<p>Ok, first of all, I'm not sure where exactly I'm supposed to post this so I posted this on other sections. (Just ignore them if you come across them ^^)</p>
<p>Second, here's my story:</p>
<p>I changed my major this Spring semester (as a sophmore) from Psychology to Geology. I plan on going to grad school for a Geology (or Earth Science) masters however, to be a competitive candidate, I should do some independent research or become a research assistant, right?
So I'm just wondering... can I do research in other fields of Science (like Psychology, since I took it for 2 years) even though I intend to apply for a Geology program? I'm only starting my Geology curriculum this semester so I can't do any Geology research stuff by myself or with the professors until probably junior or senior year... </p>
<p>And also, If the graduate admissions committee saw that I did research in other fields, would that have a positive, negative, or no effect ("not geology, ignore") on my application? </p>
<p>I can’t speak for the admissions committees, but personally, I would expect that any undergraduate research is a plus. The main benefit of undergraduate research is not the content knowledge you gain in the field, it’s the experience doing self-designed and self-motivated independent study. Graduate school research is open inquiry: here’s a question, go figure out the answer, there are no instructions, good luck. Having successfully carried out such a project as an undergraduate makes you a safer bet for grad school in any field.</p>
<p>I was just asking a professor about this very topic.</p>
<p>Any undergraduate research is a plus, though you should try to stick closer to you major. Doing research in another department can show you are well rounded and can give you a slightly different set of skills when it comes to researching. Plus it’s experience which will help you get into a lab in your department.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people who did research after freshman year even before they’d declared any major at all. Try applying for a research position in geology and see if they’ll let you learn on the job.</p>
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<p>Well there’s no rule against it. I did this and sold myself as an “interdisciplinary researcher” who could think in a lot of different ways, and I got into my top choice school. That being said you should apply for research positions in geology and see what happens.</p>