don't clock. And not every week is a 50 hour week, but I've definitely put those in along the way. </p>
<p>As for what I'm doing, I'm mainly cleaning. Sometimes I get to help out with testing, but not often. But what other options do I have?</p>
<p>Lord, you don't have to direct your own research or publish to get into a graduate program. You don't even have to do those things to get into a top-ranked graduate program.</p>
<p>The way you present your undergraduate research experience in your applications and interviews is your choice -- you can highlight the skills you've learned and the effort you've put into your research position. It's not critical that you're an expert at designing your own experiments yet -- that's why you're going to graduate school in the first place.</p>
<p>Research in the sciences and in engineering is different, and it's understandable that your EE friends have been building things while you've been machine-watching. Odds are you may do a lot of machine-watching in grad school too. :)</p>
<p>But what about publications? My major GPA is good, but my overall GPA isn't amazing. I feel like I need the pull of publications to help out my application.</p>
<p>Publications do help, but they're not the end all be all. Neither is GPA. However, as your recs won't be as impressive as someone from a top school, I don't think you should shoot for the top of the top - not yet at least. If you polish your research experience how mollie says, I think you could probably get into a top 20 for a <MA or MS in Bio (they do have those for bio right?) You could use that as a stepping stone for a good PhD school.</p>
<p>If it helps, I'm an engineer and I got a 3.26 overall GPA, no publications, worked at my university either in the lab or being a TA. I never had my own project neither.</p>
<p>I knew I wouldn't get into MIT or anything crazy, but I still got into a top 15 university for my field and got full funding. You just have to make your application look good like what mollie said.</p>
<p>I went all of undergraduate with very little research (cut a few thin sections, that's about it), no thesis let alone publications. Heck, I don't have a publication yet (besides abstracts...don't count) and I have a MS! Still, I got into a top 5 program in my field for my PhD. </p>
<p>Goes to show you that believe it or not, professors can see potential underneath everything else, market yourself and you'll be fine!</p>
<p>I never thought I'd be in graduate school when I was a freshman in undergrad, let alone junior, so I was definitely behind the 8 ball a bit, hasn't hurt me yet...</p>
<p>I guess I'm just nervous about grad school applications. I didn't do well in high school at all and I feel like college was a second chance. I don't want to waste that.</p>