<p>I think we have a different perception of lab assistant; I see it as someone being told by the lab research group what to do, rather than the assistant being a part of the group. Same thing with internship. These people can put this down as an ec, but I think they should differentiate from being a member of a research group.</p>
<p>Most high school students are told what to do by the lab, too. Why can a high school student put it down as research while someone who has worked as a lab assistant can’t?</p>
<p>Here’s a standard job description for a research assistant, I think it’s much more involved and independent than what a high school researcher usually does:</p>
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<p>I also disagree that you have to be published for it to be considered research. I spend hours at JHU researching in the civil engineering department under a professor and with graduate students. I have not been published but that does not mean I have not been sitting down and reading 20+ pages of articles about Topology Optimization on a weekly basis or writing down over 600 different calculations and copying pictures. It doesn’t mean I haven’t spent hours reading books about structures my professor gave me and it doesn’t mean that I haven’t spent hours in the basement of their civil engineering building in a tiny room writing on whiteboards trying to solve problems he gave me.</p>
<p>That’s research. Just because we are not finished with our research so that it’s published doesn’t mean it isn’t research. Also, just because it has not been published does not mean you did not put in the same time and effort as someone else who has been published.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where this notion that research absolutely has to take place in a lab comes from. Sure, most of the time it does, but I did research in high school that culminated in published papers, and I never set foot in a lab.</p>
<p>^ Wouldn’t that be considered a review instead? In science, a review is an article that keeps a reader updated on what is currently going on in a certain topic. In this case, new information isn’t really being found, just organized, so I call this literary research. I don’t know the specifics behind what you did so I can’t say for sure. </p>
<p>Research might be differently defined in other disciplines such as literature, history, or math. I’m only familiar with what research is like in science.</p>
<p>I really think it boils down to “How does mankind benefit from your ‘research?’”</p>
<p>The high school students who list “research” under ECs most likely have a LOR from the head of the group or lab who will explain the student’s role during the time spent with the group. Those hs students fortunate to live near universities or research facilities either have to know/find someone who is willing to mentor a hs student or get into the labs through science/math programs sponsored by area high schools.</p>
<p>I’ve seen some people talking about philosophy or literature "research’. Could these be sent in?</p>
<p>“I read several books that discussed how tumors develop in humans, and I took brief notes over what I read. I did this for over 10 weeks, so I have quite a strong foundation in the topic now. Is this not considered research?”</p>
<p>Fine to mention it. Yes, it’s research and reflects an inquisitive mind. It would be even more impressive if you had used that info for a science fair project.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if literature and philosophy related research can be sent in? I’ve got over a dozen papers written on everything from Kant to Neil Gaiman (which are, if i do say so myself, pretty amazing). Do they count?</p>
<p>Depends on the university. For instance, if you send in supplement materials to a university, such as MIT, they will forward its respective departments for review by their faculty. If deemed suitable as “research/whatever” rather than some 4th grade project, then it’s good :)</p>
<p>I believe that a research is something done in a lab, if it’s science oriented, and does not have to be published. It must be original, as in it seeks out knowledge rather than regurgitate what’s already been said in books, and it must use the scientific method. </p>
<p>Regarding opportunities to work a university lab. If you have the opportunity, take the initiative and go for it, email professors or sign up for programs. But for some, the opportunity is hard come by due to the lack of 4 year institution near their area or, in my case, issues regarding language barrier (I’m in Korea atm).</p>
<p>@OP: I don’t think that’s research. That’s just reading.</p>
<p>Research would involve analysis of extensive sources and making a presentation of some sort. You could write an essay or article, or you could make a Powerpoint and arrange to present it in front of an audience. You could also spearhead a lab experiment; but research is not limited to science, so that isn’t your only option.</p>
<p>As long as it required a lot of time and deep reading, originality, thinking, and writing/speaking skills, I think it qualifies as research. No, you don’t have to come up with the cure for cancer. But if you gathered raw information about a subject, searched for patterns, and came to a conclusion of your own, you should be able to call that research.</p>
<p>For whatever my input’s worth as a humanities-slanted student:</p>
<p>Research does not have to be published.
Research does have to be conducted using the scientific method.
Research must result in a contribution to the sum total of knowledge on the subject being researched.
Research does not have to be conducted with a university professor BUT
Research must be supervised by some sort of professional (a high school teacher well-versed in the subject matter, for example).
However, if research is conducted independently and published, I imagine the lack of supervisor is no longer significant.</p>
<p>At my high school, there was a kid a few years ago who got the Morehead-Cain scholarship to Chapel Hill. He spent the summer before senior year (as my Chem II teacher tells it) trekking into the mountains of NC searching for organisms to study. I can’t quite remember what he was studying…something about pollination perhaps? His results, as far as I know, were not published, but they were compiled under the supervision of the Chem I/III teacher. His results were novel; he was not merely proving a proven theory (this is in sharp contrast to most high school labs). </p>
<p>If your research is impressive but has never been published, sending in a supplement in the form of an abstract of your research and using your supervisor as a rec could be very effective in the admissions process.</p>
<p>OP, it is research according to the definition of the word, but I would hesitate listing it just as “research” on your application. Research on college applications is usually understood as working in a lab, so those reading your application might mistakenly think you’re being dishonest. </p>
<p>If you mention it, make it clear that it wasn’t in a lab.</p>
<p>Oh, and kosherz, I would tone it down a little…from your posts, you seem ridiculously arrogant.</p>
<p>good grief…</p>
<p>If you put research on your applications, they will probably want more information about it so be prepared to explain. </p>
<p>Reading a lot on a topic, however, is not research. </p>
<p>Think Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition, science competitions, assisting with scholarly research (helping a teacher or professor at a local college) , etc… It wouldn’t necessarily have to be scienced based - research is done in the humanities field as well, but if you do research on your own, for it to really count for something you should enter it in a competition or seek to have it published.</p>
<p>I agree, as far as what the OP did, that it’s not research: rather, it’s independent study. I put down Human Trafficking as an independent study on my commonapp, because I spent upwards of 100 hours in HS reading over documents (on JSTOR, online) and watching videos (documentaries, etc.) about it, trying to learn the causes and roots. If you can use some specific terminology (what exactly about the tumors did you study?) then I think it could be a plus on your app.</p>
<p>A high schooler publishing a research? </p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Roflmao. Fizix got a full ride to caltech at age 16 and was published in Science at age 16.</p>
<p>^We’re talking about the problem of A LOT of people putting down research as EC. Unless you’re saying that a lot of 14-18 year olds publish stuff in prestigious magazines that statement is useless.</p>
<p>There was a kid who became a Harvard professor below the age of 18 so your statement is more of a Rolfmao.</p>